Winding Down

(NOTE: You can view a larger image by clicking on the pictures above.)

Well friends, we seem to be winding down for the Winter. We are now in Quartzsite, AZ. The town has about 1,900 to 3,000 people, depending on whom you ask, who are permanent residents. What Quartzsite has is warm desert weather and RVers, hundreds of thousands of them. By January every Park will be full, as well as most of the surrounding desert. The population swells upward to two million in the Winter.

There are numerous RV Parks in the area. The one we are in, Kofa Mountain, is one of the nicer ones. The first picture above is of our campsite here. Like many of the Campgrounds, this one is about 90% filled with Park Models, which are essentially RVs without wheels, and a little different style (the second picture gives you a view of a couple Park Models). People buy these “RVs” and lease the spot to put them in. These really are second homes, or vacation homes for the people who own them. The owners return here year after year in the Winter. One camper we talked to has been doing this here for 29 years, another we talked to is in their eight year. Incidentally, this campground with 54 sites is for sale. If you have $825,000 you can buy it.

There are what is called Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA) run by the Bureau of Land Management. Around Quartzsite there are some 34,000 desert acres set aside for this purpose. Campers here can only “boondock” or “dry camp,“ which is camping without facilities. There is no electricity, one must provide their own, with generators or solar panels, or the like. There are no sewer connections, but they provide a “dump.” There is no water connection at the site, but a place is provided where one can fill the RV fresh water tank. These are gated areas and are patrolled by Rangers for security. What attracts people to these sites? CHEAP! With one fee of $140, one can camp on these lands for seven months, September through March. That is $20 per month, or less than 70 cents per day! This $140 permit is good at all the LTVAs in both California and Arizona. There are several in each of these States, and one can move around within any of them during the season. Out here in the desert, one can spread apart from one’s neighbor as far as one likes.

Quartzsite originally was little more than a stagecoach stop and way station on the California-Arizona line. In the early 1800’s, a man by the name of Tyson dug a forty foot deep well by hand. Around this well grew up the Town of Quartzsite. In the 1850’s, a man by the name of Halji Ali (Hi Jolly, as the Americans called him) led an experiment for the Army to see if camels would serve well for Calvary use. It didn’t pan out well, but Hi Jolly became famous. His gravesite is here in Quartzsite. General Patton trained tank troops in this area during World War II.

Another attraction for the area seems to be “swap meets,” what we call “flea markets.” Beginning in 1967 with the first Pow-Wow Gem and Mineral Show, Quartzsite has grown to the point where today twelve main shows plus a variety of special events attract visitors. The "season" runs from November to March with the main shows in January and February. It is a big area for “rock hounding.” The third picture above is of a typical “swap meet” area.

Most residents and visitors to Quartzsite have visited the town’s only permanent bookstore, operated by Paul Winer, who is best known for what he doesn’t have than what he has. What he does not have is clothes on his body as he goes about his daily work, including waiting on customers. Known as the “Naked Bookseller,” his store is stuffed with mostly used books, but some new ones as well. And there are magazines and DVDs and other stuff. Actually, he does wear a thong. Sorry, no picture of Paul, but he is a very skinny, tanned old dude with a beard and a cowboy hat---and that’s about all.

As I mentioned at the outset, we are winding down. We are basically finished with the “tourist” activity and about to settle down to one place for the Winter. We have now made the firm decision to return to Gila Bend, AZ, after we spend a couple weeks in CA, then stay put in one place until April. Of course, we are likely to make day trips without the RV. After all, our winter abode is not far from Phoenix. We will arrive back to our “Winter Quarters” on December 5th.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all. We’ll catch up with you again before the next holiday.