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Tombstone, Arizona Territory ~ October 13 - 18, 2013 ~ O ur five-day historic Wyatt Earp's Vendetta horseback ride and tour in and around Tombstone, Arizona takes us to the Chiricahua, Dragoon and Whetstone Mountains, through the high country surrounding Tombstone. We'll visit those sites were Wyatt and his posse killed Florentio Cruz, had a shoot-out with the Cow-boys and killed "Curly Bill" Brocius and Johnny Barnes, plus Johnny Ringo’s haunted gravesite and more - much more!Cost $1,996 per person Initial Deposit: $500 per person, non-refundable deposit required Final Payment: Due 90 days prior to ride ... July 14th Includes Trained horses (you’ll be matched to a horse based on riding abilities) Tack (use of personal saddles okay)
Wranglers Historians / Private Tours Three meals a day (sack lunches for saddlebags when riding), Monday through Friday Note: All breakfasts will be served at 7:30 am / dinners will be served around 7:00 pm Cancellation Policy Should you cancel within 90 days prior to ride .... all monies non-refundable Should Great American Adventures cancel this ride: all monies 100% refundable ** See Terms & Conditions / ** Also See: Travel Insurance - this is strongly recommended. Not Included Transportation to and from Tombstone, Arizona Territory Motels in Tombstone / rental cars (if needed)
Period clothing (See Dress Code) ... attempting to dress in "period-clothing" makes these rides more fun, more adventurous and makes for great photos ops!! Try it! And don't spend lots of money unless you want to ... I make several recommendations on the Dress Code site where to purchase these items. Transportation Packages Contact Shawn Elder at East-West Global Tours (480-648-4735 / sales@eastwestglobaltravel.com / www.eastwestglobaltour.com ) to arrange your complete transportation package, including roundtrip air, rental vehicle / shuttle/motorcoach and motel accommodations. Flight arrivals can be coordinated in order to facilitate group transfers to share the expense of transportation. Daily tour packages for non-riding spouses can also be arranged. |
"Frankly, I don't know how you are able to offer these rides and the things you provide for the price - I think it's a bargain" |
~ Itinerary ~ Optional Old Tucson Studios Pre-Trip, Saturday evening, October 12th To celebrate our 5th anniversary of "Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Ride," we'll visit Old Tucson Studios, where parts of the 1993 film Tombstone was made. I have booked a block of rooms at the JW Marriott Starr Resort & Spa for October 12th for us all. If it all comes together, we will also take a horseback ride from the Marriott, through the mountains, to Old Tucson Studios. This is an approximate 3 hour scenic ride - we'll get mounted about 2:30 pm. I'm still working on this aspect - more to follow!! Once you sign up for the Vendetta Ride, I will forward you registration information and pricing for this pre-trip. By the way, Old Tucson Studios celebrates Halloween every weekend during October, so we will enjoy these festivities, which I am told is so scary, some folks don't return ... that's just my "game."
Sunday, October 13, 2013 Arrive Tombstone, Arizona Territory during the day 7:00 pm – Meet & Greet at the Crystal Palace, Saloon, Tombstone (dinner & drinks on own)
Monday – Friday, October 14 - 18 – Vendetta Ride 7:30 am – Breakfast / afterward we’ll follow one another via vehicles from Tombstone
Note: With such vast distances, horses will be picketed at different locations each day. After breakfast, we’ll carpool & follow one another to the horses and ride to the historic site. Motel I recommend the Holiday Inn Express, 580 W. Randolph Way, Tombstone, AZ 85638; 520-457-9507 / www.hitombstone.com ... there is a group discount ... See Motels. Also check out www.tombstoneweb.com OPTIONAL STAY - OVER Friday through Sunday after the ride - Enjoy Tombstone’s biggest annual event - Helldorado Days (www.HelldoradoDays.com) Suggest making your motel reservations as early as possible! Rooms fill up fast ... You can always cancel later if necessary.
The Ride A full day's ride to Pete Spence’s wood-cutting camp where Florentino Cruz was killed in the Dragoon Mountains; Another full day's ride to Iron Springs in the Whetstone Mountains where Curly Bill Brocius was killed ... or was it Cottonwood Springs? You decide the controversy!! Few folks have been here!! Johnny Ringo’s supposedly haunted gravesite in the Chiricahua Mountains; Locations along the San Pedro River, sites such as Charleston, Fairbanks and / or Contention, all frequented by the Cow-boy's & Earp's ... this gives everyone an idea the riding distances. Cochise's "Council of Rocks" - a must see, if only for its beauty - awesome!! (see below) Private tours of Tombstone, the OK Corral, and more conducted by renown Tombstone historians. Possibly Mescal Studios, where the film Tombstone (and many other Westerns) were filmed. No guarantees on this one - we must wait to get permission from both the studio and Arizona State Land Department to ensure there will be no filming conflict.
SPECIAL TREAT: For the 5th anniversary of the ride, I am working on several new items to include. One of which just came to fruition: Our two Native Americans, Charlie & Jesus, that have been with us before, will take us - for the first time - deep into the canyons of Cochise's Stronghold, places only local Native Americans frequent. Both Charlie & Jesus have been our Indian historians the last two years at Council of Rocks and everyone has raved about them and their knowledge of history. This one day horseback ride will be in lieu of going to Council of Rocks, since I suspect the ride will take a complete day. I am working on several other items of interest to everyone ... some I will post here, some I want as a surprise SPECIAL NOTE: There will be optional tours for the non-riding spouses. And on some days, the non-riders will join us on some very special historical tours and lectures. Lots to do and see in southern Arizona!!!
~ Celebrate a very special 5th Anniversary of this ride ~ .gif)
"Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Ride" Sanctioned an Official Arizona Centennial Event in 2011 / 2012 Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Ride - The History Behind the Ride Tombstone in Turmoil Two months after the Gunfight near the O.K. Corral, three assassins fire double-barrel shotguns at deputy U.S. Marshal / City Police Chief Virgil Earp outside the Oriental Saloon. Doctors remove several inches of shattered bone from his upper left arm. Wyatt, assuming the worst, telegraphs Crawley P. Dake, U.S. Marshal for the Arizona Territory, a few hours later: .jpg)
| Tombstone, Arizona Territory, December 29, 1881 "Virgil Earp was shot by concealed assassins last night. His wounds are fatal. Telegraph me appointment with power to appoint deputies. Local authorities are doing nothing. The lives of other citizens are threatened." ~ Wyatt Earp ~ | .jpg)
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Now a deputy U.S. Marshal, Wyatt assembles a posse of gunmen to protect his family and to hunt the men who shot his brother. The posse must consist of trustworthy men who would not be intimidated by further threats or acts of violence by the Cow-boys … men willing to place themselves in extreme danger. On January 17, 1882, Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo have a standoff on Allen Street. They face off with hands hovering above their revolvers, but a town deputy stops them from taking matters further. Then, on March 18, shortly before midnight, while Morgan Earp is shooting pool at Campbell and Hatch’s Saloon with Wyatt sitting in a chair watching, two bullets blast through the upper window pane of the back door. The first bullet hits Morgan in the back, near the spine. The second bullet splinters in the wall inches from Wyatt's head. Morgan immediately collapses and dies within the hour - on March 19th ... Wyatt's 34th birthday. With an older brother permanently crippled in his left arm from a deadly ambush, and a younger brother back-shot to death, most men would run … Not Wyatt Earp! Now it's PERSONAL! ~ Join Wyatt Earp's bloody trail of retribution ~ |
"The ride was a hundred times better than its description." | 
Five Star Rating for Historic Adventure | “On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this a 15.” |
"The perfect combination of historical fact and Hollywood myth" |
* Dress Code and "Hoglegs" / "Going Heeled" I've learned over the years while doing these historic rides that it is always so much more fun to dress the part ... although it is not a requirement nor mandatory. The photos we've all taken over the years have appeared in numerous magazines, websites, and editorials ... and those photos do have us dressed "the part." If you become a repeat rider - and so many of the participants come back again and again - I'm sure over time you'll want to dress in period clothing. Just part of living the "fantasy!" Bringing cowboy guns - just as it is so much more fun to dress the part, it is also fun to wear our cowboy guns. Basically we are "playing cowboy," no different than we did when we were kids - just our toys are now more expensive. However, about 1% (or less) of the participants on these rides interpret my allowing the wearing of guns as an indication the guns can be loaded with live ammo!! Fortunately, I am happy to report that all the man-killers, wanted outlaws, cattle rustlers, train robbers and never-do-wells from the 19th Century are no longer with us. Sadly, with our litigious society, need for liability insurance, and just common-sense safety practices, I cannot allow anything in those cowboy guns ... no live ammo, no blanks, no dummies (because I cannot tell by glancing at the cylinder what exactly you have in that revolver and am forced to ask you to show it to me). And I don't want live ammo on your cartridge belts either - dummies are fine. Think of your guns, on these rides, as mere photo 'props' - they look great, photo great and allow us to play cowboy. Emphasis is on the word "play." I offer historic horseback rides - not shooting scenarios. I prefer to leave that up to the different shooting sports that specialize in such endeavors. Thank you for understanding the need for safety.
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