Saturday, January 11, 2014

Made It To Quartzsite

 

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Thursday morning we left Saddle Mountain and drove 60 miles west to Gateway Ranch RV Resort in Brenda, AZ, about 15 miles from Quartzsite. We stayed overnight there since it was going to cost us $20 for dump and fresh water at an RV park in Quartzsite, anyway, so for $25 we got to spend the night, use their nice laundry room, charge everything up, dump our tanks, fill the rig and our jugs with water, and top off our propane. We also managed to squeeze in a bike ride on the BLM land right behind the park.

I still marvel over the use of the word “resort” when it comes to RV parks. The clubhouse is being remodeled so there was only one small bathroom with no hot water, so we didn’t even get to take a nice long shower. And it is right next to Hwy 60, which is a very  busy road .

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But at least there are nice dirt roads for walking or biking in the scenic desert just outside the RV park. That is always a plus!

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We plan to join the Lazy Daze group next week at the La Posa South LTVA area, but we wanted to spend a few days with the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) folks whom we met in Flagstaff last summer. They are staying about 5 miles southeast of town in one of the free BLM 14 day stay areas, and it is not at all crowded. We found a quiet spot off a short dead-end road with nice views but not far from the main group area.

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Late yesterday afternoon we went for a walk with some of the group and their dogs.

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There’s an interesting mix of people at these gatherings, both singles and couples, from folks living in tents and cars, vans, truck campers, all kinds of trailers, class Cs like ours, and even a class A motorhome. Bob, the founder of the RTR, espouses frugal living and getting together occasionally with other like-minded people to share ideas and socialize. We have really enjoyed visiting with the people we’ve met at the RTR.

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Today we’re making our first trip into town to order batteries for the Lazy Daze and buy a couple of new camp chairs, after Jim fell through to the ground a few days ago on one of our old chairs. Our batteries seem to be doing okay, but the original owners picked up the Lazy Daze in March of 2007, so they are almost 7 years old now. We figure that’s a reasonable life span for batteries, and don’t want to be out in the middle of nowhere and have them fail, which is what happened to Debbie in California last fall. Jim found a place that has great prices on Trojans so we figured we may as well replace them now before we absolutely have to.

And we are still slowly working on cleaning out cabinets and getting rid of things, always with plenty of unwanted help from the cats. This is the area behind our TV, which lifts up for access.

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Also the weather has been absolutely wonderful so far this month, and looks like it will continue for the next 10 days. Highs are in the upper 60s to low 70s, lows in the low 40s, mostly sunny, and no wind. This is the best weather we’ve experienced in the Arizona desert and hope the rest of the winter is as nice. If you want to try boondocking in Quartzsite, this is definitely the year to do it.

13 comments:

  1. I can't believe are remodeling the clubhouse in January. This has to be by far there busiest season. I would think they would want to make everything as nice as possible so people return next year.

    Glad the weather is cooperating. Watch those winds; they can come up in a hurry.

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  2. Ah, yes.... life with the cats... always right where you are inspecting everything that you are doing. While it is sometimes annoying..... I can't imagine life without them.

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  3. That weather sounds so much nicer than what we had last year. We stayed in the southeast section as well and I remember seeing that groups little sign. Have a great time and I'd be interested in knowing who the folks are with the good price on Trojan batteries.

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    1. The dealer is The Gambler on the east side of 95 on Kuehn St. However, after giving me the price quote he said that the Trojan rep would be coming in on Friday and he would have him call me for my order. Don't get that and he never called on Friday despite my calling them back several times.

      Yesterday we went by the shop and the guy I spoke with wasn't there. The one who was took my number said he would call him and have him call me, again never heard from them. So I guess this deal was too good to be true.

      I have two T-105 trojans and want to go back with two t-145 for more amp hours. Several dealers here have the 105s in stock for $119. The quote I got for the 145 was $167.

      Jim

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    2. If your Quartzsite battery purchase doesn't work out, don't worry about it. The prices you gave are standard prices at standard RV stores in Yuma. (Everybody thinks that everything is automatically a bargain in Quartzsite.)

      But I've lost the thread here: are you saying that you are finally upgrading to 4 batteries, from your current 2? Most couples need 4. Heck even I do.

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    3. Wish we had the space and the CCC for four batteries, but we've managed fine for over 5 years with two. The T-145s should help a little. Jim wants to get the batteries here since he will have help putting them in. Have to take advantage of the group!

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  4. Your right about the Arizona weather being so much better this year than last. It's amazing Quartzsite has not had any major winds. Weather is better overall throughout the South-West for sure. We generally boodocked about 6 miles south of Q in the La Paz Valley on the west side of the highway to Yuma. It was the furthest from Quartzsite we could get & it still got pretty crowded by the third week in January. But still not nearly as bad as closer in to town. I think we hit Quartzsite for 4 or 5 years in a row a few years ago. Great area for sight seeing as well. Crystal Hill, Palm Canyon, Castle Dome Museum, Angela's Rainbow Garden, etc, Enjoy your time there:))

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  5. That looks familiar. The RTR is in the same place as last year, I see. With warmer weather. Enjoy! :)

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  6. Definitely sounds like perfect weather. Those are my kind of temps. Hope it holds for you this winter.

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  7. They are just so darn cute you can't help but be amused at their inquisitiveness! I'm always wishing Rosie could go on real walks with us like a dog...instead of our zen meanderings.

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  8. Great cat picture. They are so darling. What great entertainment. I really hope we may some day be able to spend at least a couple of years in the west but with David's situation I just don't know. You make it look so appealing. I'd love to just wander around after you and meet up with all the folks you do. What fun. 2 weeks boondocking and then a night among the "resorts" - I laugh at that too. Talk about stretching the truth. Quartzsite and get some serious solar for Winnona....the stuff dreams are made of. Thanks for keeping mine alive. Love seeing all you do.

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  9. It looks like a "Cat Scan" in the last photo…
    I remember sitting on a copy machine once, hee hee.

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  10. You're so right about the weather. The only year we decide to skip Quartzsite has to be the warmest in my memory. Have fun!

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