I spent many a long summer holiday on the Colorado River — camping, boating and fishing along California’s east coast. It’s one of my favorite places, and where I’m taking you this month. In just two hours, you can be swimming in the river’s cool waters and in Lake Havasu — and getting there is a fun lesson in history, too!

For the next 70 miles, I cruise along Route 177 through beautiful valleys between the Chuckwalla Mountains. The road becomes Highway 62 and eventually reaches Vidal Junction. You’ll find a 24-hour gas station and a small convenience store here. Make a right and you’ll reach Blythe in about 45 miles. The tiny ghost town of Vidal houses the only known permanent residence of Wyatt Earp and his wife Josie, where the couple lived in the 1920s. Legend has it that Wyatt had a couple of gold mine claims in the nearby Whipple Mountains where he worked for the years leading up to his death in 1929.

I head east on Interstate 10 toward the Desert Center exit — about 60 miles from Palm Desert — and make a left. (You won’t reach another gas station for 70 miles past Chiriaco Summit, so be sure to fuel up here. It’s also a great place to grab a bite and visit the General Patton Memorial Museum.) Desert Center’s only service is a working post office, but cool history abounds here and the old buildings are worth checking out. This spot’s claim to fame is that it’s where Kaiser Permanente started in the 1930s; Henry Kaiser was building an aqueduct nearby and withheld a nickel a day from his workers’ pay to cover their medical costs.

Farther down Highway 95, past several RV and camping resorts and about 15 miles north of the I-10, are the Blythe Intaglios. These large geoglyphs were created by scraping away the darker rocks, creating pictographs in the lighter dirt underneath, and are best seen from the air due to their size. They’re thought to be about 1,000 years old, but no one seems to know who made them, or why. (Many believe that it was most likely Native Americans who lived along the river.) Among the several dozen figures, the largest — depicting a man — measures 171 feet long. There isn’t much else in Blythe, save for river access and a few diners — Steaks ’n Cakes gets my vote.

I’ve have a few favorite eats in town I return to: River Willow Steak House inside the casino never disappoints, and Crossroads Café is the spot for home-style cooking. If you’re missing California and its Mexican cuisine, try El Sarape. Grab dessert from Stark Family Bakery — and try a homemade doughnut.

I continue on Highway 62 into Parker, Arizona. This small town of about 3,000 people is the easiest and most affordable place to get your feet wet. Featuring 16 miles of river between Parker Dam and Headgate Rock Dam, it’s best known for watersports. Several hotels and campgrounds and RV parks line the shore. I usually stay at the BlueWater Resort and Casino, where every room has a balcony view of the river and mountains. It’s also got a marina, a movie theater, miniature golf, a beach bar and a fun indoor pool with a waterslide. Watercraft rentals can be found all along the river.

It’s a beautiful drive beside these Whipple Mountains, and cool to cross the Parker Dam — at 320 feet below the riverbed, it’s the deepest dam in the world. Turning hydroelectricity and controlling Lake Havasu, the dam was built between 1934 and 1938. Lake water is pumped over the mountains and then makes its way west and all the way to L.A. (That’s pretty impressive when you think about it!) In the afternoon, I head along the river on the California side up the Parker Dam scenic byway — it’s about 20 miles up to the dam, but watch out for wild burros, which the miners left behind and have taken over the area on this side! They’re friendly creatures, and will walk right up to your car to say hello and ask for food.

Heading back south and into Parker, I pass what’s called The Strip, lined with legendary floating bars and restaurants, many worth stopping for a drink. The Roadrunner, Fox’s and Sundance are all classics, where photos on the walls tell the story of nonstop parties on flashy boats over decades past. When I want a mellow vibe, I pop into the Thirsty Pirate Bar & Grill for the chill ambiance and a steak.

A little dose of culture and history can be found at the Colorado River Indian Tribes Museum. Small in size, it’s filled with lots of cool artifacts, informative displays and local crafts for purchase. A new discovery I make today is the Desert Bar. It’s oddly open only from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends in October through April, but the 5-mile dirt road to get to this cash-only spot is worth the visit. It’s nestled in a canyon at the site of an old mine.

Trucking north on the 95, about 30 miles past Parker and the dam, I’m now reaching Lake Havasu City — one of the Colorado River’s most popular lakes. This trek serves up some great views, as well as Cattail Cove State Park, featuring a nice beach and place to camp. The Arizona side has 87 shoreline campsites accessible only by boat.

Lake Havasu City — with a population of 52,000, it’s pretty big — is best known for the London Bridge, which spanned the River Thames from 1831 until it was dismantled in 1967. It arrived here, brick by brick, after the city’s founder, Robert McCulloch, purchased it as a tourist attraction. Below the bridge along the channel, you’ll often find partygoers on the beach watching the boats cruise by. During the week when it’s more quiet, it’s the perfect place to stand-up paddleboard.

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Lake Havasu: Nice beaches, awesome camping