May – 2005 – DAVID MICHAEL KENNEDY BLOG :: Photographer El Rito, New Mexico

May 2, 2005
Needles Marina Park
Needles, California

Gotta be careful what you wish for! It’s hot here 9am and 90 degrees! Quite a change from the high mountains of New Mexico. Flat arid desert then mountains of rock and pinnacles jutting up into the ski. Makes for some awesome photographs.
Arrived here after about an hour drive from Kingman. What a difference, the people are so friendly and it’s a great space. We are parked a stones throw from the Colorado River and Henry has been swimming numerous times already. Yesterday, leaving Kingman, we heard about Oatman, Arizona an old mining town up in the mountains above Kingman. As we rambled down the interstate along came the exit so we jumped off and started to climb. After about 6 miles the sign showed up “no vehicles over 40 feet”. Well, the airstream and truck gross out at over 50 feet so being the law abiding citizens that we are my new “Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism since 1492, T shirt not withstanding we turned around and with tail between our legs headed back down the interstate. As we drove by the mountains they looked too good to pass up so we found the RV park in Needles, unhitched, swam and headed back towards Oatman. Well the town has all the charm of any Tee shirts, trinkets and assorted junk quality tourist town you’d find anywhere although the wild burros are kinda cool. But be warned they are federal property so sitting on one or putting someone on one or feeding the babies or god forbid hitting one with your car is a federal offence! But the landscape is spectacular. Found an amazing graveyard on the mountainside overlooking the town then started to explore the back roads that wind through the mountains. Made some great images and truly enjoyed the heat. As the sun set and we headed back to the river the smell of sage and wildflowers was intense.

overlook outside oatman