Don't Feed that Burro!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Parker to Oatman to Laughlin

It won’t be hard to say good-bye to our room in Parker.  Budget certainly describes it, although it did have two beds, clean linen and the air finally cooled off.  In fact, my hand was frozen when I woke up.    (I slept by the A/C because it provided lovely white noise!)  We have turned on the TV to see what is going on in the world and the local news is focused on the memorial for the Granite Hot Shots, which will take place today.  This part of the state is consumed by this awful tragedy.

Too bad about the awful humidity!

Down the road is a darling 1950s café called Bobby D’s.  Jessica is our personable waitress and our French toast, eggs, bacon and endless coffee sure get the day off to a great start!  The outside of the building is turquoise and the inside is all red, white and black with black and white floor tiles, an old red pay phone on the wall and model cars on a ledge that runs all around the room.

After breakfast our journey takes us along side the Colorado River!  Jessica had told us that there are several pull-outs where we can see the mountains and the river, and we find several, all gorgeous!  It is so easy to fall in love with these mountains, even though there are no trees to speak of and even the river banks are not nearly as green as we expect.  There are a couple of golf courses that manifest as islands of green among all the brown. 

Half way to Lake Havasu City is the Parker Dam, with a friendly security guard who tells us all about the dam.  The water behind the dam hasn’t been released since 1983!  The main purpose for maintaining the level is that the City of Los Angeles derives its drinking water from this part of the Colorado River, 300 miles away.  The jet skiers ride right up to the barrier which keeps them away from the dam, sprouting rooster tails as they turn back.

Looks a bit like the Colosseum!

Our road is following the river and we get some beautiful glimpses of the water!

Onward and we get to Lake Havasu City, looking for gas at the AM/PM which Jessica had recommended.  Actually we get gas at Terribles!  Who could resist that name?  Marilyn goes inside to get orange juice and asks about the name.  The girl at the counter says that the owner used to check other stations’ prices and drop his by a penny, which caused them to drop theirs and so on.  Finally someone said, “That’s terrible!”

Four miles north is London Bridge!  What the heck;  we’re here.  It is simply a tourist trap with half a dozen little shops, most of which are closed because, guess what, it’s SUMMER!  They have tried with limited success to give an English flavor to the place.  The photos of the reconstruction are interesting, though.

Now it’s on to Oatman to ride on Route 66 and be entranced by the wild burros which roam the main street of this original old camping and mining town.  

The shops are fun and one is actually an art gallery displaying the work of four local artists.  Marilyn falls in love with a turquoise ring which will go beautifully with the bracelet she bought the other day.  I like a 3-D tableau of the Native American story teller on sandstone;  but I talk myself out of it because it will just go into my curio case with all the other pretties.  I do, however, need the copper Kokopeli earrings to go with my other copper earrings.  I don’t have anything little enough to go in my second holes, so of course these will be coming home with me!

Several of the shops sell alfalfa cubes to feed to the burros;  but some have little signs scotch taped to their foreheads that say, "Don't feed me, I might choke!"  There are also signs around that say not to feed carrots to them.

Hey!  Watcha got in there for  me??

Sure glad I don't speak Burro!!  He wasn't happy at all!

Taken through the windshield as we try to leave town!  Just like the bison in Yellowstone!

We leave Oatman on Route 66 and travel about twenty-five miles through the most gorgeous mountain scenery!  

Sure glad Marilyn is driving since this is the guard rail!

Old filling station from back in the hey days of Route 66!

Back onto “real” roads and we make our way to Laughlin and check into the Golden Nugget.  After a shower we visit Gloria in the VIP Lounge and collect our dinner and breakfast vouchers.  Gloria recognizes Marilyn immediately as being related to Auntie Edna.  She recounts the high lights of last weekend and seems to be genuinely fond of Rosie – as is everyone who meets her, I’m sure!

Remember not to touch any of these!

Dinner at the Saltgrass Steak House is delish!  Salad first, then an 8-ounce smothered sirloin with baked sweet potato, followed by coffee with Baileys and whipped cream!  We come in just a dollar and forty-eight cents under budget!

Then we take a walk along the river front, which means behind the casinos, and watch the mountains turn pink with the setting sun.  We watch the Water Taxis ply their trade up and down the river and meet a five-month old German Shepherd named Aurora who loves just everyone!  And there is a feral kitten who breaks my heart.

View from Saltgrass Steak House

Sunset begins

Puppy playing in the water

Atrium through which we walk to get to and from our room and the casino.  Everything requires that you walk through the casino, regardless of where you are going or want to do!

Back to the Nugget and we ask for an ice bucket and another glass, since we only have one.  I wait for housekeeping to deliver while Marilyn goes to the car for our map, Las Vegas reservations and our bottle of Moscato! 

A little vino, a little TV, a lot of blogging and we’re off to bed in our lovely, cold room!  We won’t be able to publish because we’re too cheap to pay twenty bucks for internet access!  For a place that comps so much they charge for the darnedest things!  The only coffee maker in our room is a Keurig and they charge $1.50 for each K-cup you use!