Heading to our last Arizona destination, there was a series of most unfortunate events. Starting with a blowout just outside of Tucson on I-10 that took out our hydraulic system. Followed by getting 6 brand new tires on the rig that led to finding a broken leaf spring support on the back axle. Then, waiting several weeks to get into Camperworld to fix the hydraulics. (Side note: We are still waiting to find a service center to fix the side panel. It’s just cosmetics. But it’s our baby, and we want her to look good!)
The Blowout
OUCH!! As if the blown tire wasn’t enough, the hydraulic system (see red fluid, not John’s blood!) was damaged and there was no way we could raise the rig to change the tire ourselves. So wait we did, 5 hours, for help to arrive. Lots of miscommunication between Progressive Roadside Service and tow trucks. It finally took us calling at the last minute to find a local service that wasn’t closed. All I can say is thank goodness the outdoor fridge was stocked! 🙂
Instead of traveling another 45 minutes to our RV park, we choose to overnight in a local Walmart where we cheered our misfortune and danced to our good fortune that it wasn’t worse! I am so thankful that most Walmarts allow overnight parking. We always try to clean up around us, mostly putting shopping carts away!!
Home in the Desert
The silver lining of this bad luck story is the Escapees Park in Benson, Arizona. We were already scheduled for a weeks stay at SKP Saguaro COOP while we explored the area. These wonderful folks extended our stay for almost 2 more weeks while we dealt with insurance and worked on getting The Beast roadworthy. I can’t say enough about the Escapees family! Everyone we met was kind and generous, offering whatever we might need to make our stay pleasant. If you are an RVer and you haven’t joined Escapees, we need to chat!
The park itself was well maintained with beautiful landscaping. Morning walks were filled with watching birds and butterflies flittering around. Afternoons were time for happy hours. My favorite quote from an Escapees (SKP) member, “When the mountains are pink, it’s time to drink!” Everything you could need is available at SKP Saguaro from a laundry room with industrial washers for my throw rugs, a tool shop for John to borrow what ever his heart desired, book exchanges, and a swap shop where you could drop off your “un-wanteds” and find something useful you never knew you needed! Activities included coffee chats and happy hours! What more is needed! 🙂
Fun Memories @ SKP Saguaro COOP
Celebrating Halloween as Split Hares! And lots of Fall Football Fun! 🙂
The Town too Tough to Die
We stepped back in time for a visit to Tombstone, Arizona. (Only about 20 minutes from Benson.) It was a great day of gun fights, saloons, and well, more saloons! There is also a fair share of gift shops from the high end to the 5 and 10 variety offering everything from Tommy Lamas boots to Doc Holiday mugs. We started out as usual at the Visitor’s Center hoping to glean the inside scoop and the best places to eat. Well, the old boy at the counter was about as pleasant as a stubbed toe! Feeling the vibe that he was in no mood for chit chat, we gathered a map and a few brochures and set off on our own. It’s basically one long street…
So what does one do 1st in Tombstone…A gunfight! We made our way to the OK Corral…across the street! After paying the $10 entrance fee we wandered the grounds looking at the various artifacts from the 1880s.
Learned about the “Darker Side” of Tombstone. Isn’t that an oxymoron?! Tombstone is a miner’s town. So it’s no wonder the town supported 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, and numerous brothels!
Then it was time for the Shoot Out at OK Corral…Did you know this infamous gunfight only lasted 30 seconds? It was an entertaining show, using quotes from the movie Tombstone. The actors interacted with the crowd and made it fun. Definitely worth the $10. Didn’t find out til after we left that our ticket also got us into the Epitaph, the town’s newspaper. Oh, well…
We sauntered (cuz that’s what you do in a Wild West Town) down the wooden sidewalk and in to Big Nose Kate’s Saloon for lunch. What a treat! Live music, cold beer, and a juicy burger! With the sounds of country classics like Glen, Hank, Johnny and George playing, we couldn’t resist the urge to dance! It was perfect!
Big Nose Kate’s Saloon is named after Doc Holiday’s on and off gal, Kate Cummings. The building used to be the original Grand Hotel where the Earp’s stayed. Considered one of the finest hotels in Tombstone, it burned in the fire of 1882. The original bar survived the fire being that it was in the basement at the time! Kinda cool to think of the people who sat at that bar! 🙂 Another cool thing is “The Shaft” and the story of The Swamper. He was the janitor and was given a room in the basement of the Grand Hotel. The Swamper painstakingly dug a tunnel into the mine shafts that ran beneath the hotel as well as most of Tombstone extracted ounces of silver nuggets. Many say his ghost still haunts the shaft protecting his silver!
The Bird Cage Theatre is the only original building still standing in Tombstone; miraculously surviving the fire. Maybe it was it’s ill reputed reputation that saved it! The New York Times reported “The Bird Cage Theatre is the wildest, wickedest night spot, between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.” It operated continuously for 8 years. Legend says 26 people were killed here and the evidence of the bullet holes can still be seen in the ceiling. My favorite Bird Cage story… The longest-running poker game in history was played here, lasting 8 years, 5 months, and 3 days! As much as $10,000,000 changed hands between the likes of Doc Holiday, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, George Hearst, and Adolpus Busch of Busch Brewery. My favorite pic…the chastity belt, guaranteed virginity protector!
There’s no doubt this place is haunted!! 🙂
Just a few more stops in Tombstone before we said good bye!
Fixing the Beast
Almost 2 weeks since the blow out, we are finally able to get the hydraulic line fixed. Spent the night in Tucson while Camperworld worked on the Beast. And worked…and worked… Well, they obviously didn’t work the whole time because we sat in the Camperworld parking lot for almost 2 hours after the “scheduled” pick up time…waiting….
Yay!! Finally ready to head East…