On our own for the first time in weeks, we set our sights on Arizona and clocked our 19th state for this trip.
We first settled in the resort town of Lake Havasu City, a haven for snowbirds in the winter and college students during spring break. We stayed on the water at the Islander RV Resort.
On the list of things one might not expect to see in the Arizona desert is London Bridge. Yes, folks, it was falling down and the Brits replaced it. Some enterprising Americans shipped it piece by piece to Lake Havasu City where it was reassembled and made the focal point of the city.
After that 5-minute treat, we spent the rest of our time in Lake Havasu knocking out school, hanging out, and preparing for a mid-winter assault on the Grand Canyon.
L’s Tie Dye Cake
Playing water volleyball with some very gracious snowbirds
Honing pickleball skills
Fishing (unsuccessfully)
To date, we have done a pretty good job staying ahead of bad weather while seeing key sights. But we hit a slight wrinkle in October when the North Rim of the Grand Canyon closed for the season before we could make it there. Given that the South Rim was a pretty good haul from our intended route and we wanted to travel up the Sierras before winter set in, we decided to save the Grand Canyon for our return trip. The weather would certainly be an issue. Traveling in winter weather is no fun. Traveling in winter weather in a motorhome is really no fun. We planned to hang in Lake Havasu and await a sufficiently long, good weather window at the canyon. Fortunately, that came quickly.
With relatively clear, but cold, weather forecasted for the Grand Canyon, we made a break for it, toting a new electric space heater and some additional insulation. We literally slid through registration at the Grand Canyon Trailer Village, one mile from the rim. I don’t know why the registration parking area had not been cleared of ice, but authorities did a good job clearing the campground roads. We established camp in near solitude, fired up the heaters, insulated vulnerable areas, and setup a work light to heat the wet bay.
Brisk weather curtailed many outdoor activities, but we managed to enjoy a couple of walks along the rim, attend a ranger talk, visit the geology museum, and checkout both visitor centers as the kids completed the Junior Ranger program.
The depth, breadth, and colors of the canyon impressed. We longed to explore her beauty below the rim, but we had to save that for another time. Though we stayed comfortable in the motorhome despite temperatures falling into the mid-teens, I worried about freezing pipes. Glad that we were able to see one of the nation’s most iconic National Parks, we skedaddled to warmer climes after a couple of days.
The vastness of the canyon is amazing. We were so worried about our little boy throwing himself into the canyon that we put him on a leash when we visited!