10/10/2019 - Flagstaff → Pinal Airpark → Saguaro National Park → Tombstone → Las Cruces / USA (957 kilometers)

Early in the morning, we set off again in Flagstaff. Our next destination was Saguaro National Park, 250 miles away. On the way there, we happened to see a lot of airplanes from a distance on a fenced-off area. We went to take a look and found ourselves at Pinal Airpark, an airport where secret flights take place. However, it is actually an airplane graveyard where decommissioned planes are stored. Unfortunately, we could only look through the fence as the area was naturally closed.

Our drive continued to Saguaro National Park. The park is located in the Sonoran Desert and is considered the most beautiful and species-rich region of this desert. This National Park is also named after a plant. The entire region is lined with saguaro cacti, which are called Saguaro in English. There is a scenic drive that can be taken by car. We only got out twice to take a short walk through the diverse cactus landscape. We couldn't spend much time in the hot desert without the cooling car air conditioning. We enjoyed the view of a lush valley and discovered petroglyphs that were drawn into stones by our ancestors thousands of years ago.

Our next destination was 'The town too tough to die' - Tombstone. The city became known as the site of several shootings. Especially the gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, where 30 shots were fired in 30 seconds and three people died. The participants were the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. The famous event has served as a scene in many western movies and is reenacted here every day using many blank cartridges. Unfortunately, we arrived in the city too late for that. Nevertheless, we strolled through the streets of the Wild West, passing saloons, the jail, and old horse-drawn carriages.

The last drive of the day took us to Las Cruces for the night.