July 3, 2019

July 3, 2019

One of my nephews has been in town with his family to enjoy the extremes of summer in Tucson. I thought a good way to beat the heat would be an excursion underground to Kartchner Caverns. It is one of the few attractions we have yet to explore.

My nephew is also a big fan of the movie Tombstone, so we decided to make a brief stop there before our afternoon cave tour. We stopped first at Boot Hill, the cemetery holding the graves of the Clanton and McLaury Brothers killed during the shootout at the OK Corral. We then strolled the streets of Tombstone meeting the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday. By accident we walked in the old Grand Hotel where the Clantons had stayed. The lobby is now a bar and restaurant. His wife and kids immediately volunteer to be entertainers. After a nice lunch there we visit the old Birdcage Theater to learn a little of its history and see old bullet holes. Unfortunately I didn’t realize what a history buff (like his mother) he is; we had to cut short our visit to make our cave reservation.

A half hour away, we arrived just in time at Kartchner Caverns State Park. Our 90-minute tour of the Throne and Rotunda rooms was led by an enthusiastic docent. She explained how the cave was only discovered a few decades ago and quickly transferred to state guardianship, leaving it in pristine condition. All the cave decorations, even the very delicate soda straw stalactites, are intact and undisturbed. Unfortunately, it was not much of a respite from the Arizona summer. Kartchner is still a living cavern. While cooler, the humidity was drippingly high.