This is just as well, since it meant that when
After showering, I went down to the front desk to get a password for the wireless network. I took a quick look at my email, and was considering calling to make plans, when
DG, MA and I went to breakfast at Waffle House, conveniently located just across an empty lot from our hotel. While eating, we discussed what to do with our day. The only thing I really wanted to do in Tucson was the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, but that sounded like more fun to do the next day with a larger group. MA suggested seeing caverns, but I wasn't wild about the idea and she said that it wouldn't be the end of the world if she didn’t get to do it. DG pointed out that we weren't all that far from Tombstone. This sounded good to all of us. We repaired to the hotel for directions, and determined that if we left right away, we might be in time for the gunfight re-enactment. About halfway there, I finally adjusted to the size and handling of my car, and took advantage of the higher speed limits, so we did arrive in good time.
Tombstone, Arizona, founded in 1879, was a silver mining town and was a bustling population center for less than a decade. When you think of the Old West, with the town surrounded by empty space, and conflicts between the miners, the ranchers, the ordinary townsfolk, and the law, you may well be thinking of Tombstone. Its most famous moment was the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which has been memorialized in song, story and movies, and is said to have been the first gunfight of its type.
Previous Vacation Tie-In: Many of the people who survived the Tombstone's heyday later ended up in Alaska as part of or following the Klondike Gold Rush, including Wyatt Earp.
After a pleasant afternoon of historical tourism, we headed back to Tucson. DG called
The next stop was the home of Ourika's friend, C. C was kind enough to open her home to a bunch of strangers (the seven of us arriving en masse constituted the bulk of the gathering). There was food, drink, and a great deal of teasing of Ourika, who, understandably, was much more hyper and more easily distracted than usual. There was also a frantic search for the text of Jabberwocky, followed by a dramatic reading.
To be continued...
Coming next installment: