Monday January 3rd

About 70 miles north of Yuma and ten miles east of the California State line, at the intersection of Interstate 10 and US 95, is the desert town of Quartzsite, Arizona.

About five years ago we stayed there for an entire winter.  God only knows why!  But we did have some fond memories and experiences there, so we decided to make another visit.

During the months of April through October, the population of Quartzsite hovers around 3,000.  But during the late fall and winter months, the population swells to nearly a HALF MILLION, and over one and a half million people will visit Quartzsite during the "season".  Why?  Again, God only knows how it got started. 



The desert around Quartzsite

 The hundreds of square miles of desert surrounding the town begin to fill with motor homes, trailers, campers, tents, and every other conceivable portable home.  You'll see a broken down van occupied by an old couple with three dogs and a goat, parked near a $2 million "Rock Star" motor coach.  Some are parked in RV parks, while others are simply parked anywhere they like on the Government owned desert.  These areas are the LTVA (Long Term Visitor Areas) on the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) property.  You can stay for up to 28 days for free.  Some have showers and a water station near the entrance, but there is nothing beyond that but desert.



Flying over our campsite in an
Ultralight plane
Quartzsite 2006

 A few years ago, we stayed in this desert for nearly 3 months.  Each week we had to go to the water station to empty our sewage tanks and refill out fresh water tanks.  There was no electricity without a generator, solar panels or wind turbine, all of which were in use out there.  Generators are not permitted between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., so you better have enough reserved battery power to keep the blower on your furnace going or you are going to get very cold overnight.

Anyway, the big attraction in town is the carnival atmosphere.  There are gem and mineral shows, RV sales and surplus tents, tools, food, clothing, and just about anything you can think of is being sold in a hut or tent somewhere in the area.  And all of it covered in a thin layer of desert dust!

We went to the place where we were introduced to Mexican breakfast; the Taco Mio restaurant.  Ordering the same things we had in Yuma t Bubba's we realized what a difference there was between the real thing and all the others.  Once again it was Huevos Rancheros for her and Huevos and Chorrizzo for me.  The difference in the home made product versus the botteled stuff is amazing.  This alone made the trip worth it.

After checking out some of the vendors and making a few minor purchases, we drove back to Yuma.

The drive to and from Quartzsite includes some more extrodinary wide open desert space.  Hidden from view on much of it aong this route are military and corporate testing areas.  The U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds are legendary.  Also in this area are training and research facilities for The Air Force, Marines and even General Motors.  Much of it is restriced, but there are areas where tours can be taken, or the recreation areas are open to the public.