We have been working here at the park and have not done anything to to blog about. Our days consist of working, 2 days a week, and playing a lot of pickleball. On the days I don't work, I go to the court at 7:30 AM and play till about 9 AM. I return to the court at 1 PM and play for a couple of hours. Louise goes to the court at 4 PM for about 2 hours of playing. Did I mention that I love the game.... We are nearing the end of our commitment here at North Ranch RV Park. We will leave here the end of February.
We decided that w had better get busy and do the things that were on our list to do here before we had to leave. So this past Thursday we climbed on the bike and took off for Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is a small mining town on old route 66 that reinvented itself as a tourist trap. After the mines closed down it about turned into a ghost town. Now it is a famous destination along old 66 known for the wild burros that roam the streets looking for hand outs from the visitors.
The road into the town winds through the mountains along old 66 with few guard rails and a lot of tight turns.
Did I say a lot of tight turns
As soon as you get into the town, it is apparent what the attraction to the town is. The burros are all over the place. These burros are descendents of the burros that were used in the mining operations of the area and were turned loose to fend for themselves. They are protected by the Wild Horse Act and are free to roam where they want. Some of the stores in town sells food to feed them. They have become very good at begging and seem to be quite tame.
The town is a destination for a lot of people including a lot of bikers.
The red one is ours.
The hotel is famous for the fact that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon there. Gable returned there often to gamble with the miners.
The stores in town are the typical tourist town gift shops selling tee shirts and knick-knacks.
We spent several hours walking around Oatman and going in and out of the stores. We ate lunch while there.
When we were done touring the town we mounted the bike and took off for Lake Havasu City, Az.
The city is on the shores of Lake Havasu and has grown into a winter destination for a lot of snowbirds. The city has a lot of motels and restaurants to choose from. We arrived in town about 4:30 in the afternoon and got a room at a Super 8 Motel. They only had one room available and only for one night. Luckily that was all we needed it for. We went out to eat at a Black Bear restaurant and returned to the room for the night. We had to stop at the Harley store while out.
Friday morning we took off to tour the town. The main attraction in town is the London Bridge.
The 1831 London Bridge was the last project of engineer John Rennie and completed by his son, John Rennie the Younger.[3] By 1962, the bridge was not sound enough to support the increased load of modern traffic, and was sold by the City of London.
The purchaser, Robert McCulloch, the chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, was the founder of Lake Havasu City, his retirement real estate development on the east shore of Lake Havasu, a large reservoir on the Colorado River. McCulloch purchased the bridge to serve as a tourist attraction to Lake Havasu, which at that time was far from the usual tourist track. The idea was successful, bringing interested tourists and retirement home buyers to the area.
When one thinks of lighthouses, they rarely consider a landlocked state covered in desert like Arizona for their location, but it just so happens that Lake Havasu City is home to more lighthouses than any other city in the entire country. These 1/3 scale replicas are actual functioning navigational aids built to the specifications of famous East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes lighthouses. More than eighteen can be seen on the shores of the lake. Most can be hiked to while some are only accessible by boat.
Early afternoon we headed off for home. The scenery south along the lake is really rugged and ever changing.
We made a stop for a late lunch on the way home at Don's Cactus Bar. I had read that this is a popular stop for the biker clubs out of Phoenix. The food was pretty good.
We arrived home about 4 PM in time for a game of pickleball. We had a great time and saw some places that were on our list of places to see. We hope to find time for one more road trip before we leave here.
Stay tuned to see if we make it.
Til next time
Duane and Louise
1 comment:
I remember visiting Oatman several years back. It is definitely a tourist town.
We visited Lake Havasu City for the day too. I really liked the bridge. The story of how it got here is amazing.
I had no idea about the lighthouses. We saw a few but didn't know...home to more lighthouses than any other city in the entire country. Really interesting.
Post a Comment