The Irvine Trail - Day 3

Our journey today took some interesting twists and turns. Instead of driving straight through to California, we opted to take our time and finish up the day in Phoenix, Arizona. We started around 8:30-9:00 after a decent hotel breakfast. After what seemed like just a few minutes on the road, we crossed into Arizona. Shortly after that, we started seeing signs for Tombstone!

Tombstone!

We had no idea that Tombstone was more or less along the route we'd chosen for getting to Irvine. Driving-wise, making the detour only amounted to about an extra 45 minutes. We ended up hanging out for awhile though, and we got to see some pretty cool stuff.

Lunch

After looking through a few shops, we realized we were both hungry and parched. The Longhorn restaurant did not disappoint. We dined on steak sandwiches, burgers, and barbecue, and I may or may not have had a shot to wash things down. (When in Tombstone, it seems only fitting..) Steph bought a couple of commemorative wine glasses, and we looked around for something to do next. 

The Silver Mine

Heading Into the Silver Mine

It just so happened we walked out of lunch just as a tour of the silver mine was beginning. It was purported to be the first silver mine ever in Tombstone, although I'm not exactly certain of how that could be verified. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool. 

We're fairly certain the tour guide was drinking something other than coffee in his coffee cup, but whatever it was, he did a good job of keeping the group entertained and keeping everyone moving. He talked us through a typical day for a silver miner of the time, and he even explained what the 'honey cart' was for. He showed everyone the different types of less valuable minerals left behind in the mine, part of which involved asking the kids to lick some rocks. Yeah...I didn't try it.

He told us it was his birthday, so we sort of wrapped up the tour by singing him happy birthday. I was left wondering if he tells every group it's his birthday. I doubt we'll ever know, but he did seem genuinely pleased that we sang for him.

Other Attractions

We missed the recreation of the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.' We also opted out of the photo shoot (I'm not that into the whole idea of stuffing my head through a hole for a picture). We did see some historical landmarks, such as a sign declaring the site of Morgan Earp's assassination as well as the shooting of the sheriff. Allegedly, we walked across the same floor that Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp crossed as they headed out for the shootout. Also allegedly, we purchased some souvenirs from the counter where Wyatt and Doc had their last shots prior to that incident. After awhile, though, we realized we needed to get back on the road, so we set out for Phoenix.

Phoenix Bound

The first few hours of the drive to Phoenix were great. Then we found ourselves in rush hour traffic in downtown Phoenix. That was less awesome. Note to self - avoid downtown Phoenix during rush hour at all costs. I know, I know, California traffic is supposed to be worse. (We'll see..)

After surviving that madness, though, we were rewarded by two awesome discoveries. We found an excellent New York style pizza place (Gus's?) and what was probably the largest wine/spirits store we've ever seen. The pizza was amazing, and we had some tasty beverages for washing everything down.

Tomorrow, we have about a five hour drive before making it to Irvine. We can't check-in to our temporary housing until 4:00, so the master plan at the moment is to eat more pizza watch some movies (maybe Tombstone), and stay up well past our bedtime. Good night!