Adventures in Quartzsite, Arizona

This town has so much to do. We got to La Posa South BLM land on December 24. It took us a few days to find a quiet spot to settle in. We found a spot about 2 miles off the road, just on the edge of the Magic Circle section. La Posa South is a BLM area that allows long term stay from September to April for $180. With this cost, we have access to a dump station, fresh water and trash bins. There are two long term camping areas in Arizona and four in California. Some people sell flags, bread, junk, and there are even several people that have tents set up to be able to offer massages.

Quartzsite is an interesting town. In the summer there are around 3,000 people that reside here. I would guess that there are easily a million here right now. It seems that the town does not try very hard. A large amount of the town is a tent city that goes up for the winter. Many of the buildings in town look pretty rough. I spoke with a woman that owns a coffee shop and laundromat. She said that she makes her money in the winter and closes up for the summer to go back to Montana. One of the restaurants closes up March 15. The bartender says that is the end of their season here.

Even though the town looks like it is having a hard time, there is plenty to do. There are many different shows here including gem and mineral shows, RV shows, craft shows and what looks to be flea markets.  It is amazing how busy the streets are when the RV show was happening. 

Tom and I joined the gem and mineral club, the club offers several crafting classes from stained glass to knife making and everything in between.  I took a silversmithing class and made some real amazing jewelry. Tom took a stained-glass class as well. While in Quartzsite we took some time to explore the nearby cities such as Yuma, AZ, Parker, AZ, Lake Havasu, AZ, 29 Palms, CA and Los Algodones, Mexico. 

​In Lake Havasu we saw the London bridge. It's the actual London bridge that was shipped from England block by block to Lake Havasu then reconstructed. We also had a few beers at brewery next to the airport. In Parker, we participated in a 5K walk/run at the Desert Bar with friends that we met in La Posa South.  We dressed up in crazy costumes. Tom won the grand prize 50-inch TV. Luck for us, our friends needed one.

Tom, our friend Lauren, and I went to 29 Palms to see Joshua Tree National Patk. Joshua Tree is defiantly worth see but we don't think we will visit a second time. It was interesting to explore all the different kinds of cactus. 

We ventured to Yuma a few times to do some shopping for thing not available in Quartzsite. It is a larger town that has many of the name stores. On our way there we traveled through some of the military training areas and quite a bit of crop land. About 20 minutes way from Yuma is Los Algodones, Mexico. We went down their because Tom had an eye infection. He was able to quickly see a doctor and get his prescriptions. All cost him $80. Los Algodones is known for dental and eyes care. When we were there, people were extremely helpful, and the food was great.

While we stayed in Quartzsite, we made so many new friends. We also had friend come to visit. Scott and Joy (our friends that also full time RV) stopped in for two weeks before heading to Mexico. They had planned to stay in Mexico for one month but love it so much that they have extended their stay and are exploring more of the Baja region. We also had our friend Lauren visit. She just started her full-time journey and is looking for a larger vehicle to travel in.

One of the last adventures that we took before leaving was two jeep rides to several destinations. One of the days we drove with about nine other jeeps to see an old mine. The next trip, our friends took us to Palm Cayon which is in the Kofa Mountains. We hiked into the canyon to see palm trees growing high up on a cliff, Of course, Tom hiked up to them.  From what we have learned, these are native palm trees.

Wow, after looking through the pictures I remembered more. Some of the pictures are of Scott and Tom working on the roof and solar. Somehow our solar is not working optimally. We had a solar work on it in Tuscon and did some trouble shooting. Then Scott made some more adjustments to it and some rewiring. Unfortunately, we don't have all the kinks out, but we are getting closer. 

We also watched Checkers, Scott and Joys's dog while they took a family cruise. We love her but defiantly would not want to have a big dog in the RV for a long period of time.

I also got to take my first cruise to celebrate my birthday and my girlfriend's birthday. I flew to Dallas where Coreen picked me up and we drove down to Galveston to take a 5-day trip to Cozumel. We have been friends since high school and have never taken a vacation together, so it was much needed and long overdue. I had such an amazing time with her!!!

​I had time to be crafty, so I made Stella a sweater, Claire a sweater and start a temperature blanket.
There are some pictures of meat because Tom got a smoker for Christmas. He has mastered brisket and ribs for sure. We also tried out the local restaurants and bars in Quartzsite. 

Lastly, I could not leave out all the amazing photos of the sunrises and the sunsets.