Laughlin NV and then Lake Havasu City AZ..

We left the Cal-Nev-Ari RV Park in Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada and drove a very short drive over to Laughlin, Nevada where we boondocked in the parking lot at the Pioneer Casino. I pulled into our spot and we were so level I didn’t even use the levelers. We went inside to register the RV (at their request so security would be aware of us and where they issued a tag to display in the RV window). The only requirement is you have to sign up for a player’s card which was no problem for us. So free camping meant we freed up a small amount of money to play a little video poker and even better, when we signed up for the Pioneer Casino Player Card we were each given $5.00 in free play credits..

We toured the casinos and played a little video poker at a few of them but spent most of our gambling time at the Pioneer Casino since we were camping in their lot. We had the most luck there as well as we actually made small profit… Free beer, free camping and we won enough to pay for all the tips with a little left over! Well we tried to leave Pioneer Casino some money like we did we the casinos in Las Vegas but it just didn’t happen.

We only stayed one night in Laughlin but enjoyed walking along the riverfront. They have a path that followed along the river although at some points on the trail you have to go in and out of some of the casinos to stay on it. The next morning I woke up and walked the river again to watch the sunrise. After Sharon woke up we went over to the Edgewood Casino since she won some comp dollars when signing up as a new member so we basically had free breakfast as well (it did cost a bit over a buck).

The next day we took another short drive down to Lake Havasu City where we pulled into a Passport America Park called Havasu Falls RV Park.  Although it was mostly concrete and gravel it offerred some great views of Lake Havasu. We were only in this park overnight as one night is their Passport America limit. With the $25/night on the PPA rate we didn't want to stay another night at full price.

We didn’t really do much our first day in Lake Havasu but we did make time to walk along the Bridgewater Channel to see the biggest attraction to Lake Havasu, the London Bridge. This bridge isn’t a replica as it is the actual bridge formerly located in London. In 1968 the founder of Lake Havasu, Robert McCulloch purchased the bridge for $2.46 million dollars. He then had it relocated in Lake Havasu block by block as each one was numbered before the bridge was disassembled to make reassembly in Lake Havasu a snap. The historic London Bridge now spans the  Bridgewater Channel between Lake Havasu and Thompson Bay.

Another novelty here is that Lake Havasu City is home to more lighthouses than any other city in America. There are 1/3 scale replicas of lighthouses from all over the place and were built to the original lighthouse specifications. There are currently 23 lighthouses that can be seen along the shores in both Arizona and California. A complete list can be found here.

Lake Havasu City was founded in 1963 making it a young city.  At an elevation of some 250 feet above sea level and the fact that it boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year it has become a huge retirement location making this young town a town for the oldies…We saw a very lively group of some retirees and veterans sporting their Red Shirt Friday T-shirts while taking every seat available at the bar at a local brewery we found called College Street Brewery.  They looked like a really fun group and lent a lot of positive energy to this popular brewpub and restaurant.  Sharon had a delicious Pumpkin Stout and I had an very nice IPA .  We both enjoyed our beer and the ambiance of this brewery.

Today we will leave Havasu Falls RV Park and drive 3 whole miles to another Passport America Park, Campbell Cove Resort,.  We hadn't found it previously but happily discovered with their PA rate we will be able to stay a bit longer here..