London Bridge Is Falling Down

February 19th, 2014

And so our time in Southern California has finally come to an end. We intended to stay there for two weeks...and ended up staying there for exactly two months. But during that time most of the glitches we discovered in our RV motorhome when we first picked it up have been repaired, we actually know how to operate all (most) of its features and we have our hook-up procedure down to a swift ten minutes. And of course, we finally got our new mirror assembly.

In reading reports from other experienced RVers, we have learned that 300 miles a day is about it for people our age; after that the crankies set in and nothing is fun anymore. When researching spots to stay on our way back east, we mapped out destinations which would stay close to that 300 mile mark but still have enough interest to keep us motivated to get there. Our first stop then was to be Lake Havasu City, on the Colorado River between Arizona and California, where the actual London Bridge is located. It is just under the mileage we are aiming for and for us, it is pretty high interest (the London Bridge, I mean.)

To get there though we had to drive out of the lush and heavily populated Orange County, California and across the Mojave Desert. Thirty-three years ago we took this same route and at the time both of us thought that it was one of the most scenic and spectacular days of our ten day vacation "out west." Fortunately, our encore produced the same emotions in us. It's startling to realize that Manhattan and the Mojave are part of the same country - one characterized by its intense pace, population, soaring buildings and frantic pace while the other is as bleak and empty as possible. Both have their appeal for those who are willing to keep an open mind. The Mojave's interest stems from its characteristic emptiness but the mountains and dry washes beg the question - how can anyone or anything live out here? At first, heading east out of  Barstow, there are still some random ranches or trailers but within an hour no civilization remains. A hundred thousand years ago it probably looked exactly like it does now. While the rest of the world went through its various stages of settlements, cities, countries, wars and progress, the Mojave stayed exactly as you can see it today. How anyone ever crossed it before modern conveniences is almost beyond belief - but they did. We took a lot of pictures but since they all look identical, I'll only post three:

Picture four hours of these and that's the Mojave.

Another rule we broke was never to arrive at a place after dark. It's bad enough trying to drive this behemoth with the Jeep attached but doing it in a strange town at night is is maddening. It adds to the fun when you don't have a reservation and are driving around for an hour to three different places all of which tell you they are completely filled - on a Monday night in February?!? Now I know how Mary and Joseph felt. Finally one guy takes pity on us and says we can "dry camp" (real camping with no hook-ups, in other words, no electricity, water or sewer, basically just us in a large, hard-sided tent) on one of his back lots. As for Lake Havasu and the London Bridge, my advice is skip it. I pictured this wide spot on the Colorado River dammed up to form a lake with a few hotels, RV parks and some boating concessions. Instead, it is a massive collection of big box stores, bars, fast-food joints and people who make us look young... think Shadow Lake meets Seaside Heights. And the London Bridge? If you weren't aware of it, you'd never even realize you were crossing it; it's just another conveyance across a channel. Had I set it up, it would have been the centerpiece of the town, surrounded by a large park with lots of public accommodations and classy looking signs describing it as a piece of history as well as the story of how it got here. Instead it's pedestrian as can be. See for yourself:

 

Come on! They asphalt-paved THE London Bridge?!? Except for the British flags and the ornate light stanchions, you'd never realize it was anything special.And  forget the park I had in mind - each side is surrounded with bars, nightclubs and McRestaurants. In short, the ride down here was a bust.

Tomorrow we head out for another Indian casino RV park and supposedly one of the most highly spiritual places in the country, Sedona, Arizona. (I just realized that rhymes...I feel a dirty limerick coming on...)