29/01/08

Monday 28th turned out to be a nice sunny but cool day, not warm enough for a longish ride on the bike, so we used the RV for the 27 mile trip to Tombstone.
Tombstone. The very word conjures up memories of the lawlessness of the American West back in the late 1800’s. A town born out of the richest silver find to that date, and since all that ran out has managed to survive on its name and tourism. The nice thing about it is that it is not “in your face”. Yes it is commercialised but nobody pushing you to do this or that. Pictures of the real Wyatt Earp and letters from Doc Holidays family bring it all to life together with the Big Nose Kate Saloon which is still operating with staff dressed in period costume check out www.bignosekate.com. Life was cheap as is shown by the average age in Boot Hill Cemetery, rarely anyone over 40, with explicit indications of how they died. Killed by Indians, and hanged, but most were shot in gunfights. It all makes me want to watch the films “Tombstone” and “Gunfight at the OK Corral” all over again. Ain’t movie makers great, they can make a 30 second incident into a 1½ hour epic.