The Desert Bar

Carol and Roger are here also and we've been playing cards and lunching at La Mesa RV where we bought last year.Today they took us to the most amazing place today. It’s the Nellie E. Saloon but known to all, as the desert bar. You go up the Ehrenberg to Parker road and take a gravel/rock road, with a sign saying Primitive Road, for about 5 miles winding into the hills where this establishment is carved out of the terrain on 7 different levels. You go in through 2 little mountains with a 1927 Olds car ahead and the church spire in the background. There is no power, just solar and generator. The dune buggy and ATM crowd also pull in. It’s open from high noon to sundown Sat and Sun and there must have been 400 people there having hamburgers, hot dogs or chili, listening to the band. Here's where we sat, next to the dance floor and the band with the mountains and blue sky behind them. It was very entertaining. The church has a 6 x 6 entry, where we're standing and the sides are only 4 inches thick, a facade.

Rocks and Gems

This town is just amazing during this yearly 5 day Gem and mineral show. There are 525 spaces inside and ou,t selling rock related minerals. There is also everything from beads, clothes, serious vendors to RV sales. Here you see smaller lumps of rock, giant ones and the finished products.

We’ve had lunch at La Mesa RV where we bought the Motorhome this March. It’s a free lunch and retired people line up to have it.

Quartzsite, Arizona

We came down to Ehrenberg Tuesday, staying at the Colorado River Oasis RV. We go up to Quartzsite (12 minutes) and have been looking around the Main Event, Tyson Wells and all the mammoth sales areas in the town. It's the 43rd Annual Pow Wow and Gem Show known to be the largest rock and gem event in the world. There are more than 400 booths which fill the nine acre showground. It's a small town year round but it is said the 4 million snowbirds flock here at this time. There are lot of characters here. The camel beside Ron is made of old wheel rims. The saguaro cactus behind him is very old, as you can see by it's huge size. It got so big that the tops were cut off. Ron's sitting behind 2 locals on the main drag.

A Day in History

Today we watched Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, the first Black person in this position. The Inauguration was positive and cheered by many around the world. His speech was realistic and positive, with plans to remake America by using hard work and good old fashioned values. He challenged everyone to take responsibility for themselves and their country. It was interesting to think that less than 60 years ago, a black person couldn't be served in a restaurant in some parts of the States and today this family moved in the White House, which was built by slaves.

The Historic Route 66

In 1927, the Federal Government formed the National Highway System and people from 8 states formed a Route 66 Highway Association to expedite the building of their highway. The theme name, Main Street of America, was adopted and by 1937, Route 66 was paved from Chicago to Santa Monica in California. It is also called "The Mother Road" and 'Will Rogers Highway' and this western section of the Historic Route 66, from Ash Fork to Topock, is the longest continuous piece left and attracts people from all over the world. There are still many attractions from the 'heydays', Wigwam village, Jackrabbit Trading Post, historic downtowns, old west gunslingers amid the desert terrain.

While we were in Kingman, I visited the Route 66 museum. It’s a salute to this American Icon, with early settlers in a wagon, a 50’s Studebaker and lots of memorabilia telling the storey of travel started on Indigenous trade routes along the 35^th parallel to the American excursions of the 1950’s.

Kingman, Arizona

We went to Kingman AZ today, only 40 minutes east and played tourist. Lt. Beale first trudged across the present site with his experimental U.S. Camel Corp, surveying a wagon road along the 35th parallel, which was originally native Indian trade routes. The town was established in the 1880's by Lewis Kingman who was locating the route for the Santa Fe Railway. The first train pulled into town in 1883. I visited the Route 66 Museum and the Mohave Museum of History and Art, which chronicles the story of the settlement of Mohave County. It showed the prehistoric culture of Indigenous tribes to early mining and ranching, through to the push westward by rail, right up to the automobile age. There were about 40 mines in the area. Both museums were very good.
The wagon depicts the early pioneers who crossed the country for a new start. The Indian blankets designs show ones from the different areas. Andy Devine grew up here, the actor that was in the Wild Bill Hickok TV series and even has a street named after him.

Colorado River

We've had two fun days with Glen and Leah who left this morning on their way to Hemet.
We gambled, enjoyed good food and went to ther movie Bride Wars, which wasn't much.
When we were out today, I took this picture of the river at a park and later when we were sitting outside the motorhome, a road runner came strolling by. I never even knew it was a real bird until I came to California in 1976. I thought it was just a cartoon that my kids watched. They sure are getting fewer though.