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Published: April 18th 2011
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Colorado River
The Colorado River is a big attraction for all kinds of water sports. Most folks are towing boats or jet skis. I haven’t posted any blogs since January, primarily because I have been in the same area since then. I have entitled this Lake Havasu City because the programme doesn't let you just specify an area.
The Colorado River divides California from Arizona so I have been straddling the two, but mostly on the Arizona side. Several dams have been built along the Colorado, Glen Canyon Dam creates Lake Powell, the Hoover Dam creates Lake Mead, Davis Dam - Lake Mojave, and Parker Dam - Lake Havasu.
I spent a month in Yuma which is only 8 miles north of the Mexican border and a very interesting place. A lot of the vegetables that are shipped all over the country are grown in Yuma. You can buy a huge bunch of asparagus for $2, and they practically throw broccoli and cauliflower at you. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit are also very cheap. A lot of Snowbirds from the northern states and Canada come to Yuma just to go over the border to a little town called Algadones to have their dental work taken care of and to buy medicine, both prescribed and over the counter. We also ventured over the border
London Bridge
The rumour is that Lake Havasu City thought that they were buying Tower Bridge when they got London Bridge, but they have made it work and have created a tourist attraction anyway. several times, I had my teeth cleaned and polished for $40, and got two pairs of glasses with bifocal lenses for $130. I also HAD to buy a little jewelry and a bottle of “something” every time we went over…..suffice it to say I have a well stocked liquor cabinet right now. There are reports about the dangers of going into Mexico especially the border towns but both Yuma and Algadones rely heavily on the winter population explosion to carry them through the remainder of the year, as a result they protect their visitors well. Although crossing back over the border into the U.S. is a lesson in patience because the line-up through the customs building can be about a 2 hour wait, the customs folks are pleasant.
A major advantage of being located in southern Arizona is the weather. The average temperature from November through to the end of March is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and of course there is not much rain, if any at all.
One of the side trips from Yuma was to Lake Havasu City; which is where London Bridge is located. On one weekend in February every year all of the pyrotechnic companies
Blooming Tree
A friend and I were strolling around London Bridge Village when we came across this beautiful tree. No idea what it is though come to display and sell the latest firework creations for various celebrations over the U.S. Known as the "Winter’s Blast," for four nights there is a tremendous fireworks show which attracts a lot of visitors, especially RVers who boon-dock on the BLM land around the pyrotechnics site. We had a large number of Solos represented and were able to park together and have lots of social time.
I went back to Yuma for another couple of weeks after "Winter’s Blast," then spent 5 days attending a gathering known as the “Gypsy Journal” that offers a lot of RV teaching seminars. I always enjoy attending this type of thing and learned quite a few tips that I will be able to use down the road. A large group of Solos attended too, so we were able to have a Happy Hour each afternoon after classes.
I left Yuma and spent a little more than a month in the Lake Havasu area (most of the pictures are from this area.) There are a lot of water-sport activities all along the river and a good number of RVers live in one sunny spot the whole winter, buy a piece of land,
Blooming Cactus
The Arizona sun stays warm throughout the winter but in February all the plants seem to wake-up. and maybe a boat, and stay in their RV until it’s time to head north again.
Another side trip this winter was to Denton, Texas. Jayne was attending a nursing seminar in Dallas so we thought that organizing a Baby Shower would be great idea. Casey’s mother was all for it too and wanted to invite her relatives and friends and host the event at her house. Jayne and I flew into Dallas on Thursday and Bev picked us up. We were able to spend a good evening with Casey’s parents before getting busy shopping and preparing for the Shower. Debbie drove through from Louisiana with Ellie. The Shower was a great success and we had a wonderful weekend. It was great to have all the girls together at the same time; we get so few of these opportunities.
Bullhead City was my next stop, it is in Arizona but just across the river from Laughlin, Nevada (commonly known as the “Old Folks version of Vegas.” There are eight large casinos there with all the attractions of Vegas but at a much slower speed! As a result the older big name entertainers come there, just as they go to
Cactus Garden
This pretty garden was in Lake Havasu Resort Vegas; Debbie Reynolds was there just before Christmas, Connie Stevens is there for a week at the beginning of April and Martina McBride will be there at the end of April. They were also advertising the Australian Bee Gees (don’t know if this is the original Bee Gees but I doubt it.)
I am now in Pahrump, Nevada and will be here until I start my trek north to Alberta in early May. There’s nothing much in Pahrump but I like it here, the RV resort is nice, the city isn’t too crowded and shopping is convenient.
I am excited about the coming summer. A group of us; all single and members of the Solos club are going to Alaska. It’s a 5,000 mile round-trip but I really don’t mind driving, I’m sure the scenery will make it worthwhile. We are taking the ferry back from Alaska to Canada via the Inside Passage, which will be another experience. We are able to disembark in three ports of call, and will get off with our vehicles in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. The longest leg of the trip is 20 hours, but since most of a 24 hour period at that
Lake Havasu
The resort lies on the lake and is really nice. Lake Havasu is the most southern of the lakes that are created by the man made dams on the Colorado River. time of year is daylight it should be interesting.
Of course, Bev’s baby is due on July 9th and I just HAVE to be there with her at that time - or shortly afterwards, so I am flying from Anchorage to Austin for a couple of weeks. Here’s hoping the summer turns out as planned!
My friends and I are gathering in Medicine Hat and plan to leave there on June 11th. A lot going on in my life this year. Stay tuned!
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