Chasing away the winter blues

I love Washington. We have it all here. Beautiful mountains, clear lakes, rivers and streams, saltwater beaches, lush forests, eastside deserts, great fishing and hunting, boating, skiing, hiking, and the list goes on.

We can also have rainy, cold, depressing winters. Sure, not as bad as our less fortunate brethren in other parts of the country, but dreary and depressing nevertheless. That’s why I’m writing this in 70-degree sunshine in Arizona.

Hey, I’m no traitor, but I decided to see what this snowbird thing is about.

Can there be a place where the sun shines virtually every day, temps hovering around 70 degrees, and you can actually see the stars every night? Yes, there is! I can’t believe this.

I look at the national weather reports on TV and actually feel guilty. Almost. It seems you don’t have to go to Hawaii, the Bahamas, or places like that to escape.

I had decided to investigate Lake Havasu City, a clean little town of less than 50,000 located on the west border of Arizona. Located on the east shore of Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City is home to the original London Bridge.

Robert P. McCulloch Sr. purchased London Bridge for $2.46 million from the city of London in 1968, as part of his plan to found a city on 26 square miles of land he had purchased. He moved the London Bridge to Lake Havasu piece by piece, and the bridge was completed on Oct. 10, 1971.

It is a major attraction to visitors in the area. McCulloch established a test site for his outboard engines and moved McCulloch Chain Saw from Los Angeles, Calif. to Lake Havasu City. From its beginning in 1964, Lake Havasu City has grown steadily.

The 45-mile-long lake is created by Parker Dam on the Colorado River. The lake offers good fishing, with striped bass, or “stripers,” being the most sought after fish. I have been catching my share of these abundant, good-eating, firm-fleshed fish, which average two to six pounds. Also available are largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, sunfish, and a few crappie.

This all combines to make a great place to dodge the winter blahs. Would I live here?

Nope. Home is where the heart is, and Washington is my home. Like I said before, we have it all.

I’ll be back.

Jim Bowman is a frequent contributor to The Enterprise Newspapers. Questions and comments may be sent via e-mail to entsports@ heraldnet.com, by fax to 425-774-8622 or by mail to: Sports editor, The Enterprise, 4303 198th St. SW., Lynnwood, WA 98036.