I got an unexpected call from a church friend. He had explained he won a weekend to Laughlin. In the past, I had pet sat his cat while they traveled so I figured he was going to ask if I was available to pet sit again. Well, I was wrong. He continued to explain that he and his wife weren’t going to be able to make it. He asked if I would be interested and available to use it. I was so shocked and grateful! Of course I said yes and thanked him a bunch. I was in disbelief of what was happening.

I dropped by their house to grab the gift certificate and catch up with them. They said I was the first one in their minds when they couldn’t use it. I felt so loved when they said that.

When the time came to go on the trip, we packed the car full of floaties, an ice chest and overnight bags. We hit the road alternating between listening to true crime podcasts and music.

It was such a fun trip! Neither me nor my friend had been to Laughlin before. We explored around the hotels, drove around the town and talked to some locals for the best tips on beaches.

We spoke to a wonderful guy named Mick who worked at Watercraft Adventures. He explained that they rent jet skis and even offer a private beach with cabanas. He also told us about goats we had seen on an island on the river. He said that the owner of a hotel lives in the penthouse of one of the hotels on the Laughlin strip. His name is Don Laughlin. He used to have a farm and really missed having animals. So, his solution was putting some goats on the island. He can see them from his suite. They are well taken care of and live a luxurious life.

The next day, we packed up the car and drove straight over to book a jet ski and cabana for the day. We were the only ones there for the majority of our time on the private beach. We tied off our floaties to a brick and chilled in the water. When we were done in the water, we learned about the jet ski and off we went. It was a blast! I had never been on a jet ski before.

We even found the labyrinths and did a nice meditation walk through them. They were magical at sunset.

We were finished exploring the Laughlin area, so we drove over to Kingman. It has a beautiful welcome sign and some very cool installations. My friend had never been to a Cracker Barrel, so we went there for dinner. Of course, it was delicious and fun to peruse the store.

I had seen a town called Oatman while researching things to do in the Laughlin area. Oatman is a cute historical town where wild donkeys roam free through the town. So, of course I had to go see the donkeys. The old town was adorable and there were a ton of shops to meander. It was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

-Cassidy

August 2023