Rhew The Nation -- The Southwest -- Tombstone, AZ

Welcome back to Rhew The Nation! Today, I get to talk about one of my most favorite parts of the trip. I thought I'd like Vegas much more than I did, but I didn't know what to expect with the next part of the trip. Let me just say it was even better than I imagined!

Bye, Nevada! Hello, Arizona!

A little backstory: Tombstone is one of my most favorite movies EVER! My dad and I have seen it at least forty times. Every time it came on TV, we'd watched it. It didn't matter if it was a school night or whatever, my dad would let me stay up until the wee hours so we could enjoy the movie together again. When we see each other now, he always quotes a line from this movie to me. It's just our "thing."

Also, in high school and college, I did a lot of research and history papers specifically on Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. I'm fascinated by their friendship.

And, my whole life, I've had a huge crush on Val Kilmer. In fact, my friends joke that I am skilled at turning any conversation around to be about Val Kilmer. Though I'm not biased (yeah, right), I think his best role was Doc Holliday. I mean, he knocked it out of the park!! 

So, my wonderful, sweet, thoughtful husband rearranged the whole second half of our trip so he could take me to Tombstone, Arizona!! He knows how much I love the movie and the history, and he knows how much I love the story of Doc Holliday (and Val Kilmer). 

On the way to Tombstone, we stopped in Phoenix at an In and Out Burgers (my first time eating there), but they weren't very in and out. Deek went inside to order, and I stayed outside with the dog. While out there, I saw the cops chase down a guy who was trying to steal something from a local store. Needless to say, I was ready to get out of there. The bunless burgers were pretty good though.

Unamused with how *not* in and out In and Out was.

On the super cool side of things, Tombstone is pretty close to the Mexican border. So, while we were driving that evening, we watched this massive thunderstorm off to the side. And it was *in* Mexico! I thought it was so amazing to get to see a storm in another freakin' country!!

And then we arrived in the place I'd been longing to see...Tombstone, AZ! It was like they knew I was coming because the hotel put us in the Doc Holliday building! <3 <3

YAY! The Doc Holliday building!

Plus, our bathroom doors were saloon doors! YAS!

Gus is tuckered out from his long day.

The next morning, we got up bright and early to see everything there was to see in Tombstone, AZ! Let me start by saying for as pet un-friendly as Vegas was, Tombstone was the opposite. They *love* pets in Tombstone. The only thing Gus couldn't come to was the reenactment because they're afraid the gunshots will alarm animals, which is reasonable. But little Gus was treated like a king. He was allowed in the restaurants, and he even got to enjoy a little doggie ice cream!

The hotel offered free home-cooked, made-to-order breakfast! 

And it was goooood!

Deek took me to an OK Corral reenactment, and we got to meet the actors after the show!

I may have fangirled over this sign!

Lunch at the Crystal Palace

He looked more Neo than Wyatt Earp. LOL!

DOC HOLLIDAY! <3

Gus enjoying his doggie ice cream.

Yes, our dog is in a stroller. LOL! Here's the story on that...When we said we were going to the Southwest, everyone said we needed to get a dog stroller for Gus because the heat in the Southwest would make the streets so hot they'd burn Guster's feet. 

Well, here's the irony: 90 was the highest temp we saw throughout the *whole* Southwest. It's hotter than that where we live in the South. In fact, we didn't encounter real heat until we got to Arkansas. But anyhoo, we did our due diligence and put Gus in a stroller to protect his little paws. ;) 

If you've ever seen the movie Tombstone, you'll recognize this from the opening!

This is in the Boothill Graveyard. 

You can bring your dog, but you have to carry him/her because of scorpions. I kid you not.

My husband is completely and totally the BEST! I had an *amazing, amazing* time in Tombstone. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. I got to walk the same streets that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday once did. I got to stand in the Birdcage Theater and eat at the Crystal Palace. And Deek made all that happen for me.

I am beyond thankful to my sweetheart, and I'm so grateful I got to be a part of living history. If you ever get the change to visit Tombstone, go! It totally exceeded my expectations!