Gypsy & The Navigator

Another Visit To Lake Havasu

Despite it being by the water and having lakefront breezes Lake Havasu is the hottest city in Arizona.

On June 29, 1994, Lake Havasu City reached 128 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in Arizona. 

 

Luckily this trip we were there in early April so heat was not a factor although it was in the 80's in the daytime. 

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between California and Arizona. 

The story behind the London Bridge and Lake Havasu City always interests me.

Originally, the deserted Lake Havasu vacant land was given to the state of Arizona by the U.S. Federal Government. The federal property was an abandoned military landing strip. Robert P. McCulloch, the chairman of McCulloch Oil  Corporation made a deal with the state government and received the property for free with a promise to develop the land. 

He planned to make it a retirement community but they could not bring in prospective buyers, because the land was far from any centers of population and had a very hot, arid climate.

McCulloch's real estate agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale and convinced McCulloch to buy it and bring it to the area to attract potential land buyers. The initial response from McCulloch was, "That's the craziest idea I have ever heard," but after consideration, he decided to go ahead and purchased it for $2.46m .

After the bridge was reconstructed, prospective buyers of land were attracted to visit the bridge and take a tour of properties for sale. Land sales improved, and McCulloch recouped all his expenses on the purchase and shipping of the bridge. 

Isn't it amazing what a crazy idea can do?  This one seemed to work since Lake Havasu City now has a population of about 54,000.  The city was founded in 1963 and after the installation of London Bridge on October 5, 1971, London Bridge has become the second-largest tourist attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon.  

Besides London Bridge another thing that draws tourists are the 18  scaled-down replicas of famous lighthouses.

They are actual functioning navigational aids built to the specifications of famous lighthouses on East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes and constructed because the City wanted to make the lake a safe place for night boating and fishing.

Our 4 days in Lake Havasu this time flew by and soon we were on the road to Fabulous Las Vegas for an exciting visit with Ginger and Frosty.

 

Los Algodones Mexico

Walt found out that since we had stayed for extended time at Good Life RV Resort we qualified for a free week in Yuma at one of their other Cal Am Resorts.

We took them up on the offer looking forward to dental care in Los Algodones Mexico.  

It was Easter Week so we were unable to get Walt an appointment for his root canal and crown because the process would take several days and the town pretty much shuts down from Thursday through Sunday and apparently the Dr. who does the root canal was out all week. 

But they had time for me to have my cleaning and a little filling done.  This is the courtyard of the dentist office we go to.

I was in and out quickly to the tune of $85 for both the cleaning and the filling.

That left plenty of time for photo taking in the colorful town of Los Algodones.  

Los Algodones has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years due in part to inexpensive shopping and restaurants as well as inexpensive medical and dental care and prescription medicines. 

I know many people are skeptical of dental or medical care in Mexico.  I follow several blogs of full time RVer's and most go to Los Algodones as a part of their southwest travels and I felt confident by their recommendations.

This lovely door reminded me of a saying I had read in the past.  " A door is a passage-way. It can lead in or out. There are all kinds of reasons to open or close a door.  What are your doors?  Where do they lead?"

Interesting........a well used pay phone.  

We finished off the afternoon with a stop at El Paraiso Restaurant.  When we had been in Yuma in March we had gone there with Tresa and Jerry and really enjoyed it.  It has a huge courtyard with live music and entertainment.  The food is good too.

 

Part of the entertainment for me is watching the tourists having a good time.

Time to head for the border and back to GypsyII.  Coming in is quick.  Park in the parking lot and walk across........no lines, no questions.

But going back is quite a different story.

The lines are LONG but that makes time to visit with others in line. Once you make it to the building give them your passport and answer a few questions and you are good to go.  

Just One More Thing

I wanted to make sure I got this day that we spent at Turf Paradise down for the record.

We love going to the horse races.  

We picked some winners and some losers.

Some of the horse races were more exciting than others.

But this day they promised something special.

Would you believe camel races?

It was quite a spectacle watching the jockeys who normally ride horses sprint down the track dangerously perched on that hump.

They can go surprisingly fast.

Next up the zebras.

Zebra's are pretty stubborn.  They really don't like racing as this thrown off jockey can attest. 

The ostriches are real racers.  Those huge birds with long necks and long legs can go darn fast.

The jockey that was thrown off the zebra had a better time on the ostrich.   What a special treat to add to our horse race day.

Always a great day at Turf Paradise.  Filled with beautiful horses, exotic critters, blue skies and a warm breeze.

Looking forward to more track days next year when we stay where winter is not winter.  
 

Spending The Winter Where It Is Not Winter

It was just past the middle of December when we packed up and left the great state of Texas.

There was a twinge of sadness wondering if I would ever be here again.

There was no sadness when we arrived in New Mexico and met up with long time friends.  Believe me there's no friend like an old friend.  We can talk and laugh for hours.  Not to mention the wonderful food they always put together.

Each one of these lovely ladies with me have their own unique personality but all are kind, caring, thoughtful and gracious. 

They even make Walt smile.

Then it was on to the unspoiled Arizona desert.  So much to look forward to during our winter that is not a winter.

Despite being in a very busy RV Resort in the middle of Mesa there are always opportunities for wildlife sightings. 

There was time to drive out to Salt River to see the wild horses.

I always watch for this grey.  

Plenty of chances to see these big brown eyes. 

There was time to do a little planting in Cynthia and Scott's new back yard.

I get to enjoy these flowers in a place where winter is not winter.

Good Life RV Resort where we are staying manage to put on quite the events.  This was a fair complete with rides and games. 

We got to go to Sammie and Lyndsee's volleyball tournaments and Isaac's Drum Line Competition.  And we got to take Kristi and Brooke to their swim lessons..........love to see no fear of the water and their hard work to learn those swim strokes.

We were there the day that Kristi passed all of the requirements of swim lessons to ring the bell and move on to swim team.

We took a week out and packed up GypsyII and headed for Yuma.  We met Tresa & Jerry for the full week, Sylvia and David for a few days and Charlotte and Carl and Denise and Gerald for a day.  So fun to spend time with them.

One day was spent at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot.  Always interesting to learn a bit more of history.  Beginning in 1864, all the military posts in the Southwest traced their lifelines to the Yuma Quartermaster Depot.

The Army's warehouses here in Yuma held a six-month supply of clothing, food, ammunition and other goods for forts in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas.

Ocean vessels brought goods to the Gulf of California, where they were loaded onto steamboats for the trip upriver to Yuma. This is just fascinating to me.  There is no way a steamboat could navigate the river today.  Then supplies were shipped farther upriver or overland in wagons pulled by the 20-mule teams of Western lore.

With the coming of the railroad in 1877, the Depot's supply role faded and the Army closed it in 1883.  It served many purposes until 1990 when it opened as a Historic Park.  Five original buildings remain giving a glimpse into more of Arizona's history. A very nice time was had in Yuma.

Cynthia and her family went to New York for Spring Break so we got to stay in their house and take care of the house and the puppies.  This is where Mr. Kitty spent most of his time........way up high in the laundry room staying away from those pesky pups. 

The weather was absolutely beautiful.  Most of the time it was blue skies and at least 70 degrees in the daytime.  I looked up the definition of winter ( the coldest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from December to February and in the southern hemisphere from June to August) and I will agree it goes from December to February but there was no cold involved.

What a way to bring our Mesa stay to a close.  Frosty, Ginger, Margo and Everett came to visit during Spring Training. Unfortunately Everett wasn't feeling well so they had to head home early.

Night games, day games.......all were fun and we couldn't have asked for better temperatures.

We so enjoy our time with Frosty and Ginger. They are a wonderful couple.  They keep us laughing and are always ready to go and have some fun.  Can't wait to spend more time with them in Las Vegas.  

Bye bye Mesa........a winter home where there is no winter.