We are staying at SKP Saguaro Co-Op campground for eight days. It's a really nice park centrally located to quite a few places to see.
We went to see Kartchner Caverns State Park. It was discovered by two amateur cavers named Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts when they explored a narrow crack in a sinkhole that was the source of warm moist air and ultimately led to 2.5 miles of pristine caves . They kept it a secret for years fearing that the intrusion of man would destroy it's fragile purity. Eventually, they and the Kartchner family were able to get the state to buy the property and turn it into a park.
The state is extremely protective of this fragile living ecosystem. It is a constant 76 to 78 degrees and 95% humidity. We had to go through three "airlocks" before we entered the caverns. In one of them, we were misted to help keep our lint, hair and dead skin from falling off of us while we were inside. We had to stay on the foot paths and only touch the handrails. They wash the footpaths frequently to clean anything our bodies left behind. Even lint can become a breeding ground for organisms not native to the caverns and they do their best to prevent it. They constantly take temperature, humidity, CO2 level readings, etc. to monitor the health of the caverns. They even limit the number of visitors. We weren't permitted to bring our cameras or cell phones in the caverns so this narrative will have to do. It has been preserved just as it was when it was discovered. It was a beautiful tour of a wonderfully preserved part of our planet, parts of which, have never been touched by man.
We visited a place called Gammons Gulch, run by a fellow named Jay.
It's an old west town that he built that has been and is used for movie sets. Jay gave us a tour of the town while regaling us with stories of his life and all the movie stars that he and his dad worked with.
We spent a day in Tombstone, "the town too tough to die". The Earp's, Clanton's and many other famous people lived and died here.
We attended a western gunfight. These guys were very funny and entertaining and put on a great show. We were encouraged to boo the bad guys (with red sashes) and cheer for the good guys.
What can I say.
We ate lunch at Big Nose Kate's. She was a famous prostitute, madam and Wyatt Earp's girlfriend.
This gentleman entertained us during lunch.
I want one of these signs!!
A local colorful character.
Another colorful character.
Another one of our stops while we were here was Bisbee.
This is an open pit copper mine.
We took a tour of The Lavender Pit Copper mine.
Besides copper, this mine also yielded gold, silver, lead and zinc.
Here we are, dressed for the mine tour.
And in we go.
Our tour guide worked this mine for 23 years and was one of the last miners to work here.
Here, he was explaining how they would set dynamite charges.
these are some of the minerals retrieved from the mine.
This piece of quartz with copper running through it is worth over $4000.00
We still have more to see here in the next few days.
Love your bog and your photos! Loved meeting you two!
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