Quartzsite, Arizona | Camping in the Desert

I came to Quartzsite because of a propane leak and I knew the RV season here would be ending and the fix-it guys would have time to deal with it.  I made contact with one of them before I left Tucson and he was on the job first thing Monday morning.  Great not to smell the leaking propane.  Since my refrigerator had been running on propane, I had turned it off the night before I drove over and then went into a park to hook up so I could run it.  I am impressed - the ice was still frozen as well as other items in the freezer, and that's after being off for almost 20 hours. 

I have no idea what the story is on the photo below, but it's interesting.  This was on the way out to desert camping.

At Dome Rock, I feel I'm in the middle of  nowhere.  The first photo above shows a campsite that was decorated with the quartz rocks this area is named for.  Desert dwellers have lots of time on their hands!

As for me, I'm hiking (actually wandering around the desert), reading, relaxing and doing a few projects, like doing my tax return.  And enjoying the solitude and scenery, as you can see below.

A month ago this entire area was full of RVs.  This area is home to many winter visitors, it goes on for miles and you can see hundreds of rock fire rings that have been used.  On my hike today I thought the RVers did a great job of picking up and keeping a clean area.  Considering that probably thousands of people were in this neighborhood, I only found a water jug, a plastic wrapper from firewood and a Coke can.  And what's in the following picture which has been there for ages.

Quirky Quartzsite, Arizona

  

Now that I've been in Quartzsite a few days, I have had time to do a little exploring. I have found that it's a quirky little town, as evidenced by some of the signs around town.

 

I got here mid-March and RV season is almost over. Actually, the town has really cleared out, which is good because I didn't want to be in a mob scene with lots of traffic. Rvers come here from all over, especially Canada. Some of them set up shop and there are numerous places where they can rent spots with hookups and have their little flea markets. About this time of year, people leave and the town shrinks dramatically in population. Summer is hot here and there are about 3600 permanent residents then. Some people close their shops until the next winter. 

 

The town has multiple RV shops, some are mobile fix-it people who come to your location. They do a great business in the winter as do the people who sell solar systems. 

 

Since there is a good amount of BLM land here, a great many Rvers set up residence in the desert for the season. You can buy a pass at the Long Term Visitor Area for $180 for 6 months, or $40 for 2 weeks. Those are the areas that have some type of facilities, such as rest rooms, trash pickup, etc. There are no hookups available. Other BLM areas are free, but there's a limit of 14 days. Then you're supposed to move at least 25 miles away, although I've been told that most times no one checks on the time you've been at a spot. 

 

Because there are so many large RVs here in the winter, there are a few places that offer towing, and they have the big rigs that can handle any size RV.

 

 

There is one area that sells reverse osmosis water and deep well water, as well as an RV wash and propane fills. This sign was on a building around the corner, but I think they're out of business at least in this location......

 

 

And, of course, they have numerous restaurants. There is one in town that I need to visit before I leave - a Yacht Club in the desert!

 

I do believe this is a town with a sense of humor. I have not been to the used/trade bookstore yet, but I hear the man who runs it is quite the character and runs the store wearing the least amount of clothing he can legally get away with. I have been told that he plays piano brilliantly and does volunteer work for the town, as well as being a well-read individual. 

 

They even have a park set aside for those who want to fly model planes. I saw a disc course as well as a skateboard park and a regular town park. Not bad for a little town with a small population.  And the Laundromat actually has better wifi than the library!

 

Camels in the Arizona Desert?

 

 

Yes, apparently back in history, camels were imported to this area in southwestern Arizona.  In 1857 the U S Army thought it would be a great idea to use camels in the desert. A Syrian born man known by the nickname Hi Jolly was hired as a “Camel Herder” for an experimental expedition in the desert.

There were a total of about 40 camels that were taken with wagons from Fort Defiance to California and apparently worked out well. Unfortunately, when the camels were brought back to what is now the Quartzsite area, the Army scrapped the project and the animals were left to their own devices in the desert. The official Army statement was that the project was a failure, but some of the officers felt that the project was not given a fair chance. Unfortunately, the animals did not thrive in this area and the population slowly dwindled.

The tomb of Hi Jolly, in the cemetery named for him, has a marker in the shape of a pyramid, with a statue of a camel on the top. There is also a time capsule, which is said to contain the ashes of his favorite camel. This pyramid marker is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

It just happens that the BLM land I'm staying on has been named Hi Jolly. Before I got here, I wondered about that name.

Going Back to Arizona

A couple days ago I drove back into Arizona from California. I really had not planned on seeing any of California this year, but there was a BLM campground with hot springs that I thought might be fun while I waited for the weather to get a little nicer (meaning warmer, especially at night.).

So, I went to that area and camped for the 14 days I was allowed. Then I decided to visit the Salton Sea area. Then I figured I was so close I might as well go visit the Joshua Tree National Park, which I highly recommend. The northern area of the park is more interesting than the southern area and is well worth a visit. By then I needed some special medication for my cat, so I went over to Blythe to get it. 

I hadn't figured on spending that much time in California, but it just worked out that way and I enjoyed it. However, I'm not sure why gas was $3.55 and more in that area of California – when right across the border in Arizona it was $2.65, only 3 miles away. Then, 20 miles further into Arizona, it was down to $2.41! That's more than a dollar difference. This is the largest price spread I've ever seen on gas. I don't know if California taxes cost $1.00 per gallon or not. This is one great reason to be in Arizona!

California also charges a deposit on plastic, glass or aluminum drink containers. I'm sure it's to prompt people to do more recycling, and I do that whenever I can. However, I did not see anywhere to recycle drink containers except in one park I was in, as well as the Joshua Tree National Park. It's not really a deposit where you get your money back, like when you used to be able to bring soda bottles back to the grocery store and they would give your deposit back. So, I don't understand the logic of that extra charge. It is a separate line item on the bill, so I'm sure the stores have to pay it back to the state. Maybe this doesn't have anything to do with recycling, it's just a way of taxing to get more revenue. I guess I should do some research on that, just because I'm curious on the reasoning.

One thing I did notice is that if you have any service work done, such as vehicle repairs, they don't charge sales tax on labor, only the parts. In Florida, sales tax was always charged on the full bill, parts and labor. That was a nice surprise.

One thing I really liked about California is that the speed limit for any vehicle towing something is 55, while everything else is mostly 70, at least on the interstate. So that means all the tractor trailers that passed me were speeding. I think I'm the only one who drives that slow anyway, I usually keep under 60. On California roads, I had a good reason for being a slow-poke!

I'm in Quartzsite, which looks like an interesting little town. I have some exploring to do here in the next week or so.  Sorry there aren't any photos to this, the library is so slow it took me over a half hour to download this.