from a speech given by Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes to the Lake Havasu City Historical Society in 2005
Boating Lake Havasu to school
Teenager's boating commute to high school
When the Johnson family first moved to Havasu
their oldest daughter, Lynn, had just graduated mid-term from high
school and was heading off to college in the coming fall. Their
youngest daughter, Bobbi, was in eighth grade. For the remainder
of that school year Lynn and her mother, Caroline, drove Bobbi each day
over the 8 mile dirt road, to the elementary school in Parker Dam.
The 12 mile drive took 20 – 30 minutes one way. They’d heard that
a previous owner of the park had sent their young child off to
elementary school alone each day on a small motorbike.
When Lynn went off to
college Bobbi’s father, Walt, began driving Bobbi to Parker Dam each
day. There she caught the bus and headed to Parker, Arizona.
It was about 28 miles from Parker Arizona to the park. The total
drive took over an hour one way. It was a burden for Walt, who was
forced to interrupt his work twice a day to transport Bobbi to the bus
stop. Meanwhile, in Lake Havasu City, high schoolers were being
bussed to Kingman, Arizona.
The next year, in 1969,
Lake Havasu High School opened its doors. Bobbi transferred to Lake
Havasu City, and Walt began boating her to the city each day. That
lasted about a week, when Bobbi took over. She began boating to
and from Lake Havasu City each day, which took about 30 minutes one way.
In those days the lake
was relatively empty during the winter months. On one occasion,
while going home alone in her boat, the Red Baron, the small craft began
to sink. Bobbi made it to Pilot Rock, beached the boat and then
hitched a ride back to the park with some fishermen.
The local newspaper ran a
feature article on the high school student, and her
unusual commute across the lake each day. Upper black and white photo
from the article.
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