RIDIN THE RIVER

We met Bob & Diana at Smith's Grocery Gas Station where we all topped off our fuel tanks at about 11am. When I had my Harley Motor rebuilt at our old business back in 2001 when the bike was new, one of the many modifications was the installation of bigger pistons, and a lot of custom head work. The compression ratio was increased to 10 1/2 to 1, and with an adjustable ignition module it does OK on 91 octane gasoline. But, what the motor really likes is racing fuel, or avgas. Due primarily to all of the custom boats in this town, about half of the gas stations dispense racing fuel/avgas at their pumps. Smith's has one pump with 100 octane racing fuel, so, at $6.99 a gallon, my almost 4 gallons of fuel came to $27.00. Glad I wasn't filling up a 50 gallon boat gas tank. The first time I cracked the throttle wide open, the extra cost was well worth it.

We left town heading south on Hwy 95 towards Parker, and our recommended lunch stop at the Bluewater Casino Cantina next to the river. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, with a great view of the river from the patio dining area.

Patty and I have been here for the boat races, where the Cantina and the entire beach area was mobbed with people and exotic race boats. Yesterday was a pleasant change from the large crowds. We had a nice leisurely lunch, leaving the Cantina a little after 2pm. The food was good, the location next to the river was great, and visiting with our buddies was as they say - priceless!

The patio area of the Bluewater Casino Cantina, next to the Colorado River.

From the Casino, we rode a little farther south into Parker, then across the Colorado River into California. Bob joked that since CA is so broke, we better watch out for Governor Gerry Brown, who might be around a corner soliciting money for the state coffers.

It's about 17 miles from Parker north to the Parker Dam that created Lake Havasu. This part of the Colorado River is called the "Parker Strip", and is a very popular boating destination during the hot summer months, and a snowbird roost during the winter. Our weather yesterday was almost perfect, with temps in the mid 70's, and a bright sunny, cloudless day. We stopped at the Parker Dam overlook, where I set my camera on Tweety Bird (Bob's bright yellow Goldwing), and took a picture of the four of us, with Lake Havasu in the background.

My sweatshirt has a picture of the building front of our old business, and it was the first custom logo that we had printed on T-shirts, and other apparel. We had several subsequent custom logos, but this first one was always my favorite.

We were back in Lake Havasu City around 4pm, where we waved adios to our pals. It was a nice ride with great friends, and a reminder of why we live here in the desert, at least during the winter months.