Winter Visitors or Snowbirds, as we call them, are here for six months a year. Unlike the Summer visitor, the Snowbird is not in a hurry. The only complaints that locals have about Snowbirds is their driving habits. I wish I had a dollar for every RV that I've had to follow on highway 95 [that was holding up traffic] while it cruised at 50 miles per hour... The driver, oblivious to the line of cars behind him. When not on the road, they can be found at the local buffets and at Wal-Mart. Most of their activities do not include the lake.

Spring Breakers come en mass during the six week period in late winter. To the locals, it is a changing of the guard. The Snowbirds begin to leave the area replaced by wild kids . Walgreens does a brisk business in case lot beer sales. Taco Bell imports workers from Kingman. The cops gear up too. The action hot spots include the Crazyhorse campground and the local bars that cater to the 'younger' set. Locals lock their teenage daughters up after dark with spring breakers in town. Litter is strewn about downtown...

Summer Visitors come from Southern California mostly. We refer to them as 'Boat People'. Most are respectable well mannered and out for a good time. All of 'em in a hurry to get on the lake. Some of the 'Boat People' are extremely aggressive and do not respect the rights of others on [or off] the water. Locals keep off the lake during Holiday Weekends. Merchants love the boat people because they have lots of money to blow. Locals are regarded as hicks...

MORE ABOUT OUR VISITORS: Our tourist bureau loves you, the restaurants love you, the motels love you, the hospitality business' around Highway 95 love you, the merchants out on the island love you too. You do not realize that they charge only you to park at English Village. Locals pay nothing.... You also pay to park at Rotary Park too... As for me, I think that you shouldn't have to pay for parking to visit English Village. You should complain. Lake Havasu City is a 'Wal-Mart' type of town. Most of the locals make $13 or less an hour, Wal-Mart and K-Mart are the only choices. [ All of rural Arizona is like this].

I guess that I shouldn't be too hard on the local merchants and hospitality business here, after all, they are upset at the thought of a bridge going over to the modest settlement of Havasu Lake on the California side of the lake. The Indians over there want to expand their small casino into a hotel/casino complex [same as what the Indians have down at Parker and up at Ft Mohave]. They say how it's going to hurt the town and all... I say build the bridge and give the Indians a shot at your money too...

I see that both the tourist bureau and our local business interests will not like what I've said about you as our honored guests -or- some of the business practices used on you. Don't blame them. They see dollar signs when you drive into town. Tourism is our main business!!

Bad as they are, the real Ripoff Artists are the Casinos both down river and up river from us. The Casinos are very efficent at seperating your money from you. If you must go -- let me give you a little tip. The only machine that pays 100 percent is the Change Machine. Everything else pays less...

Enjoy your stay here. You are most welcome when you treat our home as your own home. Please don't leave your litter behind [we pick up tons of your trash from the river after every holiday weekend]. Give the local's a break - don't be so damned aggressive both on and off the lake. Thanks.