And so the adventure began today. I left a dark and quiet Salt Lake around 6:30am heading south on familiar roads thru the beautiful Spanish Fork and Price Canyons and past the Book Cliffs to hit I 70 and head east to Grand Junction and the Glenwood Springs, famous for the hot springs and cowboy town and the cemetery.
But for me, I was interested in visiting the Linwood Cemetery where famous hero/outlaw JOHN HENRY "DOC" HOLLIDAY rests....somewhere....nobody can really remember where they put him but he's there. That's his picture on the top.
Most renowned for his part in the OK Corral shootout (O.K. stands for Old Kindersley who had the livery stable in Tombstone AR where the shooting took place with some ruffian cowboy outlaws) but also as a loyal friend to lawman Wyatt Earp (pictured below Holliday, Holliday has some interesting facts about him....
He was 36 years old when he died in Glenwood Springs of Tuberculosis which he contracted at a young age and was told he'd only live a few months. Not
He was an award winning licensed Dentist who practiced from the east coast to Texas until his coughing made it impossible to do his dentistry.
He was a very respected and excellent gambler which was his livelihood after he could no longer do dentistry.
He was one absolutely wicked shot. Ambidextrous, able to shoot as well with either hand which was just one of the reasons Sheriff Earp made him his deputy.
He was very hard to anger or ruffle and never regretted any of the killings he was involved with. When asked once "don't you have any conscience?" he replied "I coughed that up with my lungs years ago."
But his consumption finally caught up with him on November 8, 1887. Holliday had come to Glenwood hoping the hot springs might help him but he was just too sick. He asked his nurse at his bedside for a glass of whiskey to help with the pain and she refused him. Then he looked down at his stocking feet and then at her and said "this is funny" and died. He'd always thought he'd die with his boots on.
My boots are off, I'm settled in at the Ami Acres Campground in Traveller (my white van most delightfully equipped) and hoping for a nice peaceful rest. After the beautiful hike up to the cemetery (it sits above the houses on the hill and has one great view) I strolled down thru town and looked at the pools, then drove back down to my camping spot which has a spectacular view of the mountains and the Colorado river below. Windy but not too warm. I'm snug as a bug. Sweet dreams all. Heading straight east tomorrow up thru the spectacular Aspen range then past Denver and on to the Plains. More adventures tomorrow.
Fun story! Thanks for sharing all of this.
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