A little break from the real world at Lake Havasu

The Islander Resort caters to snowbirds this time of year.  The majority of those that were there will be spending the winter there.  At roughly 500 sites, this was one of the biggest parks we have been to.  And it was about 80% full which meant wall to wall RV’s, boats, trailers and other types of equipment.

The streets and lots were all paved, leaving very little areas to walk the dogs.  (Along with a list of rules that clearly stated dogs were only allowed to go to the bathroom in a tiny fenced off section on the far side of the park).

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But there were a few nicer areas of the park along the water that we walked the dogs to and were careful to clean up after them.

No doggy bags available anywhere in the park and no trashcans either.  While we did enjoy being there, it would have been nicer if we had these small conveniences.  We are not the only ones with animals.  It seems that the vast majority of campers have dogs with them.

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But for all the rules and regulations, we still got this amazing view from the windows of our coach.

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We decided to take the short drive to see the ghost town of Oatman. Oatman was built over 100 years ago as a mining tent camp, and quickly became a flourishing gold-mining center. In 1915, two miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town’s population grew to more than 3,500.

Unfortunately, the mining boom was short lived.  Mines were shut down in the early 1920s and when I-40 went through in the 1960’s, Oatman officially became a ghost town.

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Oatman is now a fun tourist destination, an authentic old western town with arts, crafts, restaurants, souvenirs,  and gunfights staged on weekends.

Oh, and there are burros!

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Oatman’s wild burros are the descendants of burros brought here by the miners in the late 1800s.  When the miners no longer needed them, they were turned loose.

Each morning they come into town looking for food. They wander the streets and greet the tourists. Burro pellets and carrots are for sale at many of the shops.

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Back at the Islander Resort,  we cooked up some burgers just in time for the sunset.

Oh, yeah.  Another of the rules for this park was no grills on the table.  So Dave made do.

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But I do have to say that the sunsets and water views made those little rules just a bit easier to take.  If just for a few days.

We arrived in Tucson on November 15.  I’ll tell you a little about our new jobs and the area next week.  Stay tuned!

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7 thoughts on “A little break from the real world at Lake Havasu”

  1. I really enjoyed your post. I learned alot about the areas you are visiting. They are beautiful!!!!! Looking forward to your next post.

  2. Hi Dave and Suzy,
    Luv your blog. My significant other and I are just beginning to plan our journey as camp workers. We currently live in Tucson and it would be great to stop by and chat with you two regarding your experiences regarding the camper life.
    Like yourselves, we really enjoyed Laughlin and Lake Havasu. They have a really nice golf course there.

    1. Hi Grace!

      Congratulations on your decision to become full time travelers! We left Atlanta 2 years ago and have never regretted a thing! Work camping is an adventure in itself. You meet lots of great people, have lots of great experiences, and get to look at an area of the country as the locals do.

      We will be in Tucson until April 1. Hope to see you sometime!

      suzy

  3. When you go on a tour for up to 6 hours, what do you do with your dogs? Do they stay in the RV ? Thanks for any info, as we have a dog and don’t visit many places for long periods of time because of our pet.

    1. Hi Dee!

      Since beginning traveling in the RV and working at campgrounds, our dogs have always been with us. They consider the coach their home and have no problem being alone while we are gone. We have left them for as long as 8 hours while working our jobs at the campground. They keep each other company and are good about not messing up the coach.

      We generally put all the blinds down when we are gone so that they do not see anything going on outside that will make them bark, we turn the lights on, and the music up. They usually listen to Ozzie’s Boneyard. My dogs are head bangers. LOL!

      I think it helps that there are two of them to keep each other company. In the real world when we were commuting into Atlanta every day for work, we were gone an average of 12 hours a day. One of the many perks of no longer doing that is being able to spend more time with them.

      suzy

      1. Okay, thanks for your fast reply. I was just curious because we have a furboy and wasn’t sure if we could leave him alone in the RV for a long period of time while we out touring. I would hate for someone to report us for leaving an animal alone like that, especially if he barked, which he does if he hears an unfamiliar noise. Thanks again.

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