Up early for breakfast, good choice, much better than Flagstaff and Amarillo! Packed up the van and off we went.
This is old R 66 country, very basic 2 lane road, through the desert. Lots of cacti growing by the roadside, very barren landscape, dry and hot! Temperature is in the high 90's, sun shining, clear blue sky.
The drive was very interesting from a scenery point of view. High mountains, multi coloured rocks and great views. The road climbed very steeply and was very winding. It got very narrow at times but fortunately there was no traffic coming the other way! We climbed higher and higher, the views getting better with each bend. We came to a large pull in point and decided to stop for a look. As we pulled in and walked to the edge we noticed many crosses to commemorate people that have died. Don't think that they have been buried here, the ground was too rocky. Maybe ashes were scattered and the crosses are designed to reflect that. There was even a cross for a dog!
We noticed many little piles of stones, this is the way that Native Americans remember their loved ones, I think it is supposed to ensure that the spirits look after them.
We carried on driving to a town called Oatman. It is an old gold mining town, that was nearly deserted in the 50's after the mining finished. Many people then started to reside in Oatman as people started to travel the back roads.
The town still has the wooden boardwalks, old Wild West buildings and a hotel. It is the oldest 2 storey building in Arizona, it's main claim to fame is that Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their honeymoon night there. Apparently Clark Gable spent a lot of time here, he spent many hours drinking and gambling with the miners, he said it made him feel normal and not a "superstar".
The bar and restaurant area is amazing, it has dollar bills pinned everywhere, walls, ceiling, counters,
all signed by the people that put them up.
That tradition started with the miners, apparently they got paid monthly, didn't want to take the
money down the mine, so left it behind the bar to pay their drinks bill. Often they paid the bill in cash
at the end of the month, so the money stayed behind the bar. The tradition really took off in the 70's and still continues to this day. Estimates as to how much is there is some $150,000 but locals think it is more as the bills are layered. Of course we put ours up there, in prime spot by the steps.
We stayed and watched the Wild West shoot out that the locals put on every day. They stage a bank robbery and have a gunfight in the Main Street. The difficult thing is that as this is the only road through town and is R66, they have to stop the traffic. No mean feat. Also, Oatman is known for the wild burros that roam the town, they expect to be fed, if not that are prone to bite!
The shoot out was really entertaining, very funny and raised money for charity by way of donations after the event. It is all done by volunteers, quite old and the money raised goes to various charities.
So far this year they have raised over $81,000!
Whilst walking around we noticed a great motorcycle, not a Harley but and Indian. A truly
magnificent bike and an iconic bike brand in the USA.
The weather was really hot by now, temp in the low hundreds!
We left Oatman and carried on through the desert to Las Vegas. We left Arizona, briefly went through
California and then into Nevada. That made a total of 11 different states visited on this trip, more than a lot of Americans have seen!
Scenery was still stunning, very mountainous in parts and as flat as a pancake in others. Often the road stretched for miles in both directions as far as the eye could see. Can't imagine what those early settlers must have thought faced with that.
Lunch was taken at the Hoover Dam, a truly great feat of engineering. It has greatly changed since our last visit, visitors centre, museum and tours of the Dam. We walked across it between the states of Nevada and Arizona, clocks on each tower define the states, really wierd.
Back into the car for the last 20 mins to Vegas and the Bellagio.
A quick drive up the strip and into the parking lot at the hotel. Check in was really smooth, we had a room on the 11th floor. Very nice room, good view of Paris hotel and some of the strip.
The hotel was very busy, lots of guests arriving just for the weekend. We had a few drinks before going out for a meal. We decided to go to the Hard Rock, good old staple restaurant. On our way
there the Strip was heaving! Loads of people, hen parties, stag do's and loads of drunks all around. It
took us ages to get there but when we did it was really nice? Very spaciou. Food was good as were the Purple Haze cocktails!
After some delicious ribs we hit the shop, buying some commemorative pins and tshirts for my collection. I think Lel and Pat were a bit shocked as to how many people were here. They both were amazed by the hotels all lit up and the size of them.
Back to the hotel for a night cap after a long tiring drive. Weather still very hot, low 90's, had to keep drinking beer to keep cool!
A good night's sleep before a day round the pool for a bit of sunbathing!
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