Arizona II

The past two weeks in Arizona have been relatively easy with more down time then time in the saddle. I had a great visit to "The Town too Tough to Die," Tombstone. I remained in this historic community for two days and enjoyed roaming the streets and learning about it's colorful history and characters.

A walking down Allen Street - it isn't hard to imagine how the town must have looked back in the glory days of the old west. Near one end of this street is the famous Bird Cage Theater standing much as it did over 100 years ago. In the 1880s it was not only a theater but also served as a saloon, a gambling hall and brothel. It was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Bird Cage was the scene for twenty-six deaths during its eight years of business. Today a visitor can walk through the museum and soak in the history of this interesting old place. Historic figures such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson once walked on these very floorboards.

In the opposite part of town is the location of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A gunfight which has been portrayed in numerous films. Its importance is that it has come to symbolize the struggle between law-and-order and open-banditry and rustling in frontier towns of the old west where law enforcement was often thin.

One evening I had dinner at Big Nose Kate's Saloon (her claim to fame was the fact that she was Doc Holliday's girlfriend). I was very surprised to find Moosehead Lager beer was on-tap in this establishment. I questioned the barmaid about it's popularity – to which she indicated it was one of the more popular brands. She was equally surprised when I informed her that this product was imported from New Brunswick, Canada.

From Tombstone I moved on to Tucson and Phoenix. Although I enjoyed my stay in both of these large centers I much prefer the surrounding of the smaller and rural communities.

In Phoenix I stopped by Jesse Luggage Systems to complete repairs to my luggage boxes. These boxes and the mounting hardware had been damaged during a fall on the Dempster Highway in Canada's Yukon. Although temporary repairs had been completed in Dawson City further adjustments were required from the manufacturer. Here, I was provided with very good service from Allen and Neil. Some of mounting hardware was removed from the bike and placed in the jigs for proper alignment. The boxes and covers were reshaped, latching mechanism adjusted and gaskets replaced. Although close inspection of these boxes will reveal evidence of a spill their function has been restored to 100 percent. A satisfied customer I am. Following the repairs I was provided with a tour of this busy facilities.

While in Phoenix I also completed the 40,000 KM service on the motorcycle and had new tires installed at BMW Motorcycles of Scottsdale.

The motorcycle's registration was to expire in early 2007. I was able to renew and pay for this document on-line via Services New Brunswick website. The document was forward to my mailing address in Fredericton, New Brunswick. My good buddy Gerry then forwarded the package general delivery to the post office in Red Rock, Arizona. On December 12^th I took delivery of the package. To my good friends Mike and Bernie at SNB – “the system works”..

A visit to Jesse Luggage Systems in Glendale / Phoenix. Allen and Neil make the necessary repairs to the Luggage Boxes which were damaged in August when the moto and I went down on the Dempster (Dumster) Highway in Canada's north. Learn more about Jesse Luggage Systems www.jesseluggage.com

The saguaro is the largest cactus in the USA commonly reaching a height of 12 metres and an age of up to 200 years. It is common in southern Arizona and extending into western Sonora (Mexico).

The name Boot Hill comes from the fact that many of these graves were filled with people that died suddenly or violently with their boots on. The burial ground still contains the remains of the bad guys and good guys who populated the Old West, so there's considerable historical significance associated with the small patch of rocky ground.

John Heath was taken from the county jail and lynched by a mob in Tombstone on February 22, 1884. Heath was the alleged leader of a gang who shot up a store in nearby Bisbee during an armed robbery in December, 1883.

The graves that elevated Boot Hill to its place in infamy as a theme for Western movies, cowboy novels and shoot'em-up lore are those of Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, Frank and Tom victims in the renowned Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The marker denoting their graves notes that they were "murdered on the streets of Tombstone, 1881."

The alleged murderers were the Earps - Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan - and John "Doc" Holliday, none of whom ever served jail time for the alleged murders, probably because Virgil Earp was the Tombstone marshal and reportedly had recruited the others as special deputy policemen.

This is Sgt. Jeffery Howard a police officer by profession but in his spare time dresses in-period costume and volunteer's as an historian. I had a very interesting discussion with Jeff who was able to answer my many questions regarding the wild west.

Tombstone, the "town to tough to die" is known for its famous lawmen / infamous outlaws and the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

The court yard scaffold is a replica of the 1880's version A much larger structure was erected for the five men Dan Dowd, Red Sample, Tex Howard, Bill Delaney and Dan Kelly. They were "legally hanged, March 8, 1884." After being found guilty of killing several people during a robbery in Bisbee. All were hanged on a single scaffold in the Tombstone Courthouse yard. A single large grave at Boot Hill is the resting place for these individuals.

Tombstone's court house was restored to its original condition and became a state historic park. Along with artifacts of the court building, it also displays many other relics from early Tombstone.

Bird Cage Theater standing much as it did over 100 years ago. In the 1880s it was not only a theater but also served as a saloon, a gambling hall and brothel.

Canyon Lake is located within the rugged terrain of the northeastern Sonoran Desert on route 88 east of Phoenix. This lake was formed by damming the Salt River.