I never thought too much about becoming a Havasu local until this past week. I mean I had pictured it before I came to stay with Dave and Stacy and the kids, but I just kind of figured that living in Havasu would be all pasties and Pauly Shore. While Pauly Shore and all the excitement of MTV's spring break is no where to be found, I have seen the occasional pasty (not like Tom Brown pasty, the other pasty) ... For all the history of raucous spring break debauchery, Havasu is actually a pretty cool laid back town. Yes, it's a tourist town and the sidewalks roll up Sunday night and the place turns into a ghost town until Friday, but as a local, that's the best part! The lake is empty, the water is perfect, and there are no lines at the gas pumps. All in all if you enjoy the lake, midweek is the best part about this place. Having said that, by the end of the week, as a part time local, I'm ready to see some action!
Before the weekend got underway I wanted to run up to Vegas to look at couple of boats I was considering buying so, I picked up Hammer and headed up the 95 to Sin City.
After briefly owning a 19' Eliminator Formula last spring, I've been looking for another one since. These are somewhat rare little boats and the allure is that it's a 19 foot boat that rides more like a 21 footer... and it fits in my garage! I found a couple on Craigslist that looked like they fit the bill so, off we went.
Now, anytime I'm remotely close to Boulder City, Nevada I always have to stop at the Coffee Cup for breakfast. The Coffee Cup is a cool old school style family diner with all the feel of a local mom and pop restaurant on the beach in California with it's family pictures, boat racing pictures, and old Maharaja skis hanging from the ceiling. The little cafe, owned by the Stevens family since it opened it's doors, is a local favorite and has even been on the TV show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". If you get a chance to stop in I highly recommend it!
Anyway back to the boats... I won't bore you guys with the details of these things, but let me just say that if you are selling something online don't advertise your old sway-back mare with two lame feet as a triple-crown winning Thoroughbred. Rotten stringers, fire damage, and general neglect were the theme of the day. We moved on... to Freemont Street for lunch.
All of you know how much I like healthy eating, but when we passed the Heart Attack Grill I just couldn't resist going in to check it out. The Heart Attack Grill is a burger joint that prides itself on artery clogging fare and saucy waitresses that have no problem showing you the door if you have any issue with you food or service... Hammer was in heaven!
Our Vegas adventure was pretty much a bust. So much so that there was literally a fat chick convention at one of the casinos on Freemont. I never would have believed it, but Hammer spotted the sign in the lobby and was quite excited with the possibilities. He asked me to leave him in Vegas, but as a friend I just couldn't let that happen...
Hammer was bummed about missing the convention...
Friday in Havasu is kind of a cool deal. The town starts to awake from it's slumber, a bunch of nice hardware is cruising around town getting ready to get on the water, and the energy level is up as everyone gears up for another great summer weekend on the lake. Back at RDP headquarters we were making preparations for the inaugural Losers Lounge BBQ at the Johnson estate. River Dave was cleaning the yard, tidying up around the house and stocking the fridge with Bud Lime and I went to the store to pick up fixins for burgers and dogs. By the time inmates started to arrive we were already a couple beers in and feeling good about our general place in the world... Time for the weekend!
The BBQ was going as planned until we realized that we had no idea where anything was in the kitchen. You see, typically River Diva would point us in the right direction or just kick us out of the way and do it herself because it's safer that way, but she wasn't there. Stacy was out of town with the kids for a much needed break and Dave and I were left to figure it out on our own like two first semester college kids on their own for the first time with no hope for a future. With no paper plates and no napkins it was looking like the guests might revolt and start trashing the place, but RD busted out with the good china and some terrycloth towels to settle the natives. First class all the way...
As has become the norm around RDP lately, once the beers start flowing the member interviews are sure to follow. RD interviewed some of the guests while others mingled by the pool. Then Shintoo showed up... I've seen quite a few of these interviews go down, but Shintoo's interview pretty much killed it. Shintoo is a very funny guy, both on and off the boards. If you ever get a chance to hang out with him and his family, don't pass it up, they are first class folks!
Shortly after the interviews we all loaded up and headed down to the Flying X. Flying X is a new country bar here in Havasu and has served as the go to RDP watering hole the last few weekends. Nice looking bartenders, country music, and a big dance floor make for a fun, no drama hangout. I had a few cocktails with Shintoo and his wife and their friends from California while 2 ForceFull showed Hammer how to pick up chicks on the dance floor. From there on things became a blur of jokes, drinks, and Hammer motor boating the waitress like a fat kid in a pie eating contest. Friday was a success!
Saturday morning came and went and around noon I decided it was time to get the Taco ready to head down to Parker to enjoy the river for the day. Apparently River Dave got jumped by a rowdy case of Bud Light Lime and his buddy, Fireball, the night before and while he went down swinging, the beating he received was more than he could bear and he bowed out of the fight on Saturday. Hammer and I loaded up and headed to the Strip...
Parker always has a way of putting me in a good mood. Once we hit the water the pain in my head subsided and life slowed down to a manageable pace again. Hammer and I grabbed some food at Pirate's then went out and cruised from dam to dam a couple times just seeing where the day would lead. Down by Bluewater Casino we ran into Rivergames and his brother and a couple of their buddies. We chatted for a few about Rivergames' beautiful blown 20' Schiada and made plans to meet up later in the day for a couple beers. Andrew's boat has been one of my favorite builds here on the boards and seeing it in person didn't disappoint. It's a nice ride for sure!
After we waived good bye to the Games brothers we headed back up river to find to find a Malibu wake board boat sinking just across from La Paz County Park. Everyone on board was ok and no news as to the cause, but it went down like power windows. Someone towed it to shore upside down and the sheriff showed up to get things handled. This is the third wake boat I've seen sink in Parker... Hmmm, ballast much?
Back up the River things were business as usual and people all over the water were enjoying the day. People were using the sand beaches to hang out with friends, some kids on stand up skis were racing around by the dam, and happy boaters floated the day away as the river carried them downstream.
There is always an abundance of interesting boats out on the water and I'm a sucker for the unique so, when I spotted the color scheme on this Hallett we had to take a closer look If someone told me they were going to paint their boat yellow and baby blue I would look at them like they had a horn sticking out of their head but I really liked the way this boat was done. It was my favorite of the day and I would run it in a heartbeat!
We closed the day out at Fox's enjoying happy hour and the setting sun while sipping a few cocktails on the dock. They must have closed down the town of Norco, CA for the weekend because everyone we met at Fox's that day was from Norco. No kidding, every boat but mine had Norco folks on it. On top of that it was apparent that not all the women in Norco can handle their booze and, as such, two of the girls decided they no longer appreciated each others company and proceeded to have what I can only guess was supposed to be a fight in front of the bathrooms. Now most fights only last 20 seconds or so before it gets broken up or the participants grow tired of getting pummeled in the face, but this fight lasted what seemed like all night. Imagine two waif-like supermodels trying to muster the strength needed to hit each other hard enough to prove their point only to find their aim so misguided that the only thing they accomplish is untying each others tops much to the delight of the growing crowd of approving onlookers. Needless to say, no one was in a hurry to break up the fracas as they were certainly in no danger of hurting each other and the entertainment value far surpassed that of the the get-the-ring-on-the-hook game that is so popular at Fox's. We were amused...
Alas it was time to head back to the Pirate and get the boat on the trailer to head back up to the Zoo. We had gotten a text from Shintoo himself letting us know that his crew desired to recount the steps of the previous night and we were to rendezvous at Flying X directly.
Flying X went as planned and while uneventful, a good time was had by all.
Sunday was a day of rest and relaxation as I spent the day enjoying a couple cold beers and watching Dave and Hammer fight a losing battle against the hard water deposits on the side of RD's pool. By late afternoon I convinced them that they were going about it all wrong and that we needed to go reevaluate their approach in the Channel.
The Channel was great and just what the doctor ordered to cap off a great weekend. We ran into Dane from B&D Marine Performance and his friends and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the water and talking about boats as the sun sank behind the horizon. Another successful Havasu weekend in the books...
The thing about being a Havasu local, or at least pretending to be, is that you don't have to just stay in Havasu. There are several great destinations within a couple hours drive to spice things up and keep it interesting. We did Vegas, Havasu, and Parker all in one weekend and had a great time at every turn. There are few places in the southwest where you can get that much diversity and fun packed into one weekend without having access to a private jet. I could get used to this local thing...
See you on the water!
