Chris and I decided to sharpen our shooting skills. We had a little practice with a 40 calibre Glock.
The desert was in bloom.
The Grand Palace Hotel and Salon is the venue for an "Old Time Stage Show".
A fight at the top ends in a ladder ride for one stuntman.
I sided with him.
Ah yes, another gun fight.
Even though they were firing blanks note the force the explosion comes out. They are required to follow safety procedures in case the blank discharge hits their opponent.
Blackbird SR-71
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom
F-14A Tomcat
Made famous by the movie "Top Gun"
This plane was flown by Lt. Louis E Curdes. He had success in shooting down 7 Germans, one Japanese, one Italian and one American plane.
Wait - one American?
The storey is that in he tried to redirect an American plane who was approaching the island of Batan, a Japanese airbase. After several unsuccessful attempts to warn them he decided to shoot out their engines and forced them to ditch into the sea, close to his wing man who had been previously shot down. The crew and his wing man were rescued. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, possibly the only pilot to receive the medal for shooting down friendly aircraft.
Aero Spacelines B-377SG Super Guppy
Cargo Transport 1965 to 1995
Touring the external exhibits was a challenge as the desert winds had arrived in force and at times it was difficult to see and walk through the dust. During gusts the wings of some planes started to lift, a sight a tour guide I spoke to was amazed to see.
Image downloaded from Wikipedia
"Doc Holliday"
He played his part well and treated the audience to an entertaining bit of verse.
The actual gunfight was so quick (as it was in history) that I didn't get a photo. The fight lasted only about 30 seconds. At the end three cowboys were killed and only Wyatt Earp came through the fight unharmed.
The facts from Wikipedia.org
Check it out:
Wyatt Earp - Gunfight at the OK Corral
Apache Junction, near Phoenix
There is a drive we were told about which starts at Apache Junction, where we stayed, and travels through the Superstition Mountains on the Apache Trail.
Goldfield Ghost Town was a mining town around 1893. Now it plays host to tourists.
There are some lovely, well preserved buildings around the town.
This country is Saguaro Cactus country.
The trail dropped steeply to this narrow bridge.
A natural cactus garden along the roadside.
Oracle, Biosphere 2
For those old enough to remember back in September 1991 a crew of 8 people entered the Biosphere and lived without external assistance for 2 years. The experiment was looking at the possibilities of establishing human habitation outside earth. Wikipedia has the interesting facts: Wikipedia - Biosphere_2
The facility is described as a "scientific instrument" for ongoing experiments.
Here is a huge sloping field on a tilted platform where water seepage through soil is measured.
The "Biospheriens" quarters.
The Biosphere has 4 sections.
The artificial Ocean and Savanna. Coral and a large variety of marine creatures lived in this huge aquarium. It is about to undergo a full renovation.
The Rain Forest
The Desert
The corridor to one of the "Lungs" The lungs play an important part of supplying a controlled atmosphere to the Biosphere.
The inside of Lung 1. There are 2 lungs with a capacity of 50,000 cubic metres. The top is a rubber bellows with an aluminium disc in the centre that rise and fall with variances of pressure.
Lung No. 1 on the outside.
Biosphere 2!, where is Biosphere 1? I hear you ask.
Answer: Your living in it! The Earth is the only known biosphere.
Tucson
Old Tucson Studios was built in 1939 by Columbia Studios to shoot the movie "Arizona". Since then over 300 movie and television projects have used the location.
As we walk actors and staff in costume inform us of the towns features.
Note the lack of crowds. It is a great time to travel.
The girls put on a good variety show
What could I do. I had to congratulate them on a their great performance.
The Reno
Built in 1872 and retired in later years to gain fame in the movies. It has appeared in 100 movies and was even shipped to Switzerland for a movie.
We are entertained all day by shows. This is a comedy hosted by a "Snake Oil Salesman"
The stagecoach circuits the town.
And there's gunfights.
The mission is the perfect venue for a stunt show.
A shootout brings the other down.
Next we run in to a temperance demonstration.
Just when we thought peace had arrived they were going to hang a preacher.
She protested.
Even though they were firing blanks note the force the explosion comes out. They are required to follow safety procedures in case the blank discharge hits their opponent.
Pima Air & Space Museum
I visited the Pima Air & Space Museum.
The museum is one of the largest in the world. I have posted several interesting aircraft however these only represent a fraction of the exhibits.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator
McCulloch Hum-1
2 man helicopter designed in 1948
BD-J5 Microjet. A kit plane.
Made famous by the movie "Top Gun"
Pentecost E-111 Hoppicopter
This unit was tested successfully but rejected for service due to the dangers of the pilot stumbling during takeoff or landing and splintering the propellers.
P-51D Mustang
Wait - one American?
The storey is that in he tried to redirect an American plane who was approaching the island of Batan, a Japanese airbase. After several unsuccessful attempts to warn them he decided to shoot out their engines and forced them to ditch into the sea, close to his wing man who had been previously shot down. The crew and his wing man were rescued. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, possibly the only pilot to receive the medal for shooting down friendly aircraft.
Lockheed Constellation
Airforce One
Used by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson 1961 to 1965
Cargo Transport 1965 to 1995
Touring the external exhibits was a challenge as the desert winds had arrived in force and at times it was difficult to see and walk through the dust. During gusts the wings of some planes started to lift, a sight a tour guide I spoke to was amazed to see.
Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, ARMAG
Image downloaded from Pima
Pima offers a tour through the adjoining air base ARMAG commonly known as the Boneyard.
Blue Angels Aircraft No. 7
The site is divided into two. On one side the planes are sealed and coated with a weatherproofing material to be re-used in the future. The other side the planes are dismantled for parts and scrap. For security reasons we were not allowed out of the bus.
Mission San Xavier del Bac
We headed toward Tombstone and stopped on the way to visit Mission San Xavier del Bac. This was a surprise. The mission was founded in 1692 by a Jesuit missionary.
The alter is very ornate and intricately carved.
Titan Missile Museum
We visited the Titan Missile Museum
Remember the "Cold War" and how close we came to total annihilation. There were 54 Titan II Missile sites around the US and this base is the only one remaining.
I went on the tour of the base and this is the entry point to the Launch Control Centre. There are 2 blast proof doors that are securely closed to prevent external aggression.
Launch Control Centre.
The guide was a retired Combat Crew Commander and he took us through the daily operations and a code red situation when the site is locked down and the final deployment orders are given directly by the President. The red cabinet on the LHS contains the Launch Key and the codes.
The tour was both exciting and scary to realise how close it came.
Titan II missile ready to deploy. (It is no longer armed)
Tombstone
A small town tourist trap flanked by gun toting cowboys. The main street is barricaded off to allow the tourists to meander up and down the shops where merchants tout for the tourist dollar.
Everyone knows the legend of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral"
Of course Tombstone has a re-enactment of the event. I had to go and see it.
He played his part well and treated the audience to an entertaining bit of verse.
The actual gunfight was so quick (as it was in history) that I didn't get a photo. The fight lasted only about 30 seconds. At the end three cowboys were killed and only Wyatt Earp came through the fight unharmed.
The facts from Wikipedia.org
Check it out:
Wyatt Earp - Gunfight at the OK Corral
Cactus and flowers we found around Arizona
Saguaro Cactus is prolific.
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