Travel in the age of Covid-19

I think we can all agree this has been a crazy year like none other in our history. We are both really happy that this year is just about over and we can move on. As this post is being written, the Pfizer vaccine is being shipped out to all 50 states and distribution will begin tomorrow. We look forward to the day when life becomes a bit more like what we knew in the “before-times”. When we can hug our family and friends, meet up with people for dinner or a happy hour out, bring the groceries home and not have to disinfect everything, stop wearing masks when we go anywhere, and so many other “normal” things we are all missing right now.

Joel and I spent the year like many of you…

We did get out for a short drive back in April…

Finally, after a lot of discussion about how long this would last and what our lives, and travel, would be like in the future, we made a big, huge, monumental, life-changing decision…

After many weeks making it a home we could live in, we finally hit the road. We loaded up our stuff and our 2 cats, then headed out for the open road. What is it like to travel with 2 cats in an RV, you ask? Well, let me tell you…we began by barreling down the freeway (I mean, if going 62 mph is considered barreling then that’s what we were doing) to the sweet sound of one cat purring in complete contentment on my lap…

…and the dulcet sound of our other cat screaming at the top of his lungs for us to slow down.

We decided to do a “shake down” run. A quick 2 night trip to a nearby destination to make sure everything works. We booked a spot in a campground at an Arizona State Park about 2 1/2 hours away near Lake Havasu. We’ve wanted to go there for quite awhile to see the London Bridge – I mean, it is so close, why not go?!

One thing we quickly learned is that RV travel time is very different than regular car travel time. So, if the GPS tells you it will take 2 1/2 hours, better plan for at least 4! We had heard about this crazy RV time warp so we left early and eventually made it to exotic Lake Havasu City, Arizona. According to the information in the visitor center, Lake Havasu is named for the Mohave word “Havasu”, which means “blue water”.

Lake Havasu City history: In 1963, Robert McCulloch, a wealthy businessman best known for McCulloch chainsaws, purchased 26 square miles of barren desert that became the site for Lake Havasu City. He intended the area to be developed as a retirement community but couldn’t attract prospective buyers because the land was so far from any other cities and had a very hot and arid climate.

“McCulloch’s real estate agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale and convinced McCulloch to buy it and bring it to the area to attract potential land buyers. The initial response from McCulloch was, “That’s the craziest idea I have ever heard,” but after consideration, he decided to go ahead and purchased it.” – Wikipedia

In 1968, McCulloch purchase the London Bridge for $2.46 million. He then spent another $4.5 million to have it dismantled, shipped and rebuilt in the Arizona desert.

“Ironically, it was reconstructed in a section of desert that literally connected dry ground to more dry ground – with no water in between. Contractors dug arched forms in the ground for the bridge in the sand, then reassembled the bridge. It wasn’t until after the bridge was rebuilt that engineers dug a canal beneath the arches that water actually flowed beneath it.” – AZ Wonders

“Today, that canal is known as the Bridgewater Channel and it’s considered a “hot spot” of activity at Lake Havasu. The waterway is lined with condos, resorts and shops accessible by boat or foot.” – AZ Wonders

After a exploring the bridge, visitor center and the Shoppes (without actually going into any shop because, well, covid…), we drove about 15 minutes south of the city to an Arizona State Park where we had reserved a spot at the campground.

This was a really nice park and a great campground for our first time in the RV. The campground had both electric and water hookups at each camping site, and a central dump station for all RVs. It was right on the beach and had several hiking trails that began right from the campground. We had site #3 (there were 61 total sites) which was about 50 yards from the beach.

We went hiking one morning, starting on this trail which ran right by the water, then moving on to a couple of other trails when we were further out. Here are some of the pictures we took along the way.

After two nights at the campground we headed home, going along a part of old route 66 that we had never explored. This part of Route 66 took us through Needles, California.

For now, we are planning to explore the US and Canada in our new little home on wheels. We don’t know where we are heading next but we are looking forward to many more adventures in the next few years.