Day 28 - November 7, 2019
We left Parker and traveled north along the Colorado River, through hills and then mountains. What a contrast to yesterday where we hardly went over a hill. That land was flat, field after field, cattle lot after cattle lot. You could see forever or until the next mountain range in the distance.
Today it is through the the mountains that are rough and jagged volcanic features, and no real green with sagebrush being the main form of vegetation. Not even cactus.
Along the river banks there is a lot of green, with grass, palm trees, cat tails or something similar. It looks like an oasis!
We went by Lake Havasu and the resort city, stopping to see the London Bridge. We were here about 35 years ago. Seems there are a lot more buildings/businesses, cars, people, you know the usual.
Houses are nice, some really nice, yards are landscaped usually with rock and trees but occasionally grass, I think... at least it’s green. There are also a lot of concrete walls which I’m sure surround a pool!!! I could be making that up.
There have been a lot of RVs parked out in the middle of nowhere in areas that could have been flatten for such, or not. There are signs in some areas that say camping permits are required. Once again mom and dad come to mind, parked out in the middle of the desert near Apache Junction, dry camping in the heat, dirt, no electronics, hmmm no thanks. I have letters she wrote to me while she was doing that, think I’ll go home and reread them. What did she do with herself?
We traveled on... heading west for a few miles to take scenic Historic Route 66 North for about a 45 mile drive towards Kingman, AZ.
The highway's twists and turns, ups and downs, really resembles the dirt road that we took through the Organ Pipe National Monument. This road is paved, rough, narrow with dirt over the edge and very little traffic.
The terrain changed yet again. It started with hills of what looked like dirt with atv trails and turned in to hills with cactus and yucca vegetation and black rock scattered all over them, don’t know why it’s black. Then through the rough volcanic peaks.
Then there is the small town of Oatman that is left over from, you got it, mining. We stopped and walked through the town and had an amazing lunch at the old hotel.
The town has 20-40 wild burros that come into town every day to cause trouble and get food. I saw a yellow caution road sign with a donkey on it. This clears up my confusion.
Then on through the mountains with road signs that say the maximum vehicle length is 40 feet, no sweat for Wilbur. Switchback after switchback, past old abandoned gold mining claims. It would appear that some of the claims are still being actively worked.
It's hard to put this section of road into perspective, as it is the same road that was used by thousands of people who were migrating West during the depression. Wilbur is fairly nimble compared to a Model T pickup loaded with a family's worldly possessions.
It’s a great journey, but I would highly recommend it in the daylight when you have lots of time.
Tonight we are in Kingman, AZ.
Today it is through the the mountains that are rough and jagged volcanic features, and no real green with sagebrush being the main form of vegetation. Not even cactus.
Along the river banks there is a lot of green, with grass, palm trees, cat tails or something similar. It looks like an oasis!
Houses are nice, some really nice, yards are landscaped usually with rock and trees but occasionally grass, I think... at least it’s green. There are also a lot of concrete walls which I’m sure surround a pool!!! I could be making that up.
There have been a lot of RVs parked out in the middle of nowhere in areas that could have been flatten for such, or not. There are signs in some areas that say camping permits are required. Once again mom and dad come to mind, parked out in the middle of the desert near Apache Junction, dry camping in the heat, dirt, no electronics, hmmm no thanks. I have letters she wrote to me while she was doing that, think I’ll go home and reread them. What did she do with herself?
We traveled on... heading west for a few miles to take scenic Historic Route 66 North for about a 45 mile drive towards Kingman, AZ.
The highway's twists and turns, ups and downs, really resembles the dirt road that we took through the Organ Pipe National Monument. This road is paved, rough, narrow with dirt over the edge and very little traffic.
The terrain changed yet again. It started with hills of what looked like dirt with atv trails and turned in to hills with cactus and yucca vegetation and black rock scattered all over them, don’t know why it’s black. Then through the rough volcanic peaks.
Then there is the small town of Oatman that is left over from, you got it, mining. We stopped and walked through the town and had an amazing lunch at the old hotel.
The town has 20-40 wild burros that come into town every day to cause trouble and get food. I saw a yellow caution road sign with a donkey on it. This clears up my confusion.
Then on through the mountains with road signs that say the maximum vehicle length is 40 feet, no sweat for Wilbur. Switchback after switchback, past old abandoned gold mining claims. It would appear that some of the claims are still being actively worked.
It's hard to put this section of road into perspective, as it is the same road that was used by thousands of people who were migrating West during the depression. Wilbur is fairly nimble compared to a Model T pickup loaded with a family's worldly possessions.
It’s a great journey, but I would highly recommend it in the daylight when you have lots of time.
Tonight we are in Kingman, AZ.
Desolute country, huh. So much of lower & middle Az is like that.
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