THE NECESSARY JOURNEY
It’s an especially poignant moment given the events of
the previous night. Not that long after I flew into Las
Vegas to begin my journey, a gunman opened fire from
the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, targeting con-
certgoers below. Nearly 60 people were killed in that
massacre, another 546 wounded. That I’m drifting along
the river less than 12 hours after the fact seems somehow
insensitive and yet strangely appropriate. If there’s any
time to escape the real world, this just might be it.
My itinerary for the day spans the Colorado River
from Laughlin, Nevada, to Lake Havasu City, Arizona,
a 60-mile journey that I’ll be doing not by boat but Sea-
Doo personal watercraft. Launching from the beach
at Harrah’s Casino, I can’t help but marvel at the mini-
Vegas that lies upriver. Laughlin started in the 1940s as
little more than a motel and bar to serve workers con-
structing the Davis Dam, gold and silver miners, and
fishing enthusiasts. When the workers left in the 1950s,
the town withered in the desert heat until Las Vegas ca-
sino owner Don Laughlin took interest in 1964. By 1966,
the 14-story Riverside Resort had joined that originalmotel; others soon followed. Today, the
city attracts nearly 2 million visitors annu-
ally who casino-hop via water taxi and, when
they’re not dreaming of hitting it big, soak in
the area’s attractive mixture of sunshine,
low humidity, and beautiful scenery.
The first half-hour on the river is a re-
minder that we’re not alone in seeking es-
cape. Once lightly developed, river homes
now pack the Nevada shoreline, serving as
vacation getaways for countless California,
Nevada and Arizona residents looking to
trade metropolis mania for the river’s beauty. When
I first visited this area over two decades ago, a fewer
number of homes were far more ramshackle in ap-
pearance. Today, they’re upscale modern-chic, with
designer landscaping and toys in abundance. Still, the
occasional reality check awaits. Below Laughlin, the
abandoned hulk of the unfinished Emerald Bay Resort
comes into view, still wasting away 25 years after a
boom period went bust.READY FOR ADVENTURE
Beyond Laughlin, development eventually gives way to
the desert, and the solitude and raw beauty of the natural
landscape return. Make no mistake, it’s desolate. Espe-
cially in fall, little other boat trac is found on the water,
and there’s no such thing as a gas stop or place to grab
food and drink. Cellphone reception is spotty at best,
meaning you’re pretty much on your own. (I suggest
packing a personal locator beacon and, in quiet seasons,
possibly even a sat phone.) That adds to the appeal of the
trip, but it also adds to the need to take it seriously.While the
Colorado
River can
seem wild
and remote
in many
places, we
started our
journey from
the beach
at Harrah’s
Casino, part
of the mini-
Las Vegas
in the city of
Laughlin that
resides along
the river’s
banks. The
casinos stand
out from
the desert
landscape.IT’S A DESOLATE NO-MAN’S LAND AND YET,
AT THE SAME TIME, ONE OF THE MOST TRULY
AWE-INSPIRING PLACES I’VE EVER VISITED.
AND RIGHT NOW, AS I FLOAT PEACEFULLY WITH
THE RIV ER’S CURRENT, SURROUNDED BY THIS
MAGNIFICENT BACKDROP, I CAN THINK OF NO
PLACE I’D RATHER BE.
PHOTOS: COURTESY SEA-DOO76 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MAY 2018