Travel Log: Phoenix

Tombstone. The name seems appropriate considering its claim to fame is a shoot-em-up gunfight that lasted about 30 seconds and left three men dead. Its mystique, however, is alive and well.

A three-hour drive southeast of Phoenix takes visitors to Tombstone, Ariz., settled in 1879 and infested with renegade cowboys who fought famously with the town's officials. Today, Tombstone is more of a tourist attraction thanks to its rugged history from the 1800s.

The stories and sights become personified in Wyatt Earp, his brothers, Doc Holliday and the Clanton and McLaury families.

"The Town too Tough to Die" describes Tombstone. Tourists can find out themselves.

• Visit: Tombstone, Ariz.
• Also: April's edition of Travel Log: Phoenix

O.K. Corral -- It wasn't high noon, but rather right around 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, 1881, when the first shot was fired. The location was known as Lot 2, an empty space behind Tombstone's O.K. Corral, where it's estimated that 30 shots were fired in 30 seconds in the most well-known Old West bloodbath between the Earps and a group known as the Cowboys. Today, visitors can relive the famous gunfight at that very location in Tombstone.
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Chopper_Dave -- I went out to Phoenix last spring to visit the in-laws (snowbirds) over St. Patrick's Day weekend. They brought me out to PIR to check out the track while the boys were racing in Atlanta. I'm a big Jeff Gordon fan and was looking forward to seeing this track.

We got there and realized that the Richard Petty Driving Experience was there. I decided I needed to hop in one of these bad boys for a ride. Couldn't afford the drive price so rode along. It was cool! Got up to about 130 mph.

What makes this cool was that a month later, Jeff Gordon won the pole, won the race, tied Dale Earnhardt in wins, was the first to win from the pole and checked Phoenix off his little list of tracks he's never won at. All in the same night! I've got a plaque on my wall of me in the car with a framed photo of Jeff getting out of his in Victory Lane next to it. Very cool experience visiting the desert.

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Thursday: Sunny with a high of 76 degrees, low of 51
Friday: Sunny with a high of 77 degrees, low of 49
Saturday: Sunny with a high of 80 degrees, low of 50
Sunday: Mostly sunny with a high of 79 degrees, low of 53
Complete Forecast

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• Directions and aerial map of Phoenix

The journey comes to an end, at least for this year. So let's hit Miami and what it offers the right way. Share your personal favorites here.