Quiet Quartzsite

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Wild wind greeted us when we arrived in Las Vegas, and it came back to send us on our way out, with gusto.

As we travelled toward Quartzsite, AZ we saw more new things along the way. The vegetation changed of course from scrub to wiry shrubs to cactus groupings. We saw NOT ONE ANIMAL - no cattle, horses, farms,1 barn, and no water either. But the strangest feeling was the road. We had to leave interstate highways so most of our route was 2-lane US highway, and roads were straight as far as the eye could see. And much of the road through the desert included miles and miles of dips and rises which sometimes felt like a roller coaster. Short stretches even included the old Route 66. Throughout the 2-lane drive, we did not see any vehicles before or behind us, or we passed convoys of trucks driving the other way. While driving around the Lake Mead area, we thought we could see water off in the distance but it proved to be solar farms. What a waste. After 3 and a half hours, we arrived safely and happily.

Setup went well. We are in a spacious slot, dusty of course, but sunny, clear, not a cloud, huge flock of birds, and QUIET. Already I am calling this place "Quiet Quartzsite”. We hadn’t found a rest stop for our picnic, so we spread out chairs and a little table to eat our picnic for dinner. As we ate, my chewing was so loud I could hear myself eating! Las Vegas was continual noise, loud noise, everywhere, and the silence is a wonderful treat. But the desert cools off when the sun goes down, and for the first time in months, I put on my winter coat and fingerless gloves — to eat. When the sun sets, cold rises.

We have been in Quartzsite, AZ now for 29 hours. Here is a quick review.

At check-in, Susan. the hostess, invited us to sign up for Thanksgiving Dinner potluck, so we did. I didn’t know how we were going to deal with Thanksgiving, but it’s still early and I wasn’t concerned. Now I know why. I’m bringing my potato dish. (This will force me to learn to cook with the oven or the convection oven – whichever we conquer first, but I’m determined to conquer at least one of them soon since we’ll be here a month). Susan also gave us a list of events that will be happening at the park, and many look to be pretty inviting.

So, our first full day here, November 10, at noon in the parking lot, was the first of the season’s yard sales. Now we didn’t know it was going on, we were just strolling around the park on our way to the party room for something else but I had time to pass, so I had to check out this event. I wore a light blue blouse and jeans and lamented that my light blue necklace had broken and I had nothing to wear. Guess what I bought?? A lovely light blue necklace on a silver chain and a matching bracelet and the stone was “lacy blue agate”.

Then, off to the party room where the park was having its first jam session of the season. There is a regular circuit of these country and gospel music jam sessions all over the area. There was a group of five who seemed to be regulars – one acoustic guitar, one electric guitar, two electric guitars, and one bass guitar – and they were quite good. They played one instrumental number, then each had a turn to sing accompanied by the rest, then several guests volunteered to perform. That took most of an hour and then we had an intermission of homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies, which were very good, too. Then the same process with different music selections, and we really enjoyed the time. We were able to meet and talk with several performers and other attendees, and we learned quite a bit about the area and the life around Quartzsite.

After the music we wandered back to our RV. We have only been in the area for 24 hours. We have met many of the people in the park - all of our neighbors and their dogs and heard lots of helpful RV advice. Even shared some of my testimony with one neighbor who gave me a hug when we parted. It’s been a very busy and enjoyable first day in Quartzsite, and an awesome introduction to our time here. And it isn’t even January when the town will swell to 100K people.

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Comments

[Linda L Rogers]

Quartzsite
So glad you are moving right along safely. Sounds like a great start to this coming month at this location. Rest up well, enjoy yourselves and those with you. Above all, have a blessed Thanksgiving. God is certainly watching over you both. Linda

[Carol]

Such Happiness
Just wanted you both to know that I am enjoying your blog, travels, etc. Keep on RVing! Much love, East coast chick

[Jim & Moira]

HOWDY :)
So good to hear you are doing well, and settled in through Thanksgiving!!!