And the Fun Continues at Oatman, The Pool and The Golden Nugget

When I got up Friday, Dec. 1^st it was just a few minutes before 7 and by the time I’d washed and brushed my teeth, Donna was awake. I turned one of the mood lights on so as not to disturb Gerry too much behind the divider. Oh! I just realized that I haven’t showed you what I’m talking about. 

Bill made it trifold with folding feet for stability

I painted it to match the Suite interior

Folded inside after we attached my curtains

I took pictures when Bill and I made the room divider but didn’t want to post them before Donna and Gerry saw it in person.

And now they have a private sleeping area

Donna and I went for a walk around the park, down the wash, up over the street at the east end of the park, up the hill behind the office and back home again. I’m hoping this really puts me in the routine of walking each morning but I will miss her when she is gone. I do believe from our conversation that she is hoping for the same thing to happen for her so she continues when she returns back home. I know that she has much more of an excuse not to walk outside in the cold Ontario winter.

When we returned the boys were all up and we made our hot drinks with the exception of Gerry. It was his turn to take a walk to get the blood flowing. Donna and I showered and then we ate a banana and the boys had cereal. At 10 we were packed up with sandwiches, water and in Black Beauty for another adventure. Today we were taking them up the winding hill to Oatman.

This little guy greeted us as we arrived
We loved the little knock knees
He has a Don't feed me sign on his forehead

Lots to see and explore
Many things were preserved from the old mining days

The weather proved to be much better than we expected, high of 70, light breeze and full sun. I began ‘disrobing’ as soon as I got out of the truck. There was one burro out in the field after we turned off Oatman Road onto Route 66. 

They must know they're cute

These adult burros kept walking right in the store
The owner would shoo them out by name

That was kinda cool seeing him before even getting there. As soon as we arrived the rest of the family were there to greet us and Lori was right, there were some adorable soft babies.

Lots to spend money if you chose to

 The little ones had little signs on their forehead “do not feed me, please”.  We walked the strip and we could tell that this was another place that our guests really enjoyed. 

How many asses can you count?
Ha ha
(that was Donna's line)

While the boys sat on a bench along the wooden boardwalk, Donna and I popped into the same shop I went in last year. The lady is so sweet and she remembered me and my Oatman top. 

She loves her new hat

I love my new Oatman clothes too

Donna found a couple of tees and a nice ball cap and I found a couple of tops as well. Her prices are great.

In the mine
Donna was glad it wasn't any longer

We did the walk around the town, snapping photos before deciding we’d seen enough. Bill took the route out the opposite way towards Kingman, still on Rte 66. The views are amazing and he loves driving the winding road. We heard a couple of gasps out of Gerry, sitting in the front passenger seat, but he also enjoyed the ride. “I’d be driving in the middle of this road” was his comment.

Are you my Mommy?

Okay, then

We went as far as Sitgreaves Pass before pulling off and having our lunch. 

Many pictures so be prepared! 

Their poses were not planned, really!

On the way up, this burro appeared lost

We were hoping he wasn't contemplating jumping
We told him nothing was that bad

Looking down at the gold mine below

Carrying on we stopped at Cool Springs Museum and Gift Shop. Bill and I have been by there twice and this time I said I wanted to go in. It’s a small shop and we met Crazy Ray. Bill bought a very nice Rte 66 cap and we bought a drink before going outside to snap photos. 

Bill bought a cool hat at Cool Springs

Ray came out and offered to take photos of us before we left.

I'm glad we stopped

 He had a spot painted on the pavement where he could give us the best view all around and he did not disappoint. He gave us a few directions for posing and we all played along. It was a hoot! We turned around and came back through Oatman back to Bullhead City. We were home just before 2:30. Bill stopped at the gate and I went in and asked if we could get the key early for the park model.

Interesting place
Gas pumps?

Water fountain?

Beautiful agave cacti, I think

Johnny on the spot

Donna and Gerry had rented it for 2 nights to give us all a break. It wasn’t necessary, just something they thought would be fun and wanted to do. She suggested at the office that we come back at 3 after the Manager had finished adding new pillows, bedspread and tea towels. We loaded the truck and Bill and Clemson had a short snooze, the first one in days! I drove them up to unload what they needed.

Ray knew exactly where to place us for a great picture

A little posing for Ray - hands on hips

Crazy Ray, himself

The drive back down Rte 66/Oatman Road

Bushes along the roadside decorated for Christmas
by different organizations

What a beautiful little rental, they would enjoy some time to themselves as would we. We all met at the pool soon after and had a swim together while Gerry checked out the times for breakfast in the morning and ice cream on Sunday. The water was nice although they do need to clean it up now that the guys have finished installing the wrought iron fence. I’m sure they know that as their materials are still around.

 

At the pool

 We did a 10-minute dip in the hot tub before we walked back to the Suite and they walked back to their ‘temporary home’. 

Bill and I got out of our swimsuits, cleaned up and at 5:40 we were ready to drive to the park model to pick them up. Bill heard some kind of an alarm going off in Lori and Roland’s toy hauler next door so I texted her. At her request, we ‘rescued’ Shatzi and brought her over here for a playdate with Clemson.

Shatzi comes for a short play date

Waiting for a treat to look after the house

They get along well together, kind of indifferent to each other, really, but we knew they would be fine left alone until our friends returned from dinner out. We drove over to the casino in Laughlin and got seated at the Claim Jumper for supper. Donna and I split a Specialty Calzone with creamed spinach, avocado, parmesan cheese and other cheeses. Absolutely delicious! Oh, my goodness, we loved it!

Gerry ordered the Chicken Pot Pie and Bill had the Fish and Chips with Carrot Cake for dessert. It was a delicious meal and served very quickly. We all walked to the counter to register for Player’s Cards and had fun with Sammy. She explained how to claim our free play money but the luck was not with us as we only received $5 each.

My half of the Specialty Calzone

 The next hour went smoothly, with Bill and Gerry walking away with over $30 each and Donna with $15. I believe my walk-away amount was .16. That is typical but I had fun playing the penny slots. At least my $ didn’t disappear all at once and I was up and down for quite a while. We walked away very happy for the great evening we had. 

OMG delicious carrot cake

When we got back, we dropped in on Lori and Roland so Donna could meet them both.

Just a short visit to say goodbye. They are pulling out in the morning to another destination on their winter adventure. 

Cashing in their winnings

Bill drove Donna and Gerry over to their park model and we settled in at the Suite. I sat to download pictures and finish prepare my blog for posting. It will be a morning publish since I can hardly keep my eyes open.

So pretty in the Casino

I don’t need to tell you that it was another great day. Thanks for stopping by today and for your comments.