Originally we had a blog of our travels starting in 2007 but due to factors beyond our control we had not updated it for some time. We hope to do better with this blog. These first few posts will be to bring our readers up to date on where we have recently been up to the beginning of this blog. This will take you from our leaving Washington State to our second arrival in Quartzsite, AZ. It has been a very interesting time with some unexpected setbacks.

On 15 November we left Washington and headed south to leave the cold and snow behind. Little did we expect that it would have more than our share of cold and snow for the fist month or so. We knew the first part of the trip would require us to keep a close eye on the weather so we could plan our traveling days when it was clear. The day we departed Washington it was clear but a little cold. We had just had a couple of days with some light snow just before our departure. The first leg of the trip took us to Pendleton, Or. We arrived in Pendleton during 15 to 20 MPH winds. We spent a couple of days to let the weather clear before continued on south. We took advantage of this time to visit some of our favorite eating places in Pendleton including the Sundowner for their fantastic thin cut french fries and sandwiches. Our traveling companions also utilized this time by visiting the Montana Peak Western Hat shop, a great place to visit even if you are not looking for a new hat.

We departed Pendleton during a break in the weather. Highway 395 to the south was clear and the weather was fair. We had an uneventful trip that day from Pendleton to Burns, Or. On the way we took a rest stop at Dale, Or., one of several small communities along 395 on the way through Oregon.

                                                                                       

The next morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow. The weather report said it would be clear but to watch for ice on the high passes.

By the time we were ready to leave Burns, Or. the snow was pretty much melted and the weather was clearing.  As we were getting ready to leave a problem started developing that we did not know was going to have a major impact on our trip later on. With the temperature around 28 that morning the truck was hard to start and we had some smoke from the exhaust until we were a little way down the road. Once the truck and us warmed up we made good time to Alturas, Ca. and another early stop for the night. We stayed at a small RV park near the city park. Upon check in the owner advised us to watch out for the deer and that there was a buck in rut with his harem that came through the park. As we were setting up we saw the deer next to our site and watch them as they walk through the area.

                 

The next morning we departed Alturas and headed to Susanville, CA. to visit with our friends John and Roxanne.  With some puffs of white smoke from the truck we headed down the road. We arrived at Milford, CA ( a few miles south of Susanville) late that afternoon.  During our stay in Milford we had an addition to our family, a three month old 3 pound Toy Schnauzer. We named her Ginger, short for Ginger Snap. It has been anything but dull with her around.

 

                       

 

On Thanksgiving morning we left Milford and headed to Las Vegas and warmer weather, yes we did have some snow while we were in Milford. Thanksgiving night we stopped in Tonopah, NV. were it was breezy with a 10 MPH wind and the temperature was a cool 18 degrees. The next morning the sun was out and in was looking like a great day to travel so with another puff of smoke from the truck we started down the road. After stopping for lunch in Beatty, NV we continued on to Las Vegas arriving in the late afternoon just in time to change into tee shirts and head over to Sam’s Town for the Seafood Buffett. After a night of crab legs, shrimp, and other great sea foods we returned to our rig for a good nights sleep before heading out the next day to see the sights around Las Vegas.

The next morning we took our traveling companions to the Valley of Fire just north of Las Vegas. I have always enjoyed this area. In the early morning and late afternoon the red sandstone of the area looks like the hills are on fire. There are some great rock formations, some with petroglyphs of earlier inhabitants of this area.

 

 

 

One of our stops was at an area called the Bee Hives. Many of the rocks in this area have been eroded by wind and rain forming bands around them giving the appearance of large bee hives.

 

Many of the large flat rock faces have petroglyphs on them. These have been carved into the desert varnish on the rocks by early inhabitants of the region. The meanings of these carvings have been debated for many years.

   

   

In the 1930’s three rock cabins, to be used by travelers, were built in the Valley by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They are complete with fireplaces and great view of the Valley from the windows. On the rock faces behind these cabins are several more petroglyphs.

  

     

The sunsets on the hills in the Valley can provide some wonderful views.

After a few days in Las Vegas and with our rigs freshly washed we headed to Laughlin, NV.  When in this area we stay at the Avi Casino at the south end of Laughlin. Here we have over large spaces and are able to enjoy quite evenings.

From this location we visited one of Carolyn’s favorite places, Oatman, AZ. She loves seeing the wild burros walking through the town. You can buy a bag of small hay cubes to feed the burros but beware they get aggressive once they see you with a bag of their favorite food. Oatman was one of several mining towns in this area. It was also a stopping place on old Route 66 until 1953. The old Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman went through Sitgreaves Pass which is a steep and twisty section of road. To bypass this section of road Route 66 was changed to go from Kingman through Yucca, AZ and on to Needles, CA.

Below is a photo looking west along Oatman’s Main street (Route 66) in the 1940’s. The large building across the street from the Standard Station is the Oatman Hotel. This photo is from my Route 66 post card collection.

The Burros in the area are descendants of the burros used in the mines to pull the ore carts. When the mines closed the burros where turned loose. Wild burros can be seen in many areas along this part of the Colorado River and as far south as Yuma, AZ.

 

One of the original buildings in Oatman is the Oatman Hotel, one of two larger hotels that were in the town. While filming a movie in the area Clark Gable and Carol Lombard stayed in this hotel on their wedding night. While in Oatman you can visit this hotel and see the suite they stayed in. The hotel is located in the center of the town and is also the location for daily gun fights and other events even including weddings.

   

Below is a recent photo of the sign at the east end of town giving some history of the area. Below it is a 1920’s photo of this end of town from my Route 66 post card collection.

The burros come through the town in the early afternoon knowing that this is primetime for tourists and some easy food. The locals put stickers that say do not feed me on the you burros because their teeth are not developed enough to chew and they can chock on the food. We saw several burros nosing around motorcycles park along the street, they don’t bother the cars but I guess the motorcycles look like another beast of burden to them.

     

As you enter Oatman at the west end of town the intersection you come to was the main corner of the town. Located here was the Oatman Drug Store and the Arizona Hotel. Today just the drug store building remains. The site of the Arizona Hotel is now a vacant area with some portions of the original walls and the hotels safe door. Below is a recent photo of the location and a couple of pictures of the area in the 1920’s and 1930’s from my Route 66 post card collection.

     

So next time you are in the Laughlin, NV / Bullhead City, AZ area take a run over to this fun and historic town to say hi! to Carolyn’s friends.

 

We continued our day out by traveling east on old Route 66 through Sitgreaves Pass and past the site of Cool Springs. This was a  gas station, coffee shop and a few cabins along Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman. The original owner piped water from a nearby spring to this location to provide travelers a refreshing stop be for taking on Sitgreaves Pass which begins just west of this location.

Today this location still provides a refreshing stop to travels of the old road. It also provides some great information on the history of this location as well as Route 66 through the area.  The original building was blown up in 1991 during the filming of the movie Universal Soldier . Today the building has been restored to much of its original state as seen in my recent photo below and the photo from my Route 66 post card collection.

     

 

This brings to an end the first part of bring you up to date on our travels. In the next part I will cover our travels from Laughlin, NV to Quartzite, AZ where we spent a week before continuing on to Kingman and on to Williams, AZ as well as our adventures on the train to the Grand Canyon and Christmas Eve on the Polar Express to the North Pole. I hope you enjoyed this first installment of the update to our travels and I am looking forward to Improvements of this site as it progresses.