Thursday 25 January 2018

Quartzite: RVer Mecca for some, Hell for others.

Our five hour drive to Quartzite was a pleasant one with light traffic and great sites of misty mountains, fresh foliage, beauty buttes, daunting dinosaurs, solemn Saguaros and the splendid Sonoran Desert.

P1190136

P1190150

P1190161

P1190166

P1190169

P1190172

P1190193

P1190196

Ostrich farm with herds of 60 or more.

P1190212

P1190220

P1190217

Not sure if we were seeing dust or haze.

P1190354

P1190254

P1190248

P1190204

Illegal to harm Saguaros, construction must go around them.

P1190250

P1190251

Like snowflakes, there are no two Saguaros the same!

P1190259

P1190230

The desert without irrigation.

P1190233

Irrigation

P1190224

The desert with irrigation.

P1190223

P1190260

Roadside greenery prompts thoughts of Spring in Ontario.

P1190272

P1190267

Two buttes are better than one?

P1190336

It’s lonely at the top!

P1190320

Stopping in Gila Bend, we filled up our tummies, propane and diesel tanks.  The old town had some interesting antiquated buildings and signage.  At the gas station, Dixie greeted her dinosaur friends that she’d met a few years back.  She asked if we could bring the little one along to be her play mate however the adults gave me the roar of disapproval!

P1190284

P1190276

P1190285

P1190286

P1190278

P1190293

Chris is at the pumps in the background.

P1190312

P1190296

P1190307

P1190310

P1190311

P1190316

Missed out on a great sale, NOT!

P1190313

A couple of teenagers were having it out across the road.

P1190484

We roared past the busiest area in Quartzite to find a campsite further from town but closer to the Ham fest.  We were lucky to find a spot away from the masses and set up in time for dinner and a sunset.

P1190458

P1190379

We enjoyed our first two days of semi-solitude, biking towards the mountains on a deserted road, reading outside in the 70 degree afternoon temps and watching the sun fall slowly behind the mountains.

P1190459

P1190460

Dune buggies roar down the mountain trails before sunset.

P1190465

P1190463

On two previous visits to the Big Q.we found quiet, private areas to camp where we hiked along the rocky paths, relaxed and saluted the sunsets over our campfire.  We knew that Quartzite was known for its crowds, hucksters and dust but we managed to sample only a few hours of that on both our stays.  Even so, we vowed not to return to Quartzite again.

But that was then.

P1190468

With Chris’s new enthusiasm for Ham Radio, the prospect of traveling to Quartzite this year for a Ham-fest seemed appealing.  We were determined to cope with a bit of crowding in exchange for a lot of information at workshops and lectures.    Not far away from our relatively private campsite, more social Ham-types huddled cheek to jowl, displaying an array of antennae to communicate with the world.

P1190466

We ventured into the nerve centre of Quartzite one day to “see the sites”.  The annual humongous RV Show was setting up to sell motorhomes, fifth wheels and any type of trailer on the market.  All other products related to RVing could be found for sale around the area: floor mats, awnings, towing equipment, furniture, blankets, tools, housewares and anything else you may need.  The vendors were practicing all methods of merchandising to entice, persuade, tempt and convince the crowds to BUY, BUY, BUY!  Many food booths supplied food and drink of all description to fuel the customer's spending appetites.

P1190546

P1190490

P1190487

P1190470

I actually love these balloons that mark the RV-Fest.

P1190482

P1190554

The following folks are likely not in the market for a new RV!

P1190496

Note the street name.

P1190406

P1190378

Step Right Up…We have the deal for you!

P1190443

P1190409

From ghastly fleece

P1190413

..to glow in the dark eggs.

P1190412

P1190417

Warm up with a wooly toque.

P1190420

P1190416

Cool down with an ice-cream cone.

P1190438

P1190424

antique oil jars

P1190426

P1190436

wooden angel wings?

P1190442

Remember, RVers are trying to travel light!?

P1190431

But have you got any beads?

P1190439

P1190410

And the greatest reason to avoid Quartzite, the CROWDS

P1190539

P1190523

P1190561

P1190403

P1190513

P1190411

Or, you could hide in the back of a transport truck and play piano.

Quartzite lies on the western portion of the La Posa Plain along Tyson Wash.  Dome Rock , Granite, Oldman and Polomosa Mountain Ranges surround the plain.  Winter temperatures are mild to warm but its temps of 122 F. or 50 C. in summer make Quartzite one of the hottest places in the US.  The area is stone-rich and attracts hundreds of rock hounds to its nine major gem and mineral shows.

P1190529

P1190493

P1190414

P1190520

Our first two nights were great but on the third, just before sun  down, a fifth wheel barreled in and parked almost beside us just a few trees and twelve feet beyond us.  There was a lot of available parking space in front and behind yet there they were, snug up against us.  We thought we could handle “the rude and selfish” but we went immediately into our aggravated and pissed-off mode.  The following day, we took a long bike ride to try and shake off our frustration but upon our return we concluded that the following day, we would head for a remote, peaceful area.  Chris found Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, just over an hour’s drive away and with joy in our hearts, we readied ourselves for our morning departure.

P1190400

One last Quartzite sunset with a neighbour’s campfire.

P1190377

On our fourth morning, we grit our teeth on our final Quartzite trip to empty our tanks and fill up with water necessary for our boon-docking adventure.  Soon we were heading west towards Kofa Wildlife Reserve.  Farewell to the Ham-festers, SKP-festers, RV-festers, Blogger-festers, Geologist-festers, Boomer-festers, Blue-Grass festers, OOberfesters and ATV-festers.

P1190569

Goodbye, not Au Revoir Quartzite.

P1190572

P1190575

P1190574

Power tower wearing Mickey Mouse ears.

P1190576

P1190577

P1190579

P1190580

We found a great spot where we will stay for two weeks.

 Come little Dixie, come with me, happy we will be!

P1190591