McCulloch chainsaws, Lake Havasu and the London Bridge

Lake Havasu City in Arizona, the houseboat paradise of the United States, is worth seeing. The town is located at approximately 217 miles north west from Phoenix and 140 miles south of Las Vegas. Route 68 between Las Vegas and Lake Havasu City in the desert is a very pleasant journey. The scenery is breathtaking between Laughlin and Kingman; and the London Bridge is the major tourist attraction. In fact, the most popular destination In Arizona, after the Grand Canyon is the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City.

This bridge holds the record in the Guinness book for the biggest antique sold in the world. The story of the bridge begins in the early sixties with the owner/founder of the McCulloch Chainsaw Company. One day he decided to create a city in the West of Arizona after flying over the site. Since money was no object, Mr. McCulloch decided to hire Mr. Wood, the designer of Disneyland, to draw plans for the city. It would be located in the middle of the Arizona desert bordering Lake Havasu, a reservoir on the Colorado River.



The city was then built according to Mr. Wood’s plans: it is elegant, refined and very well located. People from everywhere rushed to get established there. In 1967, due to the escalating population, its development required the construction of a bridge.

In England, at the same time, the famous London Bridge, erected in 1830 on Thames River, became inadequate for the traffic flow. Londoners then decided to put the London Bridge on the market. Mr. Wood convinced Mr. McCulloch to purchase it!!! 2.4 million dollars later, as the bridge was taken apart, each historic block of granite was numbered to aid reassembly, and ended up on a boat headed for California. Arriving in California, the 10,000 ton bridge was transported by truck to Lake Havasu City. Like a giant puzzle, it took three years to rebuild the bridge. In 1976, a crowd of 100,000 people attended its opening to the sound of an elaborate marching band.

Needless to say the town is adorable, especially since Mr. Wood added an English Village on the shores of the Colorado River with British style pubs, small charming shops and nice little alleys. You really think you are in London. He even found a clock that reproduces the sound of Big Ben. Lake Havasu City is a gem hidden between the splendid Mohave and Sonoran Deserts.

For recreational vehicles, the ISLANDER RV RESORT is a must. For reservations 1-928-680-2000.