Quartzsite to Lake Havasu City

Quartzsite is just one big Flea Market.

The tomb of Hi Jolly.  Hi Jolly's real name was Hadji Ali.  He was one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army  to lead a camel driver experiment in the Southwest.   The Army wanted to build and supply a Western wagon route from Texas to California.  The region was similar to the camel's natural habitat and needed a lot less water and rest than horses and mules.  The experiment was very successful but ultimately dropped as the site of the Camels caused horses and mules to stampede.  

We visited the Redwood House made out of one log

Makes a pretty good RV

Since we don't have one of these toys we leave Quartzsite and head out and up towards Lake Havasu City where the Pyrotechnic Society holds their Winterblast.

Parker is a town right on the Colorado River

We stop to watch someone flying their remote control sea plane

Tucson gets his first introduction to water.  He finds a new friend Shadow.  Shadow is a water dog!

We cross the Parker Dam.   It is 320 feet high, 235 feet of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world.  It runs between California and Arizona and created Lake Havasu.

The California side is a scenic byway so we drive over to that side.  Looks like it might be an interesting drive.

Maybe a distant cousin of Tucson's?

We actually get to see some Burros though they are not as friendly as those in Custer State Park.

Lake Havasu City is now home to the London Bridge.  In 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed the bridge on the market and began to look for potential buyers. The Bridge was sold to Robert B. McCulloch for just under 2.5 million.  It was disassembled and reassembled in Lake Havasu City and was dedicated in 1971. 

The City has a walk along the river and we passed and watched some remote control speed boat races.

All sorts of boaters enjoy the river.

There are replicas of Lighthouses along the way.  The lights are legitimate aids to navigation, with designs approved by the Coast Guard and locations approved by the state as part of a master plan for lighting the waterways of the lake. Eventually there will be more than 20 lighthouses, including several on the California side of the lake.  This one is actually the Buffalo Lighthouse 

There is also a great dog park which Tucson thoroughly enjoyed.  We would spend an hour here in the morning and then we could leave him sleeping in the car while we took care of internet at the Libary. 

So Tucson really does consider it Paradise!   The Fireworks start on Friday and go through the weekend so we will hang out here till then.

Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa, Gary & Tucson