Family Road Trip San Diego to Tucson and Tombstone Arizona
After spending a busy two days in San Diego it was time to hit the road and head for Tucson Arizona. This is the part of the trip my family was the most excited about. We have a western book reading, cowboy and history fiend among us. So naturally Tombstone, Arizona had made the must visit list.
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| GMC Terrain Rental Car - Kumeyaay Highway |
This was going to be our biggest drive day of the entire 14 day road trip, with a drive time of 5 hours and 56 minutes. According to google maps of course. It took us a fair bit longer with stops along the way.
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| Kumeyaay I-8 E - San Diego |
After a very scenic drive through the mountain ranges to the east of San Diego you come down out of the mountains into actual desert. Since we come from New Zealand where we definitely don't have any deserts, it was amazing to see. Some parts were patches of green that were clearly irrigated and others were just completely dry sand. There were many fighter jets flying around, presumably monitoring the border which we were very close to.
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| Sunbeam Lake - El Centro, California |
We stopped near a little lake called Sunbeam Lake, just outside El Centro California. There was a very cool covered playground and a splash pad play area. The splash pad was closed but then again it was winter time, still plenty warm enough for us kiwis though. We had a picnic lunch and a nice little look around before we carried on.
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| USA - Mexico Border - Winterhaven, California |
This is the part where the road is the closest to the USA - Mexico border, and you can actually see the wall. That is the 'All American Canal' and we stopped in a little off ramp called Winterhaven (Link to Google Maps) to stretch our legs and look around. There were guards on the far side of the bridge, we kept our distance but I didn't feel entirely comfortable there.
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| Sand Hills Rest Area - Winterhaven, California |
Just a few minutes further up the road and we saw actual sand dunes, large ones, just like I always imagined a dessert would look. We had a short stop at the rest area before carrying on to Yuma, and crossing into Arizona. We stopped for a delicious lunch, another fast food stop for the teens to tick off their list, Wing Stop. Just across the road was a store called Sprague's Sports where half the family had a turn at the shooting range. I went and checked out Lowe's next door, like a giant Mitre 10 or Bunnings really. Pretty huge for scale but not all that handy when all you have is your suitcase to bring things home!
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| We stayed here at the Super 8 in Marana, Tucson, Arizona |
The Super 8 in Marana, Tucson was a great stopover for a couple of nights. One thing we really like about our room her was the layout of having the bathroom between the two queen beds. It felt a little more private and separate than the two beds right next to each other. There was also a washer and dryer to get all our laundry done, which was a only a few quarters. I found buying the laundry pods was much easier than mucking around with powder or liquid.
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| OK Corral - Tombstone, Arizona |
The following morning we headed to Tombstone. After stopping in at Walmart right by the motel the night before to pack a lunch to bring with us. The US$1 large flat loaves filled with ham, baby spinach and egg salad. With some more Costco grapes and cherry tomatoes to go with it. Our first stop of course had to be the original location of the infamous gunfight. The reenactment was hilarious Doc Holliday was really funny!
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| Horse and Carriage in Tombstone, Arizona |
Walking around Tombstone is a real blast from the past. Everyone is dressed in period clothing and acting the part. The firing of blanks randomly is a little unnerving! We stopped for a drink at an old school saloon, checked out the Tombstone Epitaph and wandered in and out of so many other quirky little stores.
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| Good Enough Silver Mine - Tombstone, Arizona |
The family went on an underground silver mine tour at the Good Enough Silver Mine. Nothing about going underground appeals to me, so I had a nice sit in the winter sun by the small petting zoo. They loved the tour, even the part where all the lights were turned out and they were in the pitch black underground ... nope not for me! Don't forget to bring some cash to tip the tour guide.
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| Close up of Cactus by Boothill Graveyard - Tombstone, Arizona |
Look at the spikes on that! I am not much of a gardener, but I can appreciate what can grow in these conditions in the wild. There were more than a few cactus plants but until you get up close you can't really see the scale of those spikes.
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| Boothill Graveyard - Tombstone, Arizona |
Another paid attraction (US$3) and only one of us is particularly interested in the history, so he went on his own. He did however bring back a hilarious little booklet about the causes of death. A little dark yes but some of the causes were out the gate!
Total Cost of 2 nights in Arizona, plus Road Trip from San Diego
The total costs include 2 days of a 14 day car rental, the total cost worked out daily. You can check out the total cost for the 14 USA day road trip here. I think this will be the highest leg for the gas costs, with the long drive day to get here and the day trip to Tombstone. The Walmart right next to the motel kept the food costs down, as did the free breakfast at the hotel.
Up next is The Grand Canyon!