Burros and Flowers and Rocks, Oh My

 Today was the last full day of our road trip...more motel signs (more later) and a trip to Oatman, Arizona, which is located down one of the most windy mountain roads I have ever been on! Beautiful, but a wee bit scary...Tons and tons of wildflowers along the way.

Oatman is most famous for the now-tame, once-wild burros that roam the streets. They are completely sweet and docile; they let you pet them and didn't even flinch during the fake gunfight being waged while we were there. They weren't even begging for food, just standing around. I love them!

 The road out of Oatman--still Route 66--is a designated National Scenic Byway, and it was one of the prettiest drives...again, tons of wildflowers.

 All along the way, there were hundreds of these stacked rock cairns...not sure why someone did this, but they were super cool.

Muffler Man #9--The Last (Boo!)

 Unless there is a surprise waiting for us, this is the last muffler man/Paul Bunyan/lumberjack of the road trip. He is at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff--their teams are the Lumberjacks and so here he is, outside the stadium. He's a good one!

Muffler Men #7 and #8

 This guy is a bit of a mutant I think--his face is weird! Apparently his arms were torn off in a bad windstorm several years ago. He is in Albuquerque.

 This fabulous guy is in Gallup, New Mexico. He is in great shape and is on the roof of a car repair business.

Santa Fe Motels

 These are in Santa Fe, on the street/road that used to be the main route into Albuquerque...

 Not a motel.

More Motels

 This is in Vaughn, New Mexico--as B. put it, it is a ghost town that doesn't know it is a ghost town.

 Vaughn.

 Vaughn.

 Encino, NM.

 Encino, NM.

 Alamogordo, NM.

 Alamogordo.

 Roswell.

Vaughn.

Men, Not Muffler (with Bonus Alien)

 We didn't go to Carlsbad Caverns, so we took a different route to Roswell from Alamogordo...and surprise! This thoroughly delightful tacky roadside attraction called Fox Cave. We did not pay admission and go in, but we did partake of the fabulous weird items on the property, including this large man clearly meant to emulate a muffler man. He looks a bit smug, yes?

 This guy was there too--he looks as if he is made of papier mache--and he is clearly terrified!

 And, of course, in Roswell, a giant alien holding a sign.