Today we left home at 9:00 a.m. hoping to make good time so we could drive through Oatman AZ before arriving at our destination in  Kingman AZ. It was a very beautiful day for the start of the trip.

Getting out of the Los Angeles traffic safely was a priority. By the time we hit the Pearblossom Highway we usually feel as if we’ve accomplished something but it wasn’t to be. We had to get past Barstow CA before leaving all the bad traffic behind.

Traffic patterns work in interesting ways. For example, we had always driven by Ludlow CA and never considered stopping there. Today, we did for lunch. There’s only one restaurant in town and planted in front of it is a marker placed by the Atomic Energy Commission.

Did you know that at least 28 Atomic Bombs had been blasted here in California? Wow! No wonder Tickle looked mortified.

However, I digress. We wanted to get see Oatman AZ and its cute mules that roam the city streets. Yes, they are wild but cute at a distance.

As we headed down from the California High Desert we could see below us the Colorado River Plain. From that distance we could see a thunder shower pouring on part of it. We quickly checked our apps and they said everything in Oatman would be fine.

In Needles CA we turned northward. The clouds had gone but we could see evidence of rain. Talk about high water! We should have taken some photos!

Alas, the local fire department closed our route toward Oatman. The water at that intersection came half-way up our vehicle. Also, flash floods are no laughing matter. So, we headed back to Needles and then off to Kingman on the Interstate 40. Such is life…