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It's pretty desolate driving across the Mojave Desert. This was a popular oasis
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Nevada doesn't waste money on splashy signs in the middle of nowhere
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Looking across the Colorado River from Nevada toward Bullhead City AZ
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There's no "Welcome to Arizona" sign, but this one's nice
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The main building at our RV park - pretty stylish
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We like murals. This celebrates the first incarnation of Bullhead City
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About 8 miles out of Laughlin NV, an easy 1/2 mile walk to Grapevine Canyon
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Them's some big rocks piled up long ago by the river - that tiny speck is Judy
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This is a very extensive petroglyph site
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The glyphs reportedly tell the local Indians' creation story
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Scientists say the glyphs were made over a period of 1500 years
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They're made by tediously pecking the oxidization layer away
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BLM says some of the glyphs have been repecked by early white visitors
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The walls of the canyon entrance are literally covered with images
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Everywhere you climb, more symbols
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Some we could recognize, others seemed abstract
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Our "proof we wuz there" picture . . .
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According to the local tribes, this sacred site was in use until about 100 years ago
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Some are more visible from an angle, some from straight on
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The site is not interpreted. We wish there were a guide to the glyphs' meanings
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Thousands and thousands of images must have taken immense effort to create
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We wonder why some rocks are decorated and not others.
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Archeologists say some of these etchings have been dated to around 600 AD
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Some of them are in relatively inaccessible places
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We liked that little balancing rock
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Wind and water sculpt some marvelous shapes
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It was a surprisingly popular place, given the relative isolation
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The walk back to the car offered a view down into Laughlin
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Oatman is an old mining town along the original Route 66
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They are known for the many "wild" burros that roam the streets, begging for food
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Most of the buildings date only to the 1920s, rebuilt after a fire destoryed the town
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The hotel is reportedly haunted by Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who spent their wedding night here in 1939.
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As with all Route 66 towns, Oatman is popular with bikers
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We like the concept of an Ice Cream Saloon. We need more of them . . .
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Most stores sell carrots to feed the burrows. Youngsters find their own food
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Burros have the right of way, and often hold up traffic
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The town cultivates an old west image, even though it's a 20th century town
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Diet or not, we can't resist a fresh Funnel Cake. She's making ours . . .
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Fun metal sculptures move in the breeze
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We also like "Judy" things . . .
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The Oatman Gold Rush lasted from 1915 to 1935, and then the town pretty much died
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It revived a bit as a Route 66 stopover town, then died again when the interstate opened
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Some of the store fronts celebrate old dance halls and brothels
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The burros are easily the most popular attractions in town
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How can you go wrong with tattoos, naughty girls and jackasses?
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Seems like every Old West town has a shootout now and then
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In Oatman, they're scheduled - and they close the street
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The actors seem to have fun
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Everybody likes the shooting part
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They usually sweep up the "burro biscuits" before the shootout, just in case
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No traffic gets through until the shoot-out is over
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And afterwards, you sell souvenirs, of course
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The scenery around here is spectacular
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The Riverside Casino is the original casino in Laughlin
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And they have a classic car museum. We like old cars.
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This oldster has a rope drive
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Looks like a fun car
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Most of the cars have been fully restored
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This one is old on the ouside, but mostly modern Ford inside
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We'd never heard of the Graham marque before
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We liked the toy version displayed alongside the real thing
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We especially like the horn . . .
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We suspect the Ferrari is somebody's personal car, given the current plates.
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The "chrome" on the front of the Rolls is all Sterling Silver.
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Would you want a radiator that tarnished?
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Never heard of a Kurtis either
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Sweet
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Madman Muntz of TV and Stereo fame built 374 of these. Sold for $5500, built for $6500. He must have been mad.
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There are a couple of old motorcycles on display as well
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Here's one for Tim Irwin - an outboard-motor powered bike
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Don Laughlin founded the town of Laughlin.
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We like the DeLorean, and not just because of "Back to the Future"
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We've seen a couple of bowling alleys inside casinos. The one at the Riverside Casino is pretty nice
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We do like this scenery
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We went to Lake Havasu City to see the bridge
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That's the bridge
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They reassembled the bridge over dry land, then dug out the waterway
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Judy likes to find picture frames - birds are nice, too.
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The lamp posts were also imported from England with the bridge
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These guys built the town that built the bridge
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Opportunistic advertising
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London Bridge Village is the touristy place in Lake Havasu City
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The channel to the lake provides plenty of premium real estate
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Where we had lunch, under an umbrella, overlooking the water
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They don't make light pole bases like that anymore
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There are over a dozen replica lighthouses scattered around the lakeshore.
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Lake Havasu City dates to the late 1960s, and was built by Robert McCulloch, the chainsaw guy
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How British! The phone booth is, unfortunately, not a working Tardis
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It's not exactly Big Ben, but it does strike the quarter hour, and it's on time
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Outside the Udder Stuff gift shop along Laughlin's River Walk
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That's a 3ft carp, seen hanging around the water taxi dock near the Aquarius Casino Hotel
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There are 13 casinos in Laughlin, all but one situated along the Colorado River
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The River Walk is an enjoyable place to stroll
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The Avi Casino is about 10 miles out of downtown, operated by the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
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We saw signs pointing us to the Colorado Rver Museum. That's it
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Davis Dam, about 2 miles upstream from Laughlin on the Colorado River, creates Mojave Lake
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Davis Dam is about 75 miles downstream from Hoover Dam, and about 75 miles upstream from Parker Dam
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That's Davis Camp, a county-owned RV park on the shores of the Colorado River. Looks neat
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Mojave Lake is a popular fishing & boating lake. Lots of houseboats are docked just around that point
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Katherine Landing must have a couple thousand boats, many of them houseboats
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Lake Mojave, just above the dam
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Never been insulted by a rock before
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Kingman AZ is about 30 miles east of Bullhead City - there are lots of these neat signs celebrating their centennial
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There's a wonderful Route 66 museum inside the old Kingman power house
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Looks like somebody's Obsessive-Compulsive about their measurements
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Inside the 66 museum, a diorama commemorates the dust bowl migration
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We've always loved those Studebakers - forwards or backwards (this is the front)
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Nifty old swamp cooler offered some relief from the heat
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There's a very talented artist who donates her time and talents to the local museums
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Train-spotting is a popular activity in Kingman
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Really cute old diner - but we ate at Cracker Barrel
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In the Museum of History and Arts, a very nice display of Kachina dolls
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Kingman claims Andy Devine as a local - and a section of the museum remembers him
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Andy was noted for his generous rear profile . . .
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When mining was king around Kingman . . . .
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We always like a pipe organ
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Remington bronzes are also always appreciated
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Nice sign - nice cactus, too
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The old locomotive honors the railroad's contributions to Kingman
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That talented artist also does murals . . .
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She's quite prolific
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Headed back to Bullhead City, more nice views
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Befitting a casino town, Laughlin is well illuminated after sunset
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The Tropicana is quite colorful
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The reflections on the Colorado River are very nice
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Finally, a twilight view of Laughlin from our RV park