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When I started telling co-workers about our pending visit to Laughlin, a friend of mine, Laurie, mentioned that some locals had a custom of decorating sagebrush bushes with unusual decorations, many simulating a Christmas tree, and others more colorful and sinister. She said that she'd heard that there were some around Oatman, but most of them, including the famous tree that was decorated with women's undergarments, was actually located at Christmas Tree Pass, west of Laughlin. At the hotel in Laughlin, I asked the desk clerk if this local phenomenon was, indeed, true, and he said that it was. Jerry and I planned to visit Christmas Tree Pass in a couple of days, but since we'd planned to visit Oatman the next day, we were planning to check out some of the decorated sagebrush bushes.
Left: Here's where Silver Creek Road meets Historic Route 66. Right: Just west of the junction of Silver Creek Road and Route 66, a classic sing points you towards Oatman, and warns you not to feed the burros encountered along the road. We drove to Oatman along Silver Creek Road, from Bullhead City. About 3 miles east of Oatman, Silver Creek Road joins historic Route 66, and from the junction of Silver Creek Road, until you arrive at Oatman, there are decorated sagebursh bushes everywhere you look, on both sides of the road. Most attempt to mascarade as a decorated Christmas tree, but others have bizzare, often hilarious themes.
Left: One of the many sagebrush bushes we encountered decorated like a Christmas tree. Right: The grave of Christopher Davis, in front of a decorated sagebrush. We couldn't fine on the web, or the local papers, any information about Christopher Davis. Sorry, Chris... The decorated sagebrush bushes kept us stopping every few hundred yards for photo stops, and kept us laughing and speculating the scant three miles from the road junction to the town of Oatman. Of course the major question was, where is the celebrated tree decorated with women's undergarments, specifically panties and bras? We couldn't find it. Darn!
Left: This sagebrush was decorated with colorfully painted paper plates. Right: Check out this sagebrush, as its decorated for Christmas, and even has wrapped Christmas presents under it. Naturally, when we arrived in Oatman, Jerry and I asked a local entrepreneur about the fabled tree, and he told us that it is located on Christmas Tree Pass, west of Laughlin, in Nevada. Jerry and I decided to visit the place the following day.
Photo:
My favorite tree is the "Budweiser Tree," decorated
with one of my favorite beer bottles, of all sizes... To my knowledge, and after talking with the locals, the decorated sagebrush bushes are a local phenomenon of the Oatman area, and is something that got started a few years ago by unknown persons, and is a little-known attraction outside of the local area. Well, since my web site draws surfers from around the world, that may change!
Photo: Scott's tree, just outside of Oatman, is decorated like a true Christmas tree.
Copyright(c) 2007 Eric's Enterprises, Etc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by Eric's Enterprises, Etc., website design, and more...
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