Greetings to all! Our departure from Pueblo West, Colorado was delayed by about a week yet we did manage – by the hair of our chinny, chin, chin – to escape the cold temperatures and we are very thankful for that. In fact, we can now say that we saw the white stuff earlier than if we were to have stayed at our home in Wisconsin.
It was time to think about moving on when a nasty cold front blew in which had some pretty significant wind gusts - 85 mph at the top of Pikes Peak – but down where we were it was in the 35-45 mph. Still, pretty blustery for the slides to be out. Jeff had to drive into town that day in search of a part and was amazed by the large amount of tumble weeds that were blowing across the highway. From about 3-5 miles out we could see a massive amount of dust that was going to get to us at some point. When it did, we were glad that we were inside the motorhome. You could actually see a small amount of fine dust on the inside of the window sills that made its way in, and also heralded in some cooler temperatures with snow.
On the day we left. . .yes. . .white stuff!!! So, with our final good-byes to our friends Nancy and Matt at Haggard’s RV Campground we started “down the open road”.
We were fortunate that the storm tracked further to the north east from where we were so we had only minimal wet road conditions to worry about until we got on the Interstate. The further south we drove we pretty much didn’t see any type of snow accumulation anywhere. Especially at Raton Pass (as see in the distant in below photo) which takes you out of Colorado and over into New Mexico (at an elevation of over 7 ,834 feet), the wet roads pretty much were non-existent. Non the less, both vehicles did get their share of slop & dirt over the course of our journey. Nothing that a nice big auto wash can’t fix. The scenery was beautiful with sun pretty much on the menu for the 2 days that we drove from Colorado through New Mexico with our destination in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
After the miles, it definitely was time for the Jeep to get washed. They even have a stall big enough for the motorhome when we’re ready for that!
Lake Havasu
In the north is Lake Havasu. This area runs about 45 miles long with many coves and inlets. It is considered a reservoir behind Parker Dam. On the east side of the lake is the largest town in the area, Lake Havasu City with a population of 55,000+ . We were able to include one of the famous lighthouses that the city boasts. Each of the 24 lighthouses is an actual navigational beacon for boaters on Lake Havasu. All but one lighthouse are 1/3 scale replicas of actual U.S. lighthouses. A very unique area.
The Steps
The area that we chose to call home during our stay is about 11 miles south of Lake Havasu City. It is referred to as “The Steps” because of the landscape formation that resembles just that, steps. In trying to find some background information of this open land, the only information we could find is that it is owned by the State and is considered primitive camping with a limit of 14 days. This area is off I95 which runs parallel with the Colorado River with California (Whipple Mountain Wilderness) on one side and Arizona (Bill Williams Mountains) on the other side. Our phone says Pacific time and our clock is set to Mountain time. Figure that one out!
Although we could not find any background on The Steps, as to why the grounds look as they do we think that this area could have been mined a long time ago because of the large amount of tailings that you see; therefore, heavy equipment moving rock to form what appears to be “steps”.????? We just aren’t sure. It is rather a unique area and one that we hiked for several hours on different occasions with the highest point that we reached on foot of about 500-600 feet. The scenery is great!
Directly across 95 from where we are camped, we spotted one of the pumping stations for the Colorado River Aqueduct. We think this process of moving water to California is so interesting that we’ve linked information here for you to view. Colorado River Aqueduct
The Parker Dam (about 6-8 miles south from our site) and seen on the California side also plays an important part in this process for California’s water resource. Click on this link Parker Dam to learn more about this structure. Sorry the picture below is not too clear but the day we actually drove to – and over the Dam yielded some pretty good photos so be sure to view the slide show below.
London Bridge
The original structure in London which was sinking and in need of repair, was determined to be sold to the highest bidder. In 1968 the winning bid was awarded to Lake Havasu City founder, Robert McCulloch for $2.5 million. It was quite the project. Each block was carefully numbered before the bridge was disassembled and then shipped overseas to California and then trucked to Lake Havasu City for reconstruction. It was rededicated on October 10, 1971. Total price tag when done was $5.1 million. For today, it was nice to stroll across the structure at a time when it isn’t being overrun by tourists and to then drive the Jeep across the Bridge to explore what fun sights we could see.
The vintage lamps on the London Bridge are made from the melted down cannons of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.
We had to snap a picture of this awesome Dragon which stands guard to the entrance of the Bridge. Evidentially, the boundary of the City of London, England, established in Roman Times, is marked by a heraldic dragon at each entry . This dragon marks the boundary of the City of London land in Lake Havasu City. Pretty amazing! All that walking gave us a thirst to stop at the Javalina Cantina (we couldn’t find the Guinness) for a couple of tasty, cold Coronas. On a warm day it hit the spot! Salute!
We want to take the time to acknowledge some very special people in our lives.
New beginnings & congratulations to Kay’s son, Greg and his new wife Lyla. They were married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on November 8th.
Kay’s good friend, Cindy(r), her daughter Kenzie(l) and their “newly” adopted daughter/sister, Ellie (pretty in pink) in Southern California.
In Memorial
We were sad to hear of the passing of our dear friend Connie at the young age of 70 years, 11 months after a very long bout of ill health. We met Connie and Richard in Texas in the Rio Grande area during our first year of retirement and spent many hours with them fishing at South Padre and Boca Chica. We believe that Connie was happiest when she could be in her “beach chair” that Richard made for her from a motorized wheelchair – big tires and all! She loved to spend hours looking for unique shells -especially Sand Dollars – and just having the sun in her face with her cute hats atop her head. The shore lunches that Richard prepared for us were to die for and will be a lasting memory of our special times spent with both of them. Connie loved flowers so we would always make sure that when we saw her we could surprise her with a bouquet of flowers. . .and watch the smile take over her face. We will definitely cherish the memories.
And finally, we would like to wish everyone a very blessed Thanksgiving and safe travels for those visiting family and/or friends. We look forward to sharing our adventure with everyone once we’re back on the open road.
Hugs 
Kay & Jeff
“Gratitude is a powerful tool. Take a few minutes to make a list of everything, big or small, that you’re thankful for.”
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