Exciting Week in Quartzsite!

With the Big Show over and most of the rigs heading for other areas one would think life in the desert is quite and tranquil. Not so much…… This tranquility is often disrupted by the sounds of sirens from police, fire or ambulance and sometimes all three. At least once a week you hear an ambulance coming through the area to someone’s rig. With the majority of the “residents” here on the upper end of the age spectrum, this is to be expected. We have one trailer of the edge of our little “dreamer” community that has been there for several weeks and we have never seen anyone come in or out of it. Several of us were concerned for the welfare of the occupant so the ranger was called to check on him. The ranger came, knocked on the door and an elderly gentleman came out. Everything is okay, he just stays in his trailer coming out every few days.

Speaking of the rangers, one of the sirens sounds was a result of one of our very own group going a little too fast down the main desert road out here (name left out to protect the guilty but lets just say that the offenders name starts with an “S” and has a “T”, a “V” and two “E”’s with the last name sounding like a McDonald’s value meal. Luckily he had a good excuse being late for the football game and having hot wings in the car and got off with only a warning.

The most serious of offenses occurred just the other day when an ambulance, fire rescue, Quartzsite PD, sheriff and the ranger surrounded two rigs a hundred yards away. There was lots of speculation within our group of what was going on; rolling meth lab? Domestic? Medical? The truth ended up being as bizarre as each of those.   There is a rig not too far away with a REALLY loud generator, you know, one of those industrial jobs you would see at a construction site. Most of us were annoyed but learned to live with it. Everyone except his neighbor who had had enough and went over to talk to the guy. In the end, one guy ended up in the hospital (generator guy) and the other guy ended up in jail! Mind you, these were not some of the youngest members out here! It is actually very unfortunate as the gentleman who ended up in jail is a really nice guy.

Monday of this week included another RV Dreams mini-reunion that Steve and Dianne organized. It was a beautiful afternoon and a great event. All told there were 41 people in attendance.  

Photo compliments of Steve C.

Steve and Dianne Colibaba, Karen and Bob Palmer, Dale and Ruth Finkenbiner, Larry and Kathy Seifert, Gerry and Linda Burns, Corey and Jen, Bob and Lindy Arel, Allen and Donna Ferguson, Matt Terrell, Tom Drotning, Harry and Vicki Forrey, Jim and Barb Nelson, Steve and Debbie McCormack, Ellen and Mario Bendana, Red and Pam Beers, Les and Sue Young, Gina Rouse, Paul and Kim Halin, Claudia and Mike Bezares, Cori and Greg Young, Tracy and Lee Perkins...

Our biggest objective of the week was to attempt the Palm Canyon hike again. If you recall, I attempted it two weeks ago when we hiked the canyon with our friends Larry and Kathy. On that trip Larry and I attempted to get to the palms while Barb and Kathy waited for us on the bottom. I made it to the smaller palms but a 10’ rock wall stopped me from getting to the larger ones. I was very frustrated and determined to try again! This time armed with gloves and a 50’ rope Barb and I set out to conquer this nemesis!

At first glance it appears the obvious route is straight up the canyon towards the palms. This is the route that Larry and I took the other week and I would consider very technical climbing for the average hiker. However, to the discerning eye (Barb) there is a less obvious route up a very narrow adjacent canyon that leads to the same area. Although this route contains some rock climbing and scrambling, it is much easier. So easy in fact I think even our friend Deb could climb it!

Headed up!

Almost to the top!

Barb at the top of the chute with the palms in the background

Just a few hundred more feet......



Barb with her infamous victory pose!



Chill'in on the top!

Barbie headed back down

Our big 4 wheeler ride this week involved a group ride to the Diablo Pass area with a group of riders which included Steve, Dianne, Earl and Eric. This was probably the coolest ride that we have gone on so far as it offered a variety of scenery and terrain. It had flat open terrain, hills, and technical terrain. The bonus of this trip was collecting 8 remote geocaches and seeing a group of Desert Bighorn Sheep!

Dianne headed down a wash

We stopped at an abandoned mine for lunch

I wanted to go down but didn't.....

The trails go on and on and on.......

We passed a group of 15 jeeps on the trail



Barb heading up to find a geocache

Ram snacking on a Palo Verde tree

A pair of rams on the hill

Last but not least Barb and a few of the girls attended the local bookstore in Quartzsite. This bookstore is known not for their wide selection of books or their great prices. What makes this bookstore so well-known is the attire of the owner. Or should I say lack of attire! This 70 something year old gentleman is well known to tend his store wearing nothing but the very smallest garment so the girls had to check it out. It is an image that Tracey says is now burned into her mind forever!

We will leave you this week with this image.......