Of all the times to be at Lake Havasu, we "Lucked" out and arrived on the same day as the World Jet Ski races started. Now I am a fisherman and so that should tell you my general attitude about jet ski's in general. Regardless we actually did get to watch some of the jet ski competition, as we passed it while canoeing and taking the ferry to the casinos.
Now Renita and Flo had talked with members of team Serbia and they had actually met one of the members. It was with sadness that the same person they met was killed in a collision as he and two others crossed the finish line. I now know of four people who have been killed, or have killed someone with these machines, far more deaths than among people I met while rock climbing. I just don't understand the fun or the risk from driving a jet ski.
Anyway, one of our plans was to canoe the London Bridge Canal. It was built when McCullock, of chain saw fame, built the bridge and foresaw the potential of Lake Havasu City. Now the Canal is actually one of the main party spots on the lake and people drive their boats into the narrow canal, beach them, and basically party. Of course Renita and I had to join the fun!
Launching the canoe at Rotary Park, it was a short paddle to the southern entrance of the canal. Renita pointed out bass and bluegills and schools of shad! The canal narrowed and we became more conscious of the other boats, almost all larger then ours! Luckily the whole area is a low speed area and so we were pretty safe, but the boats were throwing small wakes. They would have been pulled over in Utah and Wyoming,(I know this from being pulled over twice while traveling at less than 5 miles per hour).
The paddling was easy and we even encountered a couple of kayaks! We passed through the canal, past private condos and beaches and we actually had people make comments about our outriggers/stabilizers,(Renita suggested that I should make and sell my stabilizers but it would be too much like work). We reached the north end of the canal and watched the jet ski races for awhile, little realizing the tragic event soon to occur. Turning back into the channel the wind came up and we drifted through the channel, may the wind be at your backs!
For our last day at Lake Havasu we invited the Wheelers to join us for lunch at the Chemehavasui Casino. It was actually Flo's idea all along but we had just never taked the time, so we met them at the canal.
Flo gave us passes, she is a casino regular and so we exchanged them for tickets and then climbed the gangway and up the stairs to the top of the ferry. Its kind of funny as we had been on a ferry once in ours lives and now it seems we are taking ferry rides everywhere we go!
As we left the channel we passed the Jet Ski Race course where the Jet Ski Freestyle competition was happening and it really was amazing to see people doing double flips! They were even sticking the landing! I had no idea such things were possible.
We arrived at Casino and one of the workers commented that it must be my first time there as I was the only one taking pictures. He wished us luck and it must have worked as we both won enough to pay for lunch!
The lunch was really good. I had the Flat Bread Taco and Renita had one of the fanciest Chicken salads I have seen. Flo and John stuck with more traditional lunches but they both decided that the Chemehavasu Taco was on their too eat list!
We talked and watched a bass fisherman land a keeper. It was a pleasant day with friends. Retirement is soooooooooo good! Clear skies.
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