Our Take On Quartzsite - December 2024

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

Apart from the small town where events are held, this is Quartzsite!

I didn’t post anything while we were in Quartzsite other than catching up on the trip to get there. It was a great trip and one that we had wanted to make for many years. Route 66 was not quite what we expected, and I’ll get into that in a few minutes. 

Quartzsite is a small town that blossoms in the Winter inviting all those who may or may not have things in common.  One commonality is rving, another is escaping the cold and the third is looking for a place to spend the Winter pretty much for free.   The current fees are 40 USD for a two-week permit or 180 USD for a seven-month pass.

Hi Jolly was a Syrian camel driver who came to the Arizona desert in 1865.  He was commissioned to form the first-ever camel corp.  It was to be used for military supply transport.  After the Civil War, Hi Jolly remained and continued to contribute to the local area.  He became a gold prospector, a guide, and also responsible for mail deliveries.

The entrance to La Posa South and the permit office which is closed Tuesdays an Wednesdays.  Surprisingly enough, there is no one patrolling or checking permits.  

The LTVA (long-term visitor’s área) is broken up into many parts.  Each is designated by a direction; north, south, east and west.  It covers 11,000 acres or almost 18 square miles of open desert.

Permits are available at any of the four entrances and the permit is valid in any BLM land site.  For example, the Roadrunner Campground is down the road from the La Posa área.  It has no services but was one of the nicer áreas we found.  It had less dust, rvs, and was very quiet.  Our place in La Posa South was very quiet and we were about 1.5 miles out from the highway. 

Always beautiful sunrise and sunset opportunities.

The Good:  If you want to go somewhere to escape the snow and cold, this is the place.  Although for us, it was cold at night (7C) the days were always warm and we needed a light jacket (18C).  The rain is not common this time of year so it’s clear skies and starry, starry nights.  

We had a couple of get togethers with neighbors over the two weeks.  Here we were invited to a pancake breakfast.  It was cold that morning and the wind drove us all back inside too early.

We returned the favor a few days later with a breakfast of huevos rancheros, papas con chorizo and refried beans.  We did that a couple of times in Valle de Juarez.  Always fun to have fellowship with good friends.

We arrived early in the season and unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay through the middle of January when all of the big tent events take place; rv shows, rv products, DIY rv upgrades, DIY van builds, and all of the additional services, travel programs, memberships, and consumer goods rvers would be interested in.  As the two weeks passed, the área began to fill up with rvs.  We were never “next” to anyone and people prefer to spread out.  Some “golosos” (pigs) like to mark their territory with huge rocks they have collected and créate barriers.  

Some vendors arrive extra early.  They set up tables leave them out covered in tarps.

You can find items that are sold individually, like a fuse, a screw, and even a rubber washer.

We were lucky to meet many rvers and we formed friendships wish would come in handy before we left.  By the end of the two weeks, you could see a difference as spaces began to fill up.  A lot of very nice 45-foot motorhomes and some with two foldout patios.  Funny, I guess they wanted the heat of the desert without paying anything or very little.

The nights were the best.  Many people have campfires and they are open to everyone.  No one ever refused us and we would walk over with a chair and drink in hand.  Of course, we would always ask if we could join.  That was the part I enjoyed the most about Quartzsite.  

This is what I really like to do, just being out in the open, rving.

The majority of people are open to all walks of life including nomads, those who are down on their luck, tribes, LGBTQ (and all the other initials that go with that).  Some people formed groups and were also with Friends who had made the trip together or had planned to meet up for the Winter.   Many of the groups have flags that fly four meters or more so that they are easy to locate.

The Bad:  The big enemy is the dust.  This year has been especially dry and the winds can kick up at any moment.  Many people have toys they bring to the desert and they are not always very respectful of others.  There is a speed limit in the four La Posa áreas of 15 miles per hour.  With the powdery dust and the fact that many wouldn’t respect the speed limit, dust was an issue.  

You can drive anywhere you want off of the main road.  People just come and go as they wish and there are some advantages and disadvantages to that.  Driving too fast creates a mess and also the noise from the vehicles.  There are no rules and really no one to enforcé them.  There was a travel trailer theft while we were there and also a recent rv theft turned up very close to us.

Pit toilets are available as well as a dump station and fresh potable water.  Good to have but the downside is waiting in line to use the services.  It’s important to come empty black and fully fresh.  That way you can see in the first days most people’s patterns.  Some line up as soon as the dump stations open and others sit in line for maybe 30 to 45 minutes at peak hours.  

In town, there really isn’t much of a consumer infrastructure.  It builds itself as the weeks pass before the shows.  Merchant tents begin to appear and small restaurants or food trucks begin to sell food.  Those items are very expensive.  Some places sell dry or canned items that have passed their expiration date.  They have signs stating that and also that the ítems they carry are a good way beyond the date.  Cheap, not really.  There are three small supermarkets in town.  Really small and fresh produce is at a premium.

We celebrated Christmas with a dinner at home.  I baked a turkey and stuffing while Juan made his delicious green bean cassarole.

This is Nomadic Fanatic (Eric), a Youtube nomadic we have followed for years.  We found him out and about!

We were in Parker doing some shopping at the Walmart when we ran into Bob Wells from Cheap Rv Living.  I discovered him back in 2000.  I was fascinated by his formula for living on $500 a month.  Since then, his popularity has grown.  He raffled his ambulance rv at the event last week.  He's on Youtube and highlights boondockers and their different ways of living on the road.  He is also the head of the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) which meets every year in Quartzite for van dwellers.

Driving to Yuma or nearby Parker seems to be the solution.  Overall, anything you need or want will cost much more at home.  OTOH, gasoline hovered around $3.19 a gallon with one Arco station on the east side of Quartzsite with a consistent price of $2.85.  The station was always packed. 

The Ugly:

During this entire trip we ventured into small Southwestern towns.  Most of them had lived their heyday from cattle ranching to the oil boom and mining.  Those days long gone you can see the deterioration of Route 66 and all stops in between to Quartzsite.

Especially depressing is the number of poor people living out of their cars or rv that would be considered scrap.  Many use nylon straps to hold the rv together, duct tape to keep the water out and the infamous blue tarp is very common.  Many of those people keep to themselves.  

Many people use a bicycle with a small trailer or cart attached to the back with all of their belongings inside.  The cart is covered with a good-sized solar panel and a battery.  They sleep in tents in the cold and have no heat.  There are many disabled veterans, and people with physical as well as mental disabilities.  When you see that, the fun seems to be taken away but also shows you the reality of Americans.

When the shackle broke, everyone came to help.  We even had cheerleaders to help us get through it.  I learned some new things about suspension repair.

Would we do it again?  You bet.  Even though the rv is for sale, we have plans to return.  The shows would be the big draw for us.  Plan- fly to Phoenix or Yuma, rent a car, and spend a couple of days attending the shows.