Oatman, AZ

On Wednesday, the 22nd, we went to Oatman. It's a little town similar to Tombstone, but smaller. The main street was paved, but the sidewalks were wooden, and there was a variety of little shops. The big draw, however, was the wild burros who have occupied the shopping district! Many of the shops sold bags of burro food and carrots to feed them, and the burros weren't shy about approaching you! Some even stood in the middle of the road and wouldn't let traffic pass until they were good and ready. The little ones had stickers on their heads warning people not to feed them because they weren't old enough to digest what was offered. A couple of the babies just laid down to nap in the street. There were gunfights, a music man, a restaurant wallpapered in $1.00 bills, and just a good time! We also traveled a little ways out in the desert to see what was at one time a bordello! (I think my brother-in-law may be leading us astray :)!)

Note the sticker on baby's head! 

Music Man

Interesting wallpaper!

Bordello

After we left Oatman, we decided to travel across the Black Mountains to return to our campground. We passed several mining operations, and a few inactive mines on our way. The road across the mountains is the old Route 66. Amazing to us was that it was the main way to get from one coast to the other "back in the day"! As you'll see in the pics, it was very narrow, and very winding. At one point, we saw some desert big horn sheep, and we stopped somewhere near the top of Ash Mountain, which got it's name from people bringing ashes of loved ones and scattering them on the mountainside.

Route 66 from Ash Mountain

Ash Mountain

I can't believe I'm taking pictures of signs! My dad used to do that when we were on vacation, and I thought he was crazy! LOL :)

Bullhead City, AZ

Saturday, the 18th, we spent part of the day hiking in Grapevine Canyon (yes, me too!). It was quite an adventure! We started out in the wash at the bottom of the canyon and made our way to the rocks that were decorated with petroglyphs. Then we climbed the rocks and boulders that spanned both walls of the sides of the canyon. I decided to call it quits about 2/3 of the way up the canyon, since the face of the rocks was quite smooth and difficult to scale. Mel stayed with me because of a heel injury, and Dan went all the way to the top! There were a few heart-stopping moments during his descent, but I was glad when he made it relatively unscathed (except for when he tangled with a cactus!).

Petroglyphs

A view from the bottom!

A view from where I stopped climbing.

Dan - at the top!

After leaving the canyon, we traveled up the mountain to Christmas Tree Pass. There were no Christmas trees as we would know them, but large juniper-like bushes that are decorated for Christmas and even a few for Mardi Gras! The varieties of cacti were interesting, and the view from the outlook at the top was spectacular!

Here we are!

We've moved to the Ft. Mohave/Bullhead City area now where we will spend the next couple of weeks. Yesterday, we took a drive just to get a feel for where things are. Visited with family who winter in the area, then drove into Laughlin, NV to the classic car museum which is housed in the Riverside Casino. Wow - a lot of beautifully restored classics, some of which made me feel I must be a classic now, too, as they were from my younger years! Unfortunately, I can't be fully restored to my original splendor!! LOL I'll post some pics of a few of my favorites later today.

Internet availability is sporadic here, but I'll try to keep up! OK, so I haven't been able to keep up!!

Steve - this one is for you!

Burros on the Road from Parker Dam, AZ

On the way back from Lake Havasu City, we were treated to the sight of several burros along the side of (and some on) the road! Of course, we had to stop and take a few (haha) pictures!

Looks like this fellow was giving Dan a piece of his mind!

Right after I snapped this pic, the burro walked right up to the window of the truck, but still refused to move from the road!

                                     Tomorrow we'll be on our way -- next stop, Ft. Mohave!

Lake Havasu, AZ

Today we spent the day at Lake Havasu. In 1967, London had to sell its famous London Bridge. Lake Havasu City founder Robert P. McCulloch found a new home for the London Bridge in Arizona. It is the reconstruction of the 1831 London Bridge that spanned the River Thames in London, England until it was dismantled in 1967. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge, that was bought by Robert P. McCulloch from the City of London. McCulloch had exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to America, to construct the present bridge in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu. The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with a canal), and links an island in the lake with the main part of Lake Havasu City.

This shows how the blocks were numbered so they could be reassembled in AZ

Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu