Quartzsite, Arizona

Leather, Ice cream, Dry camping, dump & water
all in one business. Many shops are like that.

We arrived in the famous Quartzsite, Arizona around noon on Sunday, January 29th. It was packed with cars (mostly toads - vehicles towed behind a Class-A or Class-C RV), trucks (which were mostly tow vehicles), and recreational vehicles of every possible description. Two people had told us that we really needed to camp along Dome Rock Road. We registered with the BLM hosts and drove the length of Dome Rock Road, finally deciding upon a place right up against Sugarloaf Peak, an outstanding geologic feature in the Dome Rock Mountains. We just pulled off the road on the hard desert sand and found a spot. We set up and quickly headed off to explore Quartzsite.

We really hadn't tried to get here before their famous RV show closed. In fact, we weren't really sure that we wanted to get caught up in the chaos which the show creates for miles in all directions. Nevertheless we ended up going to the "big tent" - the focal point of the RV show which draws tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of campers and RV enthusiasts to this tiny desert town every year. We pulled into the parking lot less than an hour before it closed. We just wanted to see it for ourselves. Inside we encountered a man selling solar panels for a deep discount so he didn't have to cart them home. We bought an 80 Watt portable solar panel for 45% less than the best price we could get on line.

Street vendors galore.  Just some along Main  St.

By Monday morning things were a lot different. So many people had left town that you could actually drive down the main street, but there were still RVs of every description no matter what direction you looked. It is almost like a permanent carnival. As I mentioned in my blog "Desert Living - a steep learning curve", the streets are lined with tent vendors, concessions sold out of the back of trucks and vans, store that sell everything and anything, at least four RV sales, four RV parts and service besides the sales companies, ten gas stations and two solar companies. One of the more unique businesses is called "The Pit Stop" where you can dispose of your trash, fill up with fresh water, dump you holding tanks, fill your tires and buy ice all in one place. Even as things have started to settle down after the RV show, there is always a line down the street for The Pit Stop. If you don't want to boondock in the desert,there are three RV campgrounds inside the city limits, plus all of the businesses you'd expect to find in an enormous town of 3,643 people.

Quiet Time - a stationary shop where we get
our mail delivered. 

I went to the Post Office to check on general delivery. I won't bore you with the details other than to say that one thing we have learned in our experience is that every town's post office is different and it is best to check it out before having your mail sent there. Larger areas and towns, like Quartzsite, which are inundated with campers are not as helpful as small towns. In Quartzsite General Delivery can be collected between 11am and 1pm. When 1pm arrives they close the door even if there are people waiting. I got there just before noon. Some people had been waiting 30 minutes and weren't even inside the door. As is typical of camper, travelers and full-timers - mostly geriatric nomads like us - everyone was talkative and happy to share. I learned about campgrounds, BLM areas, water, dump and a host of things including a small stationary store called Quiet Time that will let you use their address for your mail.

Herb's Hardware. People are friendly and it
has almost anything you could want. 

Herb's Hardware is one of the local businesses I've patronized several times. It is a True Value franchise unlike any you've ever seen. There is a line of outbuildings for wood and other items. The main store is a large metal building with big sliding doors on the side. It almost gives you a feeling of an open air shop. It was packed. Packed with people and products. I quickly learned that the easiest way to find something was to ask. They were happy to show me where to find what I wanted. Like everywhere else it was filled with old hippies and old cowboys. The rest were just old.

This is undoubtedly retirement central. We went grocery shopping at a Walmart in the nearby town of Parker. I swear that, pushing 71 years old, I was one of the younger ones there. Pamela is probably the age of their children.

The place where we did our laundry was so crowded that we had to wait for washers and dryers. BUT it was a hoot. Again, if you didn't have grey hair or bald, you were the odd one out. There were at least twelve vehicles in the parking lot - ranging from toads (cars that are pulled behind big Class-As) to the Class-As themselves. Of those 12 there were only 2 with a license plate from the same state. Guess what! That state was Montana. LOL. I talked to a couple from near Mt. St. Helen while I folded my clothes. I also talked to a fellow who lives half the year around Quartzsite and the other half in Oregon. People from around the country all enjoying life to the fullest.

Silly Al's - good pizza and good people

We had lunch today at Silly Al's. It's a beer and pizza joint that has live entertainment at night. It has great pizza, and we got a really good local beer called Mudshark. The place is so popular that we had to wait for a parking spot.

Silly Al's from the outside. Parking is always a problem.

As I mentioned, there are three RV parks within the Quartzsite city limits, but the majority of us stay on BLM land. (Bureau of Land Management) Most of the areas have a 14 day stay limit. But it is free. After 14 days you must go 20-25 miles before you can get a permit for another BLM area. One of the most common conversations with our new found geriatric nomad friends is the BLM areas discovered. "Oh, you're headed to Yuma. You need to try Palm Canyon Road." We look up all recommendations on Google Map/Satellite mode, so we can actually see the place, and decide if it rates a star on our map.

This is a trick we learned from a nomad friend, Brent MacAloney, who actually boondocks in a Prius. He writes a daily blog about his adventures. If you hold your finger on a spot on Google Map/Satellite mode for a moment it will show a drop-pin. You can save that drop-pin spot which leaves a star shinning on your map. We already have a number of stars on our map of southwestern Arizona.

This is where most of us stay ... camping on BLM land.
This is Dome Rock Road a short distance from our camp.

We are camped 6.6 miles west-southwest of Quartzsite. At this time of year there's nothing noticable around except Desert Broom, Saguaro cactus, Ferocactus, Cholla and a couple of plants I don't know yet. The locals say that the wildflower show will start in March. It is supposed to be magnificent and we don't want the heat to push us north until we get to see it. Pamela is sure that things seem to be a bit more green that when we arrived almost a week ago. The ground is littered with quartz and shale. There is still some gold mining going on in the area. I found a couple of old gold mines while hiking in the desert and some modern day prospectors. (Check out my blog "Quartz, Water and Prospecting".)

Gem World is an enormous rock & jewelry craft wholesaler.

Pamela checked out the local history. Quartzsite started out as a trading post and then became a fort for protection from local Native American tribes bent on sending the illegal aliens back east. Gold mining came later and was relatively successful. There are a number of very large rock and gem stores in Quartzsite, a gem show touted as the biggest in the world, as well as a four day Gold Show.

Inside Gem World

I'm sure you've all heard people say that because of the low humidity you don't notice the heat. If you're a skeptic, come find out for yourself. It is true. 80 degrees with 15-20% humidity here is more comfortable for us than 60-65 degrees with >80% humidity in the east.

Our routine has become to be awakened by the sunrise and decide whether or not we're going to get up or just lay in bed and enjoy. Either way, by 8:30 we have put out of solar panels and are collecting the sun's energy. It will take all day to refill our rather sizable capacity batteries. You can fill your days with activities organized by a local organization called QIA, roam through acres of tent vedors, hike the mountains or hunt for gold and gems, ride ATVs through the hills, or just sit and watch the world. Whatever you do, you'll enjoy your time at Quartzsite, Arizona.

A row of shops on Main Street by the Chamber
of Commerce Office. 

Quartzsite Outpost sells everything from used books
to surplus military vehicles.