One foot out the door...anxious to get out of Tombstone

 Our trailer was picked up by RV City on Wednesday, March 31st. We were told that we would get it back the same day. We were skeptical, so we packed a suitcase any way and figured we would stay at a local hotel.

Tombstone is really a small town and it is geared towards tourists. There are no upscale or even medium scale hotels, but they still charge tourist prices. We stayed at the Landmark Lodge, which was built in 1966, and looks it in every way. The rooms are dingy and dirty. The architecture has a very 60s motel vibe to it. We opted to stay at the Lodge in the hopes of getting decent internet, but the wifi was actually worse than the RV campground where we had been staying. They boasted a hot breakfast, made to order, and the menu was pretty good - pancakes, french toast, fried potatoes, etc. but they only had one person at the grill, so it was an easy 30 minute wait for any food. The quality of the food was one star below McDonalds.

We don't have our truck. RV City didn't have a truck with a gooseneck hitch, so we told them to use ours to tow the trailer. We also needed them to check the brake controller, so it made sense.  Ari didn't take any of the tack out of the trailer because normally we would stow it in the truck and did I mention we don't have our truck? So, he can't ride until we get our trailer back.

The axles were replaced, but there was a dispute on Thursday about replacing the tires. All four tires on the trailer were worn and needed to be replaced because of the bent axles. Dexter, the axle mfr, was supposed to ship four replacement tires to RV City, the RV repair shop. The tires never arrived. We spoke to Tom, at SMC, the trailer mfr, and he told us the tires were shipped, but I never got an email notice about that. I had assumed that SMC/Dexter had worked out a deal with RV City to reimburse for the tires. Tom said he would have to call Dexter first thing Friday morning to find out what was happening with the tires as Dexter had already shut down for the day.

This meant another night in a rented room. We opted to rent a room at the campground where we are staying. They have portables set up - similar to the portables schools use for classrooms - that they have converted into motel rooms. The rooms have a bathroom and a bedroom. We were assured that the internet was really excellent in these rooms, but it was actually worse than the Landmark Lodge because not only didn't we have wifi, but we had no cell service. 

So, we were feeling pretty down. For lunch, Helen and Jeff, who are also staying at the campground offered to drive us into town to pick up food.  Ari ended up going shopping at the Family Dollar store for groceries so we wouldn't have to beg for rides into town.  No produce at this store, so Ari brought bread, lunch meat, some chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, water, etc. to keep us fed until we get the LQ back.  There is no GrubHub or Uber in the Tombstone area. 

Friday morning I called Tom at SMC only to be told HE NO LONGER WORKS THERE.  Panic ensued as Ari & I have been working with Tom since we purchased the trailer and we had no idea how much his replacement knew about our situation. His replacement, Chris, seems OK and he was able to arrange for RV City to put on the replacement tires and bill SMC.

Today is Good Friday, but we still don't have our LQ back. We are heading into Easter weekend and there is a good possibility - Jeff and Helen tell us - that there are no crappy rooms for rent in the area because apparently tourists flood Tombstone on Easter weekend.

I have told Ari we need to get our truck back today one way or the other, so we are not stranded the entire weekend. That way we can at least get a better hotel room in Sierra Vista (about 30 miles from here). Helen and Jeff have offered to take care of our horses if we don't get the LQ back this afternoon.

Ride and Eat in Tombstone, Arizona

 I had been really, really looking forward to riding into Tombstone, tying the horses up to a hitching post, and eating on an outdoor patio and just soaking in the Western atmosphere and the history.

Of course, the reality is always so very different.

First off, I broke my foot. Surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday, so I decided if I want to ride into Tombstone and eat - it is now or never. 

It's about a 40 minute ride from the Tombstone RV Park & Campground into town. It is a nice easy flat trail that basically parallels the freeway and set far away from any traffic noises.

You ride through a small residential area right into Tombstone.

The Four Deuces Saloon on Allen Street has outdoor patio seating and a solid hitching post to tie up your horse. They will even offer your horse water. 

There is a rake and manure bucket handy - just in case you need to clean up after your horse.

Ari tying up Lennox

My horse did fine being tied up to the hitching post. Lennox was anxious the entire time. He didn't understand what was going on - although we have done ride and eats before. 

We went into town on a Monday in order to avoid too many tourists, but there were still people taking selfies with our horses - as well as the sounds of gunfire from all the shoot outs in the distance.

The gunfire didn't bother the horses at all. They are used to it from cowboy mounted shooting. But the strange people made Lennox really nervous.

The saloon doesn't serve food, but allows you to order food from across the street at the OK Cafe. You phone in your order and someone from the cafe walks it over to deliver it to you. 

The menu is burgers, hot dogs, chili, and sides. The food was actually pretty good.

The horses kept an eye on us while we were eating...and vice versa.

I really had a great time, but Ari was upset by how amped up Lennox got.

Mercutio was fine. He took the entire adventure in stride.

 

Snow? In Tombstone?

We were surprised Saturday morning by a snowfall early in the morning. Ari had taken the blankets off the horses after feeding them, but when the snow started to come down we went out and put the blankets back on.

The snow continued to fall steadily and finally stopped around 1 pm. None of it stuck around, but it looks to be cold and freezing temps for the next couple of days.

Lennox bent a panel of the pen he has been in by leaning against it.  The property owners ended up replacing a couple of the pen's panels with stronger ones to ensure Lennox and Mercutio don't get out and no more damage is done.

Supposedly, the replacement parts for our trailer are going to ship next week. I have surgery on my foot scheduled next week, so we may actually be able to leave in early April and continue our journey.

 

Riding to Monument Guest Ranch, Tombstone, AZ

 Wednesday morning, I got a call - the Iowa Gang (Dwight, Julie, and Bill) would meet Ari at the petroglyphs outside our campground and ride to the Tombstone Monument Guest Ranch.  The guest ranch is an all-inclusive dude ranch. If you stay there, you can't bring your own horse, but equestrians in the area can ride in, tie their horses up in the arena area, and hang out at the saloon which offers food and drink.

So, Ari met up with them...happy to join a group ride and get out.

Here is Ari and Julie with Bill's horse - a dappled gray.

On the ride, Ari spotted several abandoned mines. These mines are now used as shelters by migrants travelling across the border. They will spend one or more nights in these man-made caves to rest up before continuing North.

The Monument Guest Ranch is basically a replica of down-town Tombstone, except the store fronts are now casitas for ranch guests.

Inside the bathroom stall

Outside the bathroom stall

Ari called me when they got to the guest ranch and asked me to drive down and join them (and bring his wallet so he could buy a round of drinks), so I drove there. I expect the horseback ride in was more pleasant as it was a hard pack dirt road about a mile long to get into the guest ranch.  But the saloon was charming. I visited the women's lavatory and enjoyed the mural.

I had a prickly pear margarita - which was quite good.

Broken Foot, Broken Axles

 On Wednesday, I had my fourth set of x-rays on my spiral fracture and the news was not good. The doctor said it is a severe fracture and not healing well. There was some very slight bone growth, but for all intents and purposes it was like a brand new fracture - even though it is two months old. He advised staying off my foot entirely to allow it to heal, no more riding, and continue use of the bone stimulator.

Then on Thursday, Ari took the LQ in to be serviced. The left turn signal wasn't working and he wanted to check the brakes as the tires weren't wearing right. 

The left turn signal issue was caused by an electrical issue. Our son, Isaiah, had installed upscale LED headlights in our truck. Apparently, they were overloading the electrical system and causing a feedback - which shorted out the turn signal. It took a couple of hours for them to figure it out. Once they replaced the headlights, everything worked fine.

The uneven wear on the tires were caused by the Dexter axles - which had bent. Apparently, Dexter axles fabricated between May 2020 and December 2020 were not heat treated properly and are defective. Our trailer is unsafe to haul as the axles were ready to crack. The damage was not caused by overloading the axles but because the axles were not strong enough to handle the load.

Because the axles were under recall, the axles and tires will be replaced under warranty, but it will take a month to get the replacement parts. 

The RV repair place said the LQ is unsafe to haul without the repairs, so they towed it back to the RV park for us. When the parts come in, they will come and pick up the LQ. At least this way, we can live in our LQ and not out of suitcases.

So, we are stuck in Tombstone until April. I had to contact all our upcoming stays to shift dates and change our route so we wouldn't have to totally change everything.

On the plus side, we will be some place long enough to get vaccinated for COVID-19. I was able to get us appointments in Sierra Vista - about 20 minutes away. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. We got the Moderna vaccine and should get the second shot the beginning of April - right around when the LQ is getting fixed.

I am trying to find people in the area who can ride with Ari and who can ride my horse, since I am not supposed to ride for the next six weeks.

Tombstone RV & Campground, Tombstone, AZ

 While Dayna, Steve, and I were playing tourist, Ari & Jaydon, Dayna's son, rode to the nearby Tombstone Gulch.

It was such a nice ride Ari & I decided to do it on Tuesday.

When you reach Tombstone Gulch, pass under the abandoned train trestle, turn left, and look at the rocks on your left to locate the petroglyphs.

 

Tombstone RV Park & Campground - Tombstone, AZ

 Traveling across the country and not stopping in Tombstone, Arizona when you have horses seemed like a waste, so of course we are spending a good week here in Tombstone.

We are staying at the Tombstone RV Park & Campground. Our horses are sharing a really good-sized pen with a small shade shelter.

This is one of the tent sites at the campground

We have full hook-up and a really nice pull-through site.

There is a heated pool which is making us both extremely happy.

Our niece, her husband, and our great-nephew came down to spend the weekend with us. They are staying at a motel a few blocks away. Ari is getting some much needed dog time.

Jayden came early on Saturday morning so he & Ari could ride into town.

While Jayden & Ari were off riding, Dayna, Steve & I played tourist in the town of Tombstone. Our first stop was the Boothill Cemetery to pay our respects.

The largest grave is for the Clayton gang - of the OK Corral shoot-out fame.

The tombstone reads:

Here lies George Johnson Hanged by Mistake 1882

He was Right

We was Wrong

But we strung him up

And now he is gone.

Dayna and I visited the OK Corral and watched the re-enactment of the gun fight. The re-enactment was high camp - lots of humor and some gun play.

These are the stables at the OK Corral where the horses were kept.

There is also a small blacksmith area.

We walked around the Tombstone area. Tombstone has basically been preserved as a tourist attraction with a lot of souvenir shops, saloons, and restaurants. It is not as nice as downtown Nashville or the tourist area of Jackson, Wyoming, but it is fun to walk around.

Lots of costume shops where you can buy Western costumes that you would never wear except on a stage or at Halloween.

There are several small museums charging from $5 to $15 with displays like this one where you can see items from the 1800s. You can see similar items if you go into any antique shop for free. However in the antique shop, they probably won't be labeled or displayed as nicely.

We paid $5 to see the "World's Largest Rose Bush", which is quite impressive. It must be really something in the spring and summer when it is in bloom.

I am not sure if this bridle was ever actually used on any woman or if some blacksmith created it as a joke and then sold it to the museum as an actual thing.

Turns out that these were used in the 15th and 16th centuries in Scotland and England, but there is no recorded use of them in the "New World" or North America.  The label is dated 1632, so I am not sure how it found it's way in a museum celebrating a town that was founded some 200 years later. I would be interested to learn exactly what the provenance of this device actually is.