We were able to enjoy a four hour tour of the Topcock Gorge, roundtrip from Lake Havasu City up to the I-40 bridge and the Pirate's Cove area, along the Colorado River. This was a similar voyage to the one we took through Imperial NWR, just north of Yuma. The difference was in the magnitude of the cliffs in the Gorge. They rose up all around the boat as it entered this stretch of the river and were a delight to see and photograph. The pics in this post do not do the area justice, but will hopefully give you an idea of how beautiful it is there.
Lake Havasu City, AZ is known for the London Bridge. This bridge was the one that was "falling down" in London. It was purchased by a rich dude from the area, shipped in pieces from London to Arizona, and now provides a touristy thing for the city to promote and another reason for people to visit the city. The bridge has some interesting history, including the fact that it has scars from WW2 and the lampposts on the bridge were made from melted down cannons/guns from Napolean Bonapart's army.
Most of the photos remaining are of our travels into and through the Topcock Gorge. You can see how wide and open the lake in Havasu City is. We traveled through the lake en route to the narrower and rockier gorge.
Text from the Havasu NWR brochure: "One of the last remaining
natural stretches of the lower Colorado River flows through the 20-mile long
Topock Gorge. Elusive mountain lions roam and thousands of bats emerge from
historic mines in the 17,600 acre Wilderness Area. Peregrine falcons plummet up
to 150 miles per hour between the cliffs in Topock Gorge." In addition, Desert Bighorn Sheep also live and play in the cliffs of the Gorge. The thrill of the day came when we saw one climbing away from the water after getting a drink. A few of the NWRs in the SW were created to provide a safe habitat for this once endangered species. We have been scanning many-a-doc about this animal but had never seen in its natural setting. The entire boat was clicking-away on cameras and oooing and aahing about this sheep.
The turn-around spot of the tour was at the Pirate's Cove resort area; a vacation hub complete with a restaurant, zip line, condos and a marina. It was hopping with tourists when we were there for what was a delicious lunch.
On the return trip we spotted these wild burros. These creatures are descendants of burro that were used my miners, then abandoned when the mines dried-up and they all left the area.
The rest of the photos are of us returning to Lake Havasu City. We had a wonderful trip along the Colorado River!
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