Image courtesy of oatmangoldroad.com

Should you decide to take a leisurely drive along Historic Route 66 and down through Oatman, nestled between Kingman and Lake Havasu City, don’t be surprised if your journey comes to a sudden halt thanks to a certain roadblock. No, not from construction – due to some stubborn mules who like to hang out with the town folks and passersby.

Certainly, Oatman’s got a gold-mine tour, Wild West shootouts and an annual egg-frying contest, but it’s the braying beasts of burden everybody comes to see. The burros, though they’ve gotten quite comfortable among humans, are actually wild. It’s estimated there are about 600 feral burros meandering in the area, and about a dozen of them enter Oatman on a daily basis. They come down from the Black Mountains of their own accord and invade the town as though commuting to work. When the shops begin to close and the tourists start to leave, they head back out again.

They’re direct descendants of pack animals that were once used in local mining operations. When the federal government shut the mines down in the 1940s in response to the war effort, workers simply let the burros go.  These days, the burros willfully amble among Oatman’s small collection of storefronts, planting themselves along the shoulders and walkways. They persistently beg for handouts, which come in the form of carrots sold in many of the town’s shops. The animals aren’t subtle about it, either. They head-butt their way into car windows and wander directly into the shops to get what they’re looking for. Tourists who neglect to have treats on hand are sometimes chased down the street. Those with an ample supply quickly find themselves outnumbered and drowning in donkey slobber.

Oatman insists the burros are friendly, but still advise visitors to beware. The more zealous of the bunch have been known to mistake fingers for carrot sticks. Kicking isn’t unheard of, either. In fact, the locals recommend you leave the pets at home, as some of the pack tend to see dogs as furry soccer balls.

Image courtesy of Quartzsite.az.us

In Quartzite a special tomb holds the remains of “Hi Jolly,” or, Hadji Ali, a Syrian caretaker who received the nickname from his American masters. In 1865, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis came up with a plan to transport freight and people across the desert Southwest by means of camels. Davis eventually imported more than 70 of the beasts and along with the first batch came Hi Jolly. However, the Civil War intervened and Davis was reassigned elswhere, and without his support the project was abandoned. The camels were set free to fend for themselves in the desert near Quartzsite.

A plaque on Hi Jolly’s tomb says of the camel experiment: “A fair trial might have resulted in complete success.” Hi Jolly remained, living into his seventies. The locals were so fond of him that, after he died, they spent several weeks building Hi Jolly a pyramid tomb made of multicolored petrified wood and quartz. It was dedicated on Jan. 4, 1903. Thirty-three years later the Arizona Highway Department came along and cemented a bronze plaque to the tomb, telling Hi Jolly’s story, and topped the pyramid with a metal camel silhouette.

In those long-ago days the Quartzsite cemetery was remote, just bare ground and a few scrubby sagebrush at the edge of an obscure desert outpost. Now you have to drive through a bustling Quartzsite market area to get to Hi Jolly. Still, his tomb is the largest figure on its tiny patch of desert solitude.

On a side note, the camels outlived both Davis and Hi Jolly, and their last reported sighting was in 1942

Photo Courtesy of 50statesorless.com

The Yuma Territorial Prison is a reminder of the days of the old west when outlaws were wreaking havoc and Billy the Kid was King.

The Yuma Territorial Prison saw its first prisoner in 1875 and operated for 33 years thereafter. It saw a total of 3,069 prisoners, 29 of which were women.

The prison was a model institution since it provided education to its inmates along with amenities like electricity. The prison, now a museum, houses photographs and colorful exhibits of those who once stayed here and the prison life they had to endure. Visitors can get a glimpse into the life of this prison as they walk through its strap iron cells and solitary chambers.

Photo courtesy of americantrails.org

The Painted Desert Trail in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, near Yuma, was developed by the Youth Conservation Corps. Construction began in 1980 and the trail officially opened on November 4, 1983. The trail is 1.3 miles with trail markers interpreting the geologic and natural history of the area. It traverses two washes and climbs over a mesa with a picturesque view of the Lower Colorado River Valley and Sonoran Desert.

This trail was named for the multi-colored mounds of rock from ancient volcanoes that were once active 20-30 million years ago. Colors are determined by the minerals present in each mound. For example, iron creates a rusty red color, while copper shows as green. Home to unique desert plants and animals, the trail is a naturalist’s paradise. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to observe beavertail cactus, desert bighorn sheep, and lizards amidst unusual rock formations.

For more information, call (928) 783-3371

or visit: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/imperial.html

Image courtesy of Arizona Highways

The Hualapai Mountain Park near Kingman provides for a vast collection of majestic views, hiking trails, picnicking, camping, wildlife viewing, biking or cabin rentals in this county park nestled in the forest. Higher elevations are home to mule deer, elk, mountain lions, foxes and a wide variety of birds. Hiking trails wind up Aspen Peak and over to Hayden Peak, and depending on how adventurous you feel, the hike can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

Take a hike on one of 14 trails.  These include 6 miles of developed trails and 10 miles of undeveloped trails ranging from elevations of 6,300 to 8,240 feet.  Enjoy the cool shade of Ponderosa Pine, Pinion Pine, White Fir, Aspen, Gambel, Scrub Oak and Manzanita, among granite rock formations.

Want to plan a hike overnight? With more than 70 individual camp sites available in three separate areas with grills and picnic table, and a limited supply of water, the Hualapai Mountain Park has you covered.

At an elevation 7,601 feet, towering in the high desert landscape about 30 miles southeast of Kingman, Wabayuma Peak is the second highest peak in the Hualapai Mountains, and dominates the 40,000-acre Wabayuma Peak Wilderness. There are two routes to the trailhead, but the better and slightly easier road lies south of Kingman. At the trailhead elevation of 6,047 feet, the rewards of this wilderness reveal themselves in instant solitude, birdcalls and the rough expanse ahead.

For the first mile, the 2.5-mile trail climbs at a reasonable incline, with occasional steeper sections, through turbinella oak, pointleaf manzanita and scattered piñon pine and juniper trees. It takes about 45 minutes to travel 1 mile and reach the crest (elevation 6,700 feet) of a sharp ridge line and a couple of exceptional campsites, flat and shaded by tall ponderosa pine trees, which overlook the southern end of the mountains, this section is a great part to set up camp for the night and enjoy the cool pines. When you awaken the next morning, refreshed and ready for the next part, be ready for a little bit more of a challenge, and if you’re not careful, about a half-mile farther, you’ll miss a cairn that directs you toward the summit. If you read the cairn correctly you will encounter a steep climb of approximately 400 yards through thick brush takes you to the summit of Wabayuma Peak, where the western face of the wilderness opens before you. Feel like taking the long way around? Instead of following the cairn, wander north and downhill, along an overgrown jeep track through dense chaparral, which takes an extra hour to two hours (depending on your pace).

For more information, call: 928-718-3700