Rambling RV Rat Dwells in the Desert - Season 8 in Quartzsite, AZ

My family and I just wrapped up our 8th season in the Southwest Arizona desert outpost of Quartzsite, and it was a blast!  I have so much to tell you about, so I better start at the beginning…

 

We left Livingston, TX on January 6, making our usual stopovers at Escapees Lone Star Corral Co-op in Hondo, TX, the Marfa Lights Observation Center in Marfa, TX (I didn’t witness any ghost lights--I'm 1 for 3 now.  But I left behind one of my self-portrait rock art exhibits for others to view), and Dreamcatcher RV Park in Deming, NM.

Look for my rock art if you visit the Marfa Lights Observation Center.

Though the border towns of TX have had an influx of illegal migrant crossings, we saw virtually no presence of Border Patrol.   In fact, on US-90 between Uvalde and Del Rio, we witnessed only 2 Border Patrol Units on a route we would typically see at least 2 dozen.  We did note, however, that the Broke Mill RV Park in Del Rio is no longer open to the public.  It is now Camp Armistad, housing the Texas National Guard members assigned to protect our TX border since our Federal government is doing such an abysmal job.   

 

We arrive in Quartzsite during the second week of January every year.  Ironically, there were considerably less people in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) LaPosa Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs) on January 8 this year than last year when many folks opted not to travel and Canadians were not permitted to cross the border.  In 2021 we had to stake out a new homestead because our prior 3 sites in LaPosa South and Tyson Wash were occupied already.  This year, all our prior spots were available!  But we opted for our 2021 Tyson Wash site, which provides wonderful, unobstructed mountain views and spectacular sunsets.  Most importantly, it offers tons of privacy.   We had very few neighbors for the bulk of our 11-week stay, and most of them were stationed more than 500 feet away.  Mom was an especially happy camper due to this fact!

 

Our 2021 site in Tyson Wash was waiting for us on January 9, 2022. 

We had few neighbors this year--just the way we like it!

Our backyard setup.

We all hurried to set up home base.  Since my rock art from last year was still intact, my only chore was to rebuild our fire pit.  We hung up all our bird feeders and were thrilled to have several guests partake.

 

We just love living off the grid, particularly since we don’t need to live any differently than when we are fully hooked up to electric/water/sewer.  We have plenty of solar (3200 watts of panels, 4 lithium batteries at 24 volt), emergency generators, and a 150-gallon freshwater bladder to refill our 100-gallon onboard tank.   For this season, we sold our 75-gallon blue boy condominium setup and upgraded to a 100-gallon bladder for black/grey water collection.   The bladder wasn’t cheap, but it has simplified our off-grid lives.  It takes up less space than the blue boy waste collection receptacles, we no longer must carry the weight of the wood framing for the 2-story setup, and the dumping is done every 5-7 days lickety split with no malfunction worries.

We traded our cumbersome "blue boy condominium"...

 

...for a black/gray bladder.  A space/weight saver.  

The weather this season was dry and cooler.  It was only the last week of our stay that temps were unbearable (90F+ degree temps, with one day topping out at 98F)!  Luckily, we have enough power to run air conditioning and keep a comfortable temperature throughout the day and night.  But the winds were ferocious this season, with several days of gusts 40+ miles per hour.   Those are days we all just batten down the hatches and stay indoors.  But Dad made good use of the time.  He tackled items on Mom’s honey-do list.  One big project was the removal of the rug/installation of planking within our main slides, something that  which included that DRV refused to do during the manufacturing of our ordered unit.

   

Dad finished pulling up carpet, so is now laying the planking.

The finished project--I gave it a Rambling RV Rat 5-cheese award!

If I had to sum up our first week in Quartzsite with one word, it would be “reunions”.   It started with Sue/Guy (from the former RV Dreams group) popping by to say howdy along with their buddies Cindy/James.  Friend Melana, a newbie full-timer that we met in Livingston, came to visit, and we had a wonderful time with friend Sylvia whom we met at Dworshak Dam in 2020 when we all volunteered for the US Army Corps of Engineers.   Though we no longer own a Keystone Montana, we always stop by the Montana Owners Club circle on Plomosa Road to catch up with buddies, especially John/Shirley and their adogable pooch Aussie!   (We were fortunate to share an evening of fellowship with them at Silly Al’s before they departed the next week).  Cheryl and Laurie, friends from Burwood RV Park whom we met last year, peddled over on their electric bikes to welcome us back to Q.  It was the first of many fun times spent with these ladies this season.

 

Guy/Sue and Cindy/James

Melana

Sylvia

John/Shirley and Aussie

Laurie and Cheryl peddled over for a visit, the first of many good times spent with these ladies.

Escapees RV Club, of which we are members, hosted “Party on Plomosa”, a re-energized version of their National Happy Hour, and it was awesome!  The Status Crowes Acoustic Jukebox Duo delivered on their motto “playing songs you know and music you love.”  We attended with Deb/Randy, friends from our days at Amazon.  It was so wonderful to see them for the first time in 2 years!  And we caught up with lots of other Escapees, including many folks we know from the deeded lots in Rainbow’s End RV Park in Livingston, TX.   

 

Deb/Randy joined us.

Friends from the deeded lots at Escapees Park in Livingston.

Remember Kirsty popping by our lot in Livingston from my January blog?  We all caught up again at Party on Plomosa!

We participated in several Escapees Boomers Birds of a Feather events.  Attending a few happy hours gave us the opportunity to catch up with friends Pierre, Lesa, and my pal Manny.  (These were the wonderful folks we were visiting when we had our tire delamination in August 2021.)  And we enjoyed attending a geocache seminar.  Who knew there were things like path tabs (user-created metal tags to trade or give away as SWAG (stuff we all get)?  I also learned there is a new app called Adventure Lab where I can create, share, and/or play unique location-based treasure hunts.  Best of all, I scored a free “trackable”!  I just need to drop the game piece in a geocache, advise the destination I want it to land, and watch it travel from geocache to geocache.  I’ll let you know when I implement this so you can join in the fun! 

 

One of several Escapees Boomers Happy Hours we attended.

Pierre, Lesa, and my pal Manny--such great folks!

We learned so much at this Escapees Boomers Geocaching Seminar.

For those who have never been to Quartzsite, there are tons of activities in which you can participate.  The QIA has a variety of offerings, from painting, to exercise, to line dancing lessons. (QIA is an acronym for the not-for-profit all volunteer Quartzsite Improvement Association.)  Additionally, several of the RV Parks provide entertainment for a nominal fee.  Furthermore, Membership in the Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem/Mineral Club entitles you to take classes and use their various tools/machinery to make jewelry, knives, and other items from rocks/gems.  If you are a shopper, there are tons of vendors throughout town offering housewares, clothing, novelties, etc.  And, of course, the desert provides an outdoor enthusiast one mega playground:  hiking, biking, off-roading, geocaching, and rockhounding.  Just watching nature (the birds, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, nighttime scorpions), witnessing the changes in the flora as the season progresses, viewing the magnificent sunrises/sunsets, and marveling at the brilliant celestial night skies that showcase the constellations can all be unique sources of wonder.  So, if you find yourself bored in Quartzsite, there is something very, very, wrong.

These ground squirrels entertained me with their antics.

                                              

                                                       

A January Sunrise...

...and Sunset.  

What can be more breathtaking?

We jumped right in with our twice weekly line dancing lessons at the QIA.  Take it from me and my folks who have taken a variety of dance lessons over the years at various venues, Instructor Vernine (Vee) Atkins is the absolute BEST!  She shares her love of dance, is patient and kind, and makes the learning process easy.  Vee’s only rule we must follow:  have fun!   And that we do.  In fact, we enjoy the experience with our Levels 1 and 2 dance friends so much, we refuse to “graduate” to Level 3!   (We could probably handle more complex dance steps, but after being in these levels for 7 years, we finally know what we are doing—some of the time, anyway.)

 

Vernine "Vee" - Best Dance Instructor EVER!

In all our years of line dancing, this year was the first time we put our lessons to tremendous use by attending evening dances/band performances at various venues.  We, along with many of our friends from class, spent Mondays at JR’s RV Park with Smokin’ Joe’s, Thursdays at Gold Star RV Park with Country Connections, and Saturdays at the QIA with Jade Street Band, with one or two ad hoc dances thrown into the mix.  Vee our instructor even joined us. We had an awesome time each evening.  And we became acquainted with many other folks who, like us, enjoy putting on their boogie shoes (though they don’t particularly like line dancing and prefer couple two-steps and waltzes).

 

One of our many nights of dancing to Country Connections Band at Gold Star RV Park

One of the QIA Dances with Dad and the gang from Burwood RV Park...

...and a bunch of our Quartzsite Dance Troupe

Music by Smokin Joe at JRs RV Park.  Singer Millie is 90+ years old and can still belt them out!

Dad taking center circle at QIA dance with Jade Street Band.

Line dancers only take a seat while the band is on break.

My parents returned to pickleball round robins at Holiday Palms RV Park, whose management is gracious in making the courts open to the public.  However, their lack of playing throughout the year left my parents in the “novice” category, causing the more seasoned players/experts to get very annoyed when subjected to beginners as partners.   Mom and Dad, along with a few other players, defected from the Big Boys Club and started their own group.  I can attest that everyone enjoyed their pickleball experience a whole lot more, and everyone improved as the season progressed.

Dad playing with the Big Boys.

We had a lot more fun playing with this group.

 

We had a terrific season of off-roading, joining the Arizona Sunriders/Quartzsite Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Club on one ride per week, on average. These are a great group of folks who always ride safely, take us to unique destinations, and are loads of fun to be with.  We added receivers last fall to our medium duty truck, so now we can attach the swivel wheel.  This provided an opportunity to participate in rides further distances from Quartzsite that required our OHV be trailered.   I’ll give you the rundown on our off-road adventures in a separate post.

 

Because we were involved in so many activities, we didn’t spend nearly as much time this season geocaching as I would have liked.  But we went out on three separate occasions with Rat Patrol II, our Polaris side by side, logging about 30 finds as we hiked between cache locations.  Mom loves when we manage our time efficiently, enjoying three hobbies (hiking, off-roading, geocaching) at once.  Speaking of geocaching, I’ve got to tell ya a funny story:  Back in March 2019, I planted my very first geocache on the trail toward Dripping Springs and submitted its location for approval to the powers-that-be at Geocache.com.  But the reviewer, who was based in South Korea, rejected it on the basis we are not “locals” and lack the ability to maintain it year-round (like anyone is going to Dripping Springs during Monsoon season to maintain a geocache). I was sorely disappointed, but I left it planted.  I never divulged the geocache’s location to anyone since it is not “official” and cannot be logged.  But friends Sue/Guy stumbled upon it one day when off-roading with Cindy/James.  They contacted us about their find and the fact that lots of people signed the log!  How cool is that!  Rambling RV Rat Lives! So if you go to Dripping Springs, here are the coordinates for my cache: 33.602693, -114.086601. I will be so happy to hear that you found it!

 

Friends John and Kate (JK and the RV), whom we met in 2021 at the Ghost Lights Observation Area in Marfa, TX, finished up their Next Exit Rally and were now set up in LaPosa Tyson Wash for a few weeks.  We had a great time catching up with them on several occasions.  And like Dad, who got his Tech and General HAM radio licenses in Livingston last fall, Kate is a HAM radio operator.    Dad decided to sit for his Extra license exam while here in Quartzsite, inspiring Kate to do the same.  Not only were they both successful in achieving the highest level of HAM operator, John studied and passed both his Tech and General exams the same day!   (Now we just need Mom to commit to the hobby).  While on the topic of HAM radio, we attended Quartzfest in the hopes Dad could acquire a mobile antenna.  Although he was able to pick the brain of Dave, a fellow HAM we met at Escapees Party on Plomosa, there were no vendors selling the specific wares Dad wanted. 

Dad, John, and Kate proudly display their HAM radio license certificates.  We celebrated with another fun evening at Silly Al's with these fine folks.  

 

This is our friend Melana’s first time in Quartzsite, so we spent considerable time together throughout the season.  We walked together to the Big Tent RV, Sports, and Entertainment Show.  Mom was prepared to make two purchases.  Boy, was she disappointed that neither the vendor who sells cute boots nor the one who sells the all-surface broom had booths this year.  Ain’t it a shame when you want to spend money and can’t find what you want?

 

We learned there was a Farmer’s Market with decent produce in Brenda, so we all went to check it out.   We were pleasantly surprised with the quality and pricing, so we returned a few times during the season.  We sure hope they are back next year.  While in Brenda, we all enjoyed lunch at Buck-a-roo’s Sandwich Shop.  For a small café with only 2 workers, it runs efficiently, has a diverse menu (including a plant-based option for Dad) and tasty, fresh food to boot.  We gave Melana a two-cent tour of the surrounding areas, including a stop at the 9/11 Memorial in Salome.

 

9/11 Memorial in Salome

We attended Camelpalooza, a day of music, free hot dogs, and all things camel—from notecards to paintings, from t-shirts to pottery, to rides on real live camels!  I wanted to take a ride, but it was much too windy for my liking.  No problem, the camel trainer assured me rides would be available through Sunday, February 13.  When my parents brought me back after pickleball on Friday, February 11, I found the camels had already left town.  Rats!  Now it was my turn to be disappointed!  I’ll put camel ride on my to-do list for early next season.

 

Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.  Putting "camel ride" on my to-do list in January next year.

Time was flying by!  We were in Quartzsite nearly a month before we had a chance to reunite with Marlin/Sue, folks we met in PA last year with whom we had lots in common.   We took a ride down to their boondocking site at BLM Imperial Dam LTVA in Winter Haven, CA, and had a grand time together.  (We got together with them 2 more times later in the season when they moved over to LaPosa South for 3 weeks.)  After our visit and enroute to Yuma, we passed through Bard, CA, where date trees abound.  We completed several errands in Yuma, then enjoyed dinner at The Pint House, which had a plant-based option for Dad.  It is situated within Historic Yuma, an area we had not visited previously.  So, we want to return next year to do more extensive touring, including a visit to the Yuma Territorial Prison.

A visit with Marlin/Sue down at the BLM LTVA in Winter Haven, CA

Murals in the historic district of Yuma

Speaking of Yuma, we attended the February and March Howling at the Moon tailgate parties in the Fortuna Foothills.  What a fantastic time to enjoy vittles, vendors, great music and dancing in the desert!  Not to mention the bonus of seeing the International Space Station (ISS) fly by.  Thousands of humans—and hundreds of canines to boot—joined together to greet the rising of the month’s full moon.  This was the first year we participated in these events, but it surely will not be our last!  While in Yuma for the March Howling, we broke bread with Escapees friends Dave/DeeAnn, wishing them well as they prepare for their latest missionary assignment.

 

     

Mom with new friend Remmy.  I think the only reason Remmy liked her was because he smelled roast beef on her breath!

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Wishing Dave/DeeAnn well as they embark on a new missionary assignment.

We learned from fellow snowbirds Charlie/Joan, who reside on the long-term leased lot next to us in Livingston, that the Quartzsite Roadrunner Rock/Mineral Club was holding its annual scholarship fundraiser, a spaghetti dinner (which had a vegetarian sauce for Dad) with music by the Jade Street Band.   We were happy to support this fine cause.  I even broke into my cheese money to participate in the auction.  And I scored big time, coming up the lucky winner of two giant crystals.

 

The Quartzsite Roadrunner Rock/Gem Scholarship Fundraiser was a huge success.  275 people came out for the occasion.  Yes, that was one long chow line in the photo.

One of the two crystals I won at the auction

Friend Cheryl invited us to join her, Laurie, and Carol/Bob for a performance by Michael Culipher at Burwood RV Park, at which they reside.  Michael Culipher is a talented singer, songwriter, and impersonator.  We saw him last year at the QIA and enjoyed him immensely, so we quickly accepted the offer.  We were wowed with an entirely new show.  It was a fun-filled evening for us all and well worth the $10/person charge.

 

We headed up to Mesa for a luncheon at BJ’s Brewery with fellow members of the Suites Owners International Travel Club (SOITC).  Nearly 40 fellow DRV Mobile Suites 5^th wheel owners enjoyed an afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun.  It was great getting reacquainted with folks from last year’s luncheon and meeting others for the first time.  We thank the SOITC group for organizing this event.

 

We enjoyed attending the annual “Walk in the Past” Pageant sponsored by the Historical Society, where figures from Quartzsite’s past are portrayed by current residents.  We learned about Judge Hagley who, as Justice of the Peace, married more than 35,000 couples over his 24-year career.  And the beloved Hadji Ali, better known as Hi Jolly, who was the first camel driver hired by the US Army in 1856 for its experiment of using camels for transporting cargo across these desert lands.  But in this humble Rambling RV Rat’s opinion, the most unique character in Quartzsite’s history was Buck Connors.  Buck did it all.  He was a jack of all trades, master of most.  He was a rancher, pilot, mercenary for Pancho Villa, writer, and actor, performing in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show and appearing in more than 80 films between 1912 and 1941.  In fact, Buck Connors has such a colorful biography that the town of Quartzsite dedicates an entire weekend to him each March, which includes a food court, vendors, activities for kids, music, and dancing.  A fun time was had by all who attended, yours truly included.

Local resident portraying Hadji Ali stands in front of the Hi Jolly tombstone. 

A resident portraying the legendary Buck Connors during the Walk in the Past Pageant.

Great music and fun times at Buck Connors Days.

Car show at Buck Connors Days.

Our QIA dance lessons culminate with a dance extravaganza.  While most people associate March Madness with basketball, line dancers know it is when we showcase what we have learned all season.  Each year, nearly 100 people from Brenda, Parker, Red River, Ajo, Blythe, Havasu and other areas join the Quartzsite troupe for 5 hours of foot stomping fun!   Instructor Vee pours her heart and soul into ensuring EVERYONE has a good experience.  It is always an awesome day, and this year was no exception.  And we had a special guest at this year’s event!

Participants in March Madness 2022, including yours truly.  I am always the life of the party.

I became fast friends with this year's special guest, the Dancing Unicorn.

One thing we love about Quartzsite is the sense of community.  As part of the Sunriders/OHV Club, we volunteered as Gate Guards at the LaPaz County Fair.  The Fairgrounds gives a donation each year to the Sunriders/OHV Club for these volunteer efforts.  The Sunriders/OHV Club, in turn, makes an annual donation to the Quartzsite Roadrunner Rock/Gem Club Scholarship Fund, which benefits La Paz County students. Talk about paying it forward—what a perfect example of working together for the betterment of the area's young residents.                                   

These two look like a couple of goof-offs to me.

Everyone loves a Midway.

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One of the animals in the livestock show.

It was time for our yearly get together with Bob/Marie, with whom we work-camped at Crazy Horse Memorial back in 2015.   Rather than us going to their winter home at Robert’s Resort in El Mirage, this year they came to our Quartzsite desert abode for lunch, which provided them the opportunity to do a short maiden voyage with their new Class C. The best thing about this lifestyle is the people you meet and the friendships you keep! 

Bob/Marie came down with their new-to-them Class C.

 

We took the trike to grab a few groceries in Parker, which segued into a trip to Poston to view the Memorial Monument.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese people within the United States.  For a guy who said, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself”, he took a drastic measure deeming anyone of Japanese heritage, even those who were born in the USA, a threat to national security.  More than 100,000 people, including women and children, were forced to leave their homes, take only the possessions they could carry, and enter encampments throughout the Country.  When they were finally released in 1945, many had lost the properties from which they were evicted.  Right or wrong, FDR did what he felt best to protect our Nation, its borders, and sovereignty, even to putting US citizens of Japanese descent into encampments.  What a stark difference to President Biden, who has abandoned his obligation to protect our Nation from foreign invasion, opening the floodgates to illegal immigration.  Now don't get me wrong, I empathize with the plights of folks from other countries, and have no problem with people immigrating to the good old USA.  I do have a problem when they are allowed to circumvent the rules and break immigration laws.  It is grossly unfair to those who respected the laws of our land and came in through legal channels.  OK, I'm off my soapbox...

The Memorial Monument in Poston.

The Colorado River.

We took a second trike ride to the California border was for a happier cause:  To see some donkeys.  It was a bonanza--11 burro sightings in a 3-mile radius!    It was cool to ride over the Parker Dam, too.

Mama and baby burro.

These three amigos like Dad's trike as much as he does. 

 

Spring was finally in the air, with warmer temperatures, desert flora starting to bloom, and birdies awaiting their eggs to hatch.

 

A Juniper in bloom.

Ocotillo in bloom.

Saw this painting in the Museum of East Texas in December 2021.  What an awesome rendering of the Southwest desert in bloom!

We attended the garden party of dance friend Carole who recently became a full-time resident of Quartzsite.  We celebrated her recent writing achievement--publication of her first news article.  Congrats on a job well done and a great get-together.

 

With the QIA now closed and all the activities at other venues completed for the season, my parents finally had time to host their annual desert party.  Several folks who attended in years past had departed Quartzsite by this time, though a few probably would have declined anyway because of the number of attendees and Covid concerns.  Nevertheless, we had a nice group.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely, as we hope all our guests did.  Mom whipped up some tasty entrees and desserts, seemingly satisfying everyone’s appetite and dietary needs.  Mom always says she ain’t the best cook, but she has never poisoned anyone.  I am happy to report that her record still holds, with none of our guests requiring hospitalization.

Our 2022 Annual Desert Party.  

 

No, the above wasn't a drone shot--it was Dad on top of Suite Retreat's roof!

Lisa and Mimi

Bosco

June, Buddie, Sadie

My parents weren’t the only ones entertaining guests—I had a few friends over, too.

This little member of the rodentia family is like me--quite harmless.  Kangaroo rats do not chew wires nor do they carry fleas/ticks.  They are solitary desert dwellers who enjoy eating seeds.

One of several ground squirrels who visited with me.

 

We celebrated the end of a terrific 8th season in Quartzsite with dinner at Silly Al’s.  I’ve got to commend this place.  No matter how busy they are, they ALWAYS accommodate our request for substituting their mozzarella for our plant-based cheese on their veggie supreme pizza.  It is why it is the only place at which we eat in Quartzsite.  So, for all the friends who obliged us, particularly those with whom we dined multiple times, thanks for being so understanding about our restaurant choice.  We know not everyone likes pizza as much as we do.  It is our favorite kind of pie!

 

We gave final hugs to Melana and bid farewell to our winter home of Quartzsite for another season.  Thanks to all for the wonderful memories we created together!