3rd Annual Laughlin River of Lights Holiday Boat Parade

The third annual Laughlin River of Lights Holiday Boat Parade was held Saturday night, November 27th. The parade started at the Bullhead Community Park in Bullhead, Arizona and went down to Davis Camp. This year, a small display of, fireworks were added to the beginning and end of the parade. There was holiday music along the Riverwalk and volunteers collecting toys and food and handing out ballets for the people's choice award.
This being my first time, I thought it would be a good advantage point down by the end of the race. I was wrong. Since most of the festivities were down at the other end, the boats seemed to travel a bit faster down at my end, plus I couldn't hear the music, which would have been a great benefit to the festivities. I did, however, get an opportunity to talk to some really great people. So, the photos may not be the best, but it was still a good time.

30 Day Challenge - Day 30

Well today is Day 30 and the last day of the Challenge. I wasn't sure if I was going to get the photo that I had envisioned for the last couple of weeks. But after 147 miles, soaking wet rain and clothing, cold temperatures, and glummy clouds, it cleared just at the right moment.
Due to my travels taking me to higher elevations the temperature dropped 25 degrees in less then 30 minutes. I really didn't think that the photo was going to happen so I stood in the rain to get a drab landscape shot, so as to have something to post for day 30.
When I hit my destination, the clouds parted and the sun shown bright. This photo was taken 20 minutes before sun down in Valentine, Arizona.
I would like to thank you all for viewing and for your support in this project that I started 30 days ago. I hope you have all enjoyed it.
If you need any Christmas gift ideas, please feel free to contact me. All photos are available for purchase. www.tracyyoungphotography@gmail.com

30 Day Challenge - Day 29

Today's photo is from Oatman, Arizona. I was going to head off to a different location today, but I was looking at the last 28 days and I realized there really wasn't a photo from Oatman. Oatman is such a great little town. I knew that it had to be included in the Challenge.
The Town of Oatman was founded back around 1906. It was used as a mining tent camp during the gold rush. Over $36 Million dollars in gold was found in Oatman by 1931. 1921 a fire burned down most of the town and then three years later the mining company shut down operations. Route 66 runs right through Oatman and there are many small businesses in town. There are four gunfighter shows done daily in the middle of the street. Route 66 is actually shut town for about 5-10 mins for each show.
The big attraction is the group of wild burros that visit the town everyday. It is said that they are decedents of the original burros brought here durn the mining era.
Today's photo is of one of this years babies in front of the Old Time Photo store.
For more info on Oatman, Arizon you can check out their website: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-oatman.html

30 Day Challenge - Day 28

For today's post I traveled to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Lake Havasu City is the home of the London Bridge. Which is the subject of Day 28.
The land for Lake Havasu City was purchased in August of 1963 by Robert McCulloch Sr. and was incorporated in 1978. In 1975 the population was 15,500 and presently there are over 55,000 people residing in Lake Havasu City.
The London Bridge was purchased by Robert McCulloch Sr. in 1968 and was opened in 1971. As the bridge was dismantled, each piece was marked so that each of the 10,276 pieces could be reconstructed the same when it arrived in Lake Havasu City. The bridge traveled 7,000 miles by cargo vessel and cost over $5 Million. The London Bridge is the second largest tourist attraction in Arizona, next to the Grand Canyon.
You can learn more about Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge by visiting the following website: http://www.golakehavasu.com
The Bridge and the City is so beautiful day or night and next week they are starting the Festival of Lights. November 26 - January 1, 2011 They are also having their 28th Annual Boat Parade of Lights on December 3 - 4. I plan on attending these events and look forward to sharing it with you.

30 Day Challenge - Day 27

Today's photo was taken at the local, public, boat landing. The boat landing is located next to the Riverside Casino on Casino Drive.
This photo is a combination of two photos. One of the tree and the other of the sky. The images were overlayed in Photoshop.
There are thousands of different species of Palm Trees, but there are two basic types, Northern and Southern Palms. Once Palm Trees are established they are relatively maintenance free and are not usually bothered by insects or disease.

30 Day Challenge - Day 26

Today's photo was taken at Moonrise on Boundary Cone Road in Arizona. This road connects Golden Shores, Arizona to Oatman Arizona. The Boundary Cone Road has lots of turns, hills and dips. There are mountains all around you and lots of Cacti. One of the dominant species is the Cholla Cactus.
I was first introduced to the Cholla Cactus on my first visit to Oatman, Arizona. There is a shop there that makes beautiful candles with the Cholla Cactus. You can check them out on their website: http://www.main-st-emporium.com/candles.htm
They are so beautiful and very unique. Since that visit, we notice them everywhere we go, but on Boundary Cone Road, there are a large amount of them. From what I have found, thus far, they bloom in March and April. I look forward to seeing them in bloom and this is the road to view them on.

30 Day Challenge - Day 25

Today's photo was taken at dusk at the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam boarders Arizona and Nevada and took five years to construct, from 1931-1936, and was dedicated by Franklin Roosevelt on September 30, 1935. The Dam cost over $49 Million to build and is 1,244 feet long and 726 feet height. Over 100 people died durn the construction of the bridge.
The Dams generators provides power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California.
Nearly a million people visit the Dam every year and the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge was opened October 19, 2010.
I drove across the bridge today. For the symbolism of it all. The walls are so tall that you cannot see anything below it, but there is a walking path that you can take to view the area. The intakes in this photo are the Arizona intakes.

30 Day Challenge - Day 24

Today's photo is another night shot, taken in Fort Mohave along the Colorado River. I stuck with the Lensbaby again tonight. I had another location in mind for today's photo, but the day just got away from us. The river is just so beautiful no mater the location or time of the day.
The Colorado River runs thru seven states. They are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Before any of the Dam's were built, the Colorado River flowed along 1,450 miles thru the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California. For 12 million years the Colorado carved out the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon and other places along its path. There are, now, 20 dams that have been built along the Colorado River.

30 Day Challenge - Day 23

Day 23 is a night photo that was taken here in Laughlin down on the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk runs along, you guessed it, the River. It starts at the Riverside Casino and goes all the way down to the River Palms. It is a beautiful walk and we have walked it many times. There is so much to see. There are birds, ducks, raccoons, skunks, flowers, water craft, and lots of people. My favorite time to be on the Riverwalk is late at night. It is so peaceful and all you can hear is the water and the wind.
This photo was taken along a stretch of the walk that is lined with these lamp posts. It has been a spot that I have wanted to photograph since we visited last February. This wasn't the shot I envisioned when I got there, but I really liked it best. This photo was taken with the Lensbaby lens. I did adjust the saturation of the yellow and green to give it an effect.
A gentleman walked by while I was photographing and he told me that in a few weeks, when they decorate for Christmas, the lamp posts will be different colors. I will make sure to post that.

30 Day Challenge - Day 22

Today we visited California Adventures. It is located right across from Disneyland and let me tell you; it is a lot of fun. We got to spend about six hours there today. We rode some rides, had some lunch, and viewed the sites. It was a very enjoyable day. Today's photo was taken at the garden on the way into A Bug's Life. Being from Maine, it seems so weird to see beautiful flowers in November. The day was so warm and bright and I think this flower represents that.

30 Day Challenge - Day 21

Day 21's post was taken at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This was my first time there. It is a bit different then Disney World in Orlando, but Disney still does it right. It really is the Happiest Place on Earth. November 12th was the first day of their Holiday Celebration that runs thru January 2nd. The Christmas Tree was up, lights, wreaths, and lots of Holiday Cheer. I choose this picture, because the Castle is one of the first things I visit and one of the last I see before I leave. It, for me, symbolizes Disney and at night, you just cannot beat it.

30 Day Challenge - Day 20

Today's photo was actually taken back on November 4th, Day 13. It was decided on November 4th that the photo of the day would be taken at Big Bend Recreational Area. On the way home from the shoot, I was scouting out a location for today's photo. I ended up taking a few shoots and it was decided that, that was the location that I would return to when I decided to use this location as my photo of the day.
Well today was the day, but the elements were much more beautiful on the 4th, so I am posting that picture for Day 20.
Today's photo is a bit of Laughlin History and it was difficult to find out any info on it, but this is what I found.
This photo is of the "Lost Casino". The Emerald River Casino Hotel was part of the Emerald River Resort project started back in 1989. It was suppose to be a 4,000, or more, room hotel and casino complex surrounded by a golf course and condo village. It was reported that the project was financed with junk bonds and abandoned before completion in 1991. The Golf Course, however, was completed, but closed in June of 2005. This is what remains of the Emerald River Casino Hotel.
This photo was taken on one of the greens of the Emerald River Golf Course. The course has been abandon since 2005, but the land is still so beautiful. We set out there for over an hour waiting for the sun to set. It was so peaceful and easy to envision the course back in its time.

30 Day Challenge - Day 19

Today we spent the day at Keeper's of The Wild Nature Park, in Valentine, Arizona, off of Historic Route 66. The Nature Park is home to over 150 exotic animals. Keeper's is a non-profit, non-breeding rescue facility. There are Lions, Tigers, Cougars, Panthers, Leopards, Wolves, many different breeds of Monkeys, Birds and so much more. They offer four guided tours, six days a week that last about 1.5 hours. Keeper's has a wonderful website with the photo's and the stories of the animals. There is also a Learning Center that has some great, fun learning, for kids and for adults. Check out their website: http://www.keepersofthewild.org

30 Day Challenge - Day 18

Today's photo is a panoramic view taken from a look out just after you enter the Lake Mead National Recreational Area. On the left hand side you can see the bridge that crosses the River right before the Davis Dam.
The Davis Dam was completed in 1953 and cost around $67 million to complete. Its main purpose was to help regulate the Hoover Dam releases. The Davis Dam Power plant generates 1 to 2 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
This photo, consists of three photos stitched together in Photoshop. It was cropped and the levels adjusted a bit to accent the tones.

30 Day Challenge - Day 17

Today we have another night photo from Laughlin. This photo is taken from across the Colorado River of Casino Drive. The casino on the far right is the Riverside Casino that was the first casino, restaurant, and hotel built in 1966 after Vegas casino owner, Don Laughlin, purchased the land in 1964. At that time the City of Laughlin was called South Pointe. At the time, the Riverside, consisted of 4 motel rooms, available to the public, an all you can eat chicken dinner, 12 slot machines, and two gaming tables. Today the Riverside Resort now has over 1,400 rooms, two swimming pools, at least eight restaurants, 34 lane bowling alley, 6 screen movie theater, Classic Car Museum, over 8,000 feet of Casino floor, night clubs, and so much more.
Since 1964, when Mr. Laughlin purchased the land and started the development of the City of Laughlin, it has become a very popular area for "Snow Birds" and "River Riders". Today there are 12 Casinos and 9 are right along this strip to the left of the Riverside and one casino across the road. The City lights are amazing from any angle of the town.

30 Day Challenge - Day 16

Day 16th photo is another night photo. There is a beautiful business park across the road from where we live. Decided to go over and check it out at night. It is the South Pointe Professional Park here in Laughlin. There are many types of professional businesses in this park. There are two fountains and lots of palm trees and plants. It is a very peaceful park and very welcoming.
This photo was taken from the second floor looking down on the main court yard.

30 Day Challenge - Day 15

Well we are half way through my 30 Day Challenge.
Today's post is from Lake Mead National Recreational Area. The LMNRA covers 177 miles of the Colorado River. The lake you see in the photo is Lake Mohave. The day was wonderful with highs in the 80's, the water temp was fairly cool, but we still went swimming. The ducks in the photo showed up as soon as we set up our site, begging for food. They were so much fun to watch and were very entertaining.
The park has lots to do. There is camping, boating, swimming, hiking, and lots of off road riding. Davis Dam is on the way into the park as well. The road is closed to cross the Dam, but you can still walk out and view it. It is more then worth the walk.
You can see more about this beautiful recreational are at: http://www.desertusa.com/colorado/lm_nra/lake_mohave/du_lkmojave.html

30 Day Challenge - Day 14

Today we went to Fort Mohave. We spent some time on the beach even got a bit of color. Did not go swimming but we got our feet wet. The water was so warm and it felt good to have my feet in the sand. After we left the beach we drove through town and saw some Quail and lots of other birds. As we were heading home we saw them harvesting the cotton. We stopped and watched them for awhile. The cotton is bailed in huge bales. The bales are approximately 10*10*50. You can see one on the left-hand side of the photo. The machines kicked up a lot of dust. That is what you can see in the back. They bring the bales out to the road and line them up. I assume they have them trucked out to be processed. The unharvested cotton starts with a round bud; that as it opens it reveals around four "cotton balls". There is little to no smell to the unharvested cotton and the texture feels just like cotton you buy at the store. There is, however, a seed in the middle of the each of the "cotton balls". The bushes grow to be about 3 feet high and is brown in color at harvest time.

30 Day Challenge - Day 13

Today's photo was taken here, in Laughlin, Nevada, at Big Bend Conservation Area. It is adjacent to the Big Bend State Recreation Area. The State Recreation Area has Camping, Picnicking, Boat Launch, Hiking, and you can use it on a day use pass as well. Here is a website for the Rec Area. http://parks.nv.gov/bb.htm
The Conservation Area is an area in development. It was just opened in the fall of 2009. It has some interesting plant life and there are many birds. We even saw a Heron land on a post in the back part of the area.
I decided to convert the photo to a Black and White in Photoshop. I thought that it better showed the way the park felt to me.

30 Day Challenge - Day 12

Today's photo was taken along the walls that boarder where I live. There are a bunch of flowers this same color, orange, peach and white. They grow right along the wall. I removed the color from the photo in Photoshop and did a slight crop.

30 Day Challenge - Day 11

Today we took a trip across Christmas Tree Pass. It is a scenic drive just outside of Laughlin, just off Highway 163. It connects to US Highway 93 just outside of Searchlight, Nevada. It is about 15 miles across and it is a bit of a rough ride, but there is some beautiful sites to see. We went later in the day so the sun was setting when I took this picture. I did an HDR, to get the tonal differents, with the setting sun. Total of three shots, one stop difference.

30 Day Challenge - Day 10

Happy November 1st everyone. Can you believe October is already gone? Christmas will be here before you know it.
Today's post is taken right at home. I drive by this hydrant everyday and have been thinking, "I should photograph that". So tonight I got out the tripod and walked down the hill to this spot. I did some processing in Photoshop. Adjusted saturation and a slight crop. Enjoy.

30 Day Challenge - Day 9

Well Happy Halloween Everyone. I hope every one's Halloween was safe yet still fun. We went to see a Kiss Tribute Band called the Kiss Army. I highly recommend them. They were great. http://www.thekissarmytribute.com
Really gave a great show at the Riverside Casino today.
This evening brought out some ghouls and goblins and we went out to see what kind of things were going on. Today's post, obviously, has some Photoshop and the frame and lettering is from a program called PicNic. I felt that there had to be something Halloween related for today. Enjoy and thanks for viewing.