River Revelers
Influx of locals, visitors expected to hit the waterways for Memorial Day weekend
With her home state under strict restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy Schuler and a group of family and friends have been coming to Yuma County to enjoy the amenities at Fisher’s Landing.
Located along the Arizona side of the Colorado River, the resort is a haven for boating, camping, off-roading, swimming, fishing and simply enjoying nature.
Schuler’s family has a vacation home in the area and has been coming to Fisher’s Landing for three generations. Back home, she’s a bartender who found herself out of work with the closure of restaurants and bars. So it seemed like a no-brainer for her family and a group of close friends to quarantine together and spend time playing in and around the Colorado River.
On and off over the last three months, they have been hanging out at the sand bar, boating and riding SeaDoos. They grab something to eat at the Rio Loco Bar and Grill, but, until recently, they had to take food to-go due to the health restrictions. Now that the dine-in area is open, they sit together inside.
Schuler said everyone in her group is aware of social distancing and other health guidelines, which they try to respect while still having fun.
But Schuler and her group aren’t the only Californians coming to play in Yuma County. A recent unofficial survey of license plates of vehicles parked along the shores of the Colorado River indicated at least half were from California.
Charlie Bush, one of the owners of Fisher’s Landing, confirms that many river revelers are from the neighboring state. He said in a typical year, the resort will host a lot of California residents who come out for the weekends.
This year, Californians are coming more often and staying longer, Bush said. Normally, about 65% of his clientele hails from San Diego, but there are definitely more Californians this year. But, he added, he’s also seeing locals and visitors from Tucson and Phoenix.
As a result, “it’s been quite busy the last month and a half or so, considerably busier than last year,” Bush noted.
Some have a trailer space reserved, so Fisher’s Landing is “home away from home.”
Even with health restrictions in place, the resort hasn’t seen a big drop in ac
tivities. “It hasn’t hurt us as bad as it has others,” Bush said.
And like every year, he expects this Memorial Day weekend to be booming with activity and visitors. It’s a reflection of how anxious people are to move away from the stay-at-home orders and have some fun outdoors.
“We know there is pentup demand for visitors, as well as local Yumans, to get out and explore around Yuma,” said Linda Morgan, executive director of Visit Yuma.
Yes, many visitors are from California, however, this is not something new, Morgan noted. It’s a normal trend. Californians traditionally travel to Yuma this time of year to enjoy the local waterways.
They’ve perhaps come a little earlier because California beaches are closed, Morgan suggested.
Visit Yuma, the visitors bureau for the region, has been getting calls from people asking about waterways and fishing spots. She pointed out that when California visitors are here they are supporting the local economy. Californians are ordering food and eating at local eateries, buying gas and groceries, and some are even staying in hotels – and then going out and enjoying “Yuman nature.”
Yuma’s Visitor Information Center opened back up on Tuesday after a temporary closure. Most of the visitors that have been coming through the center this past week are Californians. The VIC doesn’t have the ability to track exact numbers at this point, but Visit Yuma can confirm that Californians are coming to enjoy the area’s waterways and sunshine.
There has been an influx of visitors at Martinez Lake, Squaw Lake, Senator’s Wash and the Colorado
River beaches. But, as Jen McDonald, a marketing specialist at Visit Yuma, noted, many of the people enjoying the waterways are locals. A favorite activity of locals is floating down the river. Some do it on their own. Others make arrangements with Yuma River Tubing, which started services on Saturday.
With Memorial Day weekend here, Visit Yuma and the Visitors Information Center are ready to welcome more visitors.
“We are ready to serve them and do it safely,” Morgan said. “We are taking every effort to maintain at least six feet of distance between people while they are at the Visitor Information Center, for the safety of both our staff and our visitors. Our staff members will be wearing masks. We will have hand sanitizer available and are wiping down surfaces more often to keep down the spread of COVID-19.”
The VIC summer hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (to allow workers 30 minutes of cleaning) from Tuesday through Sunday, with Mondays being closed during the summer. Summer hours go through the end of September.
Yuma County officials are also eager to welcome visitors, but they remind visitors as well as locals that caution is still necessary.
“Any large group over the size of 10 people is of concern to everyone. While the stay-at-home order expired on May 15th, we are still urging everyone in Yuma County to practice social separation when they are away from their homes,” said Kevin Tunell, spokesman for Yuma County.
“Everything that has been explained regarding monitoring ourselves as we move about is still very important: using a face covering, washing hands, maintaining the proper amount of distance, etc. Congregating in large groups is not suggested. This would only promote the continued community spread that we are trying to keep to a minimum,” Tunell added.
Morgan still sees an opportunity for Yumans and visitors to enjoy themselves while being careful. “Studies show that people will want to ease into being around other people, so unlike a more densely populated urban environment, Yuma is a natural place to sightsee and have fun with your family on your own terms,” she said.
“As the temperature rises, we have everything you need, too, for loads of fun on the lakes and Colorado River. Boating, jet skiing and boogie boarding and fishing are all recreation styles that keep some distance from others. Tubing, canoeing and kayaking are many people’s idea of a perfect summer day,” Morgan added.