In spite of very slow internet service, Kingman, Arizona has a couple of things going for it that make the city well worth a visit, especially if you enjoy history as much as we do.

The Mohave Museum of History and Arts has many interesting displays on the area, from Native Americans to gold prospectors, to World War II airmen, and Route 66 Oakies, who all passed through here at some point in history.

Route 66 saw the greatest migration of people in American history, as refugees from the Dust Bowl fled west, in search of a better life in the Promised Land of California. Many never made it that far, settling down wherever their old jalopies broke down for the last time. A lot of those 20th century pilgrims never made it past Kingman, and their families live on here today.

The Arizona Route 66 Museum, housed in the old Powerhouse Visitor Center, right on historic Route 66, tells the story of the Mother Road and the role it played in shaping our nation’s history and culture. I’ve been a big fan of Route 66 for as long as I can remember, and have enjoyed visiting the museum several times, and enjoyed it every time.

A few winding mountain miles up Route 66 from Kingman, the “ghost town” of Oatman waits to entertain you with costumed gunfighters, interesting small shops, and a resident herd of wild burros who wander the town’s one street, begging for handouts of carrots. The burros are descendents of prospectors’ pack animals that were set free when the gold boom went bust.

During World War II, Kingman Army Airfield was a major training base for aerial gunners who would see battle in the skies over Germany and the South Pacific, and there is a small museum at the Kingman Regional Airport with displays on that period in the city’s history. Further afield, you will find real ghost towns, old stagecoach stops, all kinds of outdoor sports, and plenty of history waiting to be discovered in Mohave County.

Kingman has several RV parks, none of which I would call upscale, but several that are fine for a few nights’ stay while you visit this part of northwest Arizona.

Before I close today’s blog entry, I wanted to report that a representative of TA Travel Centers called me yesterday to discuss the problem we had at their Kingman location earlier this week. I’m happy to report that my money has been credited back to my bank account, and the gentleman is even sending me a gift certificate for our time and trouble. I told him that wasn’t necessary, that I just wanted the problem resolved, but he insisted that it was necessary, as compensation for our inconvenience. He also assured me that the employees at the truck stop will have some remedial training in customer service and company policy. So even though we had an issue, to TA’s credit, they did handle it for us, which I appreciate.

Thought For The Day – A frog in a well does not know the great sea.

Before I get into the topic of today’s blog, I wanted to tell you that I received an e-mail last night telling me that that Red from Too Crazy Ladies has fallen and broken her hip, and required replacement surgery while in Marshall, Michigan. Please send your prayers and postive thoughts their way. 

There are a couple of threads on the Escapees RV Club forum about folks with low incomes and limited financial means who are considering the fulltime RV lifestyle. Some of them just want to follow the dream that so many of us already have, while others are considering living in an RV due to economic reversals.

One poster referenced the second category and said that these people often did not have the resources to purchase a quality RV fit for fulltiming , and had no idea of the maintenance costs involved in RV living. He said it was reminiscent of photographs of those who fled the Dust Bowl in the 1930s to find a better life in California.

It may have been a hard experience, but it worked out for a lot of those Dust Bowl Oakies, including my wife’s grandparents. They came from good stock, they were used to hard work and hardship, and they were willing to do whatever it took to make a better life. Maybe it will for some of these new folks too.

While I agree with a lot of what was said in that thread about the fact that the RV lifestyle can present many unexpected challenges, there is a flipside to that coin. You can do it with limited resources. We know because we have!

 When we started out fulltiming, we bought one of the most expensive new gas powered Class A motorhomes on the market, and it turned out to be a lemon. After eighteen months it was falling apart. About that time my wife was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer and they told us to start planning for her funeral. The day after she was diagnosed, our health insurance company found a loophole in the policy that let them deny her claim. The nest egg we had put away disappeared in minutes and we found ourselves facing a mountain of debt. So I guess we were as desperate as some of the folks described in that post. But as they say, when you hit rock bottom, there is no way to go but up.

Our first order of business was getting Terry healthy again, and today, almost nine years later, she is cancer free and fully recovered. That’s all that really matters. The motorhome went to wherever it is that motorhomes from hell go to, and we bought an ancient MCI bus and converted it into a comfortable home on wheels slowly over time, as we lived and worked and traveled in it. We used to laugh and say it was our buckboard, because every time we got a buck, we bought another board and took another step forward in our project.

We have worked hard and things have gradually turned around for us, and we continue to enjoy this wonderful lifestyle. And the view out the windshield of our old bus is the same one the guy in the high dollar luxury coach parked next to us enjoys!

It just goes back to what my Dad told me over and over again as I was growing up: If you want something bad enough and you are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, you’ll get there. 

Thought For The Day – Ask your doctor if medical advice from a television commercial is right for you.

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