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Oatman, Arizona http://bestsmileys.com/cowboy1/15.gif
It seemed like we'd been traveling for hours, actually we'd left Laughlin, Nevada less than 30 minutes ago, but your preception of time becomes distorted when you've been dragged out of a casino (while I was winning by the way) and forced to accompany some 'urban cowboys' on some unexplained exursion to the Arizona desert.
I got to tell you, the longer we drove the more I thought about those crime/gangster movies where the trips into the desert don't work out well for the poor kidnapee. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
I quickly form a plan to make a break for it as soon as the car stops. We park, but the door won't open, wild burros have the car surrounded and we're penned in. Oh well on to plan B, which is to enjoy a couple of hours in the Arizona sun. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif
The lead 'cowboy' reaches into a bag and produces a handful of carrots and starts feeding the burros through an open window, (this is one prepared cowboy) the burros munch a little and wander off... we're in.
We start walking; it looks like we've been transported back to a 1800s gold mining town. We pass a saloon (actually several saloons), an old prospector whistling the theme from 'Good, the Bad and the Ugly', and a crowd gathered in the middle of the street. I'm momentarily distracted by an ill-placed spitoon when... http://bestsmileys.com/cowboy1/9.gif bam, bam, bam, a sheriff and cowboys with six-guns blazing engage in a wild west shoot-out right there in the middle of the street. I'm telling you it was a scene right out of 'High Noon'. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Oatman, Arizona is an 'authenitc' (more of less http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif) western ghost town and gold mining camp situated along Route 66. The wild burros are descendants of burros brought there by the miners. Oatman is a nice day trip from Vegas or Laughlin, Nevada.
Tip--Fill up your tank in Arizona, the price of gas is higher across the border in California.
Keep'em flying
Edited post- good speller, poor typist
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I had to pull up Oatman on Mapquest to see where it even was...way up near Kingman, AZ. I've heard of it once or twice in the 10+ years I've lived in Arizona.
Most people think more of Tombstone and the OK Corral...a bit of a tourist trap. Sounds like Oatman is a bit more authentic.
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Well Oatman has a lot of the original buildings and the burros give it an old west feeling. But it is touristy, they do sell burro carrot bags at the General Store. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Keep'em flying
