Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2 Days in Quartzsite

Click Pictures to Enlarge

The trip from Lake Havasu to Quartzsite was less than 90 miles, by far the least amount we have traveled in a day but we liked it! We have not been to Quartzsite yet and when were a few miles north of town we started seeing RV's boondocking out in the desert. When we actually pulled into town it was like we were in RVland. We have never seen so many RV's or RV related businesses in one location. Being newbies everything is new and exciting so we took in all the sights and sounds of the area. The real RV season for this area does not peak for a few more weeks, I can't imagine what it will look like then. The weather on day one was awesome with the temps in the upper 50's. That certainly beats the single digits the kids are experiencing in Salt Lake and the negative temps our friends and family in Wisconsin are enduring this week! However, day two we work up to rain and snow in the hills, the high today only got to 37. What a difference a day can make!

Our home for the two days was a boondocking location called Dome Rock. We had read about this location from a fellow blogger and had the GPS coordinates loaded. As we approached the area we started to see RVs scattered throughout a several mile stretch of Dome Rock Road. It is quite intimidating pulling off the blacktop onto a two track dirt road in a new area for the first time. How does one even know that once you get on this road that you will be able to find a place to park or even turn around if you don't? Seeing several other big rigs in the area helped reduce these fears and we did find a secluded spot relatively easy. After setting up we headed into town as Barb said she would buy me a birthday lunch.....that's right it was my birthday! We found a really good pizza place Silly Al's, if you are in the area I would recommend their pizza.

View towards the road

View from the front of the rig
Prior to coming down here we had contacted two other RV'ers who were also in the area and we hoped to meet. We had met both of them online but had yet to meet them in person. The first couple was Allen and Donna Ferguson who were actually staying on Dome Rock Road as well. We had an idea what their rig looked like from pictures but how to find them with miles of boondocking along this road? Well, as we pulled back in from lunch, there was their Bighorn! They ended up parking  a couple hundred yards from us and walked up when they were all settled. Allen and Donna (RV'ing With The Fergs) are a very nice couple who have been fulltiming for several years and are here for about a month.

Donna and Allen with their rig in the background
The next day we drove the truck over to another boondocking area several miles away and met up with two other couples who we knew from blogs and the RV Dreams website.  Steve and Dianne (Living The Dream) have been fulltiming for several years and are from British Columbia. They have one of the more interesting rigs that we have seen, they transport two 4 wheelers in an enclosure right behind the cab of the truck and their 5th wheel behind that! Red and Pam have been on the road for about a month longer than us.  One thing we realized while meeting with them is that if we are going to spend any real length of time down here is that we need to figure out how to get our Polaris Ranger down here as well. The off road trails are everywhere! After visited for a couple of hours we headed back to our rig for a quick lunch and visited the Ferguson's. Our goal on this trip was to scout out the area for future visit but the highlights ended up meeting three very nice couples we hope to meet up with down the road!

Steve, Dianne, Red and Pam

Steve and Dianne's Hauler
 
How's Barb's ankle you ask? The bruising is diminishing and it is slowly getting better, she insists that she can go on hikes but I am trying to hold her back. We did go on one mini hike up a nearby hill to an old mine that we could see from our campsite.
Mouth of an old mine


View from inside, that tiny little spec in the middle is our rig!

Saguaro cactus dot the landscape.





This poor guy did not have any arms so Barb lent out a helping hand......arm

Tomorrow morning we pull up stakes and continue our journey south to Yuma where we will be for the next week while I get my dental work done in Mexico!

Happy New Years Everyone!!!!!!!!

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like your first trip to the Q was a success!! Meeting fellow bloggers is always a great treat.

    Safe travels to Yuma!

    Happy New Year!

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    1. That is was, it looks like we will probably spend some extended time here next winter. We also want to get over to San Diego as well and see some of the sites that you blogged about!

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  2. You should see Quartzsite mid January during the big tent sale.... talk about traffic and every spot of open land filled with RV's as far as the eye can see. Quite the experience. I look forward to hearing about where you stay in Yuma and the Mexico dental experience.

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    1. With so much open land, it is hard to believe that it could get that crowded! Headed to Mexico in a couple hours, wish me luck!

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  3. It was great meeting you both. I'm sure our paths will cross again.
    Safe travels!

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  4. Good Luck with the dental. We'd like to experience Q some day too. Hope to see you in LA.

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  5. Great photos, you had some lovely views. :)

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    1. Thanks Linda, we were just talking how everyplace has its own beauty depending on how you look at it. I looked at your blog, my favorite picture was Berussa - Artist Kathy Goff.

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  6. That was a beautiful place to call as your temporary home. Not only does it have a breathtaking view, the surrounding landscapes are incredible too! Anyway, Happy New Year to you as well, and may you enjoy more RV adventures this year. Thanks for always sharing them with us!

    Cristina Hamilton @ Mount Comfort RV

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