Lake Havasu City

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Patti, Karl, Mike and I spent a Saturday in Lake Havasu City. We enjoyed exploring the area, attending Taylor & Tyler's wedding, and celebrating Karl's birthday. This city on the Colorado River offers watersports, hiking, off-roading, and an opportunity to see the original London Bridge. It was bought by a local businessman and reconstructed in the town. It is a major tourist attraction.

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Photos

Mark Wilmer Pumping Plant
The plant helps deliver Colorado River water from Lake Havasu to users in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. The water starts its journey at the plant and then travels through aqueducts, tunnels and siphons to its destinations.

Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
The Peninsula Trail is partially paved with interpretive signs and plant identification markers. So many things to photograph along the trail, like this heron resting on one of the shelter roofs.

Unpaved trail
After the 1500 feet of paved trail, there is an unpaved section that lead to the end of the peninsula. There is plant life along the trail and a bench at the end to rest and enjoy the birds and activity on the Colorado River.

Colorado River
With an Arizona fishing license, you can fish from the shelters. The Colorado River is home to Redear Sunfish, Bluegill Sunfish, Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth/Smallmouth Bass, Razorback sucker (endangered), and Bonytail Chub (endangered).

Shelter
There are 5 shelters over the water similar to this along the trail. They are a great place to enjoy the wildlife or sit and enjoy the beauty of the area.

Bridgewater Channel
This channel was dredged under the London Bridge and then flooded. Thus, separating Pittsburgh Point from the rest of the city, creating an island. The man-made channel is bordered by sandy beaches. It is a favorite spot for resting, socializing, and tanning for boaters. There are public restrooms, a dog park, and a picnic area.

Bridgewater Channel
Beaches and benches along the channel. There were lots of people walking, resting, picnicking and many walking their dogs. We enjoyed watching one retriever chasing a remote-controlled boat in the water. He was good at catching it!

Buffalo Main
Lake Havasu's 400 miles of shoreline host 28 scaled-down lighthouse replicas. They were built to the specifications of famous lighthouses dotting the shores of the East Coast, West Coast, and Great Lakes. Each is an actual functioning navigational aid.
The original Buffalo Main lighthouse was constructed in 1833 at the mouth of the Buffalo River/Erie Canal, directly across from the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, New York.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse
The original lighthouse was built in 1875 in Carolla, North Carolina on the Outer Banks.

Vermillion Lighthouse
The original lighthouse is in Vermillion, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. It was erected in 1991.

London Bridge
This is the bridge that spanned the River Thames in London. Dedicated in 1831, by 1924, due to the weight of automobile traffic it was beginning to sink into the River Thames. In 1968, Robert P McCulloch had the winning bid to purchase the bridge from the City of London. He bought it for $2.4 million. The dismantled bridge was shipped overseas through the Panama Canal to California and trucked from Long Beach, CA to Lake Havasu City, AZ. The shipping of the bridge, assembly of the bridge, and dredging of a man-made channel underneath cost $7 million.

London Bridge at Lake Havasu City
The bridge was rededicated on October 10, 1971. McCulloch brought the bridge to Lake Havasu City hoping it would increase tourism to the area. Today. it is the most-visited built attraction in Arizona, attracting visitors from around the world. His hunch has paid off!

London Bridge
This is a view from the top of the bridge. The surroundings are quite a tourist trap.

English Village Fountain
Four lions ring a beautiful fountain in the center of Lake Havasu's City's English Village next to the historic London Bridge.

Walkway
A walkway and stairs between shops below the bridge. There are restaurants and various shops along the channel on both sides of the bridge.

Wedding Arch
Greg and Penny created a lovely arch for Taylor and Tyler's wedding ceremony. The location was on Lake Havasu near the Vermillion Lighthouse replica.

Here comes the bride
Taylor with her father and stepdad.

Ceremony
It was a lovely ceremony attended by about 25 family members and friends. Greg was a wonderful officiant. Their vows were beautiful and personal.

The Kiss
They are hitched! A lovely setting for a lovely couple to start their married life together!

Husband & Wife
Taylor's grandmother brought leis from Hawaii and they were placed on the happy couple right after they were married.