Oatman & Lake Havasu AZ

First day at Lake Havasu, walked in the water and Kami got the shot

As we have traveled back across California into Arizona we have been taking Interstate 40 that parallels Route 66.   There are no street lights on Route 66 and not many businesses along the route.   Can you imagine driving on a road that is one way in either direction with nothing around you but desert and mountains?   I told Kami I wouldn't have wanted to break down back in the day on this stretch.   

Because of the heat we booked a RV site in the Mohave Desert Valley with a pool and clubhouse that was nice with tv, kitchen, and very cold a/c.   We usually don't stayed at these types of sites (because they're more expensive but we were looking for relief).   It was close to Laughlin (gambling town on the Colorado) which is actually in Nevada and Boulder City (on the other side of Laughlin on the Colorado) which is in Arizona.  The day before we were scheduled to leave for Lake Havasu we had a major storm with winds in excess of 70 mph that blow out power and water.   Several full timers said the storm was the worst they had seen in 15 years.   Fortunately we didn't have any damage to the trailer and able to fire up the generator that night to keep cool since it was still 95+ degrees.  I am glad we left the next day because we heard the area didn't get power back for 5 days.  

While there the one stop we were told to see was the old mining town of Oatman located on Route 66 in the lower mountain elevation (2600') with hair pin turns for 20 miles.   It's an eclectic place with shops, a restaurant that has dollar bills covering every inch of it's walls (definitely thousands of dollars), and burros.  What? Burros?   YES, they were used during the mining of gold and set free once it closed.  The pictures are from the descendants that roam freely thru the town as part of the tourist attraction.   It got its name from Olive Oatman who was captured by Indians in the Mohave Desert.  Her family was killed except for her younger sister (she later died in captivity) and her brother (who she thought they killed along with everyone else).    The brother continued to look for her and was able to get the government to offer money for her release (this is the abbreviated version and worth googling).

Route 66 leading to Oatman.  This road was very curvy and made Kami nervous with some of the tight turns.  This was part of the original route from Chicago to LA.   Still can't imagine taking this the whole way.

The first of the Burros!   These guys were smart.   They were outside the town greeting every car that came thru looking for handouts.  

I jumped out and got a picture from the front of the truck.   Notice the road?  The issue with Route 66 is it was not maintained once Interstate 40 was built.  Much of the road is closed off due to road conditions.  So when we left our RV Park the temperature was 107 degrees in the truck.   By the time we got to Oatman with elevation of 2600' the temperature in the truck dropped down to 97 degrees.   Sounds crazy but it was comfortable.   

This is one of many hair pin turns.

This one was looking for ice cream

Restaurant/Bar with dollar bills on the walls

Man, I wish I could have pulled a few of them off the wall!  Could have had lunch there.........😏

Nice picture of Kami next to historic sign.

I wanted to add this picture to give a sense of how curvy the road was leading to the town.   

 

First day into Lake Havasu the temperature was 113 degrees.   Anyway, our campsite was 100 yards from the beach and we took full advantage hanging around the water.   After a couple of days the temperature dropped to 97-100 degrees and it actually felt good.   

Between 1934 to 1938, Parker Dam was built on the Colorado to develop Lake Havasu.  The goal was to use as water supply for LA, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Diego (I don't think it does all the water but supplements for sure.   Agriculture plays a big roll on water supply.   Fast fact......Yuma, AZ is the biggest producer of Lettuce in the country in the winter months.  

So how did Lake Havasu become a mecca for tourism in the desert?    Starts with two man, C.W. Wood. (local resident) and Robert P. McCulloch (founder of McCulloch chainsaws).   Their first venture was buying the London Bridge.  Right?  London put the famous bridge up for sale because the weight of the bridge was causing it to sink with development of heavy cars and trucks.   McCulloch thought it would be great to get the bridge out to the desert and promote as tourist attraction.  He won the bid at $2.4 million in 1968.  He proceeded to have it dismantled piece by piece, shipped thru the Panama Canal, and trucked across the Southwest desert to it's final destination.  I'm guessing it cost more to have it shipped then what he paid for it.   They reassembled the bridge on dry land and carved out channel to Lake Havasu developing a small island.  

Another part Lake Havasu is known for are tiny lighthouse replicas of famous lighthouses around the country......just so happens Cape Henry is one along with Cape Hatteras and Currituck Sound.   In all there are 28 along the Lake Havasu City shore lines.  Pretty cool!  

People we have met have asked what our favorite places we have been and we always say South Dakota and Colorado.   Kami and I both agree Lake Havasu was a great place to stop and enjoy.   We would definitely come back (if we were in the area).    Speaking to people at the campground, most come every year.   This would be a great place to share with our family and friends.  

The pictures below are in reverse order of how I wanted to present but couldn't change.   First is last and last is first.  

  

Another beautiful sunset at the campground.

Kami and I were walking along the channel and I wanted to take a picture of this tiki bar with 5 ladies on it.   They were tooling around on the lake drinking and having a great time.  You can rent just about anything at Lake Havasu.   The pontoon boats have grills!  A full day on the water will cost you $800 but if your with family or friends splitting is reasonable. 

This picture was from the sunset cruise I took of the London Bridge.  The significance of this picture was the pot holes.   These were scars from WWll Battle of Britain from Luftwaffe attacks.   Amazing!

Sunset cruise picture of bridge lit up.

 

Day picture of bridge.  There are shops and restaurants on both sides of the channel with walkways to parks and open areas.  It was nicely laid out.

Sunset cruise picture.   We went 12 miles south towards the dam.

Pic of one of the 28 lighthouse replicas.  It the lighthouse light was red it was the Arizona side.  If the light was green it was the California side.   There are quite a few that cruise at sunset and at night. 

Sunset cruise with picture in one of the coves.   There are quite a few coves boats will drop anchor and enjoy swimming.   Truly amazing to be in a dessert with water.   

 

Kami enjoying the pontoon boat road!

There is a ferry that leaves from the London Bridge Channel every hour over to the California side.   There isn't much over there except a Casino and RV Parks.   I think it's because California is so damn expense and regulations don't make it business friendly.

Stumbled upon this lighthouse inside the Lake Havasu State Park and Campground before we knew they had 28 replicas of famous lighthouses.   We thought this was pretty cool.  

Picture of Cape Henry Lighthouse.

We set up shop along the water line and enjoyed!  Water was comfortably warm.   We spent a lot of time here.

Picture from inside the trailer.  Great view!