First, I must confess my most serious RV mistake to date, can't believe I did this or that the RV allows it to happen! I unhooked in Yuma, looked out side windows, checked side mirrors, and slowly pulled out of my spot, waved to the dog owner across the street who was waving at me, and proceeded down the Main Street of the tree lined RV park, left turn into the circular drive for dumpsters, and was pulling up to empty trash when the Mexican campground worker frantically waved at me - telling me my awning was still out!!! And this crazy RV would not let me bring the awning in until I turned the motor off!! Now, why does it let me start the motor and drive with the awning out, yet has that "safety check" of not allowing me to bring the awning in with the motor running? I am so lucky that I did not rip the whole awning frame off the RV with all those trees along the road! And, that Mexican man looked like he wanted to cry, as he sent me off with the advice, please be careful!! Just when you think you're getting the hang of it, you remind yourself of how easy it is to screw up! I drove Yuma to Lake Havasu on Wednesday through monochrome territory - sand and low shrubs, just one straight road north, only 2 towns in 3 hours, one Border Patrol checkpoint with a quick drug dog sniff, and a lot of time through the US Army Yuma Proving Grounds (what's a proving ground? they had some long missile looking weapons at the gate so I'm guessing they test fire these weapons? Does that make my RV look like a clay target at the skeet range?). Just made the ride more interesting... I also passed some areas outside the town of Quartzsite, that are listed as "Long Term Visitor Parking" - there were 2-3 RV's parked in the desert, NOT an inviting boondocking experience! And then the bright beacon in the sky, the Walmart sign in Parker, AZ!!! I stopped just because it was the first place that looked like civilization, with other humans! And then the road met up again with the Colorado River, and the scenery improved - red rock canyons with the mighty Colorado River flowing in a wide path from the dam in Parker. The river is dividing California and Arizona, and there are very few bridges to get you across (which would have been helpful for using one of the CA campgrounds in this area). I had tried 2 AZ State Parks, and thankfully the second one, Cattail Cove, had a site for 2 nights. But now I am passing Buckskin Mountain State Park, and it looks like a great place to stay also - I drove in just to see, and they explained that they are located on the river, in Parker, AZ, just south of the dam that forms Lake Havasu up north, where Cattail Cove is located. So I follow the road north til I see Cattail Cove, and pull in through main gate (welcome committee says store closes at 4pm in case I need firewood, ice, or ice cream - I like they consider ice cream an essential supply!), but I pull into my site and feel totally exhausted for some reason. Sara and I take a quick walk on the sandy dog walk berm, then plop into our chair and dog bed for a rest. When I finally rallied to go explore, another woman said it was 103 degrees today!! No wonder we felt exhausted! If you were totally still, and let the breeze blow over you, and were in the shade, it really wasn't so bad!!! But Sara was dying, at least until we discovered the dog beach. The river is crystal clear, blue green (that's what Havasu means) color, and very cool temperature. So we finished our exploratory walk, really just a boat ramp, the campground with outdoor amphitheater and gardens, and some hiking trails leading into the rock canyons. This morning, Thursday, after my morning coffee, and some phone calls to arrange Phoenix lodging, and tomorrow's site, I packed Sara and I's water and headed out at 9:20 am - only 76 degrees, after night low of 58 degrees (can't believe the range from 58 degrees at night to 103 degrees in day!!). The hike was beautiful, along the canyon wall, looking down on the Colorado River and across to California, with a nice breeze blowing. But Sara was acting hot and bothered, so we stopped about a mile in at the Whytes Retreat, a shaded picnic area on a little beach area, where we cooled off in the water and shade. It was so peaceful that I stayed about an hour, making it nearly noon as we headed back. Now temp was reading 101 degrees, and poor Sara was not only thirsty, but apparently the sand was burning her feet - she couldn't stand still to drink water, and even tried laying flat out at one point! Mean mother I am!! I was also acutely aware of this being rattlesnake country, so had my eyes open for that! We made it back to dog beach, where her hot paws were cooled, and she slept for another 3 hours under the shade of the RV awning (and yes, I've retracted the awning before going to bed!!). We played with Tess, the black mutt, at dog beach, and her owner gave me the scoop on getting to London Bridge tomorrow. Lake Havasu City is famous for having had the original London Bridge that crossed the Thames River, brought here in 1968-71 via ship through the Panama Canal and then trucked to AZ, and reconstructed stone by stone to connect Lake Havasu City to Pittsburgh Point, out in the river.
So now it's Friday afternoon - I took Sara for a walk this morn to check on the owl's nest in our cove, did the dumping routine, then pulled up stakes at Cattail Cove by 10:15 and drove north into Lake Havasu City . It was a bit touristy, but quiet and calm at that hour, so very pretty. The bridge is impressive - can't believe all those stones were moved, and they must have been cleaned because the whole structure looks very clean, yet recognizably the London Bridge of old! The water below is a big recreation area, so all kinds of watercraft and water sport rentals, including "fly skiing", I think he said, has been around for 5 years. The Hobie boat is a pedal boat with hand controlled rudders, sounds fun! But Sara and I settled for lunch with a view of the fun, and enjoyed the fish and chips (so British!) and her bowl of water! Then it was back to the RV, driving south, passing last night's lodging, and continuing on another 30 miles to a county park in Parker, AZ. I wanted a one night stay, so that I would not get into Phoenix during Friday rush hour tonight, so I thought this might be a little rough as it is a La Paz County Park (free to residents, no reservations taken). I was a little right and wrong about that - my site is full hookups (altho I don't know if the cable TV is English or Spanish) for $27 per night, with a water front view of the Colorado River (and California on the other side of the river) so that is great. The neighbors, from Oregon, were very excited to see me, though - said my site last night was filled with a party crowd who pulled in a toy hauler full of equipment for "smoking and drinking" and they were still partying at 9am this morn, but luckily must have wanted another site because they moved out at 10 am, and made my neighbors very grateful to see me and my dog coming! They have Lucy, a chocolate lab, who seems very calm and they are returning from Yuma/Mexico dental work and visiting friends in Phoenix!! Anybody need dental work - he got 2 fillings and a chipped tooth fixed for about $200, and she got eyeglasses, glaucoma and eye exam all done in 3 hours! And they drive a Class A RV! I can get names!!