A little bit of greenery before crossing the Colorado River and enter the first town in California, Needles.
May I help you?
The town was named for Olive Oatman. "Although many stories have emerged about white captivity with the Indians, none can equal the ordeal of two little sisters, Olivia "Olive" and Mary Ann Oatman. Snatched from a world of privilege and thrown into a world of brutality, it took great courage and skill to survive among their tormentors. When rescue finally came, it was a relief even to the Indians." Click here to read the full story.
The Oatman Hotel where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned. They were doing renovations so it was closed off when we were there.
The burros could do whatever they wanted to do.
Bags of carrots to feed the burros were sold everywhere. If they didn't get fed they would try to "encourage" you by some not so gentle nudging of your hands, pockets, face, or whatever they could get to.
Of course.
Oatman was once a gold mining town. When the gold was gone so were the miners and they left their burros behind. They never left and still roam the streets as they please.
After miles of driving and thinking we were at the end of the earth we suddenly came upon the town of Oatman. The ONLY street in this town is only about 3 or 4 blocks long but it is packed with shops, tourists, food, and burros.
An unidentifiable old car.
The entrance to a tiny cave. Somebody thought it was the perfect place for dirty diapers. grrr
It was so desolate here. No sounds except the wind and an occasional bird calling out.
This is an example of the road as we traveled it for the next several miles through Sitgreaves Pass. Hairpin curves, drop offs (note: no guardrails) came one after another. In the days before cars had fuels pumps drivers were hired to drive the vehicles backwards through the pass. They had to do this because gas made it to the motor only by gravity. It was white knuckle time for me driving it now so I can't imagine what it was like then.
Nathan had to do this for his truck.
The road from Kingman was a pleasant drive. Not much going on, no turns or stops, just a view of the Black Mountains getting closer. The first sign of life is Cool Springs. This place was built in 1926 and had turned into a pile of rubble before it was rebuilt for the movie "Universal Soldier". In the movie the place was blown to pieces by Van Damme. The rock columns and base were all that was left. It's been put back to how it was before. This is the last bit of civilization for many miles.
The Oatman Hotel where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned. They were doing renovations so it was closed off when we were there.
The burros could do whatever they wanted to do.
Bags of carrots to feed the burros were sold everywhere. If they didn't get fed they would try to "encourage" you by some not so gentle nudging of your hands, pockets, face, or whatever they could get to.
Of course.
Oatman was once a gold mining town. When the gold was gone so were the miners and they left their burros behind. They never left and still roam the streets as they please.
After miles of driving and thinking we were at the end of the earth we suddenly came upon the town of Oatman. The ONLY street in this town is only about 3 or 4 blocks long but it is packed with shops, tourists, food, and burros.
An unidentifiable old car.
The entrance to a tiny cave. Somebody thought it was the perfect place for dirty diapers. grrr
It was so desolate here. No sounds except the wind and an occasional bird calling out.
This is an example of the road as we traveled it for the next several miles through Sitgreaves Pass. Hairpin curves, drop offs (note: no guardrails) came one after another. In the days before cars had fuels pumps drivers were hired to drive the vehicles backwards through the pass. They had to do this because gas made it to the motor only by gravity. It was white knuckle time for me driving it now so I can't imagine what it was like then.
Nathan had to do this for his truck.
The road from Kingman was a pleasant drive. Not much going on, no turns or stops, just a view of the Black Mountains getting closer. The first sign of life is Cool Springs. This place was built in 1926 and had turned into a pile of rubble before it was rebuilt for the movie "Universal Soldier". In the movie the place was blown to pieces by Van Damme. The rock columns and base were all that was left. It's been put back to how it was before. This is the last bit of civilization for many miles.
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