Crazy Quartzite Part 2

Quartzite, AZ
La Posa LTV Area


During our weeks in Quartzite there was plenty of social time.  So many friends we enjoyed crossing paths with again.  We did some geocaching.  This time it was with Trace and Ellen.  We took a nice bike ride and Trace and Ellen found their first geocache. 

Moi, Trace & Ellen.

 

In the middle of the cactus was the geocache in a film container.

 

We were very excited to see Curt and Glenda of Camp Lowry.  Especially since they drove over 2 hours each way to come visit us and get a preview of what Quartzite was all about.  We hadn't seen them for several months.  We walked around the show tents and then had dinner.  Glenda brought these delicious Key Lime Cupcakes!  We are looking forward to spending the month of March with them near Apache Junction.  We have a lot of hiking to catch up on.

 Another unusual thing around here (and there are MANY) are the Intaglios.  They are sort of like giant crop circles, but done in the desert with rock.  Just travel up Hwy 95N off of 10 at Blythe and drive about 15 miles.  You'll see signs.

 

Well we drove past the sign and as we were turning around this strangely decorated tree was on the side of the road out in the remote desert.  Interesting.  This one was decorated in bras and panties.  No sign or information about it.  Wonder what this was all about?  We planned on hiding a geocache here and calling it "Tit for Tat", but we ran out of time!

Here is another sign for them. 

There are 3 fenced in areas protecting the Intaglios.

Above is a picture from above of what it looks like.  Below is my picture.  They are huge!

 

 

And another above/below shot.

Below is the last one.  Really hard to appreciate in photos.

 

 

Hurley having fun too!

 

We 4 wheeled it a bit and came across some another decorated tree out in a wash.

 

We were also very excited to finally meet Bill and Jodee of On the Road Abode and their adorable Tessa.  Jodee started up the Class of 2015 and are now fulltimers as well.  I've followed her blog before they set out.  She is a great writer, check out their site.

 

After a mix up on exactly where in the vastness of Quartzite we were, they found us and we had a great visit.  They brought some yummy donuts too!

 

Since Steve was busy working, I took a nice ride with Pam and her doggie on their quad.  We tried to find more geocaches, but failed.  Oh well, it was a great time riding around.  I was really impressed how smooth their quad drives.

 

 

Most of the time his head was on my shoulder.  I don't think he liked having to ride in the back!

 

I also spent a lot of time hiking around on my own with Hurley.  Again, out of nowhere you come across some strange things.

Like these rock paths that go on for long distances and lead to nowhere special.  Some people have lots of time on their hands.

Again with the tree decorating?

This one had very nice brass incense type things hanging from its branches.

 

Of course, there was never a shortage of food, fun and friends!  Tonight's dinner was supplied by Red and Pam with fish caught by Red and a few by Greg.  So a giant fish fry it was.  And everybody else brought a side dish.  What a great meal!  Enough leftover to make fish tacos for the next nights meal.

Red frying the Crappie.

Trace and Steve frying the onion rings and fritters.

 "The Circle"

 

Cori, Greg and Hobie.

 

 

Whew, time to call it a night.  Even Hobie is tired!

Time is winding down.  There is a giant Q on top of one of the nearby hills.  Trace, Pam and I decided to hike it and maybe search for a few caches along the way. I didn't get a good pic from the bottom before we headed up.  A nice, short, steep hike.

From near the top looking back over the LaPosa area where many RVers are camped all willy nilly in the desert.

When we got to the top there were great views all around as well as an American flag and a nice young man named Tom who was playing the guitar.  He was just traveling around the country.  I asked if he knew any Tom Petty and he played American Girl for me.  My favorite! 

 

This is the painted Q on the side of the hill looking down over the top.

We made it to the top!  Me, Trace and Pam.

Another day there was a Blogger Fest being held in another area.  Many of us write blogs about our travels and this was an impromptu get together of some of us.  A few I was looking forward to finally meeting after reading their blogs for years.  Others I did not know.

 

I have met Jim & Sandie of Where are the Dixons Today? before but did not get to meet their doggies, Skittlez an Scooter.  Before we headed out fulltime theirs was one of the blogs I read and the front page of their blog has a picture on it that always made me smile of the dogs.  You'll have to go to it to see it yourself.  ADORABLE!

 

More bloggers saying hi and sharing a potluck.

 

There is so much to do in the Quartzite area.  We drove out to see the wildlife sanctuary but did not manage to see much wildlife other than lots of ducks and birds.

I couldn't even get a good picture of them either!  Sorry.

 

But on the way we did see yet another interesting "rig".

Many fun times having dinner in town including karaoke and dancing!

Pam, Ellen, Mario, Me, Steve, Red, Greg and Cori.

 

 

One last sunset and we leave Quartzite behind and all of our wonderful friends.

Until next year!

Crazy Quartzite, Part 1

Quartzite, AZ
La Posa South, LTVA

So what is Quartzite all about?  We've heard stories about "Q", as it's called, for years.  It's a tiny town in the desert in Arizona just over the boarder of CA off I-10.  It's a very popular place to winter for RVers as the temperatures are about as warm as you can find besides South Texas or the Keys in Florida.  January is especially popular as there is one of the largest RV Shows held at this time.  We've heard you can find great deals on all things RV.  Our main reason to stay here for most of January was to check out the area for future stays and the RV Show, but mainly to meet back up with our RV friends we've met over the past 2 years.  Many of us will come and go during January with some staying until March.

 

Not everyone stays in RVs!  This is a crazy place, kind of like Burning Man for RVers.  Parties, clubs and all kinds of get-togethers.  There are everything from vans to tents to the fanciest RVs out here. In the Long Term Visitor Area, you can boondock but with access to dump, water and trash.  A Long Term Visitor Area Permit is required from September 15th through April 15th each season. The cost is $180.00 and is valid for up to 7 months. A Short Term Permit for a 14-day stay is $40.00.

 

 

You just find a spot and park.  There aren't many roads, and at first it can be a little confusing getting around as well as finding your rig once you've parked!  People just spread out everywhere or park in large group circles.

 

All settled in our spot for the month.

Our friends Lee and Trace have a nice solar set up.  Having solar as well as a way to store extra water is a big plus out here unless you want to move your rig to and from the dump every few days.  Many have nice solar set ups of some kind that will keep them powered up.  We just have one portable panel for now that keeps our laptops and electronics charged.  Most of us all have generators too to replenish our batteries as needed.  We have a 50 gallon collapsible drum to refill our water tank and a portable blue boy to empty our black tank. 

Greg and Cory's rig.  They own a mobile RV solar company, called RV Solar Solutions.

 

About that huge RV Show?  Well, it was big, but not what I expected.  I had heard you could find all kinds of things for your RV here:  kitchen gadgets, chairs, tools, awnings, etc.  There were some, but it mostly resembled a flea market with repetitive items.  Sure, there were some cool things and some good deals, but nowhere near what I expected.  I've also heard it's gone a bit downhill over the past couple of years.

Parking outside the big tent.

 

Crowds of people and little dogs everywhere.  They were in strollers and backpacks.

 

How about a nice Jacuzzi for your RV?

 

We'd had enough of the show and crowds and were looking for some other entertainment.  We went out with friends Mario and Ellen who are parttimers (they still live in Florida) and some friends of theirs and decided to go shooting.  We had quite the little arsenal between us all. 

 

It was very windy and I couldn't resist this picture of Ellen all covered up!  She

was quite the shot too!

Mario & Steve

 

Back at camp, we usually all shared dinner or a campfire or cocktails.  We all come from different parts of the US and Canada.  Most of us are between 45 and 70, some retired, some self employed and some still working their corporate jobs on the road, like Steve.  What we all have in common though, is a desire to see more of the country, simplify our lives and just have more FUN!

Lee, Allen and Red.

Dianne, Ellen, Barb & Trace.

Dave, Steve, Jim & Steve.

Just playing around with the camera and getting a picture of the rocks with the sunset glowing on them.

Dave & Dianes's rig pulling their jeep.

 

Something you just can't miss if you're in the area is a drive to the Desert Bar.  It's a unique old mining camp turned into a bar and restaurant with music, run entirely on solar.  It is located 5 miles off the Cienega Springs Rd exit on Hwy-95, approximately 5 miles north of Parker, Arizona.  It's a windy dirt road that'll take about a 1/2 hour to get down.  Incredible place!  More info HERE

Driving to the Desert Bar.

 

There was also some fun photo ops along the way!

Mario and Steve

 

It's a long drive.

 

I took a little hike up the hillside and you get a good view of the place (above & below).

 

It's actually quite impressive!  They repurposed much of the old iron from the mine and used it to make just about everything.

That's our group in the lower center.

 

Here they are!

 

 It's hard to tell, but I took a picture of what was the original bar as seen from a hole in a rock high above.

Trace, Cori and Steve.

 

 

 

My Guy

Lots of old relics and the church in the background where they hold actual weddings.

A popular way to get here is by ATVs.

Nice moonrise over an old car.

 

 

You sure get some of the best sunsets out here in the desert!