I mentioned that we had just left Quartzsite in last weeks blog and Alan asked if I could write some on Quartzsite and give a few pointers. Well Alan this was our first visit to Quartzsite, and as such we are not experts, but everything is so open and folks there so willing to exchange conversation it does not take long to find your way around.
We were dry camped at Bureau Of Land Management long term camping area at Imperial Dam just north of Yuma. We bumped into Brad and Karen Townsend from Raymond, New Hampshire there, who had been up to Quartzsite before coming to Imperial. Brad was looking for a closed car trailer and itching for an excuse to go back to Quartzsite for a day and they acted as our tour guides on our first day.
Quartzsite is a bump in the interstate between two exits off I-10. The town was originally named Tyson Wells after Charles Tyson discovered a good supply of water in a 35 foot well. He built a building on the site and became the stage stop for the Ehrenburg to Prescott stage line. As a side note an average days stage journey was 25 to 35 miles.
In the mid eighteen nineties the stage line fell victim to the railroads but the discovery of gold in the area led to a short lived resurgence and the name change to Quartzsite because of the large amount of Quartz in the ground. The quality of the ore was not generally good enough to sustain profitable mining and the town once again was on the verge of extinction at the turn of the century.
Census figures show that the population ranged between 14 and 60 from then till 1960. In 1967 Sig Sigurdson donated 4 acres of land to the Quartzsite Improvement Association so that they could hold the first Pow Wow, which was in fact a mineral and gem show. A thousand people braved the desert and warm winter weather to attend. The attendance grew until in 1978 attendance at the show topped one million.
The rest of the development just, as they say, followed the dollar. The town of 60 permanent inhabitants turned host to millions of seller, buyers, sunbirds, and just plain travelers per year. What helps the situation is the Bureau of Land Management camping opportunities surrounding the town. My first though when entering the town was, “I never thought that there were this many RV’s ever built.”
Quartzsite is a huge flea market that is anchored on one end by Paul Wiener, the Naked Book Seller. Well not quite naked as he wears a crocheted sock over his dingy tied on with a G string. Across town and the interstate are the three big tents of the Main Event which during our visit was hosting an RV show, FREE. In between the shows are close to seamless including Rice Farm, Tyson Wells, Main Street, and more.
If desert boondocking is not your thing there are at least 343 campgrounds listed on Google in or near Quartzsite. However we chose the desert. Our choice aided by Brad, was Plomosa Road, 5 or so miles north of town. It is a 14 day area and will cost a whopping 40 bucks. But you need to be self contained all the way. There is plenty of dry camping closer to town but we preferred to be a bit out of the traffic and confusion. There is BLM camping within walking distance to the action.
Beside the shows and the country fair atmosphere and food, check out the old Tyson Wells Stage stop museum and the make sure to get to Hi Jolley’s tomb. Hadji “Hi Jolley” Ali was a man of Greek origin that was recruited by the US Government to herd camels across the desert in the times before the Civil War. The US solders quickly added the nickname Hi Jolly. The Civil War ended the camel program and the animals were turned loose on the desert.
There is one main road north and south through town, Arizona route 95. There is one east west road on either side of the interstate. The down side is traffic. If you have a toad and get into town and find a parking place and are a walker you can do better than trying to find a parking place as you move around town.
The Quartzsite Improvement Association is an on going and active organization. The first night we were in town we found that the QIA was promoting a show featuring the New Christie Minstrels. We lucked into a pair of tickets for the high price of $12 each. We figured that the Lebanon New Hampshire Opera House would have charged us $30 or $40 bucks each. If you visit Quartzsite check the list of activities at the QIA.
Our impression of Quartzsite? It is an absolute hoot for a couple of weeks stay. Will we return to Quartzsite? Absolutely. I hope this helps and if you have a chance go to Quartzsite.
Brad Sears
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Patty
Lucy,
You go girl
Lucy Wells, the Geezer Whisperer
Hi, folks! Regarding boondocking at Quartzsite or any other BLM (Bureau of Land Management) publicly owned lands, details about regions, permits for use, and associated costs can be learned via the BLM web site(s). Brad Sears and I did the right thing: we stopped at the host headquarters near Yuma’s Imperial Dam, South Mesa, and paid for said permit, to last 4 weeks, $80, for use of any of the lands within that region, which includes Quartzsite, having first stayed near Yuma, then moving on to Quartzsite, further north. Brad “budgeted” for our records, half that cost for our stay in that desert area on BLM.
As there is not much signage detailing the use of BLM lots, other than the request to check in with the host, check-in can be avoided, neglected, ignored or not known about. At the Plamosa lot(s), the host in fact was often out presumably enjoying the events, but a table with info was there. We experienced no “policing” or “management” of our use but we did check-in, the primary reason being for reference in the event of an emergency. We already had our permit and we follow rules of courtesy. Our economy is in the dumpster, both nationally and personally; how much of that is the attitude that it’s OK to get something for nothing in this country? We simply try to be responsible, courteous, grown-ups. We have, after all, grandchildren to answer to.
As for the experience of cruising through flea-market vendors in Quartzsite. Many were “storefronts” there for a 2 to 4-month season, under tents instead of a solid roof and walls. The adventure ranged from new goods to antiques to books to clothing, and always lots of gem / mineral / rockhound options. Restaurants of the traditional variety were crowded at expected times, so vary your eating schedule if eating out.
Many folks on BLM lands are there for the season as a lifestyle choice and those near Yuma have been coming there for years. The use of solar seemed common and many units also had small windmill equipment. Some were there exchanging their labor for permit costs by arrangement.
Regarding our solar use, Brad has described this technically; I will illustrate practically. This morning, I began my breakfast routine before 7am as usual, turning on the solar inverter to make coffee and toast, then switching off the coffee pot while I heated my bowl of milk for 1.5 minutes, switching the coffee pot on again to keep the extra hot. During this activity I also have the TV on. Brad usually rouses himself an hour to 2 hours after I get up (his body lets him sleep longer than mine and he’ll work harder all day). He then makes a new pot of coffee and his own breakfast on the gas stove. It is now 9:07am, and we are both using our laptops. The TV is off because Maury Povich was on the only station we get here in the WalMart parking lot, Las Cruces NM, where we pulled in last night (thank you, WM).
Bottom line, before Brad built solar into our unit, I would have started the generator before 7am and it would still be running.
As for comments by one John Christman, Brad rarely apologizes for being somewhat dyslexic, for sometimes writing prolifically and efficiently without a copy editor standing over him; but he does do what many poor grammarians and spellers have been discouraged from doing, especially those whose creativity, interest, enthusiasm, acquired knowledge, and fast-moving inquiring minds . He writes. He moves forward. He gets it done. So, get your head out of your writing rule book(s) and read for the message. If he didn’t have something to say, you wouldn’t keep coming back to his writings. This is a community exchanging information, having online conversations; not a contest to see who can make the most yellow snow.
Lucy
Alan
Thanks for the goods on Quartzite, Have to go visitand get away from this winter up north!
Tony Cornett
I remember my first trip to the “Q” . I was invited to the rally for the Graduating Full-timing Class of ’05 where I put on a couple seminars on RV maintenance. We stayed way back in south La Posa LTV. Man was it ever dusty and we all learned at that point in the future to stay closer in to the highway! It also took us it seemed forever to get back out to the highway and return! Enjoyed the tent show and a good dinner at Sweet Darlene’s.
One thing I remember was I figured being out in the desert in Arizona in the Snowbird Meca it would be warmer. My first night there was 29!! I like to froze to death lol! After that night it never got below freezing again while i was there. The wind can be a aggravation at times, but it never spoiled the fun and we had some great campfires! Did i mention dust???!
Any RV’er who has never experienced the “Q” should go for sure. Don’t forget to stop by the book store in town and meet the owner! It will be one of the things you won’t forget abut the “Q”. 😉
Tony
aka Firedude
http://www.thefiredude.com
bob
Thanks John for the reply, Yes I am some what of a newbe at this, but I have learned a long time ago that NOT EVERY THING YOU READ IS 100% RIGHT. So in that mind set I do look at everything with a open mind. I have never found that anything you install/buy/come up wth is the final cost or may not be for me. I do enjoy everyones comments as it makes me think of the things I could do or at least maybe good to try. Like this site, I wish that it would send me an email to let me know that some one has responded and I could open it. As it is now I need to find the same one and look down to see if someone has done so. Oh well keeps me going. bob
david rowe111
I was so informed about the news on this i’m new to this so i depend on some things thar i read here —– the readers coments are good and fare to the things I read it helps me a lot thank for you coments keep up the good work
john Christman
Bob,
Thank you for setting the record straight about Plamosa Rd. I’m sure sorry that you were mislead about what Q is all about. Two weeks in January their is the great RV SHOW in the 1/4 mile long tent at Tyson Wells. The town grows from a summer-time population of about 1,200 residents to over 1,000,000. Q has for the last 20 or so years been famous as the “World’s Largest Flea Market” and only in the last five years or so, have some of the large RV dealers come in and spoiled it for all the old-timers–who came for the great bargains., often times never charging sales tax. A few years ago the “city fathers” decided to incorporate and become “organized” which has taken away a lot of the “flavor”.
Gloria,
$40 for 14 days. Now you may think that is a bargain, but all the BLM will do for you is let you keep paying that $40 every 14 days without having to move your rig more than 25 miles away. (There is an annual permit that you can get, but I don’t know what that amount is now–3 years ago when the 14 day charge was $30 the annual was $125).
Bob Gannon,
The best time to do 2 weeks is probably the last week of the year and first week in January–if you want any action with any of the flea markets. Rice Ranch & Main Street traditional are just starting to set up then and by the end of February the place is a ghost town.
Brad Sears,
If you are reading this–I’d like to know at what point in your life did your eloquent bio exist? You couldn’t even spell the name of the town you are writing about CORRECT. This now makes the 4th article of yours that I’ve read that had either major conflicts with previous articles that you wrote (within 60 days of each other) or grossly misstated facts. What’s really unfortunate (from what I read in the way of comments on the recent survey taken, is that there are a LOT of newbies reading the postings on these blogs. They are taking what is written as “FACT” and then when an author such as yourself is posting incorrect information or far worse phony baloney such as your totally bogus Solar articles. Your bogus information is no different than the door-to-door salesman selling SNAKE OIL.
Now folks, you may think I’m coming down a little harsh on Brad–but the truth is, if people think that what he is telling you about things like Solar (which is anything BUT inexpensive) and after you invest the first $1,500-$2,000, you find you only have about 5 minutes a day to use your microwave and that the PHANTOM LOADS eat up the rest of your power, that now you will need to either find and isolate those phantom loads or spend another $3,000-$4,000 to have the system that Brad was bragging he has–is NOT telling you the facts that you think this site has been giving you. At least, people need to know that if anyone reads Brad’s postings–do so at your own RISK, because they are more a work of FICTION than FACT. It’s people like this who should find other avenues to express themselves than on a forum with REAL professionals who DO know what they are talking about.
I just find it a shame that the ADMINISTRATORS of RV.NET don’t take a more serious interest in this great resource and weed out the “authors” that haven’t posted in the last several months or periodically review the postings for relevance and factualness. Like one of the “authors” who makes a comment on just about every other posting only to “advertise” her own site. She never has a real “comment”. But then I realize I’m only singing to the choir–but after all I’m just “speaking my mind” and hope that no one takes Brad’s article last week about how WONDERFUL his solar is and goes and tries to duplicate it.
Adrian
We stayed on BLM last year during the RV show with no charge. I think if you want to stay longer there is a charge. JMTC
Bob Gannon
What is the best time to take 2-3 weeks and enjoy the area and the flea market and beat the crowd there?
gloria brandt
when you say $40–is that per day or week??? I have stayed there at no charge. Sounds like some one is out for the buck!!!
bob
Well I just did my first trip to Quartzsite and stayed on the Plomosa Road and there wasnt any $40.00 to get in the area. Stayed free. The trip was fun and enjoyed it. Stayed with the Rexhall International RV Club about 1.5 miles up the road and had a fun time in town. But I felt that it wasn’t as much about RV’s as I thought it was. More about just the Flea Market. Didn’t find but one of the things I was looking for and partly why I went. A lot of RV’s there just not enough of the things that are Just RV. I can get most of the stuff from the flea Market at home. Only found one thing on my list of wants. The price of most RV stuff at the local store was about average not a great saving. But I did enjoy the trip and may do it some year again. Gotta stay on the road and help with spending a little money anyway. Thats my take on Quartzsite. Lots of sun and a little wind. bob
john Christman
It’s really sad that the greedy BLM is now charging $40 to stay at Plamosa. Three years ago (the last time I visited Q) it was FREE. They only charged at La Posa North and West and everyplace else that was BLM land was FREE. So much for progress I guess. The bad thing is that you get absolutely NOTHING for your money! I think I will just go to some of Arizona’s County Parks instead. At least I can hear the “Desert Song” every night–well worth the price of admission.