
Got plans for your summer holidays yet? Wanna experience some Old West stuff? Well, Lonely Planet has put together a list just for you called, Top 5 Arizona Old West experiences.
Of the five they list in their post, here are three — the first is my fave and one I’ve actually done:
Driving through John Ford country, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley is the iconic landscape of the American West. Become the star of your own Western on a 17-mile loop (on Hwy 163) past cinematic red rocks, sheer-walled mesas and grand buttes in Navajo Country. It’s a dusty, bumpy ride but well worth it.
And here are two that I haven’t done:
Wrangling at a Wickenburg dude ranch
Let’s be honest. You’re more likely to play golf, get massaged or sip cocktails than rope yourself a steer at a dude ranch (aka ‘guest ranch’). But many, like the Flying E Ranch, do focus on horseback riding, cookouts, line dancing and other cowboy/girl fun. When planning, be aware that many ranches in the desert lowlands close in summer. To plan your dude ranch adventure, see the website of the Arizona Dude Ranch Association (www.azdra.com).
Practicing your fast draw at the OK Corral, Tombstone
The famous shootout at the OK Corral took place in 1881, during which the brothers Earp and Doc Holliday gunned down three members of the Clanton cowboy gang. The fight lasted about half a minute, but its place in Western lore was enshrined forevermore. Fights are reenacted at 2pm (with an additional show at 3:30pm on busy days). Also check out the Boothill Graveyard for some twistedly poetic headstones.
For more, see: Lonely Planet.
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Photo credit: Cowboy, c. 1910 – WikiCommons
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