Over 55?

Dear Briggz,

            Ok so when you are at a 55 and older RV park/resort you really need to keep an eye on your kids. They were very strict on this matter, but the weather was nice and the area had a lot to do in the form of activities so we just took it all in stride. 

We were right next the Davis-Monthan Air Force base. The boys loved it as fighter jets were taking off and landing like clock work. The University of Arizona was the place to be though. We traveled to the university on a couple of occasions. Once, to take in a view of the night sky, more specifically the moon, the other was to watch a “Pumpkin Chunkin” competition. We were able to experience looking through the universities huge telescope that enabled us to see, in detail, every crater on this side of the moon. Several much smaller telescopes were set up outside and were focused on other celestial objects.

            Pumpkin Chunkin is quite an event. The teams were from local middle school, high schools and the university as well. The objective is to make a trebuchet that can launch a 5lb. pumpkin the farthest, and to be able to hit targets placed out onto the fire field. It was interesting to see the designs of the trebuchets and how similar and how different some of them were. The winning group was from a middle school that may have finished second in distance, but they dominated the ability to hit their target that was approximately 80 meters out.

            When some folks think of traveling through southern Arizona they think of one tourist trap in particular, Tombstone, a small western town that was made famous by Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Doc Holiday, and the shootout at the OK Coral. Upon entering the town we were greeted by the Boot Hill Graveyard. Interestingly enough we were able to take a tour through the graveyard and see several of the burial sites of some of the earliest pioneers as well as some of the baddest hombres including non other than the Clanton Brothers whom on October 26, 1881 during the infamous “Gunfight at the OK Coral” were killed in a shootout with the Earps and Doc Holiday. I should note that the Clanton’s were responsible for a few other individuals that were laid to rest in Boot Hill.

From there we took in a Wild West show where a bank robbery was acted out and the sheriff had to get the bad guys after a shootout. A bit hokey but we enjoyed it. 

            Tucson was fun and we all enjoyed both where we stayed and the town surrounding us. It’s time again to pack up the camper and seek out yet another adventure.