So now we are in the boats, my heart beat is about back to normal and our fearless leader Campbell Carl has arrived in Enen's 32 Schiada. The boats all came onto plane and we started heading north up the lake. The picture became very clear very quick that we might have come "underpowered" a little bit.. LOL These guys all dropped the sticks and set in at a nice cruising speed of 50 - 60 mph.. The mighty Volvo powered Whaler runs about 50 wide open.. Within minutes they were all dots on the horizon, but luckily the guy in the SleekCraft and Satellite Mike in his 240 hung back with us for pretty much the whole run.

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The lake at this point was about like Havasu, and I was kind of wondering how the lake could possibly get as rough as I have heard? Being a Parker guy we cruised for what felt like an eternity, and then we entered the basin. Basin is the wrong word to describe this area of the lake, I would refer to it more like the "gulf." Holy smokes, it opened up, and while the water was still perfectly smooth the picture became pretty clear how this could get nasty if the weather kicked up.

The farther we drove, the more amazing the scenery gets. Giant white sand dunes, mixed in with purple and brown rock formations, it was nothing short of breath taking. It was also way to far away to even attempt taking pictures of it with an I phone. Time kind of speeds up as you're cruising, so I really don't have a good idea of how long it took us to get to our first stop, I was so taken back by the scenery it didn't feel like very long at all.

We approached our first stop, which don't quote me on it, but I believe was Cottonwood.. The group had stopped and several people were taking a break eating snacks, jumping in the water etc.. We floated for 15-20 minutes (after we got there) and we picked up a couple more boats in the armada. Boat count is now somewhere around 15-16 boats?

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Once again the motors came to life and we were off for another very lengthy cruise, but the lake had narrowed back down a bit, and to say it again the scenery just keeps getting better. I might be mixing the names of the stops up but I think the next one was called Willow Beach (those names might be reversed).

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By now the giant lake had turned more into a river with giant mountainous sides.. I was told by someone that we were pretty close to the dam now. We had another float in the no wake zone, and it became apparent the water temps had changed considerably from the last stop. The water went from probably 80's down to 50's! It was also some of the clearest water I have ever boated in. You could look down 40-50' and see the bottom like you were looking through glass. I'm not sure if we picked up a few more boats here, or if we grabbed them all at the previous stop, but I was counting around 18 boats total now, and this was the first time we saw Steve Linder in his SR 22.

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We took a short boat ride up to the dam, and by short it's still probably longer then all of Parker strip, but we're speaking relatively compared to the rest of the miles we just covered. As soon as you come around the corner and you see the bridge, it's like something out of a movie. As you get closer and the bridge and the dam loom over you, it is nothing short of breath taking. Throughout the day we had seen more unbelievably beautiful things in this one boat trip then I have seen in my entire life on the water. When we started this adventure Carl had told me "I will let my lake speak for itself." Carl it did, and on this day I would concur with Tom, that it was one of the best boating trips of my life.

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After the dam, we went down a bit and hung out on a beach for awhile before heading back. The wind had kicked up and the basin was running 1-2's, with the occasional 2 1/2 - 3 mixed in. The mighty whaler crushed all in it's path and it was not a bad boat ride at all. Had it gone up another foot it would've been do-able, but certainly not pleasant.

Our night finished off with dropping the boat at Carl's place and intoxicated foolishness in Laughlin, that was worth every penny of the bar bills that were quickly stacking up.

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In summation, I'm bummed that I never did the Dam Runs in years past, and had I known what I was missing I would've done it in a heart beat. Carl, you're lake is something to be proud of, and I hope to run it again with you at some point before next years run. It's too pretty to not hit a couple of times of year. You're a great host, and I know I don't just speak for myself, but for everyone when I say thank you for putting this together, and your hospitality after we got off the water. It truly was one of the best days in boating for everyone in our group!

To everyone that made it out this year, it was a pleasure hanging out with you guys! Brian and Jen you guys made the night in Laughlin! Always a ton of laughs, and good times. I hope you keep that new DCB partyable!

For more pictures of the trip please see these threads..

http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/showthread.php?100513-28Eliminators-Damn-dam-run-pics

http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/showthread.php?100508-My-damn-dam-run-pics

http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/showthread.php?100353-Hammers-Damn-Dam-Run-Adventure



RD