Saturday, July 23, 2011

Burros and Tigers

Not usually spoken in the same sentence, but when seen in the same day, it's an experience.  I finally arrived in Laughlin to a melting 114 degrees.  You won't see any pictures of Laughlin because I was inside the RV with the dogs, trying to stay under 100 degrees while I figured out how to reset every circuit breaker that exists!  My plan was to stay 3 days and travel around the area, but after one night, I was off to cooler heights.  I spent the first half of the next day touring Oatman .. NOT a ghost town (yet anyway) ... but an old west mining town struggling to survive.
The original buildings still stand ... named something else originally (which escapes me now), it was named after Olive Oatman, who was captured by Indians when she was 7 or 8 years old.  She lived with them and married a native.  At some point, she returned to the forts, where it was discovered that she had survived.  Here is her picture ...
The lines on her chin are the tattoos of the Indians she lived with.  Oatman has an historic hotel that was the site of Clark Gable and Carol Lombards honeymoon after they were married.
Oatman is more renown for its wild burros who inhabit every corner.  On my way there, I found the locals parked on the side of the road in the shade of an old building.
Four Jennies and one Jack along with four brand new babies.  
The babies have stickers on their foreheads saying not to feed them.  Carrots and hay cubes are their favorites, which can be purchased in town and fed to them; however that is not good for the babies.
I have about 300 images of them ... but I'm sure you have seen enough.  Next stop is Keepers of the Wild, a wildlife refuge in the middle of nowhere, where loving people save animals destined for death, basically.  They have everything you can imagine, but mostly tigers it seems.  Please go to their website .. Keepers of the Wild in Arizona ... and make a donation.  They are doing this all on their own and truly deserve your help.
It was feeding time, as you can see he's salivating.  He went crazy when he heard the meat wagon coming.  
The enclosures these guys are in are chain ink fences, each VERY high and VERY big.  They have more room to roam in each cage than my horses do in my back yard.  Bet they think they are in heaven.
Yes, I have another 300 images of these guys too!!!  They are just so gorgeous.
At last I'm off, still on old Route 66, to the Grand Canyon.  

1 comment:

  1. I love your photos! You are so blessed you got to to go Oatman! I would love to go! Thanks for sharing :)

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