What are some of the things about the river you remember?

[Skyskier]

Hiking back to the "ponds" up behind Echo or Big Bend ,( can't remember which ), and getting a look at some of those "naked hippie chicks"
Meeting a 39 year old divorcee at sports valley, ( I was 16 ) took me up on the hill south of the bluewater marina, and "showed me the ways of the world " :thumbsup One of those things a "boy" will NEVER forget

 

[TeamGreene]

I lost my Dad to cancer in 2003 so one of the things that will always be a great memory is him pulling me skiing, when people actulally skied, he would always head to one of the real deep coves accross from the island at Havasu and I knew what was up. He would get to the end and hit the throttle and turn left sending me into a whip like you wouldn't believe and to this day I can hear him laughing above the engine noise. Good times:thumbsup

 

[TeamGreene]

Great takes:beer

I really miss the Sundance indoor bar.
That was kinda my ritual stopping off spot for the 2 for 1 beers.
Opened upside down,, remember?Sit there and gaze out at the scenery, pretty girls, after a month of dealing with complete azzholes at work.

Damn I miss that place.

Oh man thats right I forgot about that. As soon as I read that had a flash back:beer

 

[TeamGreene]

My family and friends of ours used to go to the river twice a month. Camping at Needles Marina walking on the golf course at night when it was still 100 out
Putting a watermelon in a fishing net and leaving it in the water all day to get cold
Went down river in our friends boat (Spectra like mine) and there were some people jumping off a tower into the water we stopped to watch and got to see my first pair of river titties as a girl lost her top when she jumped. Ah the 70's gotta luv it!

 

[Ultracrazy]

The occasional taisteful titty flash was nice. "Before the watch me stick this bottle up my ass and get fucked in the ear crowd was around."

That's funny right there

 

[WTRR]

We used to camp on the west side of Hookers Bend before they sold it and built all the houses on the water. We'd get up early in the morning and drink a few beers and do a couple of bong hits and ski the 16 miles to Savannah Bridge. Drink a few more beers and do a couple of bong hits and ski back to Hookers Bend. You could ride all the way from Saltillo to Pickwick Dam and never see more than a dozen boats. Most of them would be fishing boats. We'd ski 4 to 6 people behind the boat for miles and miles. Had a 1972 19 foot Colbalt that my Dad got from some guy that owed him money. Just about every weekend during the summer we'd load up my Econoline van and head to the river with the boat and party all weekend. I can also remember some severe sunburn action back in the day. No sunscreen back then.

 

[slowride]

This was taken sometime around 78-79 from Bluewater Marina (long before the casino). We used to camp on the edge of the river just up river from the Marina bar. We'd make runs up to Fox's, Sundance, Rock Palace, then try to get back. Sometimes we made it, sometimes we didn't. If we were too drunk to go up river, we'd just have a few at Bluewater and walk back to camp. It's not like we had to worry too much about traffic....

 

[TPC]

Oh man thats right I forgot about that. As soon as I read that had a flash back:beer

Thank you TPC..

RD

That's too funny. They'd open the bottom to catch you from bringing beers in off the boat...:thumbsup

They will still open your beer upside down by request at Fox's.

Perhaps the new girls behind the bar aren't too hep on this practice.
But if you request it, for sentimental sakes,, they'll open it upside down for you.

Yeah,, I ask,,,

People at Fox's still ask me "How's the Orange Jeep Running?'
--I sold it in 1973.

 

[TPC]

My family and friends of ours used to go to the river twice a month. Camping at Needles Marina walking on the golf course at night when it was still 100 out
Putting a watermelon in a fishing net and leaving it in the water all day to get cold
Went down river in our friends boat (Spectra like mine) and there were some people jumping off a tower into the water we stopped to watch and got to see my first pair of river titties as a girl lost her top when she jumped. Ah the 70's gotta luv it!

That's funny right there

We used to camp on the west side of Hookers Bend before they sold it and built all the houses on the water. We'd get up early in the morning and drink a few beers and do a couple of bong hits and ski the 16 miles to Savannah Bridge. Drink a few more beers and do a couple of bong hits and ski back to Hookers Bend. You could ride all the way from Saltillo to Pickwick Dam and never see more than a dozen boats. Most of them would be fishing boats. We'd ski 4 to 6 people behind the boat for miles and miles. Had a 1972 19 foot Colbalt that my Dad got from some guy that owed him money. Just about every weekend during the summer we'd load up my Econoline van and head to the river with the boat and party all weekend. I can also remember some severe sunburn action back in the day. No sunscreen back then.

This was taken sometime around 78-79 from Bluewater Marina (long before the casino). We used to camp on the edge of the river just up river from the Marina bar. We'd make runs up to Fox's, Sundance, Rock Palace, then try to get back. Sometimes we made it, sometimes we didn't. If we were too drunk to go up river, we'd just have a few at Bluewater and walk back to camp. It's not like we had to worry too much about traffic....

Air conditioners?
We don't need no stinking air conditioners.
---or sunscreen

 

[Chico&Zeus]

Wow, all of these memories...we grew up on the Illinois River and I remember....4th of July fireworks fired off of the bridge, the river would be full of boats and every once in a while the sparks would actually stay lit until they hit the water. Beaching on the sandbars at Moni Moni Island and Rosencran's Island...they were little sandbars but I swear there would be over 100 boats at times. Large floatillias near Buffalo Rock...the houseboats would tie up until the entire back channel was closed off...I didn't realize until years later that my grandparents and the rest of the boaters there were swingers Camping on Bulls Island every weekend...there was a spring fed pond in the middle of the island...the best place on earth when I was a kid. Having to stop skiing or tubing whenever a barge came by. The underwater concrete sea-break wall on the back channel of Rosencran's...when the water was low, it was only about 2 feet under water, it was marked very well but every week or so, someone would try to cut between there and the sandbar.....CLUNK!!! there goes another lower unit

 

[2Driver]

LOL.... It was a twin engine Hallett. I remember it being a 27' Hallett, but I think someone else said it was a 32.. RD

Yeah I remember 27-32 max but it seemed HUGE, like WTF!. I remember Total Kaos as well. I think another 27'? Both driven pretty well.

I miss Sundance for sure. Was 2nd place in the Macho Man contest in 85.
Beach starts from the Moonridge ramp at 5:30am
Skiing to Roadrunner for the "skiers Breakfast"
Da smell of da river...same effect as a big prozac milkshake
Parker 400 run on both sides of the river
The Enduro
Flat bottoms at dusk and dawn
Skiing the slot just below moonridge
Watching the Wilburns skyski

 

[PVHCA]

My earliest memories back in the mid 70's we'd stay down in Aha Quin, camping in tents while the adults were in RV's or pull trailers in the A/C. We'd cut some of the smaller docks loose and float down river and each time either my pops, older brothers or someone's pops would have to pull them back up river the next morning. Early to mid 80's we shared a place at Havasu Landing in the colonies, usually 5-6 houses in our own little lagoon area, we'd screw with the Injin's, ride atv's, go to the Sail Inn for what was good food at the time and do some early morning runs down to Black Meadows when Havasu wasn't very busy, hell an 18ft was cool and if you had a 21ft you were KING. The Injin's got too greedy for pops and he sold out. The late 80's to early 90's was spent on the Island at The Isles, my pops bought a condo for about 2 years and sold, doubled his investment. Then we moved to Los Lagos condos across from the old Pioneer hotel, by then I had my first Eliminator and Reflections was the hot spot on Thursday nights, then Hussong's for Friday night, then Nautical on Saturday nights, talk about fishing with dynamite, chicks would throw themselves at you if you had your own boat. Fast forward to 1995, married now with a child on the way we decided Havasu sucked so we sold the condo and took a few years off of boating and turned our attention to PWC's and Laughlin. Great sking back then. Now since 2003 been on the river in Needles and the wife and son love it. Our park kicks ass and reminds me of the good old days, and I have an Eliminator again.:beer:beer

 

[Skankersore]

As a kid, in Havasu we would ALWAYS see a custom, red pontoon parked in the Channel. The custom paint said, "A Cherry Douche on a Summers Eve."

The guys were old dudes with long ZZ Top type beards. They would hold up a cardboard sign "Show your Tits."

Classic Havasu for ya, back in the day.

 

[2Driver]

As a kid, in Havasu we would ALWAYS see a custom, red pontoon parked in the Channel. The custom paint said, "A Cherry Douche on a Summers Eve."

The guys were old dudes with long ZZ Top type beards. They would hold up a cardboard sign "Show your Tits."

Classic Havasu for ya, back in the day.

I remember that pontoon. Funny guys they were.

 

[RyanPartridge]

They would hold up a cardboard sign "Show your Tits."

My uncle Greg and his buddy Hypo would hold up signs they made on Smashball paddles, one side said "Show Your Tits" and the other said "Silicone Monster". Still at the trailer next to the Sundance Macho Man trophies!

 

[HPBoats83]

One of the things I remember which is one of my favorite boating experiences is; my dad used to have a 25 Daytona with a big blower motor and we came out of steamboat and started racing some other daytona. It was a really fun ride and I loved the attitude my dad had of f*ck this guy and just pinned it. No more experiences like that anymore since my dad passed away when I was 18 (6 years ago). Oh' well one of the good memories.

 

[atomickitn]

my liver....and my head not hurting .....and my fuel bill not being as high as my mortgage...

 

[atomickitn]

I remember when chicks were not soo damm picky.. and people picked up their trash... oh yeah the sand bar was open every weakend...with pleanty of skanks...oops i mean hot chicks that were willing and up for anything.... boy times sure have changed...:beer

 

[Guest]

I remember that one time when Brown took a bunch of blotter acid, and killed all those hippies in that VW Van.....Screaming the whole time....The chief export of Tom Brown...is pain!

 

[Tommy Gun Images]

Midnight ski/wakeboard runs by the full moon down by bluewater before the casino was there. Dangerous? Yes... Fun? Absolutely!

Of course the dawn flatbottom alarm clock:thumbsup

Showing up in the middle of the night having a couple of beers with the boys before crashing out in the back of the truck and waking up like a kid on Christmas the next day :beer

 

[cyclone]

the shooting gallery next to the london bridge. we used to boat all the way from black meadow landing just to play that there when i was a kid.

 

[Deleted Account]

How about a cruise to the dam just as the sun sets. Get into barefoot alley, pull up the plates and bury the throttle... That hot ass wind just plants you and that is just an unreal feeling. Even better when the turbos are boosted up...:thumbsup

 

[gigamurph]

"Still two of my favorite things are the smell of the river and the big block alarm clock." -Lipskid

:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[TPC]

"Still two of my favorite things are the smell of the river and the big block alarm clock." -Lipskid

:thumbsup:thumbsup

One just went roaring by and the river wouldn't be the river without the big block rumble at all hours. It's so much a part of the character.

 

[knuckle head]

Grew up going to Paradise Point and then later on to Lost Lake so here are my memories:

Being able to ski all day and going to the river to do just that.
My mom and all her friends floating for hours down river and having to go get them.
Running a mini bike all around the sandbar in front of the camping area.
Waking up in the AM more then once, to find the jet boat (That later became mine) under water.
Doing midnight ski runs (Talk about GLASS)
Skiing and having another boat pull up behind and sitting on the bow of that boat. (Stupid?)
Playing volleyball for hours on the sandbar.

 

[Ratso]

The River and the Lake... around here...

When I was still a kid, we'd grab our campsite and we'd always bring along the lawn mower and mow the grass

Briquettes... we didn't have gas grilles... just briquettes and lighter fluid

Hot Dogs and Wolf Brand Chili... still use Wolf Brand to this day

Everybody was on skis... or was tubing with a tractor tube... no knee boards or wakeboards... they weren't invented yet

Cypress Garden and Cut & Jump skis

Tri Hulls

Evinrude and Mercury hadn't even come out with V-6 outboards yet

60 mph was FLYING! Oh well, I guess that's still true today for most jet boats

Bikini? What the hell is a bikini?

Running down the river listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival

Those dang hydrofoil looking contraptions... the prelude to lake lice

Tilt and Trim? Whats that?

Metalflake

Dilly trailers

Pulling your boat to the lake with your Dodge Goodtimes Van

Yellow Jacket boats... aw hell... Duracraft, Del Magic, Caravelle, Arrow Glass

The Heyday of Glastron Carlsons, Scimitar, the Bat Boat, the Intimidator, Ski Machine...

The roundy round 13 foot Deltas with 75 hp motors running 70 mph

You could drink, have a good time, play loud music... and never... and I mean never see a cop

No gates, no fences, no fees to enter the park

No decibel levels

Everybody knew who the fastest guy on the lake was

No capsules at the Drags

8 tracks

Bushy Beavers lol

Great times... Great memories...

 

[500bbc]

One just went roaring by and the river wouldn't be the river without the big block rumble at all hours. It's so much a part of the character.

A couple of years ago at Echo early in the season some french hag came up to me complaining about ther campers next to her playing the stereo loud during the day.

Then I put the blown boat in and made passes by the park.oint

 

[Tom Brown]

I remember that one time when Brown took a bunch of blotter acid, and killed all those hippies in that VW Van.....Screaming the whole time....The chief export of Tom Brown...is pain!

Get a hair cut.

 

[Wheeler]

LOL, I think I might have some, maybe I'll dig them out.

I remember that's all my dad had. Cut off shorts. There were no swimming trunks, those were for fags! LOL

I hope you do something with the pockets.

 

[steamin rice]

the shooting gallery next to the london bridge. we used to boat all the way from black meadow landing just to play that there when i was a kid.

I used to go to the shooting gallery and the hedge maze all the time...

 

[TPC]

The River and the Lake... around here...


Hot Dogs and Wolf Brand Chili... still use Wolf Brand to this day



Metalflake


Great times... Great memories...

Good sales pitch Ratso,, I just ordered a case of Wolf Brand:
http://www.hometownfavorites.com/products.asp?dept=1039

 

[Ratso]

Good sales pitch Ratso,, I just ordered a case of Wolf Brand:
http://www.hometownfavorites.com/products.asp?dept=1039

LOL... I always keep some on hand... I blow my South Beach Diet about once every two weeks on Hot Dogs...

 

[Skyskier]

Stopped at "Rice" gas station on the way home last Sunday to get in the ice chest for a cold one ( Dr. Pepper ). I remember stopping there back in the 60's, the gas station was open for business then, my 'ol man would spring 10 cents for the coke machine and when you'd pop the cap off the coke bottle's ( they came in REAL GLASS bottles ) the top portion of it would "crystalize" We were usually coming thru Rice at about 11:00 at night as not ALL CARS had AC and Pop's got off work at 5:00. Back then it was a 6 + hour pull in the station wagon or the 56 ford PU with the homebuilt plywood "camper shell" from Paramount, That first "smell" of the river when you'd cross the bridge, and EVERYBODY had to stop at the checkpoint, coming and going.

 

[Riverbound]

The little resteraunt/store accross from the desert center gas station. if we were good we would stop by there While getting gas, back then you topped off there just to be sure you made it into town. Mom would load us up with enough snacks to keep us quiet tilll we got to the house.
________
Vapor tower vaporizer

 

[Chico&Zeus]

I miss living 2 minutes from a free boat ramp.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...840345&scene=-1&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1




:thumbsup

 

[CampbellCarl]

A litttle further north, Lake Powell in '68. Dad was a Teamster and one year, he saved all of his vacation for our first Powell trip, an ENTIRE month at this new, still filling lake. 16' Glasspar with 75hp Evinrude (anybody remember the push button shift early 60's Evinrude?), towed behind our first real camper, 1963 Chevy 1/2 ton, chassis mount Open Road camper! A big 6 cyl engine with 3 on the tree. Followed behind another family up thru Zion and remember the Dad infront of us throwing a ski rope out his driver's window toward us to give us a tow up the hill. I remember Dad looking very worried and looking for turn outs, I asked, he said, "Son, we're in first gear and there ain't another, so we might have to turn around!" Made it to Powell, beach camped for a month, skiied daily, went across the basin and guys on the right and girls on the left side of the boat for baths. Oh ya, the lake was filling at something like 18 verticle inches a day so we'd beach the boat every evening and in the morning, swim out 50' or so to bring it back to the beach.
Great thread and great memories!
Carl

 

[TPC]

Can ya still get one of these?

 

[PrimeCut]

I grew up in Big River in the late 70's
I so miss the 14 big truck inner tubes tied to each other floating from Parker bridge to Big River
NO PWC'S!!
skiing all day, then racing who ever taunted us at dusk
Totally agree with the big block alarm clock :thumbsup
what are mufflers??

 

[DeltaSigBoater]

A litttle further north, Lake Powell in '68. Dad was a Teamster and one year, he saved all of his vacation for our first Powell trip, an ENTIRE month at this new, still filling lake. 16' Glasspar with 75hp Evinrude (anybody remember the push button shift early 60's Evinrude?), towed behind our first real camper, 1963 Chevy 1/2 ton, chassis mount Open Road camper! A big 6 cyl engine with 3 on the tree. Followed behind another family up thru Zion and remember the Dad infront of us throwing a ski rope out his driver's window toward us to give us a tow up the hill. I remember Dad looking very worried and looking for turn outs, I asked, he said, "Son, we're in first gear and there ain't another, so we might have to turn around!" Made it to Powell, beach camped for a month, skiied daily, went across the basin and guys on the right and girls on the left side of the boat for baths. Oh ya, the lake was filling at something like 18 verticle inches a day so we'd beach the boat every evening and in the morning, swim out 50' or so to bring it back to the beach.
Great thread and great memories!
Carl

I've actually driven a push button electric shift outboard. A neighbor had one on the back of an old 16' knockoff Boston Whaler. Definitely different to drive.

 

[Chico&Zeus]

I remember when he was carved...looking over the ramps at Allen Park

 

[Ziggy]

Bushy Beavers lol

Great times... Great memories...

Oh hell, I kinda forgot about them things......
Some were downright gross looking Break out the hedge trimmers baby.
.
.
.
.
I do miss the Shoe Tree, even though its more of a recent lost memory.

 

[gigamurph]

"homebuilt plywood "camper shell" -Skyskier

Geezus man! Now you're tuggin' at my "heart-strings"! Spent many a night on the Delta sleepin' in the bed of Dad's '57 Chevy "Pick-'em-Up Truck" (as he used to call it) under a "homebuilt plywood camper shell"! :thumbsup

 

[gigamurph]

Any of you "oldtimers" remember stoppin' at a little store just north of Desert Center on Rice Road? "The only beer in Desert Center!" Because if you do, you were waited on by my Mom. She worked there from '69 or '70 until Dad retired from Kaiser Steel's Iron Ore Mine in '81. She was off on Fri. and Sat. but if ya stopped there on your way home, and damn near everyone did, you got your beer from my Mom; and I may have even gotten some for ya! Used to help Mom keep the "beer boxes" filled.

 

[TPC]

Any of you "oldtimers" remember stoppin' at a little store just north of Desert Center on Rice Road? "The only beer in Desert Center!" Because if you do, you were waited on by my Mom. She worked there from '69 or '70 until Dad retired from Kaiser Steel's Iron Ore Mine in '81. She was off on Fri. and Sat. but if ya stopped there on your way home, and damn near everyone did, you got your beer from my Mom; and I may have even gotten some for ya! Used to help Mom keep the "beer boxes" filled.

Is that now Magoos?
Remember Rattlesnake eggs you could buy there?

 

[500bbc]

Is that now Magoos?
Remember Rattlesnake eggs you could buy there?

They still sell rattlesnake eggs.

 

[TPC]

The sample boats:

Boats with attractive girls would cruise down the river tossing samples of Bullfrog, Hawaiian Tropic, home brew slime/duckie, Eagle Brand Snacks.

The tallented custom bikini girl at Echo Lodge made excellent custom Bikinis for chix for $50 - very expensive back then, but good I'm told.

The "Flatbottom" Brothers:
They seemed always camped closest spots to the Echo launchramp with engine hoists swapping motors ect. A big, massive pile of parts and flotsham and jetsham all over their campsite.

Hilarous sense of humors.
Echo lodge legends.
They seemed to be there all summer long, or at least when ever we were there.

The Pink ski boat lady with the EEEE boobs and 3 daughters and the giantic 12 passenger life raft she'd pull behind it that would get airborn.
My ex has a movie I shot of her in action.

Haven't seen her in 10 years since I danced with her at Sports Valley.

 

[TPC]

They still sell rattlesnake eggs.

Our 8 year old hasn't fell for that one yet,, I'll have to stop by next trip.

 

[Skyskier]

Oh hell, I kinda forgot about them things......
Some were downright gross looking Break out the hedge trimmers baby.
.
.
.
.
I do miss the Shoe Tree, even though its more of a recent lost memory.[/QUOTE]

 

[sleekcraft80]

We use to party at Ah Villa Campground in the 70s. The ladies would run around half naked, One hell of a party. I also remember having to sleep on the trunk lid of my 66 Chevelle. (probably passed out, anyway I woke up there)

 

[gigamurph]

Is that now Magoos?
Remember Rattlesnake eggs you could buy there?

Nopey; not that far north. Maybe about 1/2 mile out of Desert Center. Has ben closed for years.....and now that ya mention Magoo's; the sign that's out front of Magoo's? Well, da gig and his Dad put that puppy up right after it first opened and it was still there the last time da gig went through that-a-way! Actually, Dad did most of the work! Did get payed for helpin' though!