Wagon Tracks And A Burro Stampede!!

These pictures were taken less than a half mile from Main Street or Route 66 in  the city of Kingman, Arizona. Rugged and breath taking.

Take a closer look.  There in the rock.

The grooves you see embedded in the rock were created over years of  wagons making their trek to the Wild West in hopes of a better life. 

Early travelers in wagons heading west to California rode over sandstone hills north of Kingman, Arizona in Mohave County. The steel covered wooden wagon wheels carved tracks in the stone road bed. The indentations or holes in the sides of the sandstone trails where used to wedge the wagons up the hill with leverage from heavy wooden poles.

Now that is HISTORY!!


Next stop, Oatman, Arizona

 Welcome to the best old mining ghost town in the west. 


Traveling from Kingman on Route 66 you must travel through Stigreaves Pass.

Don't take a motor home.  I recall this section of Route 66. I was eleven years old. Dad pulled a trailer and what I remember most is my mom's nervousness. 

Route 66 twists and turns through this mountain pass, a narrow, two lane road. The road drops down in Oatman, a small town made famous when Clark Gable and Carole Lombard got married and spent their honeymoon in the Oatman Hotel.

Today the main attraction are the wild burros that roam the streets. Julie fell in love with them.

Well me too!

Most of the shops  sell food for the burros. Look at the happy animals! Julie's doing such a nice thing.

One burro told another. They all fell in love with Julie. It began to get out of hand when one impatient burro bit her  because she wasn't shelling out the food fast enough.

 She decided to walk away, then run. It is funny now, but we were a little worried until a local shouted, " Throw  the food on the ground  to distract them." It worked. The stampede of by wild burros was averted.



On the drive  back we stopped at Cool Springs for a cool drink. The end to a very historical day.

Worn Out Hats And Getting Your Kicks On Route 66

After the rafting trip , My hat was very tired. It's resting on a beautiful towel that was a gift of the Haulapai River Runners in celebration of 50 years of operation. What a treat. Here are some more pics from the ride of a life time! Enjoy.

My friend Julie putting on a brave front.

And me? I'm thinking, "I'll never see Sportster again."

 Julie and I are both in the bottom of the raft. That my cowboy hat at the front. My head is down and I am praying to the Haulapai Indian Gods to help me hang on.

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A break in the excitement, we stopped at the falls. They were beautiful but I chose to not make the hike up to them.

I chose the trickle of a smaller waterfall.

The helicopter ride up and out of the canyon.

Julie took the pictures. If I were scared I was too exhausted to tell.What a view!! 

We stayed at The Grand Canyon Caverns RV Park for a couple of days after the wild ride on the river. Julie and I both felt like my hat looked.  Below are the gas station and the cavern  gift shop and restaurant. Great food.

Quiet peaceful campsites. Only $17.50  an night.

Rested and on the road again. Getting our kick on Rt 66..Julie and I reminisced  traveling with our folks .Her road trip was from Michigan mine was from Illinois. The era was the same 1957 and 1958. We both remembered the long lonely stretches like this. It was utter boredom for ten year old girls full of energy.  No DVD's, no I-Pads or Pods.  The Burma Shave Signs were the only entertainment and you will find them on this stretch of RT 66, the longest maintained section of The Mother Road.
Next stop Wickenburg, Arizona for some down time.

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A MUST FOR YOUR BUCKET LIST

A Must For Your Bucket List

Forty miles floating deep between the towering walls of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River - twelve miles of rapids rated seven on a scale of one, the lowest, to ten, the roughest.  What was it like?

Awesome! Breath taking. Thrilling! Frightening!

It's 7:30 am and we are checking in at the Haulapai Lodge in Peach Springs. Can you see the anticipation, the excitement, the fear?

From the lodge we traveled an hour on the bus  down 1200 feet into the Grand Canyon  to the Colorado River. We stopped here for a photo op. 

We met up with our journalist friends we met in Lake Havasu on the sunset boat tour. They were from a variety of countries , London, China, Brazil to name a few. What a treat!

Short lapses of beautiful scenery followed by ........RAPIDS!

I tasted the muddy river water.

 It roared and rose up into the boat like ancient, angry Haulapai spirits warning me away from this sacred, untarnished, path that belonged only to the river. The ferocious force wanted to sweep me, drenched and soaked, shivering and shaking, into an unknown realm. My body flailed and pounded against the raft as the Colorado’s energy initiated me and I proved myself to her. Twelve miles, two hours, and infinite lifetimes raced by at nature’s endless pace.

When I thought I could endure no more, the raft crashed from its final watery peak, disappeared in the spray and dove, like a swan dive, then slipped into calm waters. The intense competition ended as abruptly as it had begun.

 Now the raft lolled quiet like a lazy day while, behind me the mighty river shook her white raging fists promising more danger if I dared challenge her again.

Forty miles and four hours brought sweet warm earth beneath my river soaked Sketchers. 

I drew upon my last remaining thread of energy and climbed the river’s banks to the helipad. Overcome by my achievement and exhausted, I awaited to soar like an eagle up 4000 feet to the Skywalk at rim of the canyon. Too tired to muster up any  excitement or fear for my first helicopter ride, I climbed into its belly.

 Swept up and away, this time by the wind, I sent my silent blessings to the Haulapai Tribe and the Colorado River who had allowed me to experience an adventure of a lifetime.

Stay tuned for the next adventure.

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