These two were outside a food vender stand the guy on the left has a plate out for offerings. 
Might be for tips for the vender. Or a penny exchange.

Now in the Tyson Wells area  south of Kuhen Rd. you can find all these the gem and fossil offerings.

Here is Terry checking out the fossil selections. 

Many people just don't get to this area of Tyson Wells with the new permanent buildings with the heavy duty stuff. 

The action is just getting started as this is mid week and the BIG Shows start Satrurday. Terry just go off the phone with up north. They are snowed in, yes they are. Can't get out. The roads are blowing in faster than they can plow them.  And with it going to -20 below tonight. Wind chill -35. And to think was 75 or so and anothr perfect day right here in Q. 

We are having fried fresh oysters and corn fritters. Oh and yes  American Idol is on again.
 
 

Friday Jan. 16
 

Thursday evening was just so great we had to sit out and have a fire.  It didn't get cold right away when the sun went down and with a small pot roast in the oven, no need to rush inside. Anything on TV was being DVRed for later viewing. 
It was in the upper 70s on Thursday. 

The RVs are really pulling into town now with long lines backed up at this one and the other three stop lights in this city. 

 

Many want to get as close to the downtown area as possible so they pack them in parking lot style in bare lots that for the other 50 weeks of the year are empty. 

 It's fun watching all the rigs pulling into the La Posa North BLM area. Just a steady stream of happy campers. 

The view of the La Posa North BLM gaurd station from inside our 5er. 

And looking toward the Big Tent and the mass of RVs in La Posa West camp area across HW 95. The guy is walking on the black top inside La Posa North that we are parked next to. It helps to keep down the dust from all the traffic. 

Terry is at the rock club teaching chain making this AM but we are going to head over to Blythe later today for supplies while we still can, as the big show starts tomorrow and next week it will be so crowded that we won't be able to get around town with the ease that we have been accustomed to. It's an experience when thousands of RVs converge on this tiny town of normally 3000 people. The police radio scanner is a buzz with activity which I like to keep a feel for. There were three Air Flight helicopters all busy by late afternoon yesterday. Plus ground units ferrying patients up to the Parker hospital. Busy day and it's just getting started. There is a helicopter stationed in Quartzsite and Parker and a fleet of ambulances stationed here for the busy season. You can say lots of things about a gathering of people this size, but this is also a money maker for the health care industry.  When you need them you need them now. The branch clinic of the Parker hospital is expanding their building in north Q next to the fire station. And just this winter they are offeriing a new walk in clinic next to the hospital in Parker to help with the patient load. We had the unfortunate opportunity to use the Parker Hospital ER and inpatient for several days and an operation for Terry last winter and obtained the very best of care. They are now ranked in the best 100 small hospitals in the US. 
Enough already, looks like I'm doing PR copy for them. 

UPDATE:
Back from Blythe and as we came over the pass looking at Q we came to realization that what we had thought would be a down year for Q has turned out to the the largest coming together of RVs we have ever seen here in Q. Me thinks it has to do with the weather we are seeing which is breaking records all over the southwest for high temps. and just what is needed to get people to say we might a well head on over to Q as it is going to be warm next week. Well they are coming and the place is heading to a record breaking season. We got some gas for our Honda generator (Love's truckstop was backed up big time so we went on down Kuehn and over the overpass to the other stations that wren't so busy. After we got back to our site in La Posa North Terry loaded up the fresh water tanks in the truck bed so he could go the south BLM area to get water and so we could fill up so not need to have to get it during  the crush next week. He found no waiting this time.

This goes on and on forever. This is the bus conversion group section of RVers north of  Rice Ranch looking from the overpass heading south. 
This is the Woodstock of RVers.and they do party and the venders like that they tend spend big bucks. 

We will be reporting much more in the days to come on this event. Not by truck (who wants to spend hours in the traffic back ups) so Terry is planning to ride our bike to take pictures and report back for our blog. 
 
 

Saturday Jan. 17

The big tent show opened today as we slept in knowing we did not want to be a part of the wave of people going through the big tent. Besides the car guys 
"Click and Clack" are on NPR at 8 AM AZ time on XM radio. So when we do get up and while determining if there is life in Q we started to get visitors. We had offered to let some friends send their mail to our PO Box. So they stopped by and as they were leaving other web site followerrs stopped by for a nice visit.   We did get to finish breakfest reheated in the microwave when they all left. Not that they were early, we were late and it turned out to be brunch instead. 

Later by mid afternoon Terry took off on the bike and stopped on the HW95 overpass and took some pics. I stiched them together for a wider view. 

On top of the overpass looking south toward the big tent and the mass of venders in Tyson Ranch.  Make no mistake about it, this is a huge event. And up the road to the west is Desert Gardens is another show area even larger than what you see in this view. That show is more about gems and rocks where they sell to the world. 

They pack them in everywhere they can and this year it seems the going rate is $7 a day for dry camping. (Used to be $5) Which is NO services at all. Just a patch of ground to put your jacks down.  Now you can go to thousands of acres in the BLM where you can spread out and stay for 14 days for FREE but these people want to be right up close, packed in and pay for that privilege. 

But you know what, a good time is being had by all, as in happy campers wherever they choose to place their welcome doormats in the sand. These pictures are just close in to the city center that we can see form the overpass. You would not believe the other many thousands of more RVers who have spread out in the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas on the outskirts of Q where they can stay FREE for 14 days or in other BLM areas and pay $40 for 14 days  which includes water and dump facilities.  Now if you go for the free areas you can go into town to the  Pit Stop and fill up and dump your tanks for a modest fee and fill up with propane.  So as you see there are many choices here in Q so you can do your own thing whatever that might be. There is even a clothing optional area in the La Posa South  BLM area. Called the Magic Circle. A large gathering for Rainbow RVers as in LGBT people also gather here for the big event.  Many things are labeled Rainbow here in Q, even a subdivision called Rainbow Acres. Here in Q it's a live and let live atmosphere, as desert life can be tough,  and to survive we all have to support each other and not sweat the small stuff. Here you need to conserve your sweat in the summer and the locals know that, and welcome ALL during this Woodstock for the Geriatric Crowd during this season of livable temps. 
 

Sunday Jan. 18
 

This bear needs some skin lotion. It can get hot and dry in the desert. 

When in Q for just the week or the whole winter season you will find the General Store the perfered location for your fresh meat and and groceries. Friendly espicialy if you spend the season and get to know them. They even have a flyer with specials starting each Thursday. I grew up in a burg with a store like this so feel right at home. Since Wal*Mart is 80 miles away in Yuma this is the biggest very little box store you will find in Q. You won't find low or fat free anything. So you get to eat and enjoy the better tasting stuff, since you have an excuse, that's all you can get here. Sure you also have the Roadrunner and the Big Markert with good prices on liquor but this is the store for us. Nick who is the son of the owner is doing much of the meat cutting  and makes us feel welcome as we banter with him and the check out clerks , or should I say as in a big box store the're called associates. That doesn't feel like the correct corporate term for the friendly people who work here.

Now you say we haven't reported on the Big Tent show yet?  We like to let the rush of crazies get there and later in mid week we can wonder through at our leisure and see it without being shoved out of the way like Black Friday door buster shoppers. Also we can drive to the door and park and make it a FUN family outing as Terry likes to say. It has been said the booths in the tent are like any state fair, mostly the same from year to year and even in the same spots. So why bother? But we all go again, just to see IF any new venders have showed up to hustle away our bucks, or trip our spending trigger this year. 
I am content to stay back in camp and turn on both of our FRS walkie talkie radios and put them on scan and listen to the action. You would not believe what you can hear. I think it's called Reality FRS Radio. That way I can find the hot vender spots in the big tent before we head out to explore. 
Full season Q visitors tend to be a cut above. You can too but it takes years to get to this stage of knowledge. And as you can see these people have not learned that yet.

They all had parking tickets on their windshields. Many had already left to pay their fines as we took this picture late in the day.   A veteran visitor would not fall for this until after at least two tickets were thrown at them by Q's finest.  This is just south of the Big Tent on HW 95. If they only knew they can park in the BLM day use for free and walk about the same distance to the shows. 
How do you think Q was able to pave EVERY dirt street in town. I do hope the bottom of the tickets say THANK YOU. Sucker...
 

Monday Jan. 19

When over in Blythe Friday we saw possible competition to the worthless Albertson's (the only source in town and they know it with high prices and dirty conditions). The meat department stinks and don't even go near the rest rooms. We have been complaining the manager for years to no avail. The locals must just be used to high prices and stinky odors. 

But we spotted this in the K-Mart shopping center in the next door strip mall that they are trying to resurrect.  I had heard another grocery store might be starting up now that Wal*Mart wasn't coming to town. (It's going to Parker) We saw this sign and hoped the current market condition doesn't shut it down before it gets started. One thing Blythe needs is a little competition in the grocery area. There is a Smart and Final  in Blythe as an outlet for food and restaurant supplies. If the new Ranch Market store doesn't work out we need to review what we can find at Smart and Final. We were impressed a couple of years ago when we visited them. Don't know why we had haven't been back. 

Had Terry click this picture of Q on our way back from Blythe, CA. Would anyone think this shrinks to 3000 people in the summer. 

On thoughts to come in later posts... on this Monday mid morning the traffic DID back up to a crawl on the north bound HW95. Guess many did read my past blogs and stay away on the weekend. Ya Sure... There were also very few RVs checking into the La Posa North BLM on Sunday but today it was extra busy. And my FRS Reality Radio network was also very busy telling me things have picked up and the tent was busy. You would not believe what these people will say on an FRS radio. 
Terry who ran around town in the traffic doing his thing at the rock club and other projects said he thinks the heavier traffic was people coming to town for the QIA Gem and Mineral Pow Wow which starts on Wednesday. This is the largest Gem and Mineral swap meet of quality items which attracts rock hound dealers and shoppers from all over the world!  No kidding, this is a big deal and it's all right here in Q.  Do click on the above QIA link if you are curious. 

I'm building on my anticipation to visit the Big Tent.  Might happen on Wednesday.  Have to watch the inaugural events on Tuesday.  No need to rush the outings as we have gotten over being on vacation mode. I would like to think so anyway. A sign from the RV buying gods who are telling me in the current conditoions I should only go with cash on my Big Boy and their Toys quest. Letting the rush of others through the big tent area makes the path clearer for me.  When I see where the green artificial grass in worn the thinnest, that's where I know the bargains are at. 
 
 
 

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