Throwback Thursday: A Family Trip Out West

In December of 2018, my family and I took a trip out west to visit my brother and sister-in-law.

My brother is currently stationed in Sierra Vista, Arizona at Fort Huachuca, so we made our way out for a visit. An hour from Tucson and only about 20 miles from the border of Mexico, Sierra Vista is a tiny military town nestled in the Huachuca Mountains. There's not much to do in Sierra Vista itself,  but it's what surrounds the town that brings in tourists.

Not long after we landed in Tucson, we decided to go on a hike in Coronado National Park. It was less of a hike and more of a drive up a mountain that had no guardrail and my dad almost drove us off the cliff. Later in the day, we went on a self-guided tour of the Fort. 

The next day was my favorite day of the whole trip.

We started out going to the widely known hippie town of Bisbee, Arizona. It gained fame for being the richest producing mining towns in the west. If you ever find yourself in Bisbee, I highly recommend the Bisbee Breakfast Club. There were antique cars and trucks that lined the small strip of a street that reminded me of Petticoat Junction. 

Bisbee was absolutely adorable. We spent the morning antique shopping and exploring the quirky town. Every time I go somewhere new, I always buy myself a ring as a souvenir. The ring I picked out in this beautiful jewelry shop happened to be a rare turquoise and silver ring, handmade by a Navajo American Indian in the early 1900s.

Our next stop for the day was Tombstone, Arizona. Yes, yes, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and his brothers, the OK Corral, yeah that place. It's seriously like you go back in time to the lawless Wild West. We made our first stop at the Bird Cage Theater, famous for having the longest bar in America (made in Pittsburgh btw) at the time. Bullet holes from the 1800s still look fresh in the walls and floor. We stopped into multiple saloons including The Crystal Palace and Big Nose Kate's Saloon. Kate famously being the wife of Doc Holliday. 

Of course we had to stop at the OK Corral for a reenactment of the famous shootout between the Earp's, Holliday and a few angry Cowboys. If you're a fan of the movie and the Wild West, Tombstone is the perfect place to visit.  Bisbee and Tombstone are the perfect stops for a day trip if you find yourself exploring southern Arizona. 

The following day we drove up to Tucson for a relaxing day at Topgolf! After some swings, we decided to explore the PIMA Air and Space Museum which houses thousands of historic planes and other air crafts like the Air Force One that carried JFK back from Dallas after being killed and so many more. 

Our final day we explored the Kartchner Caverns. Obviously if you don't like confined spaces, caves are not for you. I hadn't been in a cave since I was in Brownies so I forgot how insane they are! The limestone cave stretches over 2 miles and is suggested to be over 50,000 years old. 

The rest of our trip was spent eating, drinking and playing games. 

However, if you ever find yourself in the deep Southwest, I highly recommend stopping at any of the places we did. It made up for an awesome trip out west! 

Love Always,

Marge