Day Trip to the London Bridge at Lake Havasu

Today, we drove south to Lake Havasu City to check out the London Bridge. We learned about Robert P. McCulloch, (of McCulloch chainsaws) the man who purchased the bridge and had it moved to Lake Havasu.  It was a hot day as we walked along the Riverwalk and over the bridge.  We had lunch in a little cafe sitting next to a rowdy group of college students on Spring Break. We took the old Needles Highway back to Silver View.

Boulder Cone from a volcanic past.  The road to Oatman
passes the cone. We are traveling south in the
Colorado River valley.  

Sonny gassed up at another "Terribles" station.

Sonny with the London Bridge in the distance.

Only the granite bricks actually came from England.
 They were all numbered and cataloged for the move.

Always fun to check out what other folks are driving.

In London, the bridge was sinking and so was up for auction.  Robert McCulloch was looking for an attraction to draw visitors to his new land purchase, Lake Havasu City.  He won the bid and
then began the task of dismantling the blocks, shipping them through the Panama Canal and finally, trucking them from Long Beach to Lake Havasu  City. Construction took 3 years to complete and the bridge was opened for visitors in 1971.

McCulloch chainsaw display at the museum.
Sonny's father always had McCullochs.
You can see "Flat Stanley" is also visiting
the museum.

Activity along the river walk.

Interesting way to paddle board the river.

Spring Break sun bathers.

Party boats ready to play.

View from our stroll across the bridge.

"Jet pack" demonstration.  Looks like fun but takes skill.
The girl's equipment is hooked up to the jet ski's exhaust.
She can climb high and do stunts with water power.
(Watch a video on YouTube.)

You can just barely see the girl as she moves up
above the water.

The doggies like a ride, too.

When one thinks of lighthouses, they rarely consider a landlocked state covered in desert like Arizona for their location, but it just so happens that Lake Havasu City is home to more lighthouses than any other city in the entire country. These 1/3 scale replicas are actual functioning navigational aids built to the specifications of famous lighthouses on East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes. More than eighteen can be seen on the shores of the lake. Most can be hiked to while some are only accessible by boat.

Traveling along the Needles Highway, on the west side of the
Colorado River which provides irrigation for agricultural development. Bullhead City in the distance.  Main Street in Bullhead is 19 miles long. At one time, there were 5 small
towns that eventually joined.  The name "Bullhead" came from
a rock formation now underwater behind the Davis Dam.

Just north of Bullhead City from the Needles Highway is Laughlin, NV, home to many  towering casinos.

Wealthy homes along the Colorado River.