Tales of the Moose and Caboose: Destination: “The Gathering Place”

November 18, 2013: Plomosa Road BLM Land, North of Quartzsite, AZ.

The Gathering Place.

Quartzsite has long been known as a gathering place in the desert Southwest: Native American tribes used this area for trading with each other; it was a rest stop for pioneers on their way to the gold fields in California; and prospectors and miners who gathered here and stayed to live and work.

Today, it’s a very different kind of gathering place.

With over 11,000 acres of BLM Land available around Quartzsite for short-visit and long-term camping, it has become a gathering place for millions that either stop off for a few days or set up housekeeping and stay for the duration of the winter season.

And to support and entertain all of these travelers, many of which are “snowbirds” – “cotton buds” – “grey nomads”, there are over a thousand vendors ready to supply all their needs and beyond that, offer up anything and everything they could possibly want to buy.

Several large shows are scheduled during the peak season in January and February. Here’s an inkling of shows: Gem & Mineral, Jewelry, Arts & Craft, Antiques, and the largest RV/Sportsman show in the country. Here’s an interesting one: Gold & Treasure Expo. Their ad reads: “Showcasing the latest and greatest prospecting equipment. Advanced seminars on numerous prospecting topics. Learn how and where to pan for gold.” And on it goes. Whew!

Swap Meets and Sell-A-Ramas abound. What do you want? Food, T-shirts, socks, windchimes, pottery, souvenirs, Indian blankets and dolls, sunglasses. As the saying goes in these here parts, “If you can’t find it in Quartzsite, then it hasn’t been thought of yet.”

Quartzsite – here we come.

Now, with all this being said – knowing that we are not fans of being in the midst of hoards of people – you may understand why we have chosen the “pre-season” to visit Quartzsite. We’ll be long gone before the masses arrive in a few weeks. So, Quartzite – here we come.

We point the Moose south on Arizona Highway 95, and drive down through Lake Havasu City and Parker until we are a few miles north of Quartzsite. The sign for Plomosa Road and BLM land indicates a left turn so we swing off the highway onto a two-lane paved highway. It’s a nice surprise; we are expecting gravel from this point on. The BLM has posted a sign showing the approved dry camping (“boondocking”) area. This designated camping area runs from Highway 95 eastward 3 miles. You can camp anywhere between the wash on the south (a few hundred feet from the road) and the wash on the north (upwards of ½ mile from the road).

Looking east toward the Plomosa Mountains.

And west viewing … to the best of my map reading skills … the Dome Rock Mountains. If I can find an Arizona Benchmark map, I’ll be able to more accurately define what range it is. Maybe a trip into Quartzsite will help me secure a copy.

We scope out the 3-mile long area and select a site on the north side of the road which affords us more privacy and settle in. You can see another camper much father north toward the wash.

Some campers up the road and on the south side of the road.

Back in the Jeep, we speed down the highway into Quartzsite for a little tour to get the lay of the land.

Our first stop is to check out the BLM LTVA – Bureau of Land Management Long-Term Visitor Areas. We are interested in La Posa which is a couple of miles south of Quartzsite. We pull into La Posa West and park the Jeep at the entry station. We meet the volunteers, chat a little, ask a few questions. There are no designated campsites, so pretty much you can camp anywhere within the boundaries of the LTVA. The volunteers tell us we must be a minimum of 15 feet from the next campsite. Before leaving, we are given a strong suggestion not to camp near anyone. This time of year there is still lots of space and people take great offense to someone pulling their rig up right next to them – like 15 feet away. That stands to reason; I’d feel the same way. Information in hand, we U-turn the Jeep back out onto Highway 95 and go south another couple of miles to drive through La Posa South. This area offers a little more in the way of amenities than either the West or North areas, so we want to see what to see the best they have to offer.

Setting up housekeeping – here for the long haul.

It’s only November and already there are more people than we care to camp any place close to. Many have set up honest to goodness housekeeping. I mean a residence! They’ve got their motorhome or 5^th wheel or trailer. Attached to the “house” is a lean-to on one side for the screened in patio; and on the other side tarps attached to a frame creating a garage for their car, golf cart, or OHVs. They’ve even placed large rocks end-to-end defining their personal space and creating their temporary “6 foot invisible fence” and driveway. Once a suburbanite – always a suburbanite.

Okay, we’ve seen enough. We agree we’re both extremely happy to be a few miles north of town, with neighbors that are few and far between, and away from the La Posa LTVA suburbs.

Next on the tour is the G-Lodge: Authentic German Food.

Remember the couple we met at Lake Powell, Werner and Sheila? They’re spending the winter season in Quartzsite as food vendors. We want to look them up, say hi, and try their schnitzel and German potato salad they have been raving about.

They are easy to find. The log cabin trailer with a green roof stands out from the crowd. Oh, and it’s hard to miss that tall, blonde German (Werner) on the back deck cooking brats!

We wait for the current rush to wind down, order our schnitzel, and visit with Werner and Sheila. Today is their first day of business in Quartzsite. We’re glad to be here to celebrate their opening. By the way – great schnitzel and potato salad. That woman can cook!

We make plans to stop back another day before we leave Quartzsite when they will have more time to kick back and talk for a while. Oh yes – we’ll need to try a couple of brats and kraut. We wish them luck on their venture and head back to camp.

I can’t believe I didn’t take pictures of La Posa LTVA, but it just didn’t occur to me. Nor did I take pictures of Werner and Sheila at their log cabin eatery. What was I thinking? I’ll catch the G-Lodge next time we’re in Quartzsite. Sorry!

After a long day and a very quiet evening in our lounge chairs, we turn in early. Early to bed – early to rise … means you may get to see a fabulous sunrise.

November 19, 2013: The early bird gets the … sunrise.

How can you not roll out of bed early to see THIS? Here’s the progression of the sunrise as it brings forth a new day.

What we need is a huge lazy susan.

So, what would come in very handy today is a very large lazy susan. A nice big platform to sit our lounge chairs and side table on so we can swirl around as the need arises. Take that sunrise this morning. Wow! As the day wears on I continually move the chairs around so the sun isn’t in my face when I’m trying to read.

We turn and gaze toward the western sky.

Now, as evening is upon us and the sun starts to sink behind the Dome Rock Mountains (I think) I again need to move the chairs to take in the western view. How can you ever get enough of this? It is just glorious. What a gift!