We took about a half hour drive today to a really cool town called Oatman which is right along Route 66. It was born in 1906 as a tent camp when people came to the area looking for gold. For a time it flourished as a gold mining centre and produced over $36,000,000.00 in gold at 1930 prices.
There's no gold mining today but it still draws thousands of visitors annually who want to learn about the gold mining history of the area, and also to see the wild burros that roam through the town.
We decided to go today as the town was celebrating the centennial of Arizona becoming a state and had lots of activities taking place including a burro braying contest and a full blown gunfight in the street.
It's a really small town, just one street that is lined with stores selling all kinds of knick-knacks. Since the only street is Route 66, there were lots of people passing through including lots of motorcycles, but they still closed the street to stage the gunfight. It was cute and cool, and the guys and gals that take part in it are Shriners who do it for charity.
On the way into town we saw the wild burros, they were blocking traffic by just standing in the street. Then later they strolled into town and begged food from everyone they come across - carrots, fries, or whatever they came across. There are 17 burros in the herd, and three more due next month. The town people seem to take care of them and provide water for them, while the tourists provide the food.
We had a nice day, i like little towns like this one.

Mike: I'm sorry Tal-y, but I really want a Burro!