THE Trip, THE Encore' :: Laughlin Nevada

 Copyright 2013, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Sister city to Bullhead City Arizona is Laughlin Nevada, a gamblin' town.  A smaller version of Las Vegas, lights, slot machines, a number of casinos up and down the strip, err, Colorado River.   Yes, they have some buffets and I did see a few signs for shows.  For the most part, Man and I don't partake, and for the most part, that is because we are so sensitive and allergic to smoke (SIGHHH).  There are at least 2 casinos that have non-smoking areas, trouble is, the smell still seems to waif in, and to get to the buffets, UGH.  We did wander into Harrah's, as we were able to find the back door, which is the entrance for us non-smoking types.  Man took a dollar, I took a dollar, we played the penny slots for about half hour and lost and left.  One night we did go to a buffet (seafood, as in fish, not he sees food - - ) so Man could overeat, errrr, indulge.  Other than that, we drove around the strip a few times, and that was that.

Below, a view of Laughlin, and the Colorado River in front, from Bullhead City.

There are water taxies/ferries that will take you up and down the river and across the river from Bullhead City to Laughlin.  You can actually leave your vehicle in Bullhead City, take the water ferry to Laughlin, gamble, eat, enjoy and return via ferry.  Total time for the ferry to cross the river, ohhhh, the ones I saw, about 1 minute, or less!  The ferry below is cruising up and down the river, I am going to guess that maybe they show tourists the Davis Dam.  As we were not interested, we did not investigate.

The cabana type structures are actually at campsites (boondocking sites).  We did not drive in, but,  believe these campsites are accessed via the Davis Camp Park.  We did see RVs parked there several times.  If those sites had power I would have been so tempted.  Beautiful!

Now, over in Laughlin if you drive south along the Colorado River, and the main strip of casinos you will eventually get to this large (LARGE!) hill, and up there, wayyyy up there is a boondocking area for RVs.  Lots of room up there!

This would be your view if you were camped up there!  Not bad eh??  I could handle that, eh??

You can see this motor home is using his solar panels.  We did not observe anyone using generators, nor did we stop to read the rules.  We DID enjoy the view and checking out the facilities.  There is also RV parking in almost every casino parking lot.  Some spots are just for parking, others are for staying all night.  There is also a campground with full facilities.  With all the campground choices over in Bullhead City, this really is a RVer's camping haven.

The Davis Dam from the Nevada side.  Actually, what you can see from this vantage point is the power plant portion of the dam.  You can read some of the facts about the dam here, as well as a photo from another vantage point, showing the earth and rockfill.

And, YES, there are lights in Laughlin at night! Yes, it is a parking area.  Pretty tho, isn't it??

Man and I visited Laughlin many years ago, when there were only about 3 to 5 casinos, and some of those were still under construction.  When we were there, the way to Bullhead City was a water ferry.  The bridge that is near the Davis Camp Park was built in 1987.  I do not remember if that bridge was there when we visited, but I don't think it was.  I do remember the water ferries tho.

You can find a brief history of Laughlin on this page.  The history of Laughlin and Bullhead City is  interesting and connected.  If you want the Vegas experience downsized, Laughlin is for you.   And, nearby there is Oatman.  There are petroglyphs, the most beautiful I have ever seen, just a short drive and a short easy hike.   If you visit the petroglyphs, you will be away from the glitter, glam and slot machines and gazing at the ancient ones drawings.  Really, it is an interesting area.

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