Saturday, May 12, 2012

The O.K. corral was… well, just Okay!

blue thoated hummer

mapThe weather here in southern Arizona has been pretty nice with highs in the mid eighties and overnight lows in the high fifties. It has been a bit windy later in the day but nothing that would keep us from checking out the countryside. One of the main reasons we stopped here in Benson Arizona was to give us an opportunity to explore the Huachuca Mountains to the south of here.

To get to the mountains we decided upon a loop that would also take us through Tombstone and Huachuca City. We had never been to tombstone and thought it would be neat to see this town rich in Tombstone AZ OK Corralwestern history. Upon arrival in Tombstone one of the first places we passed was the O.K. Corral so we made a way into town and parked (free) along the roads in the center of town.

The town is a bit over developed commercially as there is all kinds of shops and “tourist traps” for one to visit… We thought it was a bit over the top, Hidden in the commercialism is the history that made this town famous and at the heart of it is the OK Corral where Wyatt Earl and Doc Holliday had their famous shootout with the Clanton brothers. We enjoyed strolling through the streets and also enjoyed watching some of the vendors dressed in period clothing but it was time to move on to the mountains…

Tombstone AZ wagonTombstone AZ building

Tombstone AZSouth of Tombstone is the town of Sierra Vista, a much larger city than I thought with a population of over 120,000. Just to the east of town is the small town of Hereford where there is a Nature Preserve called the Ramsey Canyon Preserve. This is one ofhiking Ramsey Canyon 023 the birding meccas in Arizona as this area is known as the hummingbird capitol of the USA. While visiting we even got to see five different species including the largest hummer, the Blue Throated.

There is a nice trail that leads from the nature Conservancy building to the top of the mountain valley. The trail is only one mile long and the first half is very easy while the second half is more difficult as it is practically straight up the mountain side. Lots of feeders and benches are along the way for one to look for birds. Many different species of birds can be seen here that can only be seen in Southern Arizona in the USA such as the bridled titmouse, painted redstarts, red faced warblers, and Arizona woodpeckers to name a few.

new mexico locust Tombstone AZ and Ramsey Canyon 028

paited redstartWe say lots of beautiful birds this day and truly enjoyed the hike in Ramsey Canyon. Tombstone on the other hand where the O.K. Corral is was, well, just OKAY!

One more day here then we will visit Tucson for a few days and then maybe Phoenix for a few more if it isn’t too hot there yet…

17 comments:

  1. So, tell me how does the mid 80's there compare to the humid mid 80's in Florida? Everyone says, the dry heat doesn't feel so hot? What is your opinion?

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    1. Karen, It does not feel as hot at all. The "dry heat" theory must be true.

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  2. I love the picture you took of the hummingbird. Hereford sounds like our kind of place. We'll have to check it out next time we are out west.

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  3. I haven't been to Ramsey Canyon since 1988. Guess I'd better think about going back. :)

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  4. Phoenix? Kiyiyi! You must have business or family there to be considering such a thing!

    I went out exploring yesterday, and came back to find the thermometer saying 95°. Either the thing was broken, or there really is something to this "dry heat" notion.

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    1. yep - once we hit Phoenix it is to be in the mid 100's - visiting a friend for the day... one day!

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  5. We enjoy Tombstone every year, lunch at Big Nose Kates for some fun entertainment, and overlook the touristy things searching around for the freebies to dig up some interesting history. The Kartchener Caverns is definitely a worthwhile visit.

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    1. Caverns will have to wait till next time as we head towards Tucson soon...

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  6. Never thought I'd say I'm envying your temperatures in Arizona but they sound great. Mid 80's and 50's at night is pretty perfect in my opinion. Sure was hotter there last year when we were in the state. The birding sounds great too - 5 different hummers and all those others - gotta put the conservancy on my to do list. Thanks for the tip.

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    1. great birding spot... still think the Chihuahuas east of here are better for birding and hiking...

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  7. We spent a month in Sierra Vista about 7 years ago. Love the birding around there. Check out the Bisbee area with their l000 stairs!!!

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    1. will have to save Bisbee for the return trip...

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  8. We wish we would have known you were going down there. We would have told you NOT to miss Bisbee. It is wonderful. A hundreds times better than Tombstone...which we found too touristy for our liking. If you are still looking for a place to visit...don't miss Bisbee.

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  9. We kinda felt the way you did about Tombstone. Meh.

    But the surrounding desert was gorgeous! We meandered around that whole area and stayed near Elfrida on a ranch. Also enjoyed going up to Jerome too!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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