All good things must come to an end...........

but boy do I wish they didn't.

We had a wonderful week, time spent together, traveling close to home but far enough where we can completely unwind and relax and recharge.  I don't know why we don't do this more often, we definitely need to.

The beginning of the week we started by going North to Prescott for 2 days and then ended the week with a pit stop at home on Wednesday and then on to Tombstone on Thursday and Friday.

I really enjoyed Prescott, matter of fact we all did but NOTHING could have prepared us for how much we would enjoy Tombstone, not only enjoy but we all fell in love with the "Town too tough to die".

It's like stepping back in time, immersing yourself into the 1880's and learning all about the history of this amazing place, walking the same wooden sidewalks that infamous people like Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and so many others walked.

Let me show you a little of what we did, I wish I could post all the pictures but that would be ridiculous since I took over 400.  Hahah, yeah, over 400 pictures and I could have taken so many more, matter of fact we plan on going back because we didn't get to see and do everything we wanted to.

Our Thursday started early, we set off at 10am and headed south towards Tombstone which is 3 and a half hours away.

Arriving in Tombstone..........

Our first sight was the O.K. Corral  Gunfight Site.

First thing we did was take the Stagecoach Tour.  I wish I had the words to explain what it feels like stepping inside one of those wagons and actually riding inside it.....it just makes you stop and take in everything and really realize that this is how people would get around.

The kids absolutely loved the ride and so did we, our tour guide was very friendly and took us around for 25 minutes, showing us all the main buildings, what happened in what, who stayed where etc.  Very informative and interesting.

Then I made a beeline for the ONE place in Tombstone I was determined to see and NOT miss out on.  The Bird Cage Theater and that was I think for me, one of my favorite things to do in Tombstone.  There is SO much rich history, it literally looks like they closed the doors in 1889 and just re-opened them for us to step inside.

The Black Moriah, the hearse that took all the bodies from Tombstone to the Boothill Graveyard.

Inside the bird cage, if you look at the ceiling you can see the bullet holes.  The ceiling is riddled with them.  You can also see the cribs, the areas where the soiled doves would do *business* with the rich paying customers.

Downstairs in the basement is where the gambling area was, these tables were the original ones used during the 8 year long poker game.  Unbelievable isn't it?  Everything has been left as it was.

Across from the poker tables are the bedrooms that were used by the soiled doves.  These have just recently been opened to the public and nothing has been touched, dusted or cleaned in any way.

At 2pm and 4pm, the O.K. Corral actors put on a show, a reenactment of the gunfight.  At 2pm they just go straight to the area and do the little play, but the 4pm one is the one we went to and that one actually starts outside in the streets, right outside the Bird Cage Theater and then  moves down to the actual area where the gunfight took place.

There's Wyatt Earp on the left and his younger brother Morgan Earp on the right.

The Earp Brothers.....from the right:  Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton, Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury and Billy the Kid.

Morgan Earp in the background and Doc Holliday in the front.

We walked around a little more but it was getting late, so we decided to go check in at our cabin and then come back for some dinner at the Crystal Palace Saloon.

I don't think there is anything that can prepare you for what it's like being inside these buildings, there is this electricity in the air, this feeling that is indescribable.

The next morning we started bright and early at 7:30am.  Stopped over at The Longhorn Restaurant for some breakfast.  The tables are filled with all sorts of interesting things to read, like this Reward poster for Billy the Kid.

We had a great breakfast, really yummy food and very affordable prices.  You can see the rest of the pictures on my Flickr Tombstone Album.

I had to take a quick pic of the inside of the Big Nose Kate's Saloon which was previously the Grand Hotel.

Walking down Allen Street......

Stopping over at the Tombstone Epitaph for a free copy of the newspaper from the day AFTER the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.   There is also a museum inside which is free of charge and you can see all the machinery used as well as tons of articles and old newspapers, including the last edition of 1886.

Now let me quickly show you the cabin we stayed at.  If you ever head to Tombstone, DO yourself a favor and stay at Katie's Cozy Cabins, I promise you, you will not regret it.  We are in love with these cabins, they are very affordable and have all the amenities you could need, they are also pet friendly.

For the rest of the pictures of the inside, which you HAVE to see, just go to my Flickr Katie's Cozy Cabins album.

Friday morning before setting off for home, we had to stop at the Boothill Graveyard.  Another place I absolutely loved visiting.  Again to see all the photos I took at the graveyard, just go here to my album.

If you go to my album, there are descriptions of each grave, including the story of how these people died.

I'm sure you all know who these men are, the famous O.K. Corral shoot out.

And with that came to an end our visit to Tombstone.  We left feeling sad, we wanted to stay longer, we wanted to visit every single building and do every single tour, one day was just not enough to see everything we wanted to so we are already planning to return very soon.

But I didn't leave without stocking up on some souvenirs, it just wouldn't be right you know?

 

Now  I think I'll go watch Tombstone and Wyatt Earp.