Category Archives: Quartzsite Lazy Daze Rally

Quartzsite Car Show

Posted on by
3

Classic Car Show

On our hike down to the produce store Ann, Jerry and I stopped in the big tent for the Annual Classic Car Show.  There were still many vendors left over from the RV Show that were located in the center of the tent.  On either end of the tent they had many classic cars on display.  They were all shined up and looking good.

 

 

Tear Drops and smaller rigs

They even had Tear Drops  and small trailers that were towed behind some classy trucks.  They were really fixed up nicely.  It reminds me of the time I was at camped at Camp Sherman in Oregon and was invaded by a “Sisters on the Fly” club.  Some of those gals had small travel trailers, Casitas and Tear Drop trailers as well.  You can see that post at Moving on to Camp Sherman.  It was great fun seeing all the different types of rigs people own.

 

Finally this one was a small trailer that was nicely decorated and very comfy.  Nothing I would want to live in fulltime though, but it sure would be nice for weekend jaunts.

 

Beautiful Arizona Sunset

After hiking back to out campground we had a small get-together for “Happy Hour” and I got this pic of another beautiful sunset.

 

 

 

More Quartzsite Happenings

Posted on by
4

WIN’s Ice Cream Social

Saturday Andrea and I drove over to the WIN’s (Wandering Individuals Network)  Ice Cream Social off Palomas Rd north of Quartzsite.  The WIN’s had invited all the LOW’s (Loners on Wheels), Escapee SOLO’s and the Escapees Boomers groups over as well.  They had lots of ice cream and it was really a fun time.  I did catch up with a few of my friends in the LOW’s group and it was fun chatting with them.

Final Upgrades to “The Breeze”

I finally purchased a couple more of the LED lights to go into my rig.  That will be the last of my purchases for this winter.  John installed my RV Motion Sensor light which replaced my existing porch light.  Later he adjusted it so that it wasn’t too sensitive.

Roger installed the LED lights that replaced the fluorescent tubes.  What a difference.  One LED gives off more light than two fluorescents.  Thanks go out to both Roger and John for all their help.

Sunset and last campfire

We had our last campfire and burned up the remainder of the wood that John supplied from his property in Colorado.  We sure had a lot of campfires from all that wood.  I also took a pic of the sunset.

Sunrise and farewell

I got up early to bid farewell to all the people who were leaving this morning.  I even got to see this beautiful sunrise.

There were six people and three dogs who departed this morning.  They were Ed and Carol (and gopher), John and Linda (and Sadie), Roger, and finally Steve (and Jiggs).  We all had a wonderful time together and they will be missed.  Annie and Rick (and Dweezle) were going to leave but Rick was feeling much better from whatever was ailing him and the day was so nice they decided to stay another day.

Tonight at our Happy Hour was Ann and Jerry, Chuck and Beverly, Annie and Rick, Andrea and I.  We had a nice time but it was a bit quieter.

RV Show

Posted on by
5

Lots to see at the big tent

I decided to go down to the RV Show at the big tent and leave my wallet at home and take my camera instead. It was certainly a lot cheaper that way but also a lot of fun. Here are some of the pics I took.  If you enter the tent from the south side you are greeted by the Michelin Man.

Everyone likes FREE camping

Once inside the tent don’t forget to stop by and say hello to Don and Kim Greene.  They are the nicest people you will ever meet and they run Harvest Hosts where you can camp overnight for free at many wineries, orchards and farms.  Just click on the link below to be taken to their site for more information.

 Harvest Hosts Affiliate Banner

Right now they are running two tours of wineries in Mexico and in the Fall they will be running a 23 day RV trip to the wineries in France.  In the works is also an RV tour of the wineries in New Zealand.

Here is a pic of Don Greene posing in front of his booth.
.

If you get hungry

This is the soup lady where you can get easy to fix packaged soups.  I bought them from her last year and they were really great.

When lunch time rolls around you might want to stop off at J T’s Louisiana BBQ.  They have both beef and pork sandwhiches for only $4.  They are soooo goood.

This BBQ is operated by JT and his family.  Here you can see them cooking up that delicious BBQ in the back.

And then top that all of with an ice cream cone.

We all could use extra money

If you are looking for a great job next winter check out the Amazon booth.  They will sign you up for a job at three different fullfillment centers.  I signed up here last year and worked at the Fernly, NV center.  It was a good job that gave me some extra spending money.

While walking through the tent I ran into Clay and Tami who I worked with last winter at Amazon.  In fact I saw quite a few co-workers while walking the tent.

Lots of other stuff as well

This guy takes laying down at the job quite literally.  He is selling bedding.

Need a hat?

Checkout these butts!  HA!

Old guys rule!

If you have any pains you might want to stop off at this booth.

Maybe you just need to clean your RV.

No need to be in any hurry.  We all have plenty of time.

Finally you might even hit the jack pot!  Great name for a toilet.

Quartzsite Happenings

Posted on by
5

Warm and sunny days

I just wanted to update you on all the latest happenings in Quartzsite.  The weather has been getting much warmer with temps being in the low 70’s during the day and high 30’s at night).  The last couple of days have really been beautiful with calm days and no clouds.

A real jackrabbit

A few of us decided to walk into town to the produce market next to the post office.  They have some really nice produce.  On the way as we were walking down Old Yuma Road, Frank and Cookie drove by with their dog Buddy in the back seat.  That really set off Sadie (John and Linda’s Labradoodle).  She wanted to see Buddy.  She started jumping up and down like a jackrabbit.  I took a couple of pics but it didn’t really show how she was jumping.  At times all 4 paws were off the ground.

 A neat toyhauler

On the way we ran into this guy who had a really neat red RV.  He happened to be working on his engine so I stopped by to have a talk.  His rig was actually a custom built toyhauler with room for a small car under the back bedroom.  He even gave John and I a tour of the inside.  It was very spacious and very well built.  We didn’t recall seeing any windows but after looking at the outside pic there is a couple.  They must have had the blinds closed because everything looked rather dark.  Not like our bright Lazy Daze rigs.

Wash day and lunch at the Grubstake

The following day several of us headed to the Laundromat and then off to the Grubstake for lunch.  It is getting more crowded every day as it approaches time for the RV Show which starts on Saturday 1/21.  We were all lucky to get to the Laundromat without having to fight too many people for either a parking space or a washer/dryer.  In a few days it will be an absolute madhouse all over town.  Linda and I walked down to the bakery about 2 blocks from the Laundromat while our clothes were washing.  As you approached the building you could smell all the wonderful things they were baking.  I picked up a loaf of freshly made French bread and a couple of apple fritters, while Linda got a loaf of bread and a couple of bear claws.  Then we returned and finished our laundry.

We all planned to meet at the Grubstake for lunch later on.  Their food is sooooo gooood!!!  Most of us had the $5 fish special and Roger had the hamburger.  I didn’t hear any complaints about the food whatsoever.  It is a great place to eat.  Again we were able to walk right in and get a table.  I wonder what it will be like in a few days.

Improvements on my rig

On Friday John and Rodger came over to install a 12v receptacle under my dinette.  Previously I had to hook up my inverter on the other side of my rig and run an extension strip to my dinette to power my computer and charge my phone, camera and both of my Kindles.  This is a pic of John installing the receptacle.

That is one of the GREAT benefits of meeting up with other Lazy Daze folks.  Everyone has great ideas and they are willing to help you with improvements on your rig.  Here is a pic of my inverter at work in its new spot.  This is so much better than dragging the 10 ft extension across my floor.

A great wiener roast 

That evening we planned a wiener roast for dinner.  We had all the hot dogs and fixin’s and a lot of GREAT side dishes.  It was a super meal and everyone had a good time.  Then we all sat around and had great conversations about anything and everything.

I think everyone has decided to stay home for the weekend and refrain from going to the big tent which contains the RV Show.  I went last year on the first day and it was way too crowded.  So we will probably head up there either Monday or Tuesday.  I will take lots of pics to show you what is going on.

Pinata Party – Ole

Posted on by
6

POI Instructions for our Garmin GPS

A couple of days ago Ed, Jerry, Beverly and myself all got together in my rig so that Ed could show us how to add POIs (Points of Interest) to our Garmin GPS.  We were all able to connect to my 3G/4G Hotspot to get on the Internet.  Ed went through all the steps explaining everything at each step.  Once we had everything set up it was quite easy.  I was able to add Wal-Mart, Reststops, and Pilot Gas stations to my Garmin.  Then he showed us how to access it on our Garmins.  How cool!!!  Thanks Ed for being so patient with us.  Here is a pic of all of us (except me) working on this project.

Later on everyone made a mass hike to the dumpster about 1/4 mile down the road.

More shopping

We also did a bit of shopping on Kuehn St.  Lots of vendors.  I bought an Indian Taco at Ed’s advice and was it ever good.  Shredded beef on Indian fry bread.  Very good!  I wish I had taken a pic of it.

Then we also did some shopping in the Tyson Wells Flea Market. I ran into a neat collection of old bottles.

One of the vendors had this sign up. I guess we are all in the same boat. I would like a few of them myself.

Before we left I picked up my license plate holders.

Pinata party

That night we had our pinata party. Chuck and Beverly had been at Algadones, Mexico and purchased a pinata and also some tamales. Everyone furnished something for dinner and happy hour that had a Mexican theme. Here is a pic of our pinata.

After dinner we all tried to break the pinata.  We all had a great time and Linda finally broke it and candy was everywhere.  I put together this small movie of everyone trying to break the pinata.  We all had a great time.

I took this pic of the Big Q on the side of the hill.

One Year On The Road

Posted on by
8

It has been one year on July 12 that I started my fulltime RV’ing lifestyle.  I can’t believe it has been a whole year.  I took the time to go back through this year and show you some of the highlights of my adventure.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

July, 2010 – Inyokern, CA –  My very first campsite at the beginning of my adventure.  I was really a rookie back then.

July, 2010 – Sequoia National Park – Boondocking in Fish Creek Campsite in the Sequoias.

August, 2010 – Sisters, OR – Camping on the Metolius River outside of Sisters, OR.  What a fantastic spot.

August, 2010 – Crater Lake National Park.  Words cannot describe this beautiful place.

September, 2010 – Eugene, OR – Getting my solar panels installed.  My boondocking will be much quieter and more efficient from now on.

October, 2010 – Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – 10 fabulous days with other fun Lazy Daze owners.

October, 2010 – Palomas, Mexico – Central park.  Visited there after attending Escapees Chapter 21 Rally.

October, 2010 – Deming, NM – Rockhound State Park – This a rock hounds dream park.  Lots of different rocks.

November, 2010 – Socorro, NM – Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge – Visited there during the Festival of the Cranes event.

December, 2010 – January, 2011 – Death Valley, CA – A beautiful view of Death Valley during an annual Lazy Daze Rally.

January, 2011 – Quartzsite, AZ – Got together with a bunch of Lazy Daze owners during the Quartzsite RV Show.  It was a blast boondocking in the desert.  Lots of food, a campfire every night and the BIG TENT RV Show.

February, 2011 – Anza-Borrego, CA – Boondocking in the Anza-Borrego Desert.

February, 2011 – Niland, CA – Boondocking with the LOW’s (Loners On Wheels) at Slab City.  Everyone should go there at least once.

February/March, 2011 – Benson, AZ – The winter SW Lazy Daze Rally at Pato Blanco RV Resort.  Lots of great food and people.

March, 2011 – Picacho Peak, AZ – A civil war re-enactment at Picacho Peak State Park.  Event lasted all week-end with gun battles and actual tents and other equipment during that era..

March, 2011 – Douglas, AZ – Visiting with friends at Bell Starr’s Silverado Ranch.  Belle is wearing the pink hat.  We all helped Belle work on her ranch projects.  A MUST see.  She is quite a lady.

April, 2011 – Alamogordo, NM – White Sands National Monument.  Very surreal.

May, 2011 – Carlsbad, NM – Carlsbad Caverns.  A MUST see.

May, 2011 – Melvin, TX – I just had to visit there.

May, 2011 – San Antonio, TX – The Alamo in downtown San Antonio, TX.  Another MUST see.

May, 2010 – San Antonio, TX – The San Antonio River-walk.  A really neat and fun place.

May, 2011 – San Antonio, TX – The Tower of Americas.  The view from the top is spectacular.

May, 2011 – Luckenbach, TX.  I just had to visit here because of the song made famous by Willie Nelson and Waylan Jennings.

May, 2011 – Blanco, TX – My campsite in Blanco State Park.  How about that for a back yard?

June, 2011 – Fort Worth, TX.  The highlight of my year.  Being able to visit my family.  It was sooooo much fun.

July, 2011 – Karnack, TX –   Caddo Lake State Park.  I spent a week here and loved every minute.

It has been a wonderful year.  I have traveled 12,702 miles in 6 different states and 2 different countries.  I have attended 8 RV Rallies where I have met a lot of people, learned a lot about things I never knew anything about, and spent money upgrading my rig.

This year has been much better then I even anticipated.  I met a lot of great people who I continue to keep in touch with.  I am looking forward this next year to travel to places I have never seen before and meet more wonderful people.

Quartzsite Lazy Daze Rally

Posted on by
Reply

We caught up with many of our Lazy Daze friends at La Posa West Campground.  It is an LTVA (Long Term Visitors Area) which is on BLM land.  It costs $40 for 14 days which can be renewed.  We were camped about 1/2 mile from the Big Tent and the town of Quartzsite.  I met up with several people I had met at the Balloon Fiesta back in Oct 2010.  They were:

Rodger

Jerry

Annie and Rick

Frank and Cookie

Jim and Gayle

I also met up with Ed and Carol who I met in Crater Lake, OR on the way up to have my solar panels installed.

Then there were some new folks I just met and they were:

Jerry and Anne – Met at Death Valley

David and Mary

Jack and Jeannette

Beverly

It was a wonderful time.  We had hors d’oeuvres every night and always a great campfire.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

Here are a couple of pics of our campsite.

This is the big tent which was filled with many vendors ready to do business with the hordes of people.  We all walked down to the Big Tent the day it opened and it was so crowded you could hardly move.  Later in the week it was much better.

Frank is preparing his Manly Man breakfast in his dutch oven with Rodger looking on and of course Buddy checking me out.  Frank also made an apple fritter as well and one night I bought ice cream to have with it.  Too delicious!!

Frank and Cookie have been coming to Quartzsite for many years and know the town quite well.  They gave Rodger and I the grand  tour of the entire town.  First stop was the RV Proctologist.  That really sounds like a wonderful job.

Then we went to the Quartzsite graveyard where they have a monument to Hi Jolly (Haiji Ali was his real name).  In 1857 he was brought over to the AZ desert to experiment with camels as a means of transportation.  The experiment failed but he was eventually honored with this monument.

This is the naked bookstore guy.  His real name is Paul Winer and he is the proprietor of the Desert Oasis Bookstore.  He wears a sock like thing to cover himself up in the front.  He is quite a personality around Quartzsite.

Frank talked him into playing some music on his piano inside the bookstore.  Everyone gathered around and watched him play.  As you can tell I had a back row standing room only.   HA!!

I also was able to make a video of him.  In order to hear it completely through without interruption click on the play arrow first then click on the pause arrow.  Once it has completely loaded then click on the play arrow.

Here we are beginning to gather around the evening campfire.  One evening Frank got out his guitar and we all sang to his music.  It was really fun.

On the 31st just about everyone departed and went their separate ways.  Some of us will be getting together again at the Balloon Fiesta this October.  I really had a great time with all my Lazy Daze friends and a few non – Lazy Daze folks as well.