Sunday, January 20, 2008

Cochise Stronghold and Tombstone

Yesterday we took the short trip into the Dragoon Mountains to see Cochise's hideout. This is the place he fled to from the Cavalry Soldiers. It is very rugged and yet so amazing. He was born there and it is said he is buried there. You can almost feel them watching you as you drive into the area. As we looked up at the rocks and nook and crannies in the mountains, it is hard to think of anyone finding anyone who is trying to hide. There is a campground in the area, but there are size restrictions, and the road is not really good.
On the way out there and on the way back we saw this big smokestack and buildings. We decided to go see what it was. It turned out to be an electric plant out there all by itself. We took some pictures for you to see. We also stopped to take some pics of the pecan and pistachio groves.
Today we went to Tombstone. It's about 22 miles from where we are here in Benson. We went to see Boot Hill Cemetery. They give us this little pamphlet when we went in, and it tells about the folks buried there. The last person laid to rest there was the man who was so instrumental in bringing the cemetery up to it's present day condition. His request was to be buried there, so he is. The town is so cool. There are stage coaches giving rides. You can see folks in period dress all over town. They stop and talk, and tell you anything you want to know. Any number of shops line the streets, and you can buy anything your heart desires. You can go visit the original site of the Gunfight At OK Corral. They have shoot-outs every so often. They also give trips down into the old mine, where so many men worked in those days. It's kind of touristy, but a great place to take the kids. If it had been warmer we may have stayed longer. As it was, we were glad we took jackets with us. On the way home, we stopped to but some pistachios at a little stand near the campground. They sure are good.
Tomorrow we head to Quartsite. It is a mecca for RVers. We will be dry camping, which means no hook-ups. We will have to run the generator for electric, so we may not be on-line much. We'll have our phone, though. We'll be in touch in a few days. Off we go.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/CochiseStronghold
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/Tombstone

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Missouri. My family and I are headed to Willcox, AZ for a week of hiking and want to visit the Dragoons. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

(Here via a "Google" search.)

Cheers.

Paula and Tom said...

I can't give you any info on hiking. We just drove around the area. I would think you would have to be an experienced hiker to do some of the places we have seen. It's very rocky and quite steep. I also think it would be quite beautiful from up in the mountains.