The government also wanted Havasu Palms to realign the access road into the park.  Part of the road went over the airstrip, which was extremely dangerous.  It took some major excavating, yet Dad managed to realign the road, doing much of the labor himself.
            By this time, Havasu Palms had spent a considerable amount of money preparing a master plan with the professional architect firm.  Since my father had abandoned his successful contracting company, his only income came from the very meager manager’s salary.
            Although the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) expressed their approval of the master plan, they continually made excuses to stall and postpone negotiations. It became a very frustrating period for my parents. Since they were unable to obtain financing to implement the master plan, they spent their time maintaining the park and operating the business.  During this time, Winchell Donut contacted dad, asking him to bid on a couple of donut houses in Arizona.  Our family needed the money, and since things were at a standstill, Dad obtained an Arizona contractor’s license and took on the projects.  He learned to fly during this period, something he had always wanted to do, and commuted to his jobs by plane. This left Mom alone at the desolate park when I was at school or staying in Lake Havasu City with friends.
          By 1972 Havasu Palms had improved the beach, added new boat slips and a new launch ramp. That same year I left home and went off to college.  The lease negotiations continued to lag, and Dad began thinking of other development options. He had an idea for a riverboat store and restaurant.  One advantage, would be the ability to move the structure if the lease negotiations continued to stall. I was taking photography at the time, so I made an appointment to take extensive interior and exterior photographs of a riverboat restaurant in the New Port Beach area.  Dad took the photos and developed a workable proposal. 
            Initially the BLM gave a favorable response.  With their encouragement, Dad continued to work on the plans, but later that year the BLM informed my father that they could no longer work with Havasu Palms for a longer lease, as the land might be turned over to the Chemehuevi Indians.  The tribe had ratified their first constitution two years earlier, which meant they were now a recognized tribe. The next year the BLM informed us that the riverboat development would not be right for the area. 
            Whatever hopes my parents had for a long-term lease took a blow. Yet the BLM kept assuring my parents that the tribe would negotiate with them for a longer lease term when the transfer was official. We were living in limbo.  My parents were not in a position to pack up and leave; they had already invested everything into the park.  We didn’t know if the land would be added to the reservation, or if it would stay under the BLM jurisdiction.

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Photo: Boat slips at Havasu Palms Store, circa late 1990's