Traveling Square Dancers: We visit Oatman, AZ again

Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

We visit Oatman, AZ again

Ron and I made the trip from Golden Valley to Oatman a few years ago, and wanted Hoyt and Bernice to experience Oatman’s uniqueness as well.

Perhaps as interesting as Oatman itself is the drive over along old Route 66.

A very scenic drive, it winds past both defunct and operating mines.

2012-09-27 -1- AZ, Golden Valley to Oatman via Route 66 -023

The road contains many hairpin curves, and often evidence of vehicles that didn’t make the curves can be seen among the rocks.

Tucked away in the mountains is Oatman, founded around 1908. In less than 30 years, mines in the area produced over 1.8 million ounces of gold, but in 1942 the last remaining mines were closed as “nonessential to the war effort”. The town, with it’s humorous portrayal of what it once was, survives through tourism.

We had lunch in this bar which is “wallpapered” with dollar bills. Literally, every inch of the wall, bar, etc is covered with bills taped up by the tourists.

The food was excellent.

Prospectors brought the first burros to the area. They were used inside the mines for hauling rock and ore to the outside, and outside for hauling water and supplies. As the mines closed, the miners often left the burros to fend for themselves. Over the years, although becoming wild animals, they have learned they can get fed a daily meal in Oatman.

When we were here several years ago, the merchants were selling bags of carrots for visitors to feed to the animals. It has since been determined that the carrot diet was not necessarily good for the animals. The only food approved for them now is available from a few merchants as small hand held bales of a grain based material.

We’re wondering if they don’t like their new food as well as the carrots of the past, as we didn’t see nearly the number of burros this visit as before.