Just Another Day in Paradise (Thursday, June 2nd, 2016)

We didn't drive our truck down to Lake Havasu City for this short adventure, so we have had to rely on friends to help us out with boating.  Luckily, we have lots of great friends that are happy to share their boats with a couple of hitch hikers.  

Since it is a weekday, the lake is nice and quiet.  

After a quick trip to Havasu Springs Resort for some drinks, we jumped in at the far southern end of the lake to cool off.  The water this time of year is about 82 degrees F and feels great!

When we left Havasu Springs Resort, we drove back up the lake to a spot called Three Dunes.  When we first pulled in, there was a terrible stench!  It didn't take us long to realize that there was a huge dead catfish laying on the shore.  There was no way we would be staying there, so we moved further down the shore where the smell wouldn't bother us.

We spent a very fun, relaxing afternoon playing on the beach and in the lake, just enjoying the beauty of Lake Havasu.

As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, we gathered up our things and made our way back to the channel.

As we dropped Brian and Kathy off in the channel, it was very quiet and peaceful with enough clouds for the chance of a good sunset.

 And as usual, it didn't disappoint us.  Another beautiful Arizona sunset.

 And we finished with a peaceful trip to the boat ramp.  

LHC Desert Storm Poker Run (Friday, April 29th, 2016)

We woke up this morning excited for the Desert Storm Poker Run.  For those of you who are not familiar with poker runs, it is a race (of sorts) down the lake.  There are five stations along the lake where the "racers" will each pick up a playing card.  The first station is at the far end of the lake, so the racers run down the lake at top speed to pickup their first card.  They then make their way back up the lake, stopping at the remaining stations to pick up their other four cards.  

The rules and card stops shown in the program

Lake Havasu is one of the few lakes in the U.S. that does not have a speed limit, so it is perfect for poker runs.  It gives the "racers" a chance to really enjoy the speed of their boats.  The object of the poker run is to have the best poker hand at the end of the night. When the "race" is over, the "racers" will have the option to buy additional cards to try to improve their hand.  The entire event is a funraiser for the community and its' charities.

As spectators, we always find a spot along the "race" route, where we anchor and watch the amazing boats go by at full speed.

Steve and I were on Tim and Cheryl's boat (Thanks guys for inviting us!) along with Brian and his sister Shawna, and then Alan and Linda come to our same little cove and tied up to us.  It was fun to have everyone in one place to enjoy the day.

The helicopters fly with the boats and take pictures during the poker run.  The boats actually out run the Helicopters.  Crazy!

The boat in the foreground was anchored like us, but this pictures shows about six of the poker run boats coming around the corner ahead of us.

It is hard to tell but we believe that many of the boats in the above pictures are going well in excess of 100 MPH.  Some are likely going 140+  MPH.  Crazy speed on the water!!!

Once most of the poker run boats had gone to stop one and were coming back up the lake, we headed to Havasu Springs Resort to grab a great hamburger and beer for lunch.  Then we boated back to the channel to do a little boat and people watching. 

The red and yellow "car" is called an amphibean.  It can run on land or water.

Brian, Steve and Tim watching all the craziness

Notice the boat parked directly across from us in the channel.  Those are the biggest Mardi Gras beads I have ever seen!

After a big day on the lake, it was time to go home and relax. Tomorrow will be the Desert Storm Shootout, where the "racers" will have a chance to see how fast their boats will really go.  As we understand it the boat Low Altitude (See previous post) was the fasted boat on the lake.  A whooping 193 MPH!  

The picture below shows the shootout course near the island.

A picture of the shootout course from the program

Most of our friends are going to the shootout, but I need to work, so we will be staying home.