The days are getting longer and the weather is warming toward that coming summer right around the corner. Soon it will be time for jumping into the water to cool off and have some fun.
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| Laureen practicing for summer fun on John's jet ski - what? She has her own! |
In the Southwest, where John and Laureen reside, one of wettest and coolest places to spend time away from their primary residence is the Colorado River.
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| The Colorado River - Laughlin on the left and Bullhead City on the right |
The location of miles and miles of beaches, romantic coves, startling natural beauty, and the sort of outdoor activity which makes one forget that they had just put in 40 hours at the office the previous week.
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| "Hey, get a cove." |
The majestic 1,450 mile long Colorado River winds its way from the central Rocky Mountains southward all the way to the Gulf of California between the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.
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| The Colorado River meeting the Gulf of California |
Over 40 million people depend on this clear liquid elixir to sustain their life: be that for drinking, washing, traveling, agriculture, power, or simply playing.
At J and L, we truly enjoy the aspect of playing on the Colorado River and the man-made reservoirs created from the ever flowing waters.
One such reservoir, located in the Black Canyon area between Nevada and Arizona is Lake Mead, created by the building of the Hoover Dam. Originally known as Boulder Dam, the name was changed by the U.S. Congress in 1947 to honor President Herbert Hoover. This dam is approximately 37 miles southeast from Las Vegas, making it an easy day's venture for some water festivities.
Hoover Dam holds back the waters of the Colorado River creating the largest reservoir in the United States. This body of water is named for the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Elwood Mead. Mead ran the department during the time the dam was under construction from 1931 until 1935. Construction at the time was a thing to marvel at as the dam is completely made of concrete, making it one of the largest projects of its time.
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| A massive undertaking for the 1930's - shoot, at any time for that matter |
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| The finished project - gorgeous and patriotic |
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| The man behind the mission - Dr. Elwood Mead |
Lake Mead is 112 miles long and covers more than 247 square miles of surface area. That is one big lake and just south of the dam are the cities of Bullhead City, Arizona and Laughlin, Nevada. Both are magnets for visitors in their own unique ways.
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| Lake Mead as seen from space - good size patch of water |
Each year, Bullhead City has tens of thousands of people coming to play on the waters of the Colorado River and Lake Mead. Locals and visitors alike enjoy boats, jet skis, rafts, or simply lounging in the coolness of the waters while soaking up sunshine.
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| That's a lot of floaters - uh, people floating on the river near Laughlin |
Laughlin is a gambling mecca for those willing to take risks off the water for possible dreams of untold fortunes. For those not wishing to part with money on the draw of the cards can attend the many concert venues around the city, eat at the many restaurants, lay by resort pools, or simply stroll the river walk in front of the many hotels and casinos along the river bank.
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| Laughlin river walk heading south |
Now, a down side with the progress of storing water and creating hydro-electric power by building Hoover Dam was the tragedy of losing some small towns along the shoreline. Communities like St. Thomas, Callville, and Rioville eventually slipped beneath the rising waters of Lake Mead forever.
Well, not forever, because every once in a while during drought years, boaters can actually see the remains of the towns just below the surface of the waters. Eerily spooky but COOL in a sick sort of way.
Speaking of ‘spooky’ – there’s also a Boeing B-29 Superfortress which crashed in the lake in 1948 during a test of a prototype missile guidance system known as the “suntracker” and sank to the bottom. And that bottom could be a long way down beneath the surface since Lake Mead goes from sandal depth to over 500 feet deep.
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| Actual photo of cockpit from the B-29 on bottom of Lake Mead |
That is some serious depth for a reservoir in the middle of the Mohave Desert.
Being water lovers, John and Laureen enjoy both the Colorado River and Lake Mead but generally spend more time at the lake during the ‘boating’ season. With over 759 miles of shoreline, countless coves to explore, islands to picnic on, and the vast variety of both animal life and plant life the lake holds anything an adventurer could want.
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| Coves to explore by watercraft or beach and do it by foot |
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| Cactus growing out of a rock - life will find a way |
Being honest to goodness Jimmy Buffet fans – both Laureen and John enjoyed his single
Somethin’‘Bout a Boat from the 2013 album,
Songs From St. Somewhere.
Somethin' 'bout a boat
Sittin' on the sea
Out there in the wind
Floatin' on the free
Take you 'round the world
Of course, there should be a sequel, if that’s possible with music, maybe something like
Somethin’‘Bout the Water.
Without water, a boat would simply be a large coaster in which to place drinks on in the sand.
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| Somethin' Bout the Water - any water would help these boats |
Most of the time while staying in Bullhead City, Laureen and John use jet skis. Easy to transport and quick on the water.
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| A little donut action is always fun on the water |
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| A wave of 'yeah, that was fun!' |
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| Laureen revving up to speed for the boating season on her own jet ski |
Our good friend, Kaye Randall, refers to jet skis and ‘motorcycles for the water.’ We can’t disagree with her since once the throttle is squeezed and the hull levels, there is no better feeling as the freedom one gets from skipping across the surface of the waves.
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| Kaye's first time on a jet ski - like a natural |
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| Kaye coming in for a landing |
It doesn’t matter if it’s ocean, sea, lake, or river – as long as there is water to dance across who could have a bad time? But a word of caution, never take the waters for granted.
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| Well, perhaps these boaters did have a bad time, but it is rare |
