23 Jan 2018
Lake Havasu, AZ
The four of us left our home in the desert for a road trip north….. not too far north, well you understand…. We headed north on AZ 95 through Parker enroute to Lake Havasu 75 miles away. A nice drive that winds through the desert following the all important Colorado River and then some rolling hills. Our drive was delayed for about 40 minutes as there was a 5 car accident that took quite while to clear up, with 2 ambulances. Hope they are ok.
We got to the English Village at the base of the London Bridge, with the sun shining bright and warm. We decided to grab a bite to eat at an outside cafe, right in the shadow of this infamous bridge. Pretty cool to think someone can create an entire environment (think Walt Disney) out of nothing and in the middle of nowhere.
The 1831 London Bridge was on its last legs by 1962. After all, the traditional nursery rhyme said it was falling down way back in the 1800s… But wait, there is and there has been more than one bridge in London over the river Thames. So was the rhyme about this bridge? Well lets go with that thought, the bridge was not sound enough to support the increased load of modern traffic and was sinking into the riverbed, so the City of London was more than happy to sell it.
So the vision of Robert P. McCulloch, the chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, was to create a tourist area surrounded by retirement homes in and around Lake Havasu City he founded in 1964. His retirement real estate development was on the east shore of the lake, a large reservoir on the Colorado River. He purchased the bridge in 1967 and had the exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported through the Panama Canal to Long Beach and then by truck to construct the present bridge.
The bridge was not reconstructed over a river, but it was rebuilt on land in a position between the main part of the city and Pittsburgh Point. The original stonework was used to clad a new concrete structure. Once completed in 1971, the Bridgewater Channel Canal was dredged under the bridge and flooded, separating Pittsburgh Point from the city, creating an island.
So the London Bridge looks awesome and it appears the vision was spot on, build it, and we will come. Not trying to be cynical, just truthful.
After nice lunch and a beer we took a 20 minute $2 boat ride across the Lake Havasu to a “hot” spot in California. Yep, an Indian reservation with a casino. The boat ride was nice, checking out the scenery of a desert, a lake, and rolling hills all merging together, with of course many houses and RV parks. snowbirds paradise, and in the distance behind us, My Fair Lady with her five arches, was watching.
We got off the boat and entered a smoke filled, one armed bandit ringing building , not much larger than a double wide trailer. We walked through and walked out, and re-boarded the boat back across the lake to the base of the London Bridge. Fresh air!
On the way back to our desert home, we detoured on a small secondary road over the Parker Dam. This dam was built in 1938, is 320 feet high of which 235 feet of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world. It is responsible for the reservoir called Lake Havasu. It provides power and water for most cities in the greater Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego areas, including water for irrigated agricultural areas, as well as municipal water for several Arizona communities. Cool dam…..
We continued home and saw some signs warning of wild burros. So whats the chance of see some jackass on the road in California? Well, for the next 15 miles we came upon many burros, eating along side of the road, and many just hanging out in the middle of the road. I knew the chances were good…..
Lots of photos, and you just can’t never tell what’s around the corner.
We had a great day…
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.
