The Lake and Oatman Asses

Any time we are near water we talk about maybe buying kayaks so we can get on the water.  We always decide against it as it would be another piece of equipment that we rarely use.  We often go on boat excursions, but that can be costly.  Here at Lake Havasu we found a way to get on the water that "can be" inexpensive, the $2.00 boat ride to the casino on the Chemehuevi Reservation across the lake in California. It is a ride to the casino so you see what I mean by "can be".  It turned out to be a neat trip and I was lucky enough that it was inexpensive.

The boat runs every hour from the dock at the London Bridge to the casino.  It was a beautiful day so we got to sit outside.

This is one of the campgrounds on the island.  Nice but very expensive and beyond our budget.

The casino is very small.  It is part of a complex of homes, campground, restaurant and marina that is a 70 mile drive if you don't take the 15 minute boat ride.

Lake Havasu City from the water.  The original town started at the lake shore and has grown up to the edge of the mountains.

One last look at the London Bridge, this time from the water.

Another day we drove to Oatman.  To get there you drive on the longest remaining stretch of historical Route 66.  We have done several sections of the Mother Road in the last year.  I don't think I would want to go to Oatman in the rig, as the road is steep with many switchbacks.  It was a great drive in the CRV.

A neat roadside memorial to America's veterans. 

This unusual line of rocks comes down from the cone of rock above.  I'm assuming it was an ancient lava flow that has been exposed by erosion.

Oatman was a mining town from 1906 until 1942 and has become a tourist stop to see the burros that were left behind when the old miners quit their claims.  You never know who you will see but we met a lot of asses in Oatman.

Nanc and an ass she met.

The old stores sell the usual variety of tourist goods.  That said, there were a couple of stores that sold a lot of American made goods rather than the cheap imports.

Twice a day, including at High Noon, there is a shoot out in Oatman.  The little buckaroo in the picture (left) came prepared with his own gun.  I'm not sure if the sign was for the tourists or the burros.  

The burros have the run of the town and are always looking for food that, of course, many of the stores sell.

It is estimated there are more than 600 feral burros in Arizona.  There was a big flashing sign across the road from the RV park in Lake Havasu warning about burros on the road, but we never saw any there.  

If you go to Oatman don't miss the turtle garden.  There are a couple of these big fellows.

We drove through town when we were leaving and had one last close encounter.  Oatman is a really neat, old Western town with great old building and, of course, the burros. A nice little excursion.