Arizona Day 2
Walking down the streets of Tombstone and brushing elbows with men dressed up like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp made me feel like I walked into a scene of an old Western movie. Aside from the tourist-y boutiques this place was as authentic as it comes.
We stopped and had lunch at Six Gun City but our experience was a little less than impressive. Although we were the only group in the restaurant at the time, it took almost 45 minutes to get our food. When the waitress finally brought our order out, she announced, rather unapologetically, that three of us were out of luck because she dropped our food on the floor. Of course they brought out a new order - 25 minutes later. Wasn't the best experience but the food was pretty good.
After we left Tombstone we drove to Kartchner Caverns State Park and spent the next two hours exploring narrow passageways, learning about how the cave was discovered in the 70's and gazing at 45,000 year-old bat guano. There is 99% humidity in the cave all year round so even though the guano was old, it was as fresh as the day it was dropped on the stones - interesting, huh? At some points, the tour was unbearable for me because I wanted to touch the stones and formations but the tour guide gave us strict instructions to not touch ANYTHING on the tour because the bacteria on our skin would cause mold to grow on the rock and eventually wreck the formation.
After we left the cave we traveled to Green Valley where we visited my grandpa and went out to dinner at his favorite place, Manny's. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food but this was, by far, the best I've ever had.
We finished off the night by coming back to the house, the ladies played a game of Twister and we watched a movie. It was a long day but totally worth it for everything I got to see and learn. Looking forward to what today will bring. The crystal ball shows a lot of sun, laying by the pool and heading out to dinner tonight when my parents come in from their flight. Can't wait!
Related Links:
http://www.tombstonechamber.com/Historic-Sites
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/KACA/tour_info.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g31236-d511074-Reviews-Manuel_s_Restaurant-Green_Valley_Arizona.html
 
Arizona, Day 1
As I'm perched in seat 19A, I peer out the window at the patchwork of fields below me. What state are we flying over right now? Where is the closest emergency exit? Will the woman next to me notice if I snatch up her Prada bag? Taking a vacation is always fun and exciting but it doesn't go without its moments of anxiety. There are plenty of things to worry about when traveling: arriving to the airport on time, making it through security, lift off, turbulence, using the bathroom on the plane (need I say more?) and the list goes on and on. It's been over four years since I've been on a real vacation so I'm trying to take everything in stride. My husband and I need this vacation and we are so lucky to have close friends and family to stay with our girls while we're gone. So, after many months of planning, we're on our way to Arizona to celebrate my cousin's wedding and to spend the week with loved ones. There are about ten of us who rented a house in Tuscan and then at the end of the week, we'll hike over to Phoenix to finish off the vacation with a fabulous wedding. Add some pool time, a trip to Tombstone, cave tours and a spa day and we've got a great getaway! Have you ever been to Arizona? What is your favorite memory or place to visit? Give me some traveling tips in the comments!
To find out how the rest of the week goes, check in on my blog as I'll be posting regular updates as well as pictures and video.