Gunslingers, cowboys, Indians, and horse -riding, my wild, wild ride in Arizona

GETTING banged up in jail on the first night of our holidays wasn’t really part of our plan – but boy what a fabulous time my hubby and I had ‘inside’.

We’d just checked into the Tombstone Monument Guest Ranch in, of course, Tombstone, Arizona – the site of one of the most famous cowboy fights ever, but more of that later

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Our ‘cell’ came with ensuite, TV, coffee maker, comfy beds, great food, amazing activities and fabulous night-time entertainment.

The ranch is modelled on an 1880s Old West town, where guest rooms line the street and are located in the Jail (ours), Doc Holiday’s Dental surgery, Wyatt Earp’s Marshall’s office, the Grand Hotel and even Miss Kitty’s Bordello!

But don’t be fooled by the looks, this is much more than a one horse town.

In fact it’s a real-life working cattle ranch where you can help round up the cattle, go fast or slow horse-riding along various trails and even enjoy a tequila ride.

I’d recommend the history ride, taking in all the stories of the surrounding area including tales of the cowboys and Apaches Indians.

My hubby Alan is a film fanatic and grew up watching the old cowboy movies with his dad, so it was a bucketlist trip for him.

We loved chatting to owner Chris about Chief Cochise, one of the most famous Apache leaders and a key player in the Apache Wars in the 1860s.

His Chiricahua Apache band lived in the nearby Dragoon Mountains and the county was named in honour of him.

You can imagine Alan’s excitement when Chris told him Cochise’s grandson Nino – who actually played his grandfather in a couple of Hollywood movies – was buried in the town’s cemetery. He lived to an amazing 110 years old!

That night we feasted on fabulous fish and delicious rice in the ranch’s Old Trappman Saloon as we listened to Johnny Bencomo sing and play along on his 18-string guitar.

Alan is a guitar player and had no idea such an instrument existed. Every day is a school day even on holiday it seems!

There’s always stuff going on at the ranch, with dancing, card playing, shooting, archery, off-road touring….and much more.

Unfortunately we only had one night there and next day checked out and headed into Tombstone to visit the iconic sites. Wyatt Earp’s house, the courthouse, the Birdcage Theatre – which was the Wild West town’s brothel – and historic Allen Street, the main thoroughfare and home to many a gun battle.

Talking of which you just cannot go to Tombstone and not see a re-enactment of THE most famous battle – Gunfight at the OK Corral.

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The 1881 30-second shoot-out was between US Marshall Virgil Earp, his two brothers Wyatt and Morgan and famous gunslinger and dentist Doc Holliday and rival cowboys Billy and Ike Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clairborne.

It ended with the McLaury brothers and Bill Clanton dead and the others in their gang running for their lives and has spawned many a movie. The show is a little theatrical but most definitely still worth it.

After it we made our way to the famous Boothill Cemetery to see the final resting place of the losers in what is now known as ‘the town too tough to die’.

Then it was time to hit the road for our second ‘Dude ranch’ experience as we drove through the Sonoran desert on our way to Tucson.

Arriving into the city we headed downtown and lunch at Seis Kitchen which takes its food inspiration from the six (seis…get it?) regions of Mexico in the up and coming Mercado district, packed full of trendy eateries and quirky shopping.

Grab a seat in the inner open-air courtyard and enjoy the atmosphere along with the delicious homemade guacamole, nachos, burritos and more. Our fish tacos were mucho bueno.

Tucson was the first US city to be designated a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy and it boasts ‘The Best 23 Miles of Mexican’ food – an adventurous array of dining options from fine to funky. The Sonoran Dog, Tucson’s version of the American hotdog, is an award-winning local delicacy and not to be missed.

Before heading to our next ranch we did a detour to take in the magnificent San Xavier del Bac Mission.

This Catholic church was built in 1783 and is simply stunning. We both said a prayer of thanks that we’d made the trip here.

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Then it was more cowboy history at White Stallion Ranch just outside the city. Now you might not be old enough to remember one of the most popular TV shows of the late 60s and early 70s – the High Chaparral.

The Western adventure was set in the 1870s and featured the family and ranch of ‘Big John’ Cannon, living in Apache Indian country near the Mexican border and it was filmed in and around Arizona, including at White Stallion.

Alan was in TV heaven when he heard this and spent the next few days on a pilgrimage-like mission mapping out the ranch, finding where some of the famous scenes were shot.

They even do a Guided Movie Tour where staff show and tell you about all the TV shows and movies filmed at the ranch.

In fact there’s so much to do here you could easily stay a week and never get bored.

There’s horse riding, of course, and for every type of rider from beginner (me) to those right at home in a saddle.

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You can do breakfast rides out into the desert surrounded by the iconic Saguaro cactus, slow rides, fast rides, all-day rides, round-em up rides, rides in the mountains, even little ones can ride as each person is matched carefully to a horse based on experience.

If two or four wheels is more your thing then book onto one of the many e-bike tours or dust tours inside a4x4.

Once you’re done doing your John Wayne impression you can go shooting with a .22 or .45 rifle or pistol or try your hand with a bow and arrow on the archery course.

And if you want to get really adventurous you can even go hiking and rock climbing.

Me? I did a beginner’s lesson on a beautiful horse called Jetta. It was fun and terrifying at the same time. The wranglers were amazing and quickly showed me all the basics, stop, start and turn.

That was enough for me. I was happy to walk slowly along on my steed, enjoying the scenery.

Then I hit the inviting pool as the temperatures soared to the usual 30plus C and grabbed a cool drink for the bar before the 7 o’clock dinner bell rang for another night of dining with your fellow cowboys and girls and entertainment.

Back in our lovely suite, with its separate livingroom and bedroom, we watched some old cowboy movies and of course an episode or two of the High Chaparral.

Then we sat outside and marvelled at the starry lightshow in the sky above us and our wonderful trip.

We’d got out of jail and collected not £100 but memories of a lifetime on this amazing trip to Arizona.

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