There’s plenty to see and do in Lake Havasu City, even during the summer months. The lake of course is a catalyst for many, but even if a person doesn’t have a watercraft, there are other activities to escape the heat. I like to cruise through town looking at how some folks landscaped their yards. There are many highly creative people in Havasu.
I’ve seen metal dinosaurs, humongous stone turtles, and one of my favorites, an authentic-looking gold mine complete with oar car and rails. Some day I’d like to replicate that one. Our place pales in comparison, with a phony steel saguaro, barrel cactus, ‘California Gold’ gravel, some river rock, and last time I checked, a plastic Snapple bottle blown in during the last wind. I keep saying I’ll pick it up but…
Quite often, Joleen and I drive out of town for “day trips” as we call them. We generally either head to Needles or Kingman. I’ve been told for several years now, that a well-kept secret in Kingman, is the Airport Café. Our city has plenty of good eateries, and we patronize them quite often.
Every once in a while it’s good to escape Dodge for a change of scenery. The person telling me about this particular café in Kingman says there’s nothing like it in Havasu. Regardless, they also said that on occasion, they journey to our city or Las Vegas just to eat. Variety is good!
Driving through wind and dust on Tuesday, we stopped by Kingman Regional Cancer Center first to drop off a dozen donuts for the chemo lab. We try to do that whenever we head that direction. Others that we’ve met there do the same. After leaving the large box of pastries behind, it was time for a good hot breakfast.
Airport Café is located inside the rustic Kingman Airport terminal. There are photos everywhere on the walls and on a display counter, showing what it was like during WWII, when this location was an Army Air Corp training base. The old control tower still remains, and I’d pay a few bucks just to climb up there. I didn’t see any signs indicating that doing so was possible. Perhaps, some day that’ll happen as a money raiser for the Kingman aviation foundation. I’m into history, so viewing these relics from 80 years ago was an added treat to the meal.
Just outside the restaurant window sat a huge Sikorsky, now called Erickson, S64E Skycrane helicopter, used in hauling heavy loads or fighting forest fires. While dining on a scrumptious ‘Sausage Scrambler’ breakfast, I watched as mechanics methodically went over the huge bird. Joleen observed the same while enjoying her ‘Waist Gunner’ Omelet. Most all of the café menu items are identified with Army Air Corp terminology, while mine wasn’t. Our coffee mugs were huge with the attentive server keeping them filled.
After eating, I walked outside to take some up-close photos of that copter, bumping into the pilot at the same time. An interesting fellow, he told me that the biggest problem in fighting fires in the Kingman area was finding large water sources close by. With two, 4500 horsepower turbine engines burning 528 gallons of Jet-A fuel an hour, the helicopter can carry 25,000 pounds, or 2,650 gallons of water or fire retardant.
I’ve seen that insect looking machine flying over Havasu, so I’d imagine it was here to suck up lake water with a giant straw. Asking this gentleman if he’d be taking off soon, with the man glancing towards the Hualapai mountains right afterwards, he replied, “Only if there’s a fire.”
Kingman Regional Airport is also an airliner boneyard. There are hundreds of huge jets parked throughout the tarmac from all different airlines. Many are mothballed to be used again, while others are strictly there for parts. After WWII, the airport became home to thousands of useless Army Air Corp bombers and fighters. Sadly, B-17s, B-24s, P-38s, and other noteworthy warbirds were eventually chopped up and sold for scrap. Black & white photos of these idle aircraft are inside the cafe. With a few sold to civilians, not many flying examples still remain.
Getting back to our breakfast, I have to say it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. Joleen echoes the same. The place was quite busy, and of course, one has to be patient under these circumstances, yet there’s enough to see while sitting, that it was an enjoyable wait. The quality of food along with proportions was well worth the time!
As we slowly drove back to the main highway leading us in to Kingman Airport, on old Route 66, a still colorful Golden Corral sign was spotted by my wife sitting in a pile at a metal scrapyard. Quickly turning round, I parked next to the recycling facility in a dirt parking lot for a quick photo. As things tend to always go, at least for me they do, an employee watching me do such screamed out, “You’re blocking traffic!”
Glancing around and seeing no other moving cars or trucks anywhere in sight, I could only smile and wave, yelling back to him that I’d only be a minute. No more than 60 seconds passed before we were once again on the road. I have to assume this guy had a bad night.
It’s sad to see Golden Corral in Kingman close. People lost jobs and that’s always a hard pill to swallow. I hear the reason they shut down was an increase in building lease. That happens quite often whenever a new building owner comes along. Airport Café has been in business for a long time, and that tells me they’re doing something right.
Somewhere in the near future, when we deem it time to take another day trip to Kingman, we’ll be stopping by for lunch this time. A Philly cheesesteak sandwich sounds good. Perhaps, after sitting down at the table, we’ll get to see that helicopter fly. Then again, maybe that’s not a good thing after all!
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