We think that the area around Flagstaff, AZ with its combination of desert and pine trees is beautiful. On the road today we spotted a sign simply stating the word Museum with an arrow. We took the bait. The museum is located in Ash Fork, AZ. It’s the home of Marshall Trimble. Some of these small town museums are the best in the sense that you see lots of the things that made their history real.

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Naturally, we had to drive through Seligman, AZ. We know that it is a tourist trap but it love it. It is so delightfully tacky. Bus loads drop by every day with eager foreign tourists snapping pictures. So kewl!

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We are always on the look for grassy areas for Tickle to enjoy herself and do her thing. She prefers healthy, very green grass. In Kingman, AZ we found such a park. It exhibited the real Santa Fe Locomotive #3759 and some trains. It was so big! Find that picture of Ellen and Tickle standing by it to get an idea of its true size. Check out that red caboose. 

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From Kingman we headed to Oatman, AZ via the back roads. This gold mining town is named in honor of Olivia Oatman, a young Illinois girl who had been taken captive by Indians during her pioneer family's journey westward in 1851 and forced into slavery. She was later traded to Mohave Indians, who adopted her as a daughter and had her face tattooed in the custom of the tribe. She was released in 1856 at Fort Yuma, Arizona.

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Today, the town is a tourist trap best know for its wild burros that are allowed to roam in town. People are encouraged not to feed them but they do. On a previous trip though town we met the mayor. His job was to collect the mule deposits each morning. He said that the mules are not trained and very wild but good for business. He did warn us about walking our dog in town. The previous week he said that a dog got too close to a mule was was stomped.