Wednesday
Jan. 14
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.
See
where we are at right now. DataStormUsers
map ID 98
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