Today was a rare day – we spent two nights in the same place – Lake Havasu City. Scott preferred this campground because it a) has a hot tub, and b) you can get in it at a reasonable hour. The campground guide said it opens at 7AM, and it was open at 7:20AM when Scott went for his morning soak.
We had reserved a 16 foot pontoon boat for 4 hours for the winter rate of $349, including a full tank of gas, from On the Beach Boat Rentals. They had fairly new Bentley pontoon boats and upgraded us to a 24 foot one with more power since it was windy, and since no one else anywhere near the campsite was renting boats. The weather was actually OK, and we recommend this company to anyone who wants to rent a boat on Lake Havasu.
The first sight was London Bridge from the underside as we passed through the channel headed for open water.
Once on the open water and going about 25 MPH, the wind was lashing, but we were prepared. The scenery all along the way was spectacular with the mountains framed by water and sky. There wasn’t as much wildlife as we expected.
There were places to beach the boat and explore – Tom explored, Scott took “before” pictures. The hike was steep with mostly loose rock, and cacti. thankfully, there were no “after” pictures, other than a nice view from the top.
Since the Colorado River, and hence Lake Havasu, is the border between Arizona and California, our phones kept switching time zones depending on which state the tower you connected to was in. This means our photos are out of order.
After meandering Southbound, we ended up at Havasu Springs Resort , near the dam that ended our trip in that direction. While we had packed a spartan picnic lunch, we ended up eating acceptable and very cheap hamburgers at their restaurant. We then headed back, taking more pictures and returning the boat right on time (though they said it would be OK to take a few extra minutes.)
After lunch, we explored other side canyons including a popular spring break spot at Copper Canyon and Jump Rock (reports range from 40′ to 80′ – I guess it depends on whether you are watching or jumping?). It’s been reported that at times, the boats were packed so tight you can walk across them from one side of the canyon to the other. They don’t allow that any more and require an access lane for safety in an emergency.
Copper Canyon has a greeting committee. The ducks must be used to being fed, because several came swiftly to the boat in short order as soon as we entered the canyon.
While Scott had a few calls for work and one of his charity boards, Tom went for a bike ride to get his son Andy a London Bridge Harley Davidson T-shirt and to explore the walking/biking trails along the channel. Rotary Community Park is at the southern end and is a nice park with lots to do, including a few skate ramps and other activities.
Once reunited back at the camper, it was time to plan dinner. Scott suggested BBQ, but the only true BBQ restaurant was closed. We chose the Black Bear Diner as one of the options that at least had ribs and was rated 4.4. The food was typical diner food, acceptable and filling, but the ribs were not up to true BBQ standards. But, they had a back scratcher! And Pies! Scott bought a back scratcher and we skipped the pies, since that would have been disloyal to Pie Town.
Tomorrow we depart for Joshua Tree, California.
