Quartzsite

Quartzsite is a unique and interesting place. There are numerous references to Quartzsite on the web and most searches will guide you to many interesting tidbits of information.

Our experiences there are just snippets of all the goings on there over the course of the RV season. We had heard a lot about Quartzsite so we wanted to find out for ourselves. 

Our first season we were invited there by a TV Documentary producer for the Discovery Civilization Channel. It was quite a surprise needless to say. We didn't know anybody and didn't know where to go, but we soon found our way with the help of good directions, to the Escapee's Birds of a Feather group Boomers. The road in off I-10 turned us around but the signs kept us on the right track. We soon found the site where we met Paul and Stephanie Berhagen. They were great hosts and we quickly were made welcome.   

The Boomers have a social hour at 4 PM each day. This is where we met most of the attendees and made numerous friends.  

After getting the filming done the 1st day we settled in to our first real boondocking adventure. At this point we were not all that experienced at boondocking and we soon learned our strengths and weaknesses.  

The area were we were parked was really remarkable. We thought that the parking area had been prepared with heavy equipment or something. As it turns out, this area was naturally flat and the gravel was coated with what we learned was is called 'desert varnish'.

The area is a dry plain between two mountain ranges cut with large alluvial fans and washes. Desert fauna was scattered throughout and presented many opportunities for  observing different animal life as well. 

January - February 2002

Our next season in Quartzsite found us spending some time alone prior to the Boomer gathering on the west side of the valley. Quartzsite has many seasonal services available. While we were there we took advantage of them by getting some work done on our RV. On other days we did some exploring. A friend we had met the previous year directed us to some petroglyphs on a near by knoll not far from where we were parked. These go back many years and documents the presence of Indians who lived there back then. 

The sunsets were spectacular and the nights were unusually clear and bright. 

Quartzsite was an enjoyable time for us. We only went into the hub-bub in town when we had to. During January and February the population going to all the flea markets and such make traffic pretty bad. We avoided that kind of entertainment when possible and enjoyed the real desert away from all the noise from a busy town.