We did some backtracking on Day 6 to visit Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Situated near Apache Pass that separates the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas mountains, Fort Bowie was built in 1862 after the Battle of Apache Pass. It was built to protect the pass and the nearby springs. The first fort constructed was more of a temporary camp and a more substantial fort was built in 1868. The primary operations of the fort were struggles with the Chiricahua Apaches that culminated in Geronimo's surrender in 1886. This was the end of the Apache Wars and the fort had decreasing military usefulness until it closed in 1894.

The historic site is accessed by a 1.5 mile hike from Apache Pass Road. There are sites to observe along the trail such as ruins, a cemetery, the springs, and an example of an Apache home; all interpreted with informational signs. The ruins themselves are not extensive; the wood and other items were scavenged by locals when the fort closed and what remains today are the foundations and some short adobe walls. There is a nice, small visitor's center with artifacts, pictures, and information about the fort (pro tip: make sure your false teeth are hidden well from the packrats!) and we walked around the site to visit the various ruins. For our return hike we opted for the Overlook Ridge trail. I highly recommend this return route; there is a fantastic overlook of the site and some nice views of the surrounding area.

Our final destination of the day was Bisbee, where we would be staying for two nights. I knew Tombstone was very touristy, but since we were passing through on our way to Bisbee I figured we might as well stop. With the exception of White Sands National Park, every place we had stopped on our trip was not busy at all, so I think it was a little bit of a shock to stop in Tombstone and find crowds of people. We walked around the main drag (Allen Street), popped into a few stores, then decided we were good, and finished up the drive to Bisbee. In Bisbee we made a few stops before checking into our hotel. It's hard to miss the Lavender Pit, an open-pit copper mine that operated between 1917 and 1974. It's right along highway 80 with a large parking area to view the mine and information panels. Through nearly 60 years of operation the mine produced 86 million tons of ore averaging about 0.7% copper, or about 600,000 tons of copper produced, with gold and silver as byproducts. Down the street from the Lavender Pit is Erie Street, a street that feels straight out of the 1950s. It is mostly what is left of a mining town named Lowell that was incorporated into Bisbee in the early 1900s. Much of the town's residential area was demolished in the 1950s to expand the open pit copper mine and the town never recovered. It's a fun spot to walk around and take some pictures. After the Lavender Pit and Erie Street we went to downtown Bisbee to check into the Letson Loft Hotel. We really liked our stay here. It's a cool old building that has been converted into a boutique hotel and it has a great location right in downtown, which was very convenient. We immediately liked Bisbee - what a lovely little town - and were looking forward to our Queen Mine Tour the next day.