Day 4: Sunrises, Saguaros, and Tombstone

I am absolutely exhausted, which probably means this is going to be a little rambly. Today started with one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. I woke up, opened my eyes, and immediately noticed the sky outside our window was pink. Not just a little pink either. The whole sky looked like it was on fire. I grabbed a camera and ran outside before I was even fully awake. The clouds caught every color imaginable. Yellow, orange, blue, purple, even deep maroon. With the saguaros silhouetted against all of it, it looked almost unreal. Sometimes you take a photo because you want to remember a place. Sometimes you take a photo because you’re not entirely convinced what you’re looking at is real. This was the second kind.

After breakfast, we headed over to the east side of Saguaro National Park and walked the Mica View Trail. Compared to Wasson Peak yesterday, this was a very easy stroll. It’s only about two miles and flat. You could push a stroller on all of it and a lot of locals were walking their dogs here. One thing that stood out about both sides of the park was there was NO garbage. I was really impressed and I assume it is the locals picking up trash because other areas of the country have proven to me that a lot of tourist are trash themselves for the way they don’t pick up after themselves.

Okay back to the walk. I can’t call this one a hike. The cholla seemed to be blooming everywhere. Some were covered in orange flowers, others pink. I also got to see a fishhook barrel cactus, sometimes called a devil’s tongue, with its yellow fruit still hanging on it. I’d love to try one someday, you know somewhere that harvesting one isn’t illegal.

One thing that really caught my attention was a large crested saguaro near the trail. Yesterday was the first time I’d seen one in person, and today I learned a little more about how those unusual growth patterns form. They’re fascinating. I already know at least one crested saguaro is going to end up in a future painting.

After the trail we stopped at a large rock formation within the park so I could take more photos. A lot of the desert views are relatively flat with mountains in the distance. Beautiful, but different than the dramatic rock formations I tend to gravitate toward when painting. This spot had exactly the kind of weathered stone and texture that I love incorporating into artwork. Unfortunately, I also discovered that jumping cholla are not just creatively named. I put my hand in the wrong place and ended up with a segment buried pretty deep into my little finger. The cactus won that round. I got it out without too much trouble, though my finger disagrees.

After that, we pointed the truck toward Tombstone. We did make a quick stop in Benson at The Cowboy Way to buy me a dress. The one I brought despite being washed in cold water and line dried shrunk and I had no intention of giving anyone a peep show. I don’t mind showing a long bit of leg but I would like my booty fully covered.

I have mixed feelings about Tombstone. Before anyone gets upset, I enjoyed it. I just think I went in expecting more history and less tourism. In reality, Tombstone is very much a place where you’re going to spend money while learning some history along the way. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I actually think Alex got more immediate inspiration out of it than I did. Since he writes Western Americana music, I could practically see song ideas forming while we walked around. Though I have to admit, the story of Gold Dollar and Margarita has been rattling around in my brain all afternoon. I could absolutely see that becoming a painting someday.

When we first arrived, we watched a comedy gunfight show. It was fun, family friendly, and well done. The blanks are loud enough that very young kids might not appreciate it, but otherwise it was a good time. I had hoped to visit the local art gallery afterward, but unfortunately it was closed. I did, however, finally find a hat that fits me. This may not sound exciting to most people, but I have been looking for years. The last hat that fit me this well was the bowler hat I wore in high school.

The real highlight of Tombstone for me ended up being the Bird Cage Theatre. If you’re interested in history, this is the place I’d tell you not to skip. The theater earned its name because of the small private boxes attached to the walls above the main floor resembled bird cages hanging along the interior. There is local lore that the name came from the first performer there who danced in a golden birdcage and although I love that story the design of the theater is the one historians talk about. The building itself is remarkable because it survived when much of old Tombstone did not. Fires destroyed many of the town’s original structures over the years, but the Bird Cage remains one of the most intact original buildings left standing due to the adobe and brick construction. Walking through it feels very different from walking through a reconstruction.

What surprised me most were the little details. The hand painted wallpaper is still visible in many places and is absolutely beautiful. You can tell tremendous effort has gone into preserving what remains. I also learned that the women working there had to purchase permits to work in each establishment, costing $7.50 per month. Considering some of them were reportedly charging only 25 cents per customer, that fee seems incredibly steep. There are dozens of stories scattered throughout the building. Some are tragic, some strange, some funny. One involves a horse drawn hearse and a young boy who is said to remain attached to it in spirit. His grave is located at Boot Hill Cemetery, and the staff asks visitors not to leave candy on the hearse because it attracts rodents. Whether you believe the ghost stories or not, the Bird Cage is full of fascinating history. I could have spent even longer there reading everything.

The rest of Tombstone was a bit more hit and miss for me. We wandered through souvenir shops, and while a few were interesting, most seemed to be selling the same polyester costumes and tourist trinkets. One shop did have handmade soaps and perfume oils. Alex and I both picked out scents. I am still searching for someone capable of bottling the smell of desert rain. I want sagebrush, petrichor, and maybe a little cactus flower mixed in. Apparently nobody has created the perfect desert thunderstorm perfume yet.

I was also disappointed by the amount of AI generated artwork being sold. Surely there are local artists who would love the opportunity to sell prints in these shops. It felt strange seeing artificial images in a place built around preserving history and local culture.

Lunch was at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. The food was excellent. I completely forgot I had planned to take Alex to the local brewery, but completely forgot in the moment. After lunch we watched the gunfight performance at the O.K. Corral. One thing I appreciated was that while the show encourages you to cheer for the “good guys” and boo the “bad guys,” it also makes it clear that history is more complicated than that. Nobody involved was entirely good, and nobody was entirely evil. I like that approach. Afterward we explored the exhibits and photographs taken by local photographers from the period. As much as I enjoyed the gunfight, I think I spent more time studying the photographs.

Then we headed over to Boot Hill Cemetery. The pamphlet they hand out was excellent. It identifies the known graves and even discusses people who are believed to be buried there but whose exact grave locations have been lost to time and marked as unknown. Of course, everyone wants to see Lester Moore’s grave. Surprisingly it wasn’t the most interesting one there.

The thing that inspired me the most all day wasn’t a grave at all it was seeing some of the old photographs, especially the vintage boudoir portraits. Those images are probably going to influence future paintings far more than any cowboy shootout.

One thing I would tell anyone planning a trip here is bring spending money. Every attraction costs somewhere between six and twenty dollars per person, and tipping performers is encouraged. Nothing is outrageously expensive, but it adds up quickly and it’s handy to have actual cash.

By the time we left Tombstone, we were ready for a quieter evening. We drove back toward Tucson and ended up passing through the park around sunset. The light was incredible again. Saguaros glowing gold, mountains turning purple, long shadows stretching across the desert. Arizona just keeps showing off.

Now I’m sitting here trying to stay awake long enough to finish writing this. Tomorrow will start before sunrise again. I’ve been inspired to shoot boudoir again and I want to be up for those sunrise shots.

Goodnight Y’all,

MERC