Boating with the Kids (Wednesday, March 29th, 2017)

It's a much better day today than it was yesterday!  The wind has calmed way down, and the temperature is up.  Yay!  That means boating day!

Our first stop was the indian reservation on the California side of the lake, to see how the new marina is coming along.  They are definitely making progress.  When it is all done, there will be a new casino built here to replace the old one.

Then into the channel.

The strong wind had died, but there was still a definite breeze, so we saw several sail boats out enjoying the day.

After about an hour, our friends Alan and Linda joined us in their big boat.

Our first stop was Copper Canyon for a quick look around.  Then we pulled into Steamboat Cover, were we saw this white heron. It's always a treat to see wildlife.

As we pulled out of Steamboat Cove, this silly bird was just standing on a rock in the middle of the lake.

We finally made our way out into the middle of the lake, where we tied together and just hung out for awhile.  It didn't take long for a couple of ducks (we call them lake rats!) to find us and climb up on Alan's boat.  Somehow, they know how much he hates them, and they know just how to torment him.

They are so friendly that he just reached out and caught the male. He let it go, but it was only a matter of minutes before they were climbing up on his boat again.  So funny!

 

Typical men, Alan and our son (in-law) checking out the motors.

As we headed back to the channel after a great day of boating, the kids rode with Alan, so they could really feel the speed!

A beautiful flock of birds, although I have no idea what kind.

And as we pulled in the garage at home, we were greeted by a beautiful Havasu sunset.

It's so nice to have two of our kids here with us for the week!  It just makes everything so much more fun!

Here's a quick recap of our day, compliments of our oldest daughter!

https://quik.gopro.com/v/lHlHGct2oD/

and some footage of the boat.

https://quik.gopro.com/v/AS4KNCxPkD/

LHC Progress and Boating with Friends (Tuesday, April 12th, 2016)

We've made it back down to Lake Havasu City for a few weeks, and it is good to be back!  Steve and I have been coming to Lake Havasu City for many years with our girls, so we have seen all kinds of weather here.  Since we've been here this time, the weather has been on the cool side, and a bit stormy looking but so far for us, there hasn't been any rain.

Our good friends, Alan and Linda, moved back to Lake Havasu City during the past year, and we haven't had many chances to see them since then.  So today they took out one of their boats so that we could rip around the lake a little bit and enjoy the nicer weather that we have finally been blessed with.  

We wanted to see the progress that has been happening all around the lake and just spend time with our friends.  When we launched the boat, our first stop was the Havasupai Reservation.  We hear that they had plans to build a new hotel and casino, so we wanted to see if there was any sign of it yet.

As you can see, they are doing something, but we're not sure what.  We think they are putting in a new marina

You can see all of the debris in the water from the recent rains

This is the old casino.  It looks like they are doing some expansion on the right side, so maybe they are going to keep this one even after they build the new one

Next we went by the new boat ramp at Windsor Beach.  And going through the channel we got an unexpected surprise.  They have torn down the north side of the English Village, where they will be putting in a new Hilton Hotel.  We'll have to keep our eyes on this as well.

In our "Progress in Paradise" post from February 12th, 2016, we talked about the new boat ramp that they are putting in at Windsor Beach State Park.  So that was our next stop.

The new boat ramp is in, as well as a dock, but they are still working on the road and parking lot so there is no access yet.

You can see the trucks parked on the new boat ramp but the new parking lot is still dirt

Once we saw all of the updates around town, it was time to just sit and relax, in a beautiful cove to the south, across from Steamboat Cove. But it wasn't long until we were joined by a pair of Mallard ducks. They really thought that we should feed them and at first they were polite about it, but then they became much friendlier.

They really thought they belonged on the boat with us, which really didn't make Alan happy, but he was very patient as I took my pictures.  I thought they were cute!

Across the lake from where we were floating, a boat was pulling a speed skier, which just blew our minds. We estimate they were going ~85 MPH.  We ran at 73 MPH earlier on the way to the cove which just feels darn fast on water.  I can't imaging what skiing at that speed must be like.  Not for me!

The skier is the second wake, way behind the boat.  Hard to see, but very amazing!

We headed to the Nautical inn for lunch, and from our seats at the outdoor restaurant, we could watch a new duck family running around.  They were pretty cute!

From our lunch spot we also watched a hang glider.  This is why we love Havasu!

And as the sun set, we pulled the boat out and wiped it down.

And enjoyed another beautiful Havasu Sunset!