From Santa Monica to Douglas AZ
Well we didn’t have one of our finest inspirations when we left Santa Monica Pier shortly after 5:00 pm on a Friday evening!
There was a hotel just up the street from the pier but it was a couple hundred /night so decided to pass on that figuring an hour or so down the Interstate something would show up. WRONG!!
Three hrs later found a not bad priced one, in hindsight the smart move would have been to take the coast highway, where at least we would have seen something other than brake lights & likely would have come across accommodation sooner. BTW Southern California drivers behave similar to Montreal taxi drivers. Good thing I learned to drive truck in Montreal with the taxi drivers so learned how to intimidate them, this skill returned quickly!!
The next day the Interstate was still a zoo, all in all it was around 5 hrs from Santa Monica to San Diego so we just said screw it & headed east towards Yuma where we found a bit of warm weather.
After spending the night in Yuma, upon checking the map, to make sure Tommy couldn’t pull any fast ones on me, discovered that the route to the border at Douglas, passed through Tombstone AZ. Bonus, we even get to see the OK Coral!!
A while after leaving the San Diego area one goes through some hill country then emerges into the flatland desert where with a little irrigation some great hay is grown & once again factory dairy farms are seen.
The smell of new mown hay mixed with the desert sagebrush is kind of unique, especially the end of October. We ain’t in On-turkey-O anymore Dorthy!!
Just before entering Tombstone one comes to the Boot Hill Cemetery, which for the couple dollar entry fee is well worth a look. The downtown part of Tombstone is restored old buildings, similar to Dawson City in the Yukon.
On Oct 26, 1891 the infamous gun fight began in the 18-foot-wide lot behind The Coral which is set up with mannequins placed where the Earps, Doc Holiday & the Clanton/McLaury’s. In the 30 second fight, nearly 30 shots were fired which resulted in the death’s of the McLaury’s & Billy Clanton. Virgil & Morgan Earp were both seriously wounded, Doc suffered a superficial hip wound & Wyatt walked away unscathed.
Definitely a cool stop & worth half a day, unfortunately I arrived at 4:00 pm but did spend the night & had supper in one of the restored saloons.
The drive along I-8 then I-10 through California & Arizona is somewhat interesting although nothing spectacular. Although the kind of desolate but rolling countryside south to Tombstone much better & one can see the attraction to people who lived outside the box, like the Clantons, Earps & Doc Holiday who sounds quite a character, as is a distant relative of his, whom I have the pleasure of knowing.
An hours drive the next morning brought me to the Mexican border.
Tags: Travel
busman7