Quartzsite - week 1

Hard to believe we've been here in Quartzsite for a week. We arrived here Sunday, January 26. It was a short drive down from Parker. This was the last day of the big RV show in Quartzsite and many, many rigs were heading north on Hwy 95 from the area. This is actually a pretty good day to come as there are lots of parking spots in the desert that have opened up.

We stopped at LaPosa South Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) and paid our $40 for a 14 night stay. We had actually scouted out a few parking options when we stopped in a few days ago and decided to park near a couple of guys we met two years ago. They have Cedar Creek fifth wheels too and are a wealth of information....not to mention great guys as well!

Our piece of dirt!

I'd been saving up a few projects to complete while we were here. Quartzsite is a great place to find RV parts at reasonable prices. I managed to find the items I needed so now I just had to get at them!

The first was pretty easy, just changing a window crank knob. That meant it was time to rest a spell and drink a beer!

I had purchased a motion light at the RV Show and wanted to get it changed over. It throws lots of light and sure is nice to have when we arrive home after a hard night of Happy Hours, dinners and visits! It will work out well back at the lake to illuminate the deck. I'm very happy with how it turned out. Other folks we know have the same light and works well for them.

Next project was replacing the anti-siphon or vacuum break on the black tank flush system. It's a good system when it works. After dumping the black tank you connect a water line to the flush inlet in the utility bay. The water goes through the vacuum break and into the black tank. The vacuum break is to prevent any chance of black tank water from siphoning back down the water inlet line.

The old one wouldn't allow water past it and therefore I couldn't flush the black tank. There are other ways to rinse the tank. I had been allowing grey water to back flush the black tank, or I had used a garden hose to pour water into the toilet but the original flush system still worked the best. Given that we are in the desert and working on limited water supply I didn't give it a good test but the new one seems to be working. The biggest challenge with changing it out was finding it (it's under the vanity sink in the wall) and then working on your back in the dark and getting the dang thing to thread on the hose connections! Anyway, no leaks.

I had a chance to try out my new macerator sewage pump. I pump through a one inch hose into our 'blue boy', then haul to the dump station. This along with our fresh water bladder, solar panels and generator means we really don't have to move the trailer for any reason while we are here. The BLM folks provide a dump station, fresh water and garbage dumpsters included in our $40 fee. A good deal.

Of course we made a few trips into town about four miles away for shopping.

A great place to buy used books.

The sign on the wall at Silly Al's Pizza. Somehow I didn't get a pic of Ray and Deb and Cheryl. We went for lunch here.

If you've never experienced Quartzsite camping, first....you need to. Second, it's hard to explain to someone that has never been here. For the thousands that have......you get it. Quartzsite LTVA camping (or just 'Q') is a huge melting pot. You see every type of camping rig imaginable. From tents to vans, to trailers and motorhomes of all descriptions to half-million dollar rigs. As you can imagine that means folks from all walks of life and financial situations come here to experience the atmosphere. Now with upwards of half a million people in the are there will always be a few unsavory characters and you need to take normal precautions but the vast majority of folks are here to socialize and have a great time under the sun.

Over the past three years of travel we've met some great folks and count them among our growing list of RV friends. In fact this past week we've had to carefully plan our days to ensure we get to see everyone. Folks are coming and going daily. Early in the week we wanted to be sure we spent time with Tom and Deb (Upper Michigan), Doug (Illinois), Bill, Pat, Ken, Kim, and Keith (all from Ontario). We also spent an evening with our Cedar Creek pals George, Ann-Marie (Georgia) Virgil, Delores (Illinois). We met up with Ray and Deb (BC) for pizza and a fabulous meal at their place. It was the second time we met up with them this season! We finally got to meet Dave and Leslie (Alberta). They only live an hour and half from us but never had the chance to meet. Of course the big group down the road that includes Steve and Dianne (BC), Jim and Cec (BC), Red and Pam, Harry and Vickie, Dino and Lisa, Colin and Marilyn (from various states) and a ton more. We also met our neighbors Ed (a new full timer) and Wayne (experienced full-timer). Whew!

Somehow I forgot to get pictures of all the 'events' but here's a sampling of the past week.

Our Cedar Creek pals. From left: Cheryl, Ann-Marie and George (Georgia), Delores and Virgil (Illinois)

Keith taking his RC Maul up for a spin. He's a very good pilot.

Pat, Tom, Deb, Cheryl, Keith, Bill

Tom and Deb (Upper Michigan)

Steve, Cheryl, Freya (not looking at the camera), Deb, Dianne, Ray. Last time we ran into Steve and Dianne was in Baddeck, Nova Scotia over a year ago.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal at 'Chez Deb'. Look at all those fresh veggies, Jim!!
The best short ribs I have ever had!

We had a wonderful meal, lots to drink, and great company.

One big happy group! Depending on who was counting and how many beers they had....I believe the official count was 24.
So what was the occasion? What....we need a reason? ......

.......it was our first beer tasting event! Everyone brings a few different beers and shares with the group. Oh, and wine too! There were some very unique beers, but none that we hated.

So we've laughed....a lot, drank....too much, enjoyed fabulous food.......also too much, and had a great time in the desert. Oh yes.....those sunsets!!

Are those ATV wheel tracks in the sky?!! Those things are everywhere!

......and that was Our View From Here!