Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 4)

This entry is part 4 of 30 in the series Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah

April 4, 2024

Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 4)

By Simon J. Lau

This morning we visited Tombstone, celebrated for its storied past as a notorious frontier town of the Old West. It’s notable for the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, involving iconic figures like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Today, it’s a tourist destination offering reenactments of historic events, opportunities to explore authentic Wild West architecture, and a chance to immerse oneself in the vibrant cowboy culture of the town. I’d say that Tombstone residents fully embraces this legacy, evident in the many locals donning cowboy gear and taking part in the reenactments.

On the way to Tombstone, I had my first experience spotting javelinas in the wild! To my surprise, there wasn’t just one, but maybe half a dozen of them. While many mistake these creatures for pigs, they’re actually known as peccaries and are not related to pigs at all. Interestingly, they possess a scent gland that emits a distinct odor, as some people claim. (I’ve never field dressed one, so I don’t know.)

As an avid archer, I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of hunting these animals, which are prevalent in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. It seems they are so common in this area that Bisbee has adopted a javelina, named Sparky, as their mascot to promote fire safety. (Similar to Smokey the Bear, but with local flair.) It’s incredible to finally see these animals in their natural habitat!

After visiting Tombstone, I returned to Bisbee. My first stop was the Jonquil Motel, co-owned by Sterling Noren, one of my favorite YouTube content creators. Sterling, a lifelong motorcycle rider and filmmaker, is renowned for his top-notch motorcycle adventure videos on YouTube, as well as high-production-value documentary videos (especially those with the Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) organization). His video series featuring a motorcycle trip to Baja with his girlfriend, Eva, inspired me to visit last year (in particular, the episode through Cataviña). Meeting Sterling in person was such a treat and a thrill for me!

As for why Bisbee, Sterling first learned of it during a BDR trip. (Section 1 of the Arizona BDR starts not far from Bisbee.) Soon after, when he contemplated moving to Arizona to be closer to Eva, he stumbled upon the Jonquil Motel for sale. As he described it, “I was planning to sell my Seattle home to buy a home in Arizona, then I found this motel that included a home!” The revenue he and Eva generate from the Jonquil more than covers their housing expenses, and although it still takes work on their part, they’ve been able to hire good people to help them manage this property. Additionally, the backyard (not featured) offers ample outdoor space for their events, both motorcycle-related and otherwise.

These are photos that I took around Historic Bisbee. Bruno did a great job of modeling for me. Hopefully, he’ll end up on marketing material someday, much like Sparky!

In the evening, we made our way to Mexico! This was unexpected, but after speaking with my Hipcamp host, I was convinced that we should cross the border for dinner today. (It’s only a 6-minute drive away from the border crossing at Naco.) The border crossing from the US to Mexico was very easy. However, shortly after arriving in Mexico, two stray dogs began to chase us on the main street. We fled and took refuge inside a Santander ATM room until they left.

I still had high hopes for dinner, so I withdrew 200 MXP, but was charged 108 MXP in VAT ($6+ USD). When the dogs finally left, we continued down the main street looking for a place to eat. However, at each corner, there were more strays. Bruno was really scared too. He’s usually the one who likes to fight, but I think he sensed he was outmatched by these strays. We finally gave up.

As we came back across the border, I spoke with the border agent. I asked him why there isn’t a standard passport requirement to return to America. He said that each port of entry accepts different forms of ID. “For example, you have an expired ID.” Yikes! I was nervous for a moment, but he laughed and let me pass anyway. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the border further south in Texas is a mess, so these places aren’t so keen on following strict rules. They also have biometrics, so I’m sure I showed up. Anyway, I’m never bringing any of my dogs with me to Mexico again.

Finally, on a separate and totally unrelated topic, there’s a bar at the border on the American side called the Gay 90’s Bar. This is where my Hipcamp hosts suggested that I park (“It’s right in front of the border crossing”). I remember seeing this on Google Maps when I got here, and coming from San Francisco, I just assumed it was for older gays. When I mentioned this to my hosts, they were like, “No, this isn’t even a gay bar.” Now I’m totally confused by it.