MichelleI have read so much about Quartzsite, AZ and the big RV show they have every year, and this year I finally made it there. (Don’t know why but I took hardly any pictures at Quartzsite). Although there is plenty of free BLM land to camp on, I opted to stay closer toward town in the LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area). For a nominal fee of $40, you can camp for two weeks and have access to free sewer dump, potable water, and garbage dumpsters. Plus, I was super close to the RV show. My friend, Anne, came to camp with me for a week and we had a great time. More than the RV Show, there are tons of vendors plying their wares, a large flea market, restaurants, etc. Anything you want, you can get it somewhere! We had so much fun looking at all the various odds and ends, clothing, crafts, and multitudes of rocks and gems. Ah, I forgot to mention the ‘many’ rock and gem shops. So much of it, you kind of get sick of it after a while.
We also experienced a ‘flash flood’ one evening. Our campsite was set up in the middle of two washes (on higher ground). It dumped rain for a bit and soon the water started flowing into the washes. It was a little unnerving to see how quickly it went from a trickle to a raging river, then down to nothing within several hours. I will be a little more cautious when picking campsites in the future, so as not to get trapped by water on both sides. Live and learn right? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (and smarter I hope)!
The actual RV show started a few days after Anne departed. I was so excited to see everything! And was somewhat disappointed by the reality. There is a very large long tent with vendors selling anything from insurance to new RV furniture, and everything in between. That part was rather fun, but I disappointed that there were very few RV’s to actually look at. Apparently, this is an everything for your RV show and not an actual ‘RV’ show. That aside, I had a fun time meeting Randy Jones of Incredible Tiny Homes out of Newport, TN. I have been watching Randy’s YouTube videos for some time now, mostly because I love his tiny house designs but also because of his vision for cheaper housing. His company builds custom homes, model homes, and smaller super low-cost tiny homes. He has created a tiny home community where rent is $200-$300/month for life. His infectious positivity is a breath of fresh air!
After 3 weeks in Quartzsite, I moved just 20 miles south to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is miles and miles of gorgeous desert and mountains. There are multiple locations that allow free camping near or in the refuge and I found a primo spot! What makes this area unique is the amount of cactus types and close proximity to jagged desert mountains. I loved this spot so much that I stayed the entire 14 days allowed. I took a trip to Crystal Hill where an area has been set aside to hunt for quartz crystals. There are limits on how much you can take and no ‘digging’ for crystals is allowed. It must be found on top of the ground. I wasn’t here long but there was so much quartz everywhere, just not the clear crystals. That would take much more time than I put into it. Close to my campsite was a short hike to Palm Canyon where you can find a grouping of Palms growing up a steep stretch of rocky canyon. The hike was fun, although the palm grouping was less than exciting!
On to my next stop further south near Yuma, AZ, where I found a great spot to camp at Mittry Lake Wildlife Refuge. Not only was it spectacularly beautiful with blue water, palm trees, and lots of birds… the people here were fabulous and friendly! I met new friends Theresa and Jeff from CA; and Tom from KS who are all full timing like me. It was tons of fun talking at length about RVing tips and tricks as well as places we’d been. It was equally fun when many folks from the camping area ended up at the same laundromat at the same time. A much better way to get through that boring task!
I didn’t particularly like Yuma when I first arrived, but once I explored I found it quite interesting. First of all, its much warmer this far south (almost to Mexico). Agriculture is huge here and I was able to witness some of the harvesting process that occurs. While I was in the area, I saw harvesting of cauliflower, cabbage, heads of lettuce, and leaf lettuce. There were orange & lemon trees as well as date palms grown here. I have to say that watching the migrant workers standing all day harvesting produce made my whole body ache in sympathy. They work so hard for so little! One day I explored the East Wetlands Park in Yuma that runs along the Colorado River. It sports a very wide paved walking/biking path, and a separate dirt trail that meanders through the trees which is great for bird watching. There are multiple parks along the river but I only made time for this one. My first kayak trip this year was on Mittry Lake. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were lots of people out on the lake paddling or fishing. After 10 days at Mittry Lake, I decided to move East to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument which will be covered in my next post.
