Laughlin, Nevada

Our view drastically changed from the peaceful, mesmerizing waters of Lake Pleasant to the Riverside RV Park in Laughlin, Nevada. But change is good. For one thing we have full hookups, meaning I can go pee in the middle of the night without having to check the black water levels first. Always a good thing! And no more paper plates and plastic cups (in an attempt to not fill the gray water tank too quickly). With no recycling at the lake I felt like a criminal when tossing my recyclables; the tossing of artificial dinnerware made it even worse!
We have been settled into our lovely spacious spot at the RV park for about a week now. The first few days were awesome. Walks, shopping, casinos, movies, dinners out. The weather was perfect. Sitting in the mid 70s with only slight breezes - unnatural for the Colorado River basin. And then things changed. Or should I say normalized.
Three days ago the winds started ... and haven't stopped. The official forecast said 'gusts of 40 to 50 mph' but I'd like to correct them and say 'sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph'. I've never been so glad for chocks and blocks in my life. Still, it's been three nights of next to no sleep. Pulling in the slides helped, but only slightly.
And then along came the good ol' Aquarius hotel and their $10 room offer. With one more night of strong winds predicted, we took them up on their kindness and plan on getting a comfy, stable, quiet night's sleep!
Aside from the drama of the wind, Laughlin is an interesting area. Certainly gambling is what attracts most people...me included...but the area has much more to offer.
We already discovered the tiki god-like creation of Giganticus Headicus a few miles outside of Kingman, AZ.
http://www.route66news.com/2013/04/10/the-story-behind-giganticus-headicus/
It sits outside the unique Route 66 Antares Visitor Center on old Route 66. My bucket list consists of many things, one being a start-to-finish trip down what's left of the old route. No wonder this place appealed to me!





Lake Mohave and its 237 miles of shoreline is definitely worth more exploring too during our remaining weeks in Laughlin. Telephone Cove, on the Nevada side, takes some determination to get to. The gravel road can be in interesting condition, depending on the time of year, but is usually passable in any vehicle if you drive with care. At the end is your own private beach, pretty much. The kayaks will get some use here once the wind bids us adieu.





Further away from Laughlin, but still on the Nevada side, is Cottonwood Cove Resort & Marina (http://www.cottonwoodcoveresort.com/). It too has potential for some good kayaking, but time and weather will tell if we make it there again on this trip.




We will, for sure make the long drive to Arizona (like, 5 minutes) and head north to Katherine Landing (http://lakemohavemarina.com/lake-mohave-marina/) on the opposite side of Lake Mohave. It's a quaint little spot with RV parks, general store, boat rental, motel and fishing dock. Because it is part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, park fees apply.




Aside from the lake, we plan to check out the Christmas decorations along the Oatman road,



Oatman itself (for the twentieth time. Those wild burros are irresistable!),




Davis Dam,



and just doing a general area wander for photo ops. So...stand by! Hopefully I'll have more to post before we push on to our next destination in January. And who knows? Maybe we'll make the short drive north to Santa Claus, AZ before Christmas and see if it's been sold yet.  :)