Venue

Pleasant Harbor Marina at Lake Pleasant

40202 N. 87th Ave.

Peoria, AZ

602-977-7377

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Arizona Duck (DUKW) Tour

Date/Time:Daily, 10:00am, Every week Saturday, Sunday, 12:00pm, Every week Saturday, Sunday, 2:00pm, Every week Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 4:30pm

Contact Info: 1-877-AZDUKS1 | Event Website

Surf and Turf

Entrepreneurs transform a quack-brained scheme into success

By Leslie Barton

Surf and Turf

Military intelligence, as the old saw goes, is an oxymoron. But the dudes in khaki got it right when they introduced the odd amphibious vehicle called the DUKW during WWII. The bastard spawn of a U-boat and a Hummer helped American troops survive beach attacks like Normandy by transporting soldiers and supplies to and from the shore.

Now, a few Army-surplus DUKWs are being put to a more pacific use by the folks behind the Arizona Duck (DUKW) Tour, a series of land-and-sea (lake, in this case) sightseeing excursions at Lake Pleasant that wheel you through the desert, then drop you in the drink. Brian Hauser, your skipper brave and sure, is one-quarter of the family behind this family business. The Wisconsin native and his cheesehead clan drew inspiration from a similar concept, the Wisconsin Dells Army Duck Tour. "No one was doing it here,” says Hauser, “and with the Arizona weather, it's perfect."

Started in March 2007, the daily Duck Tour has made its nut catering to everyone from the tourist-resort hordes to plain ol’ Arizonans with a desire to see a state landmark in a new light. One of the things that’s made the tours so successful is the owners’ sense of humor. "We used to play the Gilligan's Island’s theme," Hauser says, laughing, "but we stopped doing that when the fuel pump went out."

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