This morning we did homeschool. Our son is playing a game that was programmed by our daughter in Scratch:
After school, we drove into the show area. We first visited the giant tent that housed the lifestyle and RV show. This is one of three isles that extended the length of the tent. The tent was something like 100 feet wide and 1000 feet long:
We wandered amongst the hundreds of RVs for sale. In addition to this location, seven regional dealerships set up temporary local branches for the month or so that Quartzsite is the most busy:
This week is the “sell-o-rama” show in the Tyson Wells area. We walked past hundreds of booths selling everything from RV parts to apparel:
After the show, we went back to the RV. Here I’m looking towards the crowd of RVs that extends for about a mile to highway 95:
Tomorrow, we will visit the other shows in Quartzsite.
We had a restful Shabbos here at the pond near Yuma, AZ. This morning, we went fishing in front of our RV:
I noticed a hot air balloon in the sky. It reminded me that, when we were in Lake Havasu City weeks ago, we had seen that there was an upcoming hot air balloon festival. Checking my phone, I saw that today is the last day of the festival. Lake Havasu City is only 70 miles beyond Quartzsite, so we decided to drive to Quartzsite, drop off the RV, and drive on to Lake Havasu City for the balloon festival.
Our somewhat secluded spot at the pond:
We drove the 60 miles North to Quartzsite. There are many camping locations for the 300,000 RVs that descend on Quartzsite this time of year. Closest to town is the massive La Posa LTVA (long term vehicle area). Users of the LTVA purchase a permit for $180 that allows camping at any of the BLM’s LTVAs in the desert southwest from fall through spring. A few miles farther out, there are five sites with the usual BLM “free camping for two weeks” arrangement. We chose the site on the Southern side of town, called Road Runner, as it’s on the same side of the town as the shows, so getting into and out of the shows should be easier than if we stayed on the North side of town.
It seems that most folks that come to Quartzsite do so to camp with a group. There are groups for every make of RV, as well as interest groups. We happen to be camped next to Quartzfest, a Ham group, and RVW, an RVing womens group. We camped a couple hundred feet from the outermost edge of these groups. It’s hard to tell from this photo, but the folks in groups park pretty close together, and this density extends for over a mile to Highway 95. And this is just one of the five “small” two-week stay BLM areas, all of which together are a fraction of the size of the La Posa LTVA.
Looking in the other direction, you can see we’re pretty much the farthest out RV in this area. The road that defines the edge of Road Runner is about 3/10s of a mile beyond where we’re parked:
After unhitching the RV, we drove on to Lake Havasu City for the balloon festival. It’s not just balloons, apparently. It seems like anything that flies is welcome:
There was also a collection of classic cars on display:
The festival had a small carnival as well, so the kids went on this ride while Trish and I watched from the ground:
Of course the main attraction was the balloons. One was taking off as we arrived. We were surprised to find out that, unlike an air show, at the balloon festival spectators can freely wander the flight area and even help the balloon teams to inflate and launch their balloons:
Due to prevailing winds, most balloons were driven away from the festival and launched, hopefully to land back at the festival:
Some of the balloons were kept at the field. They were to be inflated, held in place, and illuminated at night like a set of giant light bulbs. Here a team rolls out their balloon:
More balloons went aloft:
Coming in for a landing:
Touchdown!
Another successful landing for Team Humpty:
It was amazing to see just how massive the balloons are:
More balloons were laid out for the nighttime illumination:
The Wells Fargo team had the largest balloon at the festival. 20 or so spectators assisted in getting in inflated. They first use a giant fan to fill the balloon, which in ballooning circles is referred to as the “envelope”:
Once the envelope is mostly full, the propane burners heat the air in the envelope which makes the air in the envelope less dense that the cooler air outside, causing the envelope to rise:
Looking into an envelope after inflation but before the burners fire up:
A performer with illuminated hula hoops wandered the grounds:
My favorite balloon was the UltraMagic balloon, which is decorated as a replica of the first balloon ever launched:
As everyone waited for the synchronized illumination, individual balloons would briefly light up as the crews kept the air in the envelope hot enough to make the envelope rigid, but not so hot that the balloon took to the skies:
The synchronized illumination:
We drove back to Quartzsite after the festival. Tomorrow, we will visit Quartzsite’s “big shows” and see what all the fuss is about. See the trip map for our drive from Yuma to Quartzsite.
This morning we woke up and dumped and filled at the Shell station in Gila Bend, AZ. While filling our water tanks, a fellow driving a truck camper asked if we were also going to Quartzsite and asked me if I’m a Ham. I told him I was, and he invited us to camp with the other Hams converging on Quartzsite. I hope there’s a contest for the youngest participant, because I think I probably have a pretty good chance of winning.
Our credit cards are about to expire, so we had ordered new credit cards to be made and shipped to local bank branches for pick up. The first branch I called was so difficult to work with that I finally gave up and ordered Tricia’s card through the next branch down the road. After picking up the cards, filling the gas tank, and buying some groceries, we made our way to Fortuna Pond BLM area for the night. It’s an 8-acre pond with parking all around. We backed into the trees around the pond for some privacy.
On Sunday, we head back to Quartzsite again for the full experience, as opposed to when we passed through last time and there weren’t many people there.
This morning we left the RV in Gunsite Wash and drove 20 miles south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, one of 47 biosphere reserves in the US and the only place in the US where the Organ Pipe Cactus grows. A sample was planted in front of the visitor center:
On the nature trail, we passed a Mistletoe plant growing on a Palo Verde:
This fellow was warming up for the day as we walked by:
We decided to drive the 20 mile loop road through the park. The guided drive book pointed out points of interest, including this rare cristate deformity on this Organ Pipe Cactus:
Saguaro and Organ Pipe cacti share the slopes here:
This massive Organ Pipe Cactus, thought to be one of the largest in the park, has extensive cristate growth:
Close-up of the cristate arm:
At Echo Canyon, two natural arches look over the valley below:
We decided to take the two-mile hike into and out of the canyon. It was listed as “Easy to Moderate”, but it quickly got steep:
It eventually became so steep that good sense dictated we turn back. The valley was wide open as we exited the canyon:
Continuing our drive, the guide book pointed out a cristate Saguaro in the distance, seen here in the center of the frame:
Returning to the visitor center, the kids received their Junior Ranger badges:
Trish received her Desert Ranger patch, a certification program for adults. This park is the only one to issue this patch:
We returned to the RV and hitched up. We intended to stop to shower and dump at a gas station in Gila Bend, AZ, but by the time we got there it was dark, so we decided to stay here for the night and continue on to Yuma tomorrow. See the trip map for details.
After persistent complaints by the kids, we realized that some of yesterday’s laundry was missing. The landromat has no phone, so we called the neighboring barber shop and the owner was kind enough to go next door and confirm that indeed we had left a load in the dryer back in Tucson. The laundromat bagged up the clothes for us, and Trish headed out for what would be a 240 mile round trip to Tucson and back to recover our laundry. When I mentioned this to the camp host, she said “I’m so glad I’m not the only one that’s done that!”, so I guess this is not a unique event in the history of RV living.
While Trish was gone, the kids decided to start writing novels. Our son worked in his “room” for part of the day:
Around 5pm, we went for a walk. We passed the sign at the entrance to Gunsite Wash. This doesn’t inspire confidence in our government:
To the left of the Saguaro, the structure which the camp host calls “wagon train” can be seen on the horizon:
…And the “sleeping princess” can be seen on the right side of this photograph:
The hosts tell us that there are 13 RVs here at Gunsite Wash, though in the past the number has gone as high as 200. Most RVs are clustered near the entrance to this 1,200 acre site:
This fellow is ready for anything:
We are the unit on the far right of this photograph:
Tomorrow we will try again to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
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