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OT Thinkin' of takin' a vacation out west..


Rance - SASS # 54090

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Since retirement Lacey and I are thinking of a 2-3 maybe 4 week vacation out west..

Never been out west..

 

Thinkin' Arizona or Nevada.. kinda' any western state..

Thinkin' about rentin' a Condo..

Thinkin' January February time frame..

 

Read a thread here on the wire a few months back about a little forgotten place

in Nevada.. don't remember the name of it..

 

Like to take our guns to cowboy shoot, play a little golf, do a little gambling, shopping and relaxing..

 

What recommendations do you folks have?

 

Thanks

Rance ;)

Thinkin' we've lived long enough to deserve it :)

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In that time frame I'd be looking at shooting Winter Range and the other matches before and after it. Scottsdale has plenty of fine, wintertime golf resorts. The low desert is just a really nice place to visit in mid-winter. Indian casinos have gambling in many western states though the gambling scene is most developed in Nevada. Fine shopping can be had in any metro area.

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Gotta check out Lincoln county NM where Billy The Kid made his history! Come down and shoot with us here in Las Cruces!

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Tombstone, AZ then Winter Range. Matches every week in Tombstone that time of year at The Livery and the cost of living is a whole ton cheaper than in the Phoenix area. Lots and lots of things to do and see there. Besides, we'll be there. :D We'll show you around.

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If you get on up to Nevada after Arizona and New Mexico, I would suggest a few locations with historical significance. One is Pioche, a small town on the eastern side of the state. Pioche had a period of hard rock gold and silver mining from the 1860s through the 70s. During that time, the town boasted a pool hall, opera house and believe it or not, a bowling alley. Also, according to town legend, 72 men were buried in the cemetery before anyone died of natural causes.

 

Ely and Elko, both on the eastern side of Nevada both have mining backgrounds, in fact, gold mining is still big business in the Elko area. There is a great train museum in Elko.

 

On the western side of the state is Virginia City, home of the Comstock Lode. Also home to the Bucket 'o Blood Saloon and the Territorial Epitaph where a guy named Samuel Clemens used to work.

 

Goldfield, a couple of hundred miles out of Las Vegas, is an interesting semi-ghost town to look through. The county courthouse there is still a working courthouse, but the main courtroom on the second floor (which you can view during the court's open hours) still looks like it did in the 1900s, including racks under each seat for your hat.

 

Vegas' main history is mostly from the 1920s on. There is a great museum, The Mob Museum, which details the organized crime era of Las Vegas from the 30s to current time. Also a replica of the original Mormon Fort which was the original settlement in Vegas. Mostly, Vegas itself is all about the gaming trade. Outside of Vegas, however, is a huge amount of outdoor activites, not the least of which would be touring Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire which were both used for numerous movies and television series. Of course, you mention golf and I think there are something like 60 courses in Vegas.

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Guest Grass Range #51406

Try Lewistown, Montana; quiet, ag country, good local shooting range, public ground to recreate on, guns spoken here, fishing, hunting, horses, real cowboys,scenery, clean air, clean rivers, low crime,good hospital

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Maybe for a second trip (during the summer months, for sure), is the Northern Plains, Northwest area...Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Lots to see and do: Denver, although no longer a cowtown has an impressive History Museum. West of town, on Lookout Mountain, is Buffalo Bill's gravesite, and there's Rocky Mountain National Park and the town of Estes Park.

In Wyoming, there is Cheyenne, with its Frontier Days and Rodeo; Hell-On-Wheels is a great shoot just outside of Cheyenne. There is Ft. Laramie and in Cody, The Buffalo Bill Museum and the gun collection. Further north is Yellowstone Park, and up near the Canadian border in Montana ,Glacier National Park. Stop in Great Falls to see Charlie Russell's house and museum. It can get warm up there, but in Montana it always pays to carry warmer clothing, even in late June and early September. Lots of wide-open country, and in the Judith Basin you'll swear you can see where Charlie's subject is portrayed in some of his paintings! Have fun!

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Try Lewistown, Montana; quiet, ag country, good local shooting range, public ground to recreate on, guns spoken here, fishing, hunting, horses, real cowboys,scenery, clean air, clean rivers, low crime,good hospital

Also, you aren't that far from Great Falls. About, what, 100 miles? About two+ hours at 55 mph in a 1965 Air Force truck! ;) Lewistown west was Charlie Russell's home range before he met and married Nancy. I do miss it, though not the 16+ hour dispatches to the missile sites. If it is still there, Eddie's Corners is a bit west of Lewistown, and the food wasn't bad...back in '65-'69! :)

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September, early October is the PRIME time to visit a lot of the Southwest. January and Feb are winter in much of the SW too!

 

Monument Valley, Zion, Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands in Utah.

Indian ruins in NM and Colorado - Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde

Grand, Oak Creek Canyon and Prescott in Arizona

Balloon Fiesta first week of October in Albuquerque

 

Good luck, GJ

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Howdy,

Ive only been in Colorado in winter out west.

My favorite places are (in no particular order)

Cody Wy

Yellowstone Park

Custer Battlefield

Balloon Fiesta in Alburque NM

Pikes Peak Hillclimb sometime in July?

That krazy Wall Drug place.

Helo ride over the SD badlands.

Pdawg blasting.

There are a lot of places Ive heard about, not been.

These Ive done myself and enjoyed very much.

Not on this list? I haven't done it or didn't like it.

Number one disappointment was that president statue thing in SD.

Best time to go is right after school starts. A lot of places are still open

and hard weather hasn't started.

Ive always thought Feb would be good in Australia.

ymmv.

Best

CR

hope this helps a little...

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If you don't come to California you will really do yourself a disservice. We have all the things mentioned in the other posts AND we have ocean. At Chorro Valley, which is really small town America, the temperature is likely to be the same on July 4th as it is on December 25th. We have mountains, open space (California is mostly rural and mostly conservative outside the big cities). We have desert, and gambling and movie stars and history and shooting, year round. Give it some thought.

 

Fillmore

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I humbly but proudly suggest a visit to Prescott. This is one of the most shooter friendly towns on the planet. There is a great CAS club here, The Whiskey Row Gunslingers, and lot's of western history......after all if this town was good enough for Virgil Earp....................

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The thing about the western states most have Indian gaming and the bigger ones have motels and golf courses. Vegas isn't the only gaming destination anymore. I would say Albuquerque but that time frame is the coldest time there. Phoenix would be a good choice then. There casinos near there plenty of golf courses and definitely plenty of cowboy shooting every weekend. WR will take up a good week iirc before that is fire and ice right next door at cowtown. Then you can run down to the southern part of the state to tombstone which has an annual the first part of February. I've been wanting to start the year off will the lac cruces nm annual right on I-10. Then head over to tombstone for that annual, then up to fire and ice with a few monthlies in between then WR . Hang around until the spring and it starts getting warm the head to Albuquerque to shoot the spring annual at founders ranch if they haven't dropped it. The las cruces match is the forth week end of January. That will give you a nice winter sass match tour and some golf during the down time and casinos everywhere. Plus a lot of historical places to see in day trips from every destination.

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If you are coming out west and gambling is on the agenda.

You come to Las Vegas, Nevada. Period.

 

Yes, many places have casinos and golf courses - but there is only one Las Vegas,

(Ok, ok, I know about the one in New Mexico too).

 

But we have gambling, nightlife, shopping, great restaurants, world famous shows and more pro golf courses than you can shake a sand wedge at.

In addition - numerous accessible CAS clubs:

The Eldorado Cowboys, Nevada Rangers, Lone Wolf Shooters and Dixie Desperados.

 

If you tire of bright lights and glitz - Easy drives to Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Zion National Park, Boulder Dam & Lake Mead.

A little further and you could easily visit Los Angles, Phoenix or the Grand Canyon

 

And best of all - Las Vegas is a big city, but very compact.

You can be down on the strip surrounded by a few thousand of your closest friends and then

take a half hour drive out of town and feel like you are the only one on the planet.

 

 

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I'm not trying to take anything away from Vegas. But after a few trips it gets old. Except for a couple of annual events that occur there I have no desire to go back. The CCW las in Vegas are different from the rest of the state so if your a CCW permit holder check it out unless the laws have changed in past few years. Personally I'm not in favor of big towns I prefer little ones in close distant to the larger ones. That way when I need something a day trip is the way to go. But if you really want to see the west traveling is required. Nothing is close out here normally. So plan accordingly. You can use vegas as your turn around or entry point and then exit through Phoenix , El Paso or Albuquerque. If I was going someplace I've never been or wanted to see the country I'd never enter and exit the same place. I would fly to either the closest cheap airport or the farthest one, rent a car buy or arrange for ammo, and shoot/golf my way to the other end of the trip. Turn in the car check the guns/clubs and fly home skipping the stuff in between. Probably cheaper than driving, usually faster to get started and gives you some additional days on vacation and not in the car driving to and from. And I hate to fly. I friend convinced me that rentals are they way to go any problems they're covered whereas if your car breaks down your responsible for part if not all of it.

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There are lots of things to do in the greater Phoenix area. Shoot every weekend, golf, zoo, arboretum, hiking, spring training, not far from Tombstone. For that time of the year, Phoenix area is prime choice.

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I'm touting Prescott, AZ because I'm moving there in ten days.

 

Got a "vacation rental" for 2 1/2 months until the house we bought is ready for occupancy. The place comes fully furnished with everything but food and condiments. Has dishes, cookware,bed linens, cleaning supplies, necessary paper products, etc.

 

One downside is they don't allow firearms or ammo on the premises, BUT I have a close friend who lives 100 feet away and he's baby sitting my stuff.

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Deadwood- the Paha Sapa...the Black Hills...whoa...we wouldn't even have a western history without cowboys, miners and Indians. Come right now...the Sturgis Rally is over and vendors will evaporate along with 1,000,000 bikes on Sunday at 12.

 

The Black Hills are magic before during and after the Rally and the best part of the year will be the next 45 days.

 

Jan- Feb? That's why God made WINTER RANGE!

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Hey Rance!

 

Like Granny Annie said you can shoot in Tombstone pretty much any time. I have shot with Creeker and the gang at Boulder City. They have a monthly the first weekend in December. Laura and I will be out there to attend the National Finals Rodeo and plan to shoot their match again this year. They shoot two separate matches on the same weekend so you can shoot two days.

Mid January the Yuma Prison Breakout is an annual match that we have been going to for the last few years also. On the way home we have stopped at Las Cruses for their annual also.

I can tell you more about how we do it at the next match we see each other if you want.

 

Whiskey Rick

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If you are coming out west and gambling is on the agenda.

You come to Las Vegas, Nevada. Period.

 

Yes, many places have casinos and golf courses - but there is only one Las Vegas,

(Ok, ok, I know about the one in New Mexico too).

 

But we have gambling, nightlife, shopping, great restaurants, world famous shows and more pro golf courses than you can shake a sand wedge at.

In addition - numerous accessible CAS clubs:

The Eldorado Cowboys, Nevada Rangers, Lone Wolf Shooters and Dixie Desperados.

 

If you tire of bright lights and glitz - Easy drives to Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, Zion National Park, Boulder Dam & Lake Mead.

A little further and you could easily visit Los Angles, Phoenix or the Grand Canyon

 

And best of all - Las Vegas is a big city, but very compact.

You can be down on the strip surrounded by a few thousand of your closest friends and then

take a half hour drive out of town and feel like you are the only one on the planet.

 

 

 

^This, this and more this. If you're worried about having your shooting irons with you in a hotel, there's plenty of free space avilable in local shooter's safes. I'd also happily store your golf clubs with the understanding that I might keep them if they're nicer than my own set. :P

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Tombstone

Line up a room early, it is a tourist town but well worth visiting

Plan a weekend and attend their monthly CAS shoot, great folks to shoot with

 

Go to the actual Bird Cage Theather, it is pretty much un touched, as was, in other words

Take the walk about inside, take your time, don't rush it, just let your mind wonder back in time as you stand in the actual place, small, kinda dark. Take te time to, picture in your mind the sounds and smells that would be there, with a full Theather of dirty miners and cowboys, imagine the smoke rising from the poker room just below your feet, get a gander of the setting of the longest running live poker game known to man, take the time to find the few real bullet holes that the rowdy s of the day decorated the stage with

 

I go through it every time I go to Tombstone

The likes of Wes flowers great western gunsmith still lurks in the hills round them parts

And an active Cowboy Action shooting club welcomes carpet bager yanks to this day

 

Proving the west lives on

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Tombstone

Line up a room early, it is a tourist town but well worth visiting

Plan a weekend and attend their monthly CAS shoot, great folks to shoot with

 

Go to the actual Bird Cage Theather, it is pretty much un touched, as was, in other words

Take the walk about inside, take your time, don't rush it, just let your mind wonder back in time as you stand in the actual place, small, kinda dark. Take te time to, picture in your mind the sounds and smells that would be there, with a full Theather of dirty miners and cowboys, imagine the smoke rising from the poker room just below your feet, get a gander of the setting of the longest running live poker game known to man, take the time to find the few real bullet holes that the rowdy s of the day decorated the stage with

 

I go through it every time I go to Tombstone

The likes of Wes flowers great western gunsmith still lurks in the hills round them parts

And an active Cowboy Action shooting club welcomes carpet bager yanks to this day

 

Proving the west lives on

+1 Well said Mike !
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You can walk around town in your CAS outfit including the sidearm and you check it as you enter the bar pick it up on your way out. And really think your in the old west. Unless they have changed the laws. Tombstone is great trip back in time.

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