After receiving a call from Jim Leatherman late last month, I could tell that our friends over at Podium Distribution had once again caught a case of the “river fever.” Post diagnosis, a weekend trip to Havasu was the prescribed cure for their afflictions, and friends were rallied to aid in the “recovery process.” The roster: Myles Vickers, Jim Leatherman and his girlfriend Erica, Kyle Vickers, Brian Dunlap and his family, Aaron Grace and the Spy Boat, Eric Bond, Ricky Melnik and his family, and Mike Dunlap and his family.

On the way out to Havasu we stopped at a Flying J truck stop, where Myles put a route 66 t-shirt in the palm of his hand, and I met a white Siberian tiger that goes by the name of Kuba. After arriving at the campsite, we introduced Kuba to everyone that was still awake, and set up our tents for the night. There were wind gusts of about 30 miles per hour, and Jim and his crew of flunkies (i.e. us) tried to set up his monstrous tent that acted more like a parachute instead of a place to sleep.

The next morning, we got up and went out in the Spy Boat that Grace had brought and the shredding commenced. Grace did an off axis 540 on his first try, which surprised everyone in the boat, and I think even himself a little bit. Next, Jim and I rode doubles on wakeboards, which neither of us had done in years, so it was actually really fun. Myles came through next, pulling the signature Myles wakeboard spins and poke things we all love. Then in an instant of sheer courage, Myles went for the ultimate: The Air Raley. I don’t think he’s ever tried one, but he somehow got the board back underneath himself, just barely enough to avoid a scorpion (not the arachnid, but the venomous aquatic version, with distinguishing features including a sudden toe edge catch, and eyelids peeled inside-out).

After Myles got done ripping, we headed to the infamous Lake Havasu Sandbar. Jim once had a t-shirt that said, “Havabrew, Havascrew, Havasu.” I had no idea what that meant until we visited the Sandbar. It’s like a time warp from the late 80’s. Jet boats, houseboats, fishing boats, speed boats and even wakeboard boats represented from pretty much every era. A really crazy speed boat by the name of “Team Shocker” (complete with the hand gesture logo) had three ladies that looked like they had been living the dream in Havasu since being filmed in an 80’s Coors Light commercial at the Sandbar. Big cats normally hate water, but even Kuba got out of the boat and danced around a bit. After a few hours and a few hundred tramp stamp sightings, we were ready to head back to camp and fire up the grill. The theme for the grill out that night was opposite gender dress up party, and BD and Jim were looking real lady like with some short skirts with amazing tan lines. I left my drag gear in Miami so I just stuck to manning the bird on the grill (I’m a wing fanatic).

The conditions were pretty blown out the next day, so it was time to hit up the stand-up jet skis. Jim got down with some power turns, while mean mugging Myles was shooting photos on the shore with his still camera. Then Myles went out on the DVS Honda PWC and ripped the river a new one, throwing walls of water six feet high and a couple of 360's. Eric Bond is a bad ass on a stand up jet ski and got two boat wakes to converge into a wall, and was doing crazy flips and rolls at least 15 feet in the air. Riverrific! At this point, Myles decided that he needed a haircut to match his 80's Gargoyle shades, so he asked if I’d give him a trim. We went for the Brian Bosworth (late 80's Seahawks linebacker and sideline fashionista) look to vibe along with his shades. I’m not the best stylist, but it did come out pretty Boz-ish.

Big thanks go out to everyone that caught river fever and made this trip happen, especially the Dunlap families and everyone that works for DVS and Podium Distribution. Hope you dig the photos and long live the North American River Lovers Association.