Sights In and Around Quartzsite, AZ

January is a busy and crowded time in Quartzsite. There are all kinds of special shows besides the 1500+ vendors this year selling any and everything that you can imagine. It may seem that it focuses on the RV lifestyle and the gem and mineral hobbists but there is something for everyone.
 I have been taking pictures of various things as they catch my eye. I stepped out my door last week only to see that we had been marked....as in X marks the spot. I guess the fly boys out of Edwards Airforce Base were practicing their sky writing.

Camels tie into much of Quartzsite's history. You will find various images all over town. This one has been around for many years and was just recently given a new paint job. Yes it is made up of car wheels.

This home made camper was spotted at the library parking lot. I never did find the driver but I suspect it was a woman since the bumper sticker read: Alaskan Girls Kick A$$

Another unusual RV was found parked at Tyson Wells show ground. It is made of a huge redwood log. Signs on it declare it was 1900 years old when cut down and was 267 feet tall the base was 14 feet across. This was the fourth log to be cut from the tree.

The interior is all hand crafted from the tree's redwood.

This is a close-up of the exterior showing the bark and the banding for support. Notice the burl.


And then....there is the loved and cared for antique....

These folks advertise that this is the Adult Day-Care. They must be doing a great job because there were a lot of smiling people sitting around.

I fell for these morrocan lamps displayed at a booth but managed to walk away without one.

The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) met up in the Dome Rock area for a 14 day gathering. It is an informal group of folk who live and travel in recreational vehicles from vans and small trailers to motor homes. This man entertained one evening after dinner.

When the wind was calm there were nightly campfires to sit around and share tales.

An evening view of Quartzsite looking north-east from Dome Rock.

It seems that the sunsets try to be better every evening.

The Quartzsite winter season begins

It is so nice to be home again! Of course the Summer monsoons have left me a mess to deal with...ripped sun shades, twisted lattice panels and downed tree limbs. No big deal...I am home. I unpack, shovel off the patio, visit the General Store, the Bakery and of course, the Library and I am one happy Gal.

As usual, I left town in June when the temperatures started getting in the triple digits. This year I didn't travel far from northern California. I house sat for family members for a couple of months. I love travelers and traveling! Sometimes I even get additions to my foreign coin collection. (I am such a pack-rat!)

The winter migration is starting and the northern RVers will soon be driving into town by the thousands. By January there will be an estimated million visitors camping in and around town on the BLM land. To serve and entertain these visitors, the vendors with their many tents and trailers will be springing up like weeds after a rain storm.

Multi-cultural vendors bring bits and colors of the world into this desert town. Baskets from Kenya, opals from Australia, glass and brass from Morocco, antiques, RVer supplies, and don't forget what started this gathering years ago.....rocks, gems, and minerals shipped in from all over the world. You can purchase about everything here from fuzzy socks to 40 ft. wheeled mansions.

Music! There is always music playing somewhere in and around town. People get together to play just for the enjoyment and many professionals perform here too. And of course you can always find some Karaoke to join in on....if you are brave or perhaps even talented.

I find something new and different every year.

Check these links for more information

Quartzsite Town Page
Big Tent Shows
RV Parks and BLM camping

COME! VISIT!

Desert Giants

Saguaro cactus are very slow growing. They only grow about 1/2" in the first year and to 1' in about 15 years. In 40 to 50 years, saguaros reach about 10' tall (and first begin to flower and produce fruit), and in 75 to 100 years they may sprout arm buds. A mature saguaro can soak up to 200 pounds of water during a rain storm. Their root systems are shallow, not really balancing the above ground weight. It amazes me that they last as long as they do.

On January 21, 2010 a strong storm hit our little desert town. The ground was saturated and softened from the torrential rains, the cactus were full of water and top heavy. Then the high winds hit. Sadly dozens of our saguaros were toppled. Here are a few of the lost ones.

This is what the inside of a saguaro looks like. I think it resembles a cut pineapple. When this multi-armed cactus fell the fence cut it in pieces......

Over 150 years old, this was a local landmark. Every Spring it was topped with blooms like a fancy hat.

But not all that fell were lost. This saguaro was lifted and replanted.
If you would like to know more about these giants you can check these sites;

Saguaro National Park http://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/archive/sagu/Saguaro/saguaro.html

http://www.desertusa.com/mag08/june/stories/saguaro.html