Day 6: Distressed facade capitol of the world

It was a hot afternoon when we biked into the outskirts of Winthrop, so we stopped at the first place we found, a shady park, with nothing but a couple of squat, unremarkable buildings in sight. I assumed that this was the town, and I only hoped there were enough services nearby to find Mary some comfort from the heat. And so, I was completely unprepared for what we found around the very next bend, which is why I bust out laughing when we arrived.

Winthrop is a tourist town writ large. Like a Disneyland pavilion, it has no other purpose than to attract visitors and their money. All of Winthrop's center is a faithfully maintained pioneer facade. Every store front is lovingly weathered, and the shops still bear rough hand painted signs for things like the Trading Post, Three Fingered Jack's Saloon, White Buck Trading Co.

Worth the drive! Just beware - the whole damned place shuts down at 4pm.