The prediction for last night's storm was for winds up to 65MPH and we're pretty sure that the winds we got were that much or more. One thing we've learned here is that the weather forecasts are VERY accurate....to the hour!!
It rained most of yesterday (Thursday) and there were amazing winds. We lost the 'dining tent' mid afternoon. Almost everything inside was salvaged but the tent itself now looks like a modern sculpture.
By 6PM it looked like we were sitting in the middle of a bog rather than the desert...there was water everywhere and rain pouring down. There were several gusts of wind that rattled the port slide so much that we retracted it. We also stowed everything not nailed down and put away the solar panel even though it was chained down.
After a great dinner at the Buchanan's house (which is facing into the wind so not affected so much) we hunkered in for the night.
The dogs were not thrilled...neither really wanted to go for walkies but we persisted and about 10PM made them go out. By then the wind had died down a bit and, amazingly, much of the water had evaporated/absorbed into the desert! Amazing! There were still clouds but there were also clear patches and there were stars and a crescent moon out.
There was lots of wind during the night but nothing too bad.
By morning, ALL the water was gone except for a couple of large puddles and there's even some blue sky and sun!!
According to NOAA the tail of the storm is to pass us today but the winds predicted are now only up to 30MPH. So, we've put the slide back out and are enjoying our morning coffee, dampish but safe!!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
They have hurricanes in the Desert???
Well, they say “Into every life some rain must fall” or some such. We wouldn’t presume to argue with the purveyors of conventional wisdom, and while we anticipated our fair share of rain…even in the desert….nothing could have prepared us for the ensuing downpour!!
We have been watching the forecasts since we had been here, ho hum, day after day of 70F and clear sunny skies. That started to change a few days ago when we started hearing about this huge storm coming from the Pacific all the way across Mexico and California.
According to the forecaster on TV at the Laundromat (we can’t get a TV signal in the RV for love or money) San Diego and LA are just getting pounded. Of course there is major concern for the areas hard hit by fires as without vegetation the hillsides could be subject to major mudslides.
It started with a couple of good dumps of rain and a few really strong gusty winds. Today is supposed to be the crescendo….and boy are we hoping the prognosticators are correct!! The prediction is for winds of 50MPH with gusts up to 65 and lots, and lots of rain!
What was desert just a few days ago now looks more like a swamp! After the first rains there were some small Lagos (lakes) and a bit of water in the arroyos (creeks-which are usually seco=dry) around us. Today it is hard to tell where the puddles and lakes begin and end because they are starting to run together!! We ventured in to town with Buck and Heather for Huevos Rancheros at Taco Mio and the roadsides were rivers and the arroyos are starting to fill up.
Yesterday was a treat, a trip all the way to Blythe CA (28 miles!) for lunch at Sizzler…great fun! This was all courtesy of Bruce who prepped us all in advance. We ordered one of the lunch specials each plus the all-you-can-eat salad bar (which includes to die for chicken wings, as well as tacos, soup, ice cream, etc.)
Well, we were worse than pigs at the trough, multiple trips to the salad bar…then when the main part of the meal arrived we all asked for ‘to go’ boxes and packed them up for dinner back at home. Smart guy that Bruce…two for one meals!!
On the way back Buck took the scenic route through the desert…his truck is 4X4….and there were some puddles…we wouldn’t be able to do that today!
There is a car dealer on the west side of Quartzsite that we have to visit before we leave. It appears that they only deal in restored classic cars and select other vehicles….most of which appear to be in really good shape. But so far we have only been up to the closed gate to peer through.
The good news is that the worst of the storm is to pass today and starting tomorrow the sun should return. We were going to take the pups to Yuma today to the doggy wash at Pet Smart but the road is subject to flash flooding and it’s not worth chancing it. We were able to rebook our appointment for Monday.
Then on Tuesday we are heading to Mesa for a couple of days for a visit with Sam and Deborah.
We have been watching the forecasts since we had been here, ho hum, day after day of 70F and clear sunny skies. That started to change a few days ago when we started hearing about this huge storm coming from the Pacific all the way across Mexico and California.
According to the forecaster on TV at the Laundromat (we can’t get a TV signal in the RV for love or money) San Diego and LA are just getting pounded. Of course there is major concern for the areas hard hit by fires as without vegetation the hillsides could be subject to major mudslides.
It started with a couple of good dumps of rain and a few really strong gusty winds. Today is supposed to be the crescendo….and boy are we hoping the prognosticators are correct!! The prediction is for winds of 50MPH with gusts up to 65 and lots, and lots of rain!
What was desert just a few days ago now looks more like a swamp! After the first rains there were some small Lagos (lakes) and a bit of water in the arroyos (creeks-which are usually seco=dry) around us. Today it is hard to tell where the puddles and lakes begin and end because they are starting to run together!! We ventured in to town with Buck and Heather for Huevos Rancheros at Taco Mio and the roadsides were rivers and the arroyos are starting to fill up.
Yesterday was a treat, a trip all the way to Blythe CA (28 miles!) for lunch at Sizzler…great fun! This was all courtesy of Bruce who prepped us all in advance. We ordered one of the lunch specials each plus the all-you-can-eat salad bar (which includes to die for chicken wings, as well as tacos, soup, ice cream, etc.)
Well, we were worse than pigs at the trough, multiple trips to the salad bar…then when the main part of the meal arrived we all asked for ‘to go’ boxes and packed them up for dinner back at home. Smart guy that Bruce…two for one meals!!
On the way back Buck took the scenic route through the desert…his truck is 4X4….and there were some puddles…we wouldn’t be able to do that today!
There is a car dealer on the west side of Quartzsite that we have to visit before we leave. It appears that they only deal in restored classic cars and select other vehicles….most of which appear to be in really good shape. But so far we have only been up to the closed gate to peer through.
The good news is that the worst of the storm is to pass today and starting tomorrow the sun should return. We were going to take the pups to Yuma today to the doggy wash at Pet Smart but the road is subject to flash flooding and it’s not worth chancing it. We were able to rebook our appointment for Monday.
Then on Tuesday we are heading to Mesa for a couple of days for a visit with Sam and Deborah.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Santas, Santas everywhere!!
Jan 17 – two months to St. Paddy’s Day!
We are still ensconced in Quartzsite and still loving living in the desert. Buck and Bruce continue being the ever patient teachers of everything we need to know on how to survive. The RV is dusty and incredibly disorganized but we are still having fun. We are now the proud owners of 4 deep cycle batteries that have been linked in sequence, thus giving us more power. The solar panel is amazing – free power from the sun and all we have to do is make sure the panel is facing the right way! We have installed a ‘fantastic’ fan in the kitchen to give us a bit of ventilation. And the two engineers will be helping us install a system that automatically feeds water to our new batteries.
More Santas have arrived to our tiny enclave as well as most of the RVs in the western hemisphere. The annual RV show started on the weekend and the crowds are incredible. We have never seen so many travel trailers, fifth wheels, van conversions, converted buses, Class As, or Class Cs in one place. All RV parks and the BLM grounds (we told you about them last blog) are crammed full. The show takes place in this massive tent (covering about 2 acres) and the surrounding grounds. There are booths for hitches, brake buddies, stabilizers, plumbing, electrical, lighting, décor, signage, flags and poles, tires……..well everything that you may need to go into or onto your recreational vehicle. Of course you can also find the knick knacks, jewelry, fast food, and travel booths. BC, AB, SK, NWT, Yukon, AZ, CA, and a multitude of resorts are all represented. There are booths for Good Sam Club, caravans, and other organizations here. And of course, what fair would be complete without three or four food demonstration booths including Ed’s favourite – waterless cookware!
It’s a short walk to the show and we have taken that walk four or five times now. We don’t always find something to buy, but we always see something to look at!!!
Can’t remember if we told you about the Laundromat here. This place is quite fun – you get to people watch while your clothes are getting clean and that can be a real eye opener sometimes. The Laundromat has the requisite large number of washers and dryers, plus for $5 you can get a shower with hot water (!), or check your email with their free (with donation to the kitty) WiFi connection, or have a free coffee, or even have a meal in their little café. And their ads show a drawing of the bookstore owner washing his ‘clothes’. Of course, remember that the bookstore owner is a nudist and only wears little ‘sacks’ on his…..well you know! So imagine a drawing of this fellow, holding his laundry up in his hands, and saying that he only washes his clothes at the Laundromat. Of course the drawing only shows him from the waist up as he is standing behind a washing machine, but the whole ad is quite cute.
As I said we have more Santas here at the campsite – Santa Bart and his wife Lynda and their friends Peter (a non Santa) and his wife Brenda. We have had a couple of visits from Santa Cliff and his wife Linda, and Santa John and his wife. Many heads are turning around here when we Santas are all talking in a group – 6 or 7 white haired, white bearded, large bellied men usually wearing red!! And the meals we have been putting together are amazing – big spaghetti dinner a couple of nights ago, split pea soup and homemade fry bread/bannock last night and tonight we are having turkey with all the trimmings! Including cake!! Not bad for living in the desert!! See you knew we couldn’t do our blog without talking about food sometime!!!!
Ed and I took a fast trip up to Parker – a small town north of here. This is another of the places we will never live. We have found a few towns throughout our travels that just don’t look/feel too welcoming……or interesting! Of course Parker does have its drawing card – a large casino for those of you who need a gambling fix every once in awhile…….and a new Wal-Mart right across from a large and modern Safeway. Other than that we have been sitting here doing nothing……….and is that ever hard work!! We have dinner at 5:30, watch the sun go down (incredible sunsets here), sit around the campfire for a couple of hours and usually we are tucked into bed by 9:00PM!!! Some of us read or watch TV (yes, Buck and Heather have TV in their rig – we can’t get ours to work). Life is tough!!
Enough for now……….we will talk soon.
We are still ensconced in Quartzsite and still loving living in the desert. Buck and Bruce continue being the ever patient teachers of everything we need to know on how to survive. The RV is dusty and incredibly disorganized but we are still having fun. We are now the proud owners of 4 deep cycle batteries that have been linked in sequence, thus giving us more power. The solar panel is amazing – free power from the sun and all we have to do is make sure the panel is facing the right way! We have installed a ‘fantastic’ fan in the kitchen to give us a bit of ventilation. And the two engineers will be helping us install a system that automatically feeds water to our new batteries.
More Santas have arrived to our tiny enclave as well as most of the RVs in the western hemisphere. The annual RV show started on the weekend and the crowds are incredible. We have never seen so many travel trailers, fifth wheels, van conversions, converted buses, Class As, or Class Cs in one place. All RV parks and the BLM grounds (we told you about them last blog) are crammed full. The show takes place in this massive tent (covering about 2 acres) and the surrounding grounds. There are booths for hitches, brake buddies, stabilizers, plumbing, electrical, lighting, décor, signage, flags and poles, tires……..well everything that you may need to go into or onto your recreational vehicle. Of course you can also find the knick knacks, jewelry, fast food, and travel booths. BC, AB, SK, NWT, Yukon, AZ, CA, and a multitude of resorts are all represented. There are booths for Good Sam Club, caravans, and other organizations here. And of course, what fair would be complete without three or four food demonstration booths including Ed’s favourite – waterless cookware!
It’s a short walk to the show and we have taken that walk four or five times now. We don’t always find something to buy, but we always see something to look at!!!
Can’t remember if we told you about the Laundromat here. This place is quite fun – you get to people watch while your clothes are getting clean and that can be a real eye opener sometimes. The Laundromat has the requisite large number of washers and dryers, plus for $5 you can get a shower with hot water (!), or check your email with their free (with donation to the kitty) WiFi connection, or have a free coffee, or even have a meal in their little café. And their ads show a drawing of the bookstore owner washing his ‘clothes’. Of course, remember that the bookstore owner is a nudist and only wears little ‘sacks’ on his…..well you know! So imagine a drawing of this fellow, holding his laundry up in his hands, and saying that he only washes his clothes at the Laundromat. Of course the drawing only shows him from the waist up as he is standing behind a washing machine, but the whole ad is quite cute.
As I said we have more Santas here at the campsite – Santa Bart and his wife Lynda and their friends Peter (a non Santa) and his wife Brenda. We have had a couple of visits from Santa Cliff and his wife Linda, and Santa John and his wife. Many heads are turning around here when we Santas are all talking in a group – 6 or 7 white haired, white bearded, large bellied men usually wearing red!! And the meals we have been putting together are amazing – big spaghetti dinner a couple of nights ago, split pea soup and homemade fry bread/bannock last night and tonight we are having turkey with all the trimmings! Including cake!! Not bad for living in the desert!! See you knew we couldn’t do our blog without talking about food sometime!!!!
Ed and I took a fast trip up to Parker – a small town north of here. This is another of the places we will never live. We have found a few towns throughout our travels that just don’t look/feel too welcoming……or interesting! Of course Parker does have its drawing card – a large casino for those of you who need a gambling fix every once in awhile…….and a new Wal-Mart right across from a large and modern Safeway. Other than that we have been sitting here doing nothing……….and is that ever hard work!! We have dinner at 5:30, watch the sun go down (incredible sunsets here), sit around the campfire for a couple of hours and usually we are tucked into bed by 9:00PM!!! Some of us read or watch TV (yes, Buck and Heather have TV in their rig – we can’t get ours to work). Life is tough!!
Enough for now……….we will talk soon.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Big Excitement!
The big RV show opens tomorrow and we have gone from being almost alone here in our desert campground to feeling like we're camping on the freeway! Rigs are pulling in and parking for the show at the rate of one every few minutes.
We've posted some pictures here, more on Flickr, of what life looks like around here just now.
We've posted some pictures here, more on Flickr, of what life looks like around here just now.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Quirky Quartzsite--Part II
So here it is Jan 13 and we have not posted anything here for quite awhile. It is not for a lack of any juicy tidbits, or even a free moment or two that we have neglected the blog….it’s just that we are having a great time and when we think about writing something down it’s too late in the evening or something more important comes up, like sitting around the campfire, or pouring another drink, or shopping or something.
After we left Fresno we landed in Bakersfield CA for a night. The RV park (Orange Grove) is actually in the middle of an orange grove. They have taken out just enough fruit trees to make way for RV parking spaces. We arrived mid afternoon and were told that we were in luck……….the oranges were ripe and we are told to “help yourself” to the oranges on the trees next to our rig. We got to our allotted spot (complete with great WiFi, and close to a wonderful bathroom) only to find that we had three trees all around our rig. In fact, when Ed was connecting the RV to the facilities he actually reached up and filled his hoody with fresh oranges. Of course, Ross had taken a few plastic bags and was picking oranges on the other side of the rig. Down the road from Orange Grove is the California Fruit and Nut Company – a place to be seen to be believed. They have several kinds of oranges in boxes, in various sizes, and selling for cheap! $12 for a box of 112 oranges – not bad………so we got some. They also have dates, almonds, fruit jellies, spices, and other good stuff. We sampled most of it (!) and bought an armload.
Next day we took off for Quartzsite AZ. Good traveling day (sunny but not too warm) and by 5PM we were safely settled in La Posa West next to good friends Bruce and Sue Ferrie, and Heather and Buck Buchanan. These two guys are the reason Ross has been coming down to CA for the past two holiday celebrations. They are Santas in Surrey and Langley – good news for all of you readers in those regions – they are VERY good Santas.
Anyway, this was to be the year we were going to try our hand at ‘dry camping’. In the past we have not had a rig that has the requisite attachments to dry camp. With our new rig we now have a generator, large holding tanks, larger interior space, and stuff to last out in the middle of the desert. Buck, Heather, Sue, and Bruce have been very patient teaching all they know from 15 years of experience. There are ‘parks’ all over the US that are held under the Bureau of Land Management auspices. These spaces usually have little or no facilities and charge very little for people to use them. In the Quartzsite area there are four areas (each about 100 acres) charging $40 for 2 weeks, and a few more that do not charge anything but have restrictions on length of usage. La Posa West is near all the excitement of the gem/jewelry show and right next to the grounds that house the huge RV show.
Quartzsite, for those of you who don’t know, is a small town at the intersection of I-10 and State Hwy 95. This is as far as the US cavalry got when they are transporting/herding camels to CA. Orders changed and the camels were released into the desert. The handlers were left here and started a town (or something like that) but anyway Quartzsite became a sellers Mecca. If you have something to sell, come to Quartzsite…….someone will buy it! Throughout the year there are various ‘shows’ and for each show travelers in their RVs will come and camp in the desert. Starting Jan 10 this year the gem and mineral show kicked off the annual sales event. There are tents covering hundreds of square acres of tables laden with geodes, rough rocks, polished stones, all the equipment for making jewelry, fossils, and any manner of rock stuff. There are kiosks offering things for your RV, there are stalls offering all manner of fast food (and some slow cooking) to cover all the major food groups – ice cream, gumbo, Kettle Korn, slushies, hot dogs, and BBQ pulled pork, Mexican cuisine, American food, Thai offerings, and most everything else. It is something to be experienced. And surrounding these goings-on are the RV sites (most everything here in Quartzsite is mobile) and the desert parks.
Our park has garbage containers that are emptied twice a week and that’s it for facilities. There is a couple who are the camp hosts and answer questions and semi-police the area. Bruce and Buck were adamant that we needed a solar panel to capture the sun’s energy so we got one – good investment!! Then we had to have two more batteries (6 volt, deep cycle) so we got those too,……and find that we are able to run things in our rig longer without a significant drop in our stored energy. We pay $25 to have our tanks pumped out once a week and $3 for either Bruce or Buck to bring water to our site. There are no assigned places for people to park so we have our three rigs set in a ‘U’ shape around the campfire and dining tent. We see the sun rising through our bedroom windows and watch the incredible sunsets from either the dining tent or campfire. We have been taking turns cooking dinner and have not had a bad meal. We have gone out to dinner twice (yes, in more than two weeks of camping here we have only gone out twice – quite an accomplishment for us!). There are some small grocery stores here in Quartzsite but about 24 miles from here is the new Wal-Mart in Parker or we can jump in the car and go to Yuma and find excellent shopping. And we are having a great time.
There are some really good deals to be found here. For example there is a shop that sells jewelry to the public (and wholesalers). Silver and turquoise rings are $2 to $3, earrings (silver with turquoise/amethysts/etc) are $2 - $4. What a find!
Suffice it to say, I bought an armload.
We are waiting for the RV show to start on the weekend and have noticed that the population has grown significantly. Where once we are about the only rigs in the park, we now have an almost park!
More later when the RV show starts.
After we left Fresno we landed in Bakersfield CA for a night. The RV park (Orange Grove) is actually in the middle of an orange grove. They have taken out just enough fruit trees to make way for RV parking spaces. We arrived mid afternoon and were told that we were in luck……….the oranges were ripe and we are told to “help yourself” to the oranges on the trees next to our rig. We got to our allotted spot (complete with great WiFi, and close to a wonderful bathroom) only to find that we had three trees all around our rig. In fact, when Ed was connecting the RV to the facilities he actually reached up and filled his hoody with fresh oranges. Of course, Ross had taken a few plastic bags and was picking oranges on the other side of the rig. Down the road from Orange Grove is the California Fruit and Nut Company – a place to be seen to be believed. They have several kinds of oranges in boxes, in various sizes, and selling for cheap! $12 for a box of 112 oranges – not bad………so we got some. They also have dates, almonds, fruit jellies, spices, and other good stuff. We sampled most of it (!) and bought an armload.
Next day we took off for Quartzsite AZ. Good traveling day (sunny but not too warm) and by 5PM we were safely settled in La Posa West next to good friends Bruce and Sue Ferrie, and Heather and Buck Buchanan. These two guys are the reason Ross has been coming down to CA for the past two holiday celebrations. They are Santas in Surrey and Langley – good news for all of you readers in those regions – they are VERY good Santas.
Anyway, this was to be the year we were going to try our hand at ‘dry camping’. In the past we have not had a rig that has the requisite attachments to dry camp. With our new rig we now have a generator, large holding tanks, larger interior space, and stuff to last out in the middle of the desert. Buck, Heather, Sue, and Bruce have been very patient teaching all they know from 15 years of experience. There are ‘parks’ all over the US that are held under the Bureau of Land Management auspices. These spaces usually have little or no facilities and charge very little for people to use them. In the Quartzsite area there are four areas (each about 100 acres) charging $40 for 2 weeks, and a few more that do not charge anything but have restrictions on length of usage. La Posa West is near all the excitement of the gem/jewelry show and right next to the grounds that house the huge RV show.
Quartzsite, for those of you who don’t know, is a small town at the intersection of I-10 and State Hwy 95. This is as far as the US cavalry got when they are transporting/herding camels to CA. Orders changed and the camels were released into the desert. The handlers were left here and started a town (or something like that) but anyway Quartzsite became a sellers Mecca. If you have something to sell, come to Quartzsite…….someone will buy it! Throughout the year there are various ‘shows’ and for each show travelers in their RVs will come and camp in the desert. Starting Jan 10 this year the gem and mineral show kicked off the annual sales event. There are tents covering hundreds of square acres of tables laden with geodes, rough rocks, polished stones, all the equipment for making jewelry, fossils, and any manner of rock stuff. There are kiosks offering things for your RV, there are stalls offering all manner of fast food (and some slow cooking) to cover all the major food groups – ice cream, gumbo, Kettle Korn, slushies, hot dogs, and BBQ pulled pork, Mexican cuisine, American food, Thai offerings, and most everything else. It is something to be experienced. And surrounding these goings-on are the RV sites (most everything here in Quartzsite is mobile) and the desert parks.
Our park has garbage containers that are emptied twice a week and that’s it for facilities. There is a couple who are the camp hosts and answer questions and semi-police the area. Bruce and Buck were adamant that we needed a solar panel to capture the sun’s energy so we got one – good investment!! Then we had to have two more batteries (6 volt, deep cycle) so we got those too,……and find that we are able to run things in our rig longer without a significant drop in our stored energy. We pay $25 to have our tanks pumped out once a week and $3 for either Bruce or Buck to bring water to our site. There are no assigned places for people to park so we have our three rigs set in a ‘U’ shape around the campfire and dining tent. We see the sun rising through our bedroom windows and watch the incredible sunsets from either the dining tent or campfire. We have been taking turns cooking dinner and have not had a bad meal. We have gone out to dinner twice (yes, in more than two weeks of camping here we have only gone out twice – quite an accomplishment for us!). There are some small grocery stores here in Quartzsite but about 24 miles from here is the new Wal-Mart in Parker or we can jump in the car and go to Yuma and find excellent shopping. And we are having a great time.
There are some really good deals to be found here. For example there is a shop that sells jewelry to the public (and wholesalers). Silver and turquoise rings are $2 to $3, earrings (silver with turquoise/amethysts/etc) are $2 - $4. What a find!
Suffice it to say, I bought an armload.
We are waiting for the RV show to start on the weekend and have noticed that the population has grown significantly. Where once we are about the only rigs in the park, we now have an almost park!
More later when the RV show starts.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Quirky Quartzsite!!
We have now been in Quartzsite for a week! We have been meaning to write some thoughts down but somehow there’s been so much going on that sitting at the computer just hasn’t been in the cards.
For those of our faithful readers who are not aware, Quartzsite is on I-10 in Arizona just inside the border with California. It is a tiny town (3800 +/-) in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Summertimes bring scorching heat in the 110+ range….where even the rattlesnakes find it too hot. BUT in January, the daytime temperatures are in the 70s though the nights are cool….nothing a roaring campfire can’t dispel.
But the warm, dry days and the cloudless blue skies are not the only attraction. Oh no! Quartzsite in the winter turns into a major RV haven and one of the world’s largest bazaars!
Almost everything in Quartzsite is on wheels or under a tent. There are RVs everywhere and businesses set up to cater to the RVer….you can buy any part of an RV or by the whole thing assembled from one of a dozen dealers!
To add to the attraction, the Bureau of Land Management has huge campsites in the desert where, for a paltry $20 a week you can park your RV under the blue skies…stars at night and enjoy all the delights Quartzsite has to offer!
Oh yes, there’s a catch! There are NO facilities…so you have to pack in water, generate your own power and some how get your tanks drained when they get full!
We have had to learn a bit about this more self-sufficient way to RV but luckily we are camping right near Santa Bruce (and his lovely wife Sue) and Santa Kevin and Heather. They are very experienced desert campers and have not been shy about teaching us the ropes.
To date we have had a crash course in water conservation and solar power. We have upgraded our storage batteries and purchased a solar panel to charge them. There's nothing quite like free electricity from the sky!! Learned where to get water and how to transfer it ourselves by pump to our on board tanks!
Everyone takes turn cooking and we have had some amazing meals under the stars. Then of course we have a supply of firewood for toasty fires in the evenings.
Every day brings new shopping experiences, gems, tools, RV parts and of course hourly trips to the well-stocked hardware store.
We have made one trek to Yuma 81 miles to the south. For major grocery shopping…amazing steaks for less than $3 a pound! And Gin for $10 a gallon!
Tonight was a very special experience…the Quartzsite auction. Held at noon and six everyday, except Sunday, the stuff for sale is mind boggling…everything from mayonnaise to calligraphy supplies.
The highlight of the season is the big shows that are held inside of the biggest tent we’ve ever seen. First up is the RV show which opens next week then a car show and on and on.
These shows draw huge crowds and we are lucky enough to be parked close enough to walk over. We will have a full report later!
For those of our faithful readers who are not aware, Quartzsite is on I-10 in Arizona just inside the border with California. It is a tiny town (3800 +/-) in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Summertimes bring scorching heat in the 110+ range….where even the rattlesnakes find it too hot. BUT in January, the daytime temperatures are in the 70s though the nights are cool….nothing a roaring campfire can’t dispel.
But the warm, dry days and the cloudless blue skies are not the only attraction. Oh no! Quartzsite in the winter turns into a major RV haven and one of the world’s largest bazaars!
Almost everything in Quartzsite is on wheels or under a tent. There are RVs everywhere and businesses set up to cater to the RVer….you can buy any part of an RV or by the whole thing assembled from one of a dozen dealers!
To add to the attraction, the Bureau of Land Management has huge campsites in the desert where, for a paltry $20 a week you can park your RV under the blue skies…stars at night and enjoy all the delights Quartzsite has to offer!
Oh yes, there’s a catch! There are NO facilities…so you have to pack in water, generate your own power and some how get your tanks drained when they get full!
We have had to learn a bit about this more self-sufficient way to RV but luckily we are camping right near Santa Bruce (and his lovely wife Sue) and Santa Kevin and Heather. They are very experienced desert campers and have not been shy about teaching us the ropes.
To date we have had a crash course in water conservation and solar power. We have upgraded our storage batteries and purchased a solar panel to charge them. There's nothing quite like free electricity from the sky!! Learned where to get water and how to transfer it ourselves by pump to our on board tanks!
Everyone takes turn cooking and we have had some amazing meals under the stars. Then of course we have a supply of firewood for toasty fires in the evenings.
Every day brings new shopping experiences, gems, tools, RV parts and of course hourly trips to the well-stocked hardware store.
We have made one trek to Yuma 81 miles to the south. For major grocery shopping…amazing steaks for less than $3 a pound! And Gin for $10 a gallon!
Tonight was a very special experience…the Quartzsite auction. Held at noon and six everyday, except Sunday, the stuff for sale is mind boggling…everything from mayonnaise to calligraphy supplies.
The highlight of the season is the big shows that are held inside of the biggest tent we’ve ever seen. First up is the RV show which opens next week then a car show and on and on.
These shows draw huge crowds and we are lucky enough to be parked close enough to walk over. We will have a full report later!
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