Lake Havasu, AZ – Beautiful City for Easin’ Along

I am stunned by the natural beauty of Arizona. We had our first taste in Tucson, followed by a second course around Apache Junction and the Superstition Mountains. The dessert came when we took in the Red Rocks of Sedona. By that time, I thought we had seen it all. Nevertheless, when we witnessed the stunning beauty of the mountains as a backdrop to the crystal blue waters of Lake Havasu, we found a dazzling combination. Throw some Arizona sunsets into the mix, and we probably had seen it all, even though I’m not ready to quit looking.

We arrived in Lake Havasu for six nights at the State Park. Ingrid, my blogging friend (Live, Laugh, RV) that readers met a few weeks ago at Lost Dutchman State Park suggested a visit when we began planning our trip west.  Lake Havasu, often mentioned in articles about fun places in Arizona, so I made reservations about a year ago. We were looking forward to our time there.

In 2016, Helen and I met John and Janet, Lake Havasu residents and friends of friends, on our trip through Minnesota lake country. Thankfully, I stored that information in my memory bank. We obtained contact information for Janet from those friends, and Helen sent her a text message reminding her of our previous meeting and asking for suggestions of things to see and do. Shortly after that, Janet called.  She was busy preparing for the arrival of family guests but gave us several ideas including a visit to the Lake Havasu Museum as a must-see.  Janet also said that John would like to meet us the next day for a drive around the area and, if the winds cooperated, a boat ride on the Lake. There was no way we could turn that offer down, and we met at ten the next morning.

The day was a bit cloudy when John met us at the London Bridge parking lot.  He remembered us from our previous meeting and invited us to ride in his car while he gave us a history lesson on Lake Havasu. The city was founded in 1963 by a man named Robert McCulloch, a manufacturer of chain saws and outboard motors. Mr. McCulloch spotted the Lake on a flight over the area and thought it would be a great place to test outboards. Long story short, a city grew around his manufacturing facility. Later, to attract tourists and residents, he purchased the London Bridge that was falling (yes, that London Bridge) for two million dollars and had it shipped to Lake Havasu where it was reassembled one block at a time. The London Bridge is now the second-most visited attraction in Arizona after the Grand Canyon.

After our car ride, John brought us aboard his pontoon boat for a tour of the Lake, created by a dam on the Colorado River.  By this time, the sky had cleared, and the breeze was slight…a delightful day for a boat ride. John loves the area and loves to share it with visitors. One of the unique features on Lake Havasu is the many miniature lighthouses built by volunteer organizations in the city. The lighthouses are functional and serve as markers for navigation. We saw many of them, some of which are replicas of lighthouses from around the world. John also took us into several beautiful coves along the Lake that make great spots for camping or boat parties.  The day ended all too soon, but John had family duties and needed to get home.  We thanked him for his kind hospitality, but there was no way to thank him enough.

We spent time during the remainder of our stay in Lake Havasu relaxing and taking in the beauty of the area. Lake Havasu State Park has several trails for hiking as well as an extensive cactus garden. The cactus flowers are in full bloom now, and we felt fortunate to see them. Arizona sunsets are fantastic, and on one evening we hiked to the top of a ridge adjacent to the campground to take pictures of the sunset and the mountains to the northeast and the south. A close look at this picture shows Lucy (trailer) in the lower left corner.

On another evening, we paid two dollars for a ferry ride to the California side of the Lake to try our luck at the casino on Havasu Landing.  That was an unfortunate experience, but at least the boat ride was enjoyable. We visited the Lake Havasu Historical Museum as recommended by Janet and were greeted warmly by the Museum volunteers who seemed excited to welcome a couple of tourists from Tennessee. They were fun.

Sadly, our stay came to an end, but we felt relaxed and ready to move on to the next stop, El Centro, California and the lush Imperial Valley. We passed the remarkable North Algodones Dunes Wilderness Area.  Much like White Sands, NM, this area was nothing but a sand-covered region. Unlike White Sands, dune buggies and four-wheelers buzzed everywhere. A sizeable rally was about to begin on the day we drove through.  Big trucks had moved into some parking areas and unloaded Off-Road Vehicles for a day on the sand.

I’ll leave you now, but we’ll be back.  Here’s a few more pictures…we’re Easin’ Along.