4/1/14 - Laughlin Classic Car Museum

Most people go to casinos to gamble, and we've done that on occasion.  But mostly we go to eat (senior breakfast at Cliff Castle in Camp Verde, $3.50) or to check out old cars (free).

Don Laughlin, one of the casino owners, is apparently an old car-buff (or is that old-car buff?  In this case, I think it works either way...)  His Classic Car Collection is in 2 separate areas at the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, NV.  


The main Classic Auto Exhibition Hall is located on the third floor of the south tower, up the escalator and through the gift shop.  


There's no particular "theme" or to the exhibit.  There are antique cars and classic cars, even a motorcycle or two.  

1914 Model T Ford

1933 Buick 2 door coupe

1954 Corvette

This is the Honda Gold Wing that Emilio Scotto used for his record-setting journey around the world.  Can you imagine riding 460,000 miles in 10 years on the back of a motorcycle?  He visited 280 countries, which makes our 41 states in 3 years seem a bit wimpy.  He called this thing the "Black Princess".  Not my idea of royalty...

Emilio Scotto Honda Goldwing (Black Princess)

I liked some of the cars, but some are just plain odd.  

1941 Hollywood Graham

George likes these 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertibles--not my favorite decade for cars.  My theory is guys like cars like the very first one they owned, which was probably used and already a bit old.  Women--more into fashion--start out as teenagers liking new cars.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air



1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (pick your color)













 

1963 Studebaker Avanti R-3

63 Corvette Stingray

55 T-Bird

 

 





1981 Delorean



Neither of us ever liked the Chrysler Prowler.  This one's a 2002, last year it was made.  There's a reason for that.

 

Some of the cars in the collection are just for display, but some are on consignment.  If it were up to me, based on their price tags, they'd be just for display a mighty long time!

Doesn't this look like it should be on a bus?  It's the hood ornament on a 1935 Ford sedan.  It was an option that sold for $2.85.  What a deal!

More pictures here:  Laughlin Classic Car Museum



3/31/14 - Oatman, AZ

Yes, it's been a while since my last post.  We spent the winter snow-birding in Arizona again.  We hooked up with old friends and made some new ones.  Didn't do a lot of sightseeing this year because George had a problem with a knee and couldn't walk very far, although it didn't seem to stop him from playing golf.  (Ask us about it sometime--our versions are similar but have a substantially different perspective.  And, NO! I did not tackle him!)

First stop on our way back to Washington was Fort Mohave, AZ, near the tri-state area of Arizona, Nevada and California on the Colorado River.  Not too far away is the little "ghost town" of Oatman.  What????  You've never heard of Oatman??  Really???

If you were a gold miner in the early 1900's, you'd know about it (until 1924, that is, when the biggest mine shut down.)  

If you drove old Route 66 from Kingman to Needles, you'd know about it (until 1953, that is, when they built a bypass.)  Lots of memorabilia in all the shops.  Once you've been in one store, the rest are repeats.  

If you're a fan of Clark Gable, you'd know that this is where he and Carol Lombard stopped on their honeymoon in 1939, (if, that is, you even knew they were married.)  The 2-story building is the Oatman Hotel where they stayed.

Since I was born later, I missed all these major events in the town's history, so I'd never heard of Oatman either!    We went there so I could see the wild burros that wander all over town.  The burros are descended from pack animals turned loose by prospectors and are now protected by the US Dept. of Interior.  Burro chow is available in most of the stores--so be really careful where you step!

There's an antique motorcycle museum upstairs in one of the shops.  None of them are labeled so you haven't a clue how old they are.  There are some replicas of historical bicycles too, although why anyone would think that a wooden 2-wheeled vehicle with no handlebars, pedals or brakes was a good idea is beyond me!

They also have really hokey "Wild West" gunfights on the main street of town, closing the highway twice a day.  (Donations go to charity and the burros don't care.) 

Please make a note:  if you plan to go visit Oatman, be prepared and wear closed-toed shoes.  Trust me, sandals aren't recommended where the burros roam all over town.

Link to more pictures:  Oatman, AZ

12/13/13 - Coronado NM

We didn't start out this morning to go to Coronado National Memorial; it was just a little serendipity (sans singers*).

We'd gone to Bisbee, AZ, to check out the old mining town.  After lunch, we drove over to the Lavender open-pit copper mine and took a few pictures.  (That shadow in the bottom that vaguely looks like South America is water, proving that you can't always keep the rain from coming down** in the desert.  Oh, no!**)

I checked the map and saw that Coronado NM wasn't too far away from Bisbee.  When I told George it had a Visitor Center, he was up for it. One more park stamp in his passport book.  Neither of us had a clue what was there or what to expect.  Usually I research where we're going, but definitely fell down on the job this time.

This park is a memorial to Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a Spanish conquistador who explored the Americas in the 1500s.  We'd visited DeSoto NM in Florida a few years ago.  Both Spaniards were exploring around 1540, although the ranger had to look it up when I asked.  They're pretty sure that Coronado came through the San Pedro River Valley on his way north.

Because we got there late, we barely had time to check out the Visitor Center, watch the 9 minute movie, and dress up in costume before they closed.  (They had mail too, but do you have any idea how heavy those linked chains are????  I could barely lift it; no way was I going to wear it!  George couldn't even get the helmet on.)  
           
We decided to postpone the drive up Montezuma Canyon to the Montezuma Pass overlook and the hikes for another visit when we had more daylight.  It's worth coming back next time we're in the neighborhood.  Sometimes having something to look forward to is a good thing--although I really wanted to see that coatimundi the Ranger told us about.

Footnotes:

*If you didn't get this, you're much younger than I am.  On the other hand, I probably wouldn't get oblique references to music you listened to as a teenager.

**Double reference to the same song:  see * just above. 

Link to a few more pics:  Coronado NM