MONDAY - MONDAY

BY REX

"MONDAY - MONDAY", ISN'T THAT THE MAMA'S AND THE PAPPAS' FROM THE '60'S? I HAD THE GIRLS UP EARLY THIS MORNING TO BEGIN HEATHER'S ONLY DAY IN ARIZONA. THE MORNING DAWNED OVERCAST WHICH KEPT THE CACTUS NIGHT FLOWERS OPEN LONG ENOUGH FOR SOME SOME PHOTO SHOTS. WE HAD BEEN WATCHING THIS CACTUS BLOOM ALL WEEK AND HAD HOPED IT WOULD CONTINUE LONG ENOUGH FOR HEATHER TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS. THE CACTUS BLOOMS AT NIGHT AND WHEN THE SUN COMES UP THE FLOWERS CLOSE UP, THEY ARE POLLINATED BY BATS. FROM THE PHOTOS BELOW YOU CAN SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL THE BLOOMS ARE AND HOW BIG THIS CACTUS IS.

OF COURSE A VISIT TO THE MOHAVE VALLEY INCLUDES A SHOPPING TRIP TO OATMAN. BUT WAIT.........

HERE COMES MY SOAPBOX................

LET ME EXPLAIN THE GEOGRAPHY OF OATMAN AND GOLDEN SHORE (HOOCH'S). IT'S A ROAD TRIP, IF YOU WERE AT HOME AND WENT ON A ROAD TRIP, OATMAN AND GOLDEN SHORES WOULD BE LIKE HITTING FRANKVILLE AND CASTALIA, ON THE BACK ROADS AND STAYING CLEAR OF DECORAH OR LACROSSE. IT'S BACK ROADS AND SEVERAL TAVERNS WE'VE COME TO ENJOY. OATMAN IS ALSO A WELL KNOW TOURIST TRAP, AND TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE WERE THERE I WANDERED INTO THE HOTEL, ORDERED A MILLER LIGHT AND WAS CHARGED $3.50!! ANOTHER COUPLE CAME IN AND SAT NEXT TO ME, ORDERED TWO CORONAS AND WERE CHARGED $4.00. I HELD MY TOUNGE................

TODAY I WAS ENJOYING A BEER AT JUDY'S BAR AND VISITING WITH A COUPLE FROM MADISON, WI. HE WENT OUTSIDE AND BOUGHT A COUPLE OF POLISH SAUSAGES FROM A STREET VENDOR AND CAME BACK COMPLAINING THAT HE WAS CHARGED $3 EACH, WHILE THE LOCAL IN FRONT OF HIM PAID ONLY $2 FOR THE SAME SANDWICH. I CALLED THE BARTENDER OVER AND HAD QUITE A RANT ABOUT DUAL PRICING OF THE TOURISTS IN OATMAN, AND HOW I'M NOT RETURNING TO THE HOTEL FOR BEERS AGAIN. GEEEES, JUST BECAUSE I LOOK LIKE A TOURIST THE PRICE OF MY BEER IS 75% MORE?

BUT WAIT.............

I'M GETTING OFF MY SOAPBOX, AFTER ALL HEATHER, MARY'S DAUGHTER, IS HERE AND THIS IS A HAPPY DAY!!!

WE'VE BEEN GOING TO OATMAN FOR YEARS, AND HEATHER FOUND THIS GUY OUT BEHIND THE "ARIZONA GIRLS" GIFT SHOP. COOOOOL !!!!!!!!!!

AND AS LONG AS HEATHER WAS IN THE ARIZONA BLACK MOUNTAINS, BAR HOPPING WITH REX AND MARY, SHE FOUND HERSELF A COWBOY...........................

THIS IS WHAT MAKES OATMAN WORK AS A TOURIST TRAP, THE WILD BURROS THAT WANDER THE STREET LOOKING FOR HANDOUTS.

"MONDAY - MONDAY" WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT .50 CENT TACOS AT HOOCH'S. NOW I'M WATCHING THE CAMPING GIRLS PACK UP THE HONDA TO BEGIN THEIR 1800 MILE TRIP BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY (WISCONSIN) AT O'DARK-THIRTY IN THE MORNING. HERE'S HOPING WE WILL WILL HEAR FROM THEM TOMORROW ON THE BLOG WHILE ON THE TRIP HOME.