En route to Grand Canyon National Park

Today, Sunday 30 March, we left Joshua Tree and the National Park behind.  We drove into a sand storm - probably pretty mild by locals' standards, but we thought it was kind of cool.  Once we were in amongst the sand (with the air on re-circ) we could no longer see the hills/mountains on each side of the valley.

 Again, we headed off the interstate, and instead took... wait for it ...

There were some well-maintained stretches of the route, and some not-so-well-maintained stretches.  There were looooong straight stretches, and curvy, windy stretches (we took those bits reasonably slowly, as we didn't want to run the risk of upset stomachs in the back seat).  There were areas of desert (the Mojave) with a house and/or RV set amidst nothing (most of the houses in the desert areas have fences around them, I guess to keep out wild animals, but there are, of course, no gardens, just cacti and stones and sand), and there were mountains.  There were rest stops and cafes with nothing around them for miles.

 We got to see our first really long, double-decker freight train (we've already seen the California coast Amtrak double-decker train).

 And, I think we have found our perfect house to buy, right on Route 66, close to the train line, perfect.  No lawns for me to mow, no edges for Eric to do, just, well, nothing.

Eventually, we made it to Oatman, founded in 1906 and sitting at 2700 feet above sea level.  Gold was found and the boom lasted for 30 years, producing over 1.8 million ounces of gold.  Burros (donkeys) were used to cart gold ore in the mines, and water and supplies outside the mines.  When the mines closed, and people left the area, the burros were released into the wild.  Now, although still wild, they come into Oatman and wander the along the main street (lined with old shops and wooden boardwalks) and get fed by tourists (we paid $1/bag for alfalfa cubes - had to get 2 bags, of course, 1 for each boy) so much so that they do not eat as the day goes on.  It was all very quaint, but very touristy.

After Oatman, we continued along Route 66 and ended up in Kingman, where we are staying for the night.  Our 2.5hr trip again took us all day.  But, it was full of changing scenery and what we consider typical Americana, such as rows of huge signs along the freeway as we approach large towns.

Tomorrow, Grand Canyon!