Breaker,Breaker Good Buddy

Yup! The Varleys are now the proud, if somewhat bemused, owners of a CB radio. We found out on this rally that a CB radio is a must on the trail rides we've been on. All the cars in the caravan have one. They are all set to the same, previously agreed-upon, channel and the trail leader then can communicate trail information such as turns, obstacles, etc., as well as interesting facts about the geology, history, plants, etc., along the trail as we drive along. Being first-timers to this kind rally, we did not come equipped. But one of the couples, Bruce and Sue Purdy, had an extra CB that they said we could borrow for the week; they then sold it to us for a ridiculously low price.

We have learned a lot this week about both trail and CB etiquette. For example, did you know that when a group comes to a closed cattle gate and the trail leaders open it, they leave chocolate hanging on the gate as a thank you and reminder for the last car in the group to close it? I didn't. Everyone knows what 10-4 means, but did you know that 10-100 signals a bathroom stop, as in "We need a 10-100 , please?" And that on a 10-100, it's always gentlemen to the left and ladies to the right? We also learned how to do a "rolling 10-100, where there is no cover, but we won't go into that here.

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4 Wheeling Fun

Three day in a row of 4 wheel drive trails! This is a busy group! Tuesday we took the trip to Chloride for more mines and the Chloride murals. Chloride is another mining ghost town, where people still actually live. It's very different from the tacky, touristy Oatman--lots of old, boarded-up buildings, a post office, market, and a couple of little gift shops--not a T shirt shop in sight. Very low-key and friendly, though--if you wanted to visit the museum when it was closed, you could pick up the key at the gift shop and let yourself in! We had lunch at the excellent Yesterday's Restaurant. Everything was fresh and good. My patty melt was on marbled rye and came with a side of sweet potato fries--yum! The murals are up a primitive dirt road a couple of miles out of town. They were painted in the 60's by a local artist named Roy Purcell, and freshened up with new paint a few years ago. They are bright and wonderful, and appear to be a mixture of Indian, Eastern, and New Age symbols, as well as visions of whatever he was tripping on at the time. He supposedly has a great website with photos of all the murals, and some descriptions. Try Googling Roy Purcell and see what comes up.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove a route in Hualapai Mountain Park. We climbed from Kingman (about 4000 feet elevation) to the top of the range at 7100 feet. The route wove around the mountains, up high. You can see our route on some of the photos. Some of the time we were right on the ridge, and could look down into a valley on either side. The views were gorgeous. On the way down, we stopped for a peek at the Borianna Mine, which operated between 1914 and 1957. It was a tungsten mine, and closed when the mill burned down and the reduced need for tungsten didn't make it worth rebuilding. Fires at mine structures were apparently very common. Mills and other structures were mostly made of wood; the fires in the smelters were going 24 hours a day, and so fire danger was exceedingly high.

The photo of all the Jeeps (plus our Samurai) lined up was taken at the Hualapai Ranger Station where we all stopped to "air down." "Air down" means that you let a lot of air out of your tires in preparation for rough, rocky 4 WD drive roads. It makes the going much less bumpy, and I think helps in climbing over rocks and ledges. Once you're finished with the trail, you stop and "air up"--put all the air back in the tires so you can drive on the pavement. We have a cute little air compressor and pump for this that attaches to the engine battery somehow. I'm a bit foggy on the technical side of things, but it works.

Today is a rest day. This is a busy group, and the trails are long--every day has been 7 or 8 hours on the trail. There is a hike (optional) in the Hualapai mountains scheduled for today, but Steve and I will pass. I'm heading off for a Quilters and Crafters meeting from 10 a.m. till noon. There'll be time after that to take the dogs for a good, long off-leash walk before heading to Thanksgiving Dinner with our group at the DamBar Steakhouse.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

We did arrive home safely after our Farmington trip. As usual, I had good intentions--even photos of our campsite in Moab along the Colorado River on the way home, but, as usual, I got lazy once I got home, and never posted it.

We are now in Kingman, AZ for a week-long rally with one of the FMCA groups that we joined while we were in Farmington--the FMCA 4-Wheelers. This is the group we were supposed to meet up with this past summer in Colorado before Steve had his mountain biking accident in Crested Butte that cut our trip short. We got here yesterday and signed up for rides every day this week. The rally is so big--50 or more couples?--that we are spread out into three different RV parks. There are five or six different rides offered each day, of varying difficulty. We chose the easiest ones, suitable for "stock" 4 WD vehicles. Some of the Jeeps here have been so spiffed up that they cost more than our motor home. Our little 1987 Suzuki Samurai looks a little out of place among all those big, fancy guys, but it's a tough little thing and we are doing just fine so far.

Kingman AZ seems to have two claims to fame. It is the birthplace and home of Andy Devine (Wild Bill Hickock's pal "Jingles" in the 50's TV series) and historic Route 66, which runs through it. Today's ride went from Kingman to a little town called Oatman, and followed Route 66. Our trail leaders, Kim and Shelly Pollock, really did their homework, and we learned all about this historic "Mother Road." Route 66 was built in the late 1920's, although not totally paved until the mid-30's. It was 2,448 miles long, connecting Chicago to Los Angeles. At one time, it was the only uninterrupted highway from east to west. Tourists drove to California on it in their Model A's and Model T's. Okies fleeing the Dustbowl traveled it. It carried troops to the coast from forts all over the U.S. during WW II. Sadly, the invention of freeways and the building of I-40 in the 1950's caused the demise of Route 66. But little sections of it still exist, and are lovingly preserved.

The little building at Cool Springs was once a welcome stopover on Route 66. Travelers could fill up with fuel and water, have a meal, and even spend the night in one of the four little tourist cabins. It closed in the 1960's, and by 1999, all that was left were the bottom of the two front pillars and a few sections of wall. Someone bought it then, and, using old photographs, carefully restored it. You can't buy gas there anymore, nor spend the night, but it's a cute little museum and gift shop, and the manager is friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of the area and Route 66. He says that the section of Route 66 from Cool Springs to Oatman is the most scenic of the whole highway, and I believe it. It's only 9 miles long, but has 122 curves, winding through a canyon and up and over Sitgreaves Pass. From the top of the pass, you can see California, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Oatman was a mining town, now a little tourist town. Way too many T-shirt and souvenier shops, but there's a gunfight on Main Street every afternoon (they pass a hat and proceeds go to Shriners' Hospital). Burros, descendants of the prospectors' burros, wander the streets looking for handouts. We saw one stick its head inside a car window, hoping for a carrot and a muzzle rub. The babies were darling. I wanted to take one home, but Steve wouldn't let me. He said its mother would miss it, and anyway, it wouldn't fit inside the Samurai.