Reality Check

We are in Tombstone, the town that would not die!

We mosey on down the mostly deserted main street, heading for the OK Corral, trying not to make eye contact with the shady characters that are loitering about. We pass the Sheriff, a tall, rangy, mean-looking fellow who obviously is just looking for an excuse to gun down someone who looks out of place. He mumbles a nearly inaudible "howdy" as we come near, while eyeing the suspicious-looking hombre leaning on the hitching post across the street. Could be trouble brewing!

As we quietly walk away, behind us we hear him call out to the outlaw, "I'm out of here in another 30 minutes. How about you?".
"I have to stay until 4:30" he replies.

Thus ends the Tombstone illusion. Or possibly it could have been the dusty, grizzled old-timer standing on the corner handing out menus for the family restaurant just off the main street. "There's a gunfight scheduled for 5 o'clock" he informs us.

Oh well, 30 minutes was about all we could take of the old west before hopping back on our horse and riding out of town.

By contrast, our visit to the Kartchner Caverns was a real hi-lite. These caves have only been opened in the last decade and are probably the best example we have ever seen of an active wet cave - and it has been preserved in a very pristine state. Quite an accomplishment when you see the amount of effort it took to create the man-made access tunnels, complete with air-locks and misting stations, and the beautiful paved wheelchair accessible tourist trails. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

Having seen this cavern, we started to wonder how they compared to the Carlsbad Caverns, which we had visited many years ago. So after an overnight in downtown Benson, we drove into New Mexico and are spending a night in Roswell (to check out the UFOs), before we head back south for Carlsbad tomorrow. We would have stopped to see the White Sands Monument when we drove through except that the dunes were extra-white just now with a fresh fall of snow.

Very annoying - it is below zero in Roswell right now!