Laughlin: Things to Do to Get Out of the RV

I love my Prevost motor home bus conversion. I could stay inside finding things to do all day especially if I have access to the Internet but that defeats the whole purpose of living on the road. So when I was in Laughlin, Nevada, thrust in close proximity to a lively gaming city, I found plenty to see and do...















I joined several of the casino players clubs to take advantage of free slot play. Whenever I my winnings exceeded the $5 or $10 free play, I called my Gambler's Hotline - husband Ed - who encouraged me to "cash out." Sometimes I listened to his sage advice, sometimes I didn't. If I lost a buck or two, I just chalked it up to paying my dues.















Shopping opportunities abound in Laughlin and Bullhead City across the bridge in Arizona. My favorite store was the Watchman inside the Riverside Resort. Thousands of watches ticked time away at cheap prices. Not so cheap were the prices at the Preferred Outlets. The only bargain I found at a discount was on my favorite and alleged to be discontinued Bath & Body Works scent: Juniper Breeze.















Also in the Riverside Resort is the Laughlin Classic Car Collection. How would I look sporting around in this classic 1934 Ford?




















Laughlin has a River Walk along the Colorado River. It's a lovely place to take a walk anytime of day or night.


















Once a year, Laughlin hosts a rodeo. I definitely recommend attending to see the bucking bulls and broncos. It's exciting! If you miss the next Annual River Stampede Rodeo, there's plenty of other entertainment to keep you busy.

















On Spirit Mountain, petrographs from the Mohave Indians can be seen.















The Colorado River offers numerous water activities - boating, fishing, and jet skiing.















Davis Dam controls the water flow of the Colorado River. Although it is closed to traffic due to national security issues, you can still walk around and read some of the descriptive explanations about its operation.















Go to Oatman, Arizona. This side trip is worth the gas and time. Make the Oatman Hotel your first stop to see 60,000 one dollar bills just hanging from the ceiling and tacked to the walls.















Wild burros roam the streets of Oatman. Be sure to take a bag of carrots with you. They will eat right out of your hand, purse, or pocket! This is April, one of my favorite burros.




















Also, in Oatman, watch the Outlaw Gunfighters stage a bank robbery.















Historic Route 66 runs through Oatman. Take this rural two lane from Oatman to Kingman. You'll see spectacular scenery!

Route 66 from Oatman to Kingman, Arizona

The most direct route back home to our coach “Dolly’s Pride” parked in Laughlin, Nevada from Oatman, Arizona would have retraced our drive through Bullhead City’s business district – a stop and go series of traffic lights.

“Come on,” I whined. “We are already on Old Historic Route 66. Let’s take it to Kingman then shoot across the freeway.”

Ed half-heartedly compromised to go a few miles on the rural two-lane. He finally gave into to my plan when he saw the desert scenery and the windy road. “Oh, what the hell!” I heard him concede.

We both longed to have our old Miata convertible on this road instead of the Toyota.

This part of Route 66 deserves an award for its scenery and absence of rundown remnants of its glory days before the building of the interstate highway system.

April 1, 2009

Oatman: Where Cowboys Fight

Oh! I love those Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters. They know how to make a lady feel welcome and they can raise cash too!

Each day at high noon, these Gunfighters stage a bank robbery and shoot-out on Main Street in Oatman, Arizona. Stay clear as one stumbles down the sidewalk steps to the street with a sack of cash and firing pistol shots into the bank building. When he and his partner disagree about whether to run to the northern desert or head south to Mexico with the money, they threaten a shoot-out between themselves. Their deadly disagreement gets interrupted with the arrival of two more Outlaws who want easy pickings by robbing the robbers! Rifle and pistol shots erupt and Gunfighters fall mock dead in the street. Only one remains standing. The survivor makes a getaway to Mexico with the bank money.

When the smoke from the gunshots settled, the Gunfighters turn into modern day fund raisers passing their ten-gallon cowboy hats among the tourists. They ask for cash donations on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children. Folks witnessing the Old West performance freely offered up dollars without the threat of gunpoint. Ed gave me some dollars and I emptied all the change from my beaded turtle-shaped coin purse into the Stetson.

“Squeeze the turtle,” whooped a cowboy as he squeezed me. Now, that’s a fun way to thank a donor. Love those cowboys!

The donations collected by the Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters to Shriner organizations now totals more than $50,000.

April 1, 2009

For more information about the Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters:

www.ourlawwillie.com

Oatman: Where Burros Roam

April put her front legs on the steps of the train shop. She knew where she could get a hand out and she did. The shop owner excused himself from me and my inquiry about the Lionel engine on his shelf. He grabbed a carrot from the counter. Outside on the plank raised sidewalk, he greeted April with a gentle rub between her ears. She greedily reached for the carrot.

April is just one of the many wild burros who roam the main street of Oatman, Arizona. They mingle with the tourists who come to this mining town that refuses to die. They walk among the cars and pick-ups parked or driving slowly on the street. When they need a rest, they lay on the dusty road – Historic Route 66. Intimacy occurs whenever and wherever, not discretely, and keeps the young ones coming. Most of the older burros eat carrots from your hand. They can sniff out a bag of carrots shoved deep in a purse. Some of the young ones wear a sticker asking you not to feed them; they are still nursing. They all appreciate being petted. They seemed calm even when gunshots rang out from a mock outlaw bank robbery.

Before visiting Oatman, a stranger told me “it’s just a tourist t-shirt town.” His friend winked and gave me a knowing smile. “Go,” he said. “You don’t want to miss the fun.”

Plenty of t-shirts were for sale in Oatman. We even saw a burro stick his nose into a circular rack of shirts that a merchant placed outside. T-shirts? I don’t need any. Burros? Now, that’s a whole other kind of fun!

April 1, 2009

Oatman Hotel Papers the Walls with Cash!

There’s $60,000 cash in Oatman, Arizona but it’s not in a bank vault or in an eccentric’s mattress. The money is stapled on the walls of the Oatman Hotel. An estimated 60,000 one-dollar bills hang from the ceilings, frame the doorways, serve as background to familiar neon beer signs, decorate a stage, and wallpaper the walls. Some people autographed the bucks they left behind.

This unique tradition began with the miners of the 1900’s. On payday, these hardy men gave the Oatman Hotel bartender a dollar or two to hold as credit for the nickel beers they’d drink until the next month’s payday hit. Each dollar left in the Oatman paid for 20 beers back in the mining heyday. The practice took off and people today continue to sign a dollar bill as proof of having visited this historic place.

The Oatman Hotel, built in 1902, stands as the oldest two-story adobe structure in Mohave County, Arizona. It is recognized in the National Building Register. And as one final point of interest, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their wedding night there.

Oatman Hotel

181 Main Street

Oatman, Arizona

928-768-4408