From Cave to Corral

Today we headed southeast of Tucson to Kartchner Caverns State Park and Tombstone. Kartchner Caverns are rather recent in their discovery, 1974, and even more recent in their accessibility to the public. I have no photos to show you because no cameras are allowed in the caves. These are living caves, meaning they are still being formed. Water is still seeping into the limestone, still creating the incredible stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, columns, and other wonders. Human contamination, even in the form of just a touch, can kill that action, so extreme precautions are taken to protect this natural wonder. And yet, amazingly, they are handicap accessible! When the discoverers and property owners worked with the state to create this park, they insisted that the cave be available for all of the public to see. About noon we were ready to move on to Tombstone. A stark contrast to the natural beauty of the caverns, this old mining town is a dusty relic of the days of the lawless wild west. And yet it is a real place with a real history, a real town too tough to die. Of course it's most famous story is of the events of a day in October, 1881, when three "cowboys" died in the shoot out with Doc Holiday and the Earps at OK Corral. We watched a reenactment of this and other tales of this infamous town, put on by local volunteer actors. It was really quite fun. No trip to Tombstone is complete without a stop at Boot Hill. While these victims of the shootout against the Earps were "murdered" or not is still debated, but there were plenty of others buried there who were. It was a rough life in this frontier town. We finished our travels today by stopping at the east side section of Saguaro National Park to watch the sun set.