April 4, 2024
Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 4)
By Simon J. Lau
This morning we stopped by Tombstone. It’s an old frontier town best known for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, when Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday faced off against the Clanton and McLaury gang in a shootout that left three men dead. These days it’s a full-on tourist destination, with reenactments, saloons, and plenty of old Western buildings to wander through. The town really leans into its Wild West past. Locals stroll around in cowboy hats and boots, and some even take part in the daily shootout shows.
On our way in, I had my first experience spotting javelinas in the wild. A family of about half a dozen was wandering along the roadside. A lot of people mistake them for pigs, often calling them “stink pigs” because of a scent gland that gives off a strong odor, but they’re actually peccaries and not related to pigs at all.
As an avid archer, I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of hunting javelinas, which are common across Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. They’re such a fixture here that Bisbee even has a javelina mascot named Sparky to promote fire safety. It’s their version of Smokey the Bear, but with local flair. Seeing these animals in the wild for the first time was a real treat!
Later, I returned to Bisbee and visited the Jonquil Motel, co-owned by Sterling Noren. Sterling is one of my favorite YouTube creators. A lifelong rider and filmmaker, he is best known for his motorcycle adventure films on YouTube and for his documentary work with the Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) organization. His Baja series with his girlfriend, Eva, especially the episode through Catavina, inspired me to make the trip myself last year. I dropped by the motel to see if he was around, and luckily he was. Meeting him in person was an absolute thrill.
Sterling first discovered Bisbee during a BDR trip, since Section 1 of the Arizona BDR starts not far from town. Later, when he and Eva were looking to relocate to Arizona, they came across the Jonquil Motel for sale. As Sterling put 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 motel’s revenue more than covers their housing expenses. While it still requires effort, they have built a good team to help with day-to-day management. Out back, the property even has a large outdoor space for events, both motorcycle-related and otherwise.
After visiting the Jonquil and catching up with Sterling, I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Historic Bisbee. In the decades since the mines shut down, the town has reinvented itself as a haven for artists, with galleries, murals, and studios tucked into old storefronts and hillside houses. Bruno tagged along and turned out to be a great little model. I managed to snap a few photos of him around town. Maybe one day he’ll end up on marketing material right alongside Sparky!
In the evening, we made our way to Mexico! This wasn’t part of the plan, but after chatting with my Hipcamp host, I was convinced we should cross the border for dinner. (It’s only a six-minute drive to the crossing at Naco.) Getting into Mexico was easy enough. But not long after arriving, two stray dogs came charging at us on the main street. We ducked into a Santander ATM booth and waited them out before stepping back outside.
Still determined to find dinner, I withdrew 200 pesos, only to be hit with a 108-peso fee ($6+ USD). Sad. Once the dogs finally moved on, we continued down the main street, but every corner seemed to have more strays. Bruno, usually the one eager to pick a fight, looked genuinely rattled. He seemed to know he was outnumbered. At that point, we called it quits and headed back to ’Murica.
Crossing back was more eventful than expected. I asked the border agent why there wasn’t a standard passport requirement for re-entry. He explained that each port of entry accepts different forms of ID. “For example, you have an expired ID,” he said. Yikes. My stomach dropped for a second, but then he laughed and waved me through.
I suspect that with the unmitigated disaster at the Texas–Mexico border, smaller crossings like this tend to be a bit looser with their requirements. Between biometrics and my Global Entry status (even though I forgot my card), I must have popped up in their system anyway. Still, lesson learned. I’m never bringing my dogs with me to Mexico again.
On a totally unrelated note, there’s a bar at the border on the American side called the Gay 90’s Bar. My Hipcamp hosts suggested I park there since it’s right in front of the crossing. I had noticed it on Google Maps when I first arrived and, coming from San Francisco, I just assumed it was a bar for older gays. When I mentioned that to my hosts, they laughed and said, “No, it’s not even a gay bar.” Now I’m just completely confused by it.
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