9 Feb 2023: first week in Quartzsite

 So first week in Quartzsite has flown by - strange little dorpie.

So, as I mentioned before, Quartzsite has 2,500 people for 10 months of the year, and then for Jan/Feb nearly a million snowbirds flock here (apparently most of them from Oregon - no idea why).  The reason for this is that for the 10 months, the temperature is 100-120F and the air is unbelievably dry.  I bought a temperature/humidity reader, and the minimum humidity it can read is 20% - it has not been above 20 once in 2 weeks...

Lets start at the beginning - got here for the last 2 days of the big-tent RV show.  Its like going to Annapolis for the boat show - lots of beautiful RVs and gadgets, but nothing affordable unfortunately.  Had a good time browsing though.

Probably would not like him...see poster at the back.  Lots of Magat stuff

After a while I needed one of these

This was called the adult daycare.  Note the camel.

Spectacular sunsets

and sunrises

and all types of RVs

The big tent event

Stayed in the Shady Lane RV park for 2 nights - but their wifi sucked.  In fact, T-mobile had cell and texting capabilities, but no data.  AT&T was a bit better, but also useless, so I needed to get to a RV park with good wifi.

Just a note to everyone.... pay the IT guy what you owe him.  This guy was MIA with the admin password to their whole network, so this is what they were left with.

For the weekend, I went to LaPosa South - a BLM managed LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area).  For $40 you can stay for 2 weeks and for $180 you can stay for 6 months.  They provide water refill, trash and sewage dump stations for that - and lots of dust.  Its in the middle of the Sonaran desert which had a record temperature of 170F.

LaPosa south is probably one of the more interesting BLM sites - there are multiple around Quartzsite.  Cycled around and took some pics.

Sunrise

Sunset

The minimalist approach to solitude...

A lot of it had that post-apocalyptic feel

Gene and I went to that gap in the mountain - jagged.

  Note the terrain - just small pebbles.  People collect the larger rocks and camp off their 'area'.  Had to deflate the bicycle tires else I would have lost all my fillings.

I probably have too many photos, but I really love it here...

Another sunrise - fun fact is that seeing I was on EST, I wake up at 4:30 and my first call is at 6:30.  I am in bed by 9:00

Lots of really fun rock sculptures - the sacred spiral

Random scorpion

Zoom in - there is a hummingbird in the desert

The post-apocalyptics across the street that invited me over for pizza.  Great people. Guy under the moon - from Alaska - just bought a sailboat and is going to go fishing this summer and pay off the boat...

Indian grinding pots - many years old.

Petroglyphs

More petroglyphs - shows you were the river/ground level was a while back.

My parking spot in La Posa South LTVA

 

and then, on the last day before Gene arrived, I headed off to the Quartzsite Yacht club...

Sunset with the pickle ball court in front

Very funny - I am now a member of the yacht club... hoping to get promoted to Admiral if I drink enough.

Characters - photos are blurred due to lighting...

Straight out of 'Into the Wild'

The obligatory boat - there is no water for a long way...

28 January 2023: Finally Quartzsite

 

So Tucson was one of those places that is all about the air force and planes.  I cycled past miles and miles of 'dead' airplanes of various shapes and sizes, saw the Prima Air and Space museum (from the outside) and had a squadron of warthog planes fly about 30ft above my head.

Weird bubble plane at the museum

Crazy shaped cargo carrier helicopter

Pimp my ride...

Warthogs

and here they come to die

Our tax $$$ wasting away

The RV park was nothing spectacular.  On the outskirts of Tucson, but the first one I saw that has a roof over the sites and on the roof are solar panels - simple but great idea.  The good part was that there was a open veld next door where I could go walking - cactus are just amazing...

Spot the rabbit...

No idea how the bird can sit in those thorns

Tight

Tucson apparently has the longest cycle path in the world - circles the whole city at 130miles.  I did not do the whole path, but a good part of it. Point of interest - the electric bicycles are now nearly a year old and I am going to clock 1,000 miles this week.

Also saw some really poor neighborhoods - squaters sleeping in open spaces in the veld in tents, caravans - and they all looked like long-term residents.

That is a school in the background.  These people have been here for quite a while.

Took Friday off to get to Quartzsite in time as the big tent RV show ended on Sunday.  Slept over at a casino just outside Phoenix.  Somehow I always see casino's as sad places - unless I am on a winning streak, but was not feeling the juju that night. Parked between all the big rigs - they were probably all gambling inside.Saturday was spent grocery shopping in the morning to stock up for Quartzsite and then it was off on the last 120miles.  

Stopped off at a truck wash and lined up with all the big boys for a good wash to get the salt off from my stint over the mountain.  Nicest thing about the Phoenix area was the decorative overpasses - all desert-like motives.

Lining up with the big boys for a wash

Nice and clean whale - see the wheels!!!

Great graphics on the I10.

After that it was a straight line west - Quartzsite is actually only about 250 miles east of Los Angeles - so I was nearly across America.

Arrived in Q around noon, checked in at the Hi Jolly blm site (blm = Bureau of Land Management - they basically manage huge swaths of federal land and anyone can camp on them for free - or a small fee if they actually have toilets and trash services).  Took a rest and then jumped on the bike to get to the big tent.  It was all as expected - RVs everywhere.  From $2mil versions to clunkers and everything in between. Luckily I had arrived on Saturday, as on Sunday everyone started packing up by about 12 to get out of Dodge.

My first night in Quartzsite, AZ

The number of other RVs boon-docking was amazing

More on Q in the next installment.