11 February

Today I rose a little later, prepared myself and headed out to Benson. It was going to be quite a day, meeting Peggy and her husband, then being shown around the local area by locals.
I arrived at their place just before 9. The first order of business was to be shown around the property and given the names of the various natural features and to see the prints of the animals which enter the land. The second was to see Carl’s barn (men and their sheds seems to be a common feature around the world – they are just given different names! Then there was the house, which was very spacious and has wonderful outlooks over plains and ranges – the view over the Interstate reminded me very much of the view in “Cars” of the Interstate when Sally reminisces what it was like before. A quick chat and some Fosters Lager (tasted more like the genuine thing than the offering at the Outback Steakhouse) and we were off. Through Benson, a town of about 4000 but with its own WalMart (open 24 hours) and the commentary kept running as we then went down to Tombstone. We went through Boot Hill (smaller than I imagined, but of course the population of everywhere was smaller then) and then into Tombstone itself. Many of the locals dress and act the part, a necessary purpose to keep many small towns with history alive. We looked through many establishments and ended up having lunch in one. Then it was off to Bisbee, where the copper mine was the reason for the town, but it continued to survive after, as a boutique place for artists of many types. The Apache Powder company is there, which was of no significance until I saw its name on cases the next day at the Pima Space Centre.
We walked through parts of Bisbee and drove through the rest. Many original buildings are there, some surviving and some renovated or rebuilt. Antiques and other crafts fill many shops. We returned to Benson via Fort Huachuca and sat on the decking as the sun set, sinking another Fosters as well as many myths about each other’s countries. We went into Benson to the Horseshoe Café, a very old establishment, for the evening meal. After, back at their place, I went through some photos of Australia with Peggy and Carl before a very enjoyable day ended. It will be a long time before we meet in person again, but I hope it will happen.
On the way back to the motel I called in at WalMart and bought a cheap toaster, so I can have toast with Vegemite (cheap toaster – try $3!) and was back at the motel too late and too tired to write my blog or process and post my photos. In retrospect, that was a bad move. However, sleep had to happen.