JANUARY 4 WEDNESDAY
We found a Pizza vendor next
to the large laundromat on Main across from Roadrunner food store.
Now looking at their flyer
it sez 205 E. Main (My Brothers Place)
A large house combo for $14.99
All beverages $1 Hamburgers $3 Burritos $3 fair prices we think.
You would think he has been
deprived or somthing.
Tasted good also...
I mean it is the Rose Bowl
Game night after all... Pizza and a little FOOTBALL!
JANUARY 6 FRIDAY
General Delivery Mail: Fulltimers and the
USPS
The Quartzsite postal clerk
told us they only hold General Delivery mail for 15 days. We thought it
was to be held for 30 days. We have some of our mail sent to Blythe CA
92225 and the clerk there told me they hold it for 30 days. So watch out
and ask what the local post office procedures are or you may just miss
some mail.
From the USPS web site:
Additional information regarding
General Delivery:
No application is required for
General Delivery, persons interested in General Delivery should speak with
the postmaster.
Limitations on the amount of
time you are able to use General Delivery, if any, are determined by the
postmaster
Each piece of general delivery
mail is held for no more than 30 days, unless the sender requests a shorter
period. General delivery mail may be held for longer periods if requested
by sender or addressee and approved by postmaster. Mail without a specific
address or instructions from the sender is held for:
10 days if for general delivery
at an office with City Carrier™ service.
15 days if for general delivery
at an office without City Carrier service.
Note: General Delivery mail
is not delivered on Sunday.
A little update:
Went to Blythe CA today to
pick up mail and the clerk said is this your first pickup of General Delivery
mail? She said in Blythe since they have home delivery mail routs and mail
boxes to rent you can only get General Delivery for 30 days. So I asked
how does Q do GD all winter. She said Q doesn't have enough PO boxes so
they do longer GD. Never knew there was so much to all this.
I want to make sure we get
our tax info sent so we get it so will think about this for a few days.
A PO Box in Blythe might just
be the best bet. Now how much is a PO box for a few months is the next
question?
Saturday
is
the big Hi Jolly Days parade we will be there and update with pics of this
Q event.
The Gem and Mineral Club has
a float so as webmaster will have to get up early and play newspaper reporter
with camera and get this breaking
story. The weather has been sunny and vary warm so the event should be
a fun.
JANUARY 7 SATURDAY
The parade was large with
about 40 entries and we took many pics mostly of the float of the Gem and
Mineral Club since I do that web site.
Just one pic. of the Gem Club
float. The link to MORE pics is Hi
Jolly Daze Parade
We then drove the loop around
Q and saw all the new vendors (many more have set up) I think compared
to last year there are MANY more vendors and they are setting up earlier.
The BIG TOP tent went up today and that is like a week early also. Things
are really hoppen here in Q. Before long we will wish for all this to go
away and be like we found it on Nov. 1
After the parade we went deep
into the vendor maze and had Runzas sandwiches. Terry likes them, but me
thinks they are just lots of stale bread with cabbage and hamburger filling.
Kind a blah... But everyone to their own tastes.
Since we had a big day we are
going out to try the Snowbird Cafe.
See this link to the topic
about this vendor site in the RVNET.com forum.
Oh! and the above rant about
prices I have decided to just let it alone and not hand out anything to
vendors. Maybe I need to get a life and let others do their
own thing and I just watch. If people are having a good time and want to
spend big bucks for overpriced food, who is it for me to stop them.
Let us all have great time in the desert...
Later ... Ron
JANUARY 11 WEDNESDAY
Went to Blythe to get mail yesterday
and then stopped at the Ehrenburg AZ (mile post 2 on I10) post office to
check out their general delivery procedures. They like Blythe only say
they will accept gen. delivery mail for 30 days and you need to get a P
O box after that. They only want $13 for a small one for 6 mo. so not bad.
So don't want to loose tax statements in the Quartzsite post office mess.
After that took a back road down the AZ side of the Colorado river from
the Flying J's truck stop at mile marker 2 for several miles. It follows
the CO river and we want to go back and explore more of this road as it
goes almost all the way down to Yuma on the AZ side.
The BIG TENT is up and from
the top of our 5er here is the view. Looking northwest.
View to the west. Not many
takers on the showers.
And to the north
And to the southeast.
JANUARY 12 THURSDAY
Took a drive to a state park
we have been wondering about... east and north of us.
We went for a drive today up
to Alamo
Lake State park.
We stopped at the ranger station
and asked, like we always do when driving to see new parks, if we could
just drive through to see if we would want to come back and camp. The responce
was no $5 a day fee if you don't stop and get out of your vehicle. OK by
us.
Lots of dry campsites for $10
a day. But if you don't have a boat for fishing why go here is the question.
And in the summer HOT.
But you do get to see water...
See the link as this lake and river drains into the Colorado river just
north of the dam at Parker.
Just
think the weekend is coming up in Q and all the traffic and new RV's moving
in and the excitement of it all.
We
will try to contain ourselves!
A post I did on RV.net forum
tonight
The tread was:
What do you think about
our "high tech" world?
My Post:
Ramblings from a early Baby
Boomer...
While boondocking in Quartzsite
trying to use the high tech that works for us, but to not using ALL the
high tech stuff hitting the market and finding I don't want or need some
of this stuff they are pushing in the Vegas shows this week. I have a DataStorm
Sat Internet on top of the 5 th wheel and could not live without it. BUT
find DirectTV to be less and less what we want to watch and now don't turn
it on for days at a time. Still pay the bill just don't watch much. I need
"Real Time" with Bill M when in season. Don't have an Ipod or Sat. radio
but thought about getting it for NPS but then found out NPR was not on
it. Like "Morning Report."
I remember when I just had
to have the first UHS RCA vidio machine years ago and paid $1200 for it
as and early adapter. A blank UHS tape was $20 bucks if you could find
one. I went through that for years and now retired I think what did I do
that for. BUT at the time, had the money and it was fun to be the first
on the block with all that stuff. So can understand why people today do
it.
Off the grid on BLM land in
AZ with solar w 6 AGM bats and inverter and Honda backup gen.
SO I'm still sort of having
fun with off the grid high tech....
And my post in the Quartzsite
RV Show thread in RV.net...
Kenny King sez: (he runs
the BIG SHOW in the 70,000 sq. ft. tent)
Quartzsite is unique and not
for the "faint of heart"!
And he should know...
As much as we love the show,
we wait till at least the second day to go to it so some the crush will
have subsided. Mid-morning to later afternoon seems to be the best as some
of the crowd comes early and are then gone by that time. I went last year
and the heat in the tent and bodies not moving. Wall to wall. We got out
and came back the next day. JUST goes to show how popular King's show is.
But we do go back several times to see it all later in the week. The BIG
TENT show and all of Quartzsite is a mecca of vendors and a must see event
and for thousands, and a whole winter lifestyle event.
And would you believe many
come to Q year after year for the rock shows (QIA Pow-Wow) and to be able
to join in the rock club and do silversmithing, wirerapping, faceting,
and opals, lost wax casting, and general lapadery. The largest in the nation
is QuartzsiteGemand
MineralClub.org So it all comes together to make Quartzsite the place
to go for RV, Rock and Gem, and vendors of all types. And let us not forget
the weather and Boondocking in the BLM.
Much more in the next few days
as we build up the to the BIG SHOW!
JANUARY 14 SATURDAY
A reader stopped by and we had
a good talk about how the tomato plant is doing and their travel adventures.
Now ALMOST ready to pick a
few... The tomato plant in the desert....
Look deep in and see many more
getting ready. This plant is loaded with large green ones and many yellow
blooms yet to go.
We have to water it several
times a day. Just sucks up the water.
This is getting heavy moving
it inside each night. It gets down to the mid 40's at night so like to
keep it warm and happy.
Terry took books back to the
library... I owed 15 cents past due on a book. He brought back a couple
of breakfast burritos form My Brothers Place (the same place where we got
the pizza. HUGE (you would not want to eat two) and tasty for $3 bucks
each, a very good deal for the size of them. (205 E Main.) They have a
easy number for take out PIZZA 927 4444
Now for the Snowbird Cafe Nenu...
The Snowbird Base camp Cafe,
Showers & Dry Camp has opened. 8 AM - 8 PM
They don't have the meal prices
on it but told us $8.50 or so. 918 927-3345 I would call before going to
make sure they are open when you want to eat and what is on the menu changes
everyday. Tonight is Boneless Port Loin Chop or Atlantic Salmon Fillet
served with wild rive and sautéed vegetables. Sunday Pot roast cornish
game hen with steamed carrots and roasted red potatoes. Monday Lasagna
or cooked to order pasta bar. Tues. meat loaf or chicken cordon bleu. Wed
Baby back ribs or BBQ chicken breast. So that should get you started. They
don't seam to have a regular and hungry mans menu this year.
Now listening to Garrison
Keillor and a Prairie Home Companion streaming on the internet and with
it sunny and warm with a beer, what could be better. To uploade pics later
when Terry comes back with the the camera. He dropped me off so I could
listen to Garrison and he went back to the main rock vendor area to look
at some things and then stop at Lamn's produce stand. All and all just
a GREAT day in Quartzsite.
Went and walked thru the west
side of the Main Event and found it to be mostly a flea market. Not good.
The east Main event was much better (accross form Pilot and Mc Donalds).
Like the vendors at Rice ranch as they are more crafts and new products
as is Tyson Wells.
A few more vendor pics at Tyson
Wells.
Electric people transport carts
are everywhere and a good seller I'm sure.
JANUARY 16 MONDAY
This is one of those days you
don't write home about. Winday and cool but full sun. The vendors
tents
are a
blowing in the wind. Dust blowing.
But the RVers just keep moven
in. There is almost a steady stream of them into the La Posa north past
us.
JANUARY 17 TUESDAY
It is
now an official Quartzsite event. DataStorm user #1
Don Bradner is in Q out in the BLM.
See who
else is here on the Users
Map.
Again
today the RVs just kept coming into the BLM. Tomorrow will be a picture
event and another jaunt into the vendor enhancements on the south side
of Rice Ranch to see what we can find. I also want to stop by
Satellite
Advantage on main street and see what they have for DVRs for DirecTV
and Dish. May want to switch to Dish if DirecTV doesn't shape up and treat
us fulltimers better. And ask them if I should upgrade to a DataStorm D2
6000 unit or just stay with my (if it aint broke don't fix it) D1 4000
unit. I get great speeds and am happy, but a RJ45 or wireless lan connection
and not having the software on my computer would be nice.
So onward
to another great day in warm and sunny Q.
THE BIG
SHOW IN THE BIG TENT STARTS THIS WEEKEND!!
JANUARY
18 WEDNESDAY
Long time
followers of our site stopped by today and wanted to see our tomato plant.
And they
took a picture of me pointing to a new ripe red fruit.
They moved
in just north of us in the La Posa North area and are having a DataStorm
Sat. D3 7000 unit installed Sunday in their new HR MH by Bill Adams.
You know the drill (click the
graphic)
We want to stop by and see
the install by Bill Adams and ask questions to see if we should upgrade
to the latest and greatest. And you know I screwed up by not getting
a picture of them so I could post it on our blog. George would not be that
lax in greeting visitors.
Things are building... RVs,
how can I say this... they are moving in like I could never believe. Last
year we were in an RV park in town and thought it was filled but, I am
just amazed at the number of untis moving to the BLM.
WOODSTOCK
FOR RVERS... This is BIG and getting bigger every year. Woodstock
was a one time event but this is every year and can only grow as us boomers
grow in numbers.
Late and now time to eat and
watch Leno....
JANUARY
20 FRIDAY
Have been
busy updating the format of this reverse blog site and a major update of
my main
www.HitchIthc.com
site. Check out the NEW
Restructured Site Categories & new travel stories.
I will
get our adventures updated here on Sat.
JANUARY 21 SATURDAY
Today
is the opening of the big show in the BIG TENT
The police
scanner said traffic was backed up to La Posa south. heading north to the
show.
Today
was not the day to go to it. Terry had to flip pancakes at the rock club
this AM.
They
served about 225 people.
Today looking north from on
top of our 5er. Big tent in background left.
They just keep pulling in.
Terry had to get a pic of himself
on top of Q mountain.
Finished updating the Radom
feature on the main Hitchitch site.
So that site is ready to go
now. Now maybe I can get back to life in Q.
An hour ago discovered the
ice in the fridge was melting when I went get some for a drink for the
Prairie
Home Companion radio show. Found the Check light on. Punched a few
buttons and it came back on. Never had that happen before.
On a
forum the question was.
So What's So Great About Quartzsite?
So I had to jump in...
Very good question. We like
the gem and mineral club
Rock club $15 to join.
We got here Nov. 1 to stay in the BLM for that camping experience that
you can't get in an an RV park. You know the parking lot with
full hookups. That is not RVing or living, but for a few months we
can have great weather and have a our awning open without it touching the
site next door.
And not just us, as thousands
of RVs are flowing into the area this week. They may only stay a week or
two but this is the mecca of the Woodstock of the RV set. And if some don't
like it OK. The bottom line is it is warm, sunny, cheap,($30 for 14 days
or $140 for the season) and in the BLM we can get back to that feeling
of living off the earth for a few months. So we spend thousands of dollars
to be able to do that (solar cells, etc.) makes no difference. The rich
in the big bucks MHs may just come for the BIG TENT show and the rest of
us stay for the season. It takes all kinds and all are welcome to Quartzsite
where the city slogan is: Everyday is a Weekend. If it didn't make sense
the hundreds of vendors would not come back here year after year. Have
a great time and stay warm in any spot you find to your liking. If not
here in AZ, or FL, RGV TX., or FL. or any of the great other places. Just
enjoy your life and respect other RVers who may be in a pop-up or a big
MH... We are all in the is together.
Sunny, warm not hot, and no
wind today... Q love it.
We will get to the BIG SHOW
and report (better pics without the crowds) but until we do go over to
my main site Hitchitch.com and check
out all the new listings and the new format.
Go Ahead and hit the Pick a
site at Random feature. So have I self promoted enough yet?
Don't answer that...
If you can't wait, check out
the pics from their site.
Click on the pic.
JANUARY
22 SUNDAY
Got up
late and read the Sunday paper (the AZ Republic Do you really want me to
tell you what I think about this paper). During the week we get the USAToday
also from a box by the BLM camp host entrance. Terry had make a small quiche
since he had a crust left over from a lemon pie he made a while back. Two
to a package. Normally he would make is own crusts. (Bought a whole bag
of lemons for $1 the last time we were in Blythe) Well anyway thought we
would walk on over to the big tent later and so we did. Made up a new web
page to show the pics. to save bandwidth here. The pics sizes are reduced.
About 22K each.
The
BIG
TENT SHOW Enjoy... Pics with Comments.
Now
You all have a great day at work Monday...
And
if you're in Q get to the Roadrunner food store quick, as I hear they are
running out of the big bottles of Vodka. Woodstock
for RV'ers is alive and well at least
in Q. And don't miss out on the fresh meat dept. at the General Store.
You have to eat good on that new grill you got at the Big Tent show.
I will
go back a couple of times in this week to the BIG TENT while Terry is at
the rock club and wander around without the crowds as I can drive right
on site and park. Low people traffic, ask questions, find out what is selling
and what is not. Mid week the people in the booths are tried and
it is fun to see how they are holding up. If they are still friendly, with
their amplified voice mikes still tyring to sell veggie food choppers,
cleaning stuff, and pots and pans. To see if I can walk past without them
grabbing on to my shirt tail to make me an offer I can't refuse. They are
working hard, and we do wish them well. But if you have to have a amplified
mike, you have gone beyond just selling to RV'ers, you are a professional
marketer and not connected to the RV lifestyle.
I
found the ESCAPEES booth busy and
several people engaged in discussions about what they are all about. People
were listening and learning with great interest about this club. Escapees
trademark hugs were being given out to old and new members. Now this is
a what the RV lifestyle is all about. As they say...
A
Complete Support Network for RVers
JANUARY
29 SUNDAY
By Terry
(kicking and screaming, I'm making him learn how to do this.)
So if
this post sucks email him not Ron.
The big
tent closes today, along with the QIA Pow Wow, and some of the gem and
mineral related portions of the Tyson Wells show. Perhaps the daily
traffic jam on Hwy 95 will no be but a bad memory.
Thursday
Terry volunteered at the Rock
club
With
the shops closed for the QIA Pow Wow it was time for a few maintenance
projects, and terry volunteered to help make the rest rooms handicap accessible,
which entailed installing new counter tops and sinks. Spent Thursday
making custom counter tops, Formica laminate .
Went to
Yuma on Friday to take in a movie, do a little more exploring in the area
and to get a few things at Target. Had on the last visits tried
to find Fortuna pond, which is a small park on the North side of Yuma.
During the winter months when the water temps are cool enough, the Arizona
DNR will stock it with trout as a put and take fishery. Any
fish not caught will not make it through the summer as the water gets to
warm for the Trout to survive, so they start fresh every fall. Looks
like some nice camp sites on the water. Watch out for the leavy road to
get there. No side rails and steep drop off.
After
finding Fortuna lakes we went to the movie theater/shopping mall.
Picked
up a few supplies at Target and the Grocery store and made it back to Quartzsite
in time to enjoy the sunset.
Saturday
Terry went to the Rock club to help get everything ready to put in the
new counters. While there he made a trip to the QIA Pow Wow, and
picked up a few pretty rocks to add to the collection rattling around in
his head.
 
Above the main rock club booth
at the QIA Pow Wow.
Childerns sand box, Quartzsite
Gem and Mineral club at the 2006 QIA Pow Wow
Any pollished gem stone they
find in the sand, they get to keep.
Malia
Lane, from Inspirations Journey
and Malia's Miles moved
into the area close by us.
She had
been visiting with the Graduating
Class of 2005 and moved to get closer to town
as that
group was starting to break up. She was not a member of that group but
a special invited guest to speak to them on her adventures that she has
experienced in her travels.
I (Terry)
hit the QIA Pow Wow this morning, Sunday, and this time actually bought
a few Items, some Tiffany stone, a small peice of Lapis Lazuli,
some diamond polishing compound from Creative
Gems , and a piece of rock crystal for capping opal, and other softer
rocks, which I will use in the rock shop to make cabachons.
Tiffany stone from Utah
The tomato
plant continues to thrive, and we are now seeing a number of tomatoes ripening
which
we hope to add to our salad tonight.
Would
have posted this yesterday, Saturday, but the weather was so great here
in Quartzsite that we built a campfire, and sat outside listening to Garrison
Keilor's "Prairie Home Companion" radio show as it was streamed from NPR.
We also watched the small plane traffic and the Ultra light planes flying
about Quartzsite. Several of the planes trailed advertising banners
for RV dealers. It was a fabulous late January afternoon in the Arizona
desert.
I as Ron
have gone back and word smithed some of this post. Not that Terry isn't
good, but wanted to make sure Malia wasn't know as a 2005 member, but an
invited guest of the Class of 2005. Oh! to be a (RV) (MH) car
wash within a hunderd miles, of the group as they expand their travels.
Now if they would have just been the class of 2004 they would have had
rain every few days to keep things clean. It's warm, it's sunny, it's clear
skies. No smog... So no rain alter all it is the desert. We love it here...
Come and enjoy and email if you have any questions.
JANUARY
30 MONDAY
Another
above average day on Q and warmer, had all the 5 er windows open and the
Fantastic fan running while I relaxed and did a little reading on a great
book from the Q library. Terry taught classes this morning at the rock
club on faeting.
And later
did laundry, got propane, gas for the gen. and freash bread from the bakery,
and pork chops for supper.
Now if
you can tell, he is good domestic help. (Hope he doesn't read this.) I
just read it to him.
Malia
Lane, from Inspirations Journey
and Malia's Miles stopped
by and we had a great visit with her.
She is
a joy to be around. But you already knew that! Terry had a great time showing
her some of his sliver smithing projests and some of the rocks he got at
the shows for future use.
Tomorrow
we
hope to see and visit with the the DirecWay users at Dustyfoot's
Satellite Internet BOGSAT event.
Malia
sez she is going, and you don't want to miss talking with her.
Trying
to talk myself out of a upgrade to a D3 7000 unit from the D1 4000 I have
now. If it aint borke don't fix it?
And I
have the old orig. white dish so may cost more.
JANUARY
31 TUESDAY
Made
it over to Dustyfoot's Satellite Internet BOGSAT event. On Main St in Q
 
Terry gave Malia a piece of
jewelry he had made at the rock club.
A sterling silver chain with
a silver and turquoise pendent. I think she likes it.
Also met Laurie a friend of
Malia's who is camped next to her.
Messed up, Laurie was taking
the pics so didn't get one of her.
Part of the group at the event.
 
Our host Scott Whitney. Dustyfoot.com
Me (Ron), Malia and #1 Don Bradner of DataStormUsers.com
Also met Bill Adams and his
wife Janet (on the right) with Malia, back to camera) of Internet
Anywhere and he told me
if I am happy with my DataStorm
D1 4000 unit to just stay with it.
I am very happy, so will just
use it and enjoy.
I should note Don Bradner also
had a great gathering (BOGSAT) on January 23rd
at his BLM site.
We didn't
make that one, so knew we couldn't miss Scott's.
A great day in Q. The wind kicked
up a bit at times and people complained about the dust.
But meeting great people, made
this day all worth while. Of course where we are at there is no DUST...
I keep telling everyone that. And for the most part we have been lucky.
Now send us some rain.
Things are thinning out a bit
as some vendors and RVers are moving on down the road to other adventures.
But Wednesday an Arts and Craft show starts in the Big Tent through the
weekend. The 14 day campers will move on but the snowbirds and seasonal
RVers will be here for the rest of the season. Just think no more traffic
jams.
We wish all, safe and fun trvavels.
A good time was had by all. And new friendships created and old ones renewed.
Go forward below for February
stories.
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