Return to Camping - Lake Havasu Area

Thursday - Monday, January 5-9, 2017

We're feeling better and it's time to get back to camping.  We have about a week before we head back to Tucson so we spend most of that time camping at River Island State Park in Parker, AZ.  The odd thing about this area is that the time changed at the CA/AZ border, but our phones did not recognize that we were in AZ, so they did not change.  For me...no big deal because I'm generally clueless :) We planned on spending 3 nights at the campground but ended up adding a 4th night because it was said that the temperature was scheduled to get to 70° and we wanted to go on a couple little hikes in the area.  Again, the weather was unseasonally cool for the area...we're beginning to think it's us :)

During our stay here we did a short hike at River Island and a longer one at Buckskin Mountain State Park, 1.5 miles up the road.  We also spent a bit of time at Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.  It had been a while since we hiked and/or walked much of any distance and Wilson and I both agreed that it was nice to get back at it.  My body certainly felt the absence of exercise and any thing that I might have gained and/or built up felt like it was lost...the only good thing was that the next day I didn't feel sore :)  It was on these hikes that Wilson and I began our education on various cacti and desert plants.  It was a good base for one of our upcoming stops.

Buckskin Mtn. Trail

Buckskin Mtn. Mine

There are interesting things wherever you go and always a story that goes along with it.  In Havasu City there is a bridge that was originally built in the 1830s which crossed the Thames River in London, then taken apart and put back together here in 1967.  The bridge is a working bridge that crosses the Colorado River.  The Colorado River is one of the most heavily dammed rivers in the world.  There is a dam here as well and it was interesting to learn a little bit about how the dam works as well as where the water flows to.

London Bridge - Arizona

                                       
Bluewater Resort and Casino is also located in Parker.  Wilson and I both signed up for new cards which gave us each $10 in free play along with a buy 1 lunch and get the second free, which we took advantage of as we left this area.  Wilson and I both left with a little of the casinos money, covering our lunch bill and a couple of beers from the night before.

Leave Needles, CA - 11:07am (CA Time)
Rte. - 40E►95S►Exit 9 toward Havasu City
Arrive - River Island State Park, Parker, AZ - 12:45pm(CA phone time)/1:45pm real AZ time
Miles Traveled - 68.3