Quartzsite 2020

One of the biggest draws for RVers is the big tent event in Quartzsite, AZ. This event takes place in the middle of January and has been going on for many years. For most, it is a reason to gather in the desert for a couple weeks of boondocking (dry camping) with friends both new and old. We did this event last year and, given that we were in Arizona already, it made sense to do it again this year.

Like last year, we set up our rig in Boomerville, the area of the desert on the north side of Plomosa Rd., where the Escapees subgroup, called Boomers, hang out. Dan decided to run an experiment this year and see how much improvement we could get with our solar power by tipping our panels toward the sun. With a small investment in some hardware from Home Depot, we were able to put the panels at about a 38 degree angle. By all measures we could make, the improvement in output was between 40% and 50%. Given that we were planning to stay in one place for 12 days, the 30 minutes it took to get the panels tipped was well worth it. The benefit as we approach spring will be diminished but for the winter months when the sun is low and the days are short, it is something we will do when possible.

This year, we found ourselves attending fewer informational sessions than we did last year. This was, in part, due to opportunities we had to join friends on some fun activities. Rob and Laura (we spent time with them in Georgetown, TX) invited us to go hiking with them up near Lake Havasu. After our beautiful hike in Cattail Cove State Park, we ventured into Lake Havasu City to meet up with Mike and Terri at Hanger 24 Brewery for lunch and some beer. We had met them briefly last year at Escapades and they are good friends of Rob and Laura. While we were there, we made plans to all get together for an even bigger adventure the following week. More on that later in this post.

At the end of the first week, we reconnected with John and Tina. We met John and Tina last winter while boondocking outside of Joshua Tree National Park and hooked up several times over the following months but have not seen them since April. On championship Sunday, they took us to meet their friends, Steve and Debbie. We took a short hike with Tina and Debbie while John and Steve checked out the big tent. The big tent is where the annual RV show is held and is (presumably) the reason everyone comes to Quartzsite at this time. Our hike took us by an abandoned mine and up on a hill that offered a panoramic view of Quartzsite and the surrounding desert.

After the hike, we all went back to Boomerville to watch the NFL conference championship games at John and Tina’s RV. We got to know each other better over some beer, wine and food as we kept an eye on the games. We learned that Steve and Debbie used to live in Brockport, NY which is very close to where we lived. Steve used to work for Kodak and is good friends with some of the guys Dan used to golf with. It certainly is a small world and our network of friends on the road continues to grow.

About that big adventure we mentioned earlier. On Tuesday we, along with Rob, Laura, Mike, and Terri, rented OHVs (Off Highway Vehicles) from Quartzsite Adventures. Lucky for us, Rob and Laura knew a couple, Alan and Diana, that spend the winter in Quartzsite and were eager to be our guides for the day. It was a cloudy and somewhat dreary day but we had a great time riding the trails around Quartzsite and seeing some interesting sights. If it weren’t for our guides, we probably would have wandered aimlessly and maybe even gotten lost. Below is a fun trailer made with pictures and video that Dan and Rob took with iPhones, GoPros, and our drone.

One of the big events at Boomerville each year is the auction for CARE, held on Thursday of the last week. This year’s auction set a new record by raising over $18,000. We donated a couple items that we decided we didn’t want and they sold for a good amount. Amy bid on a bottle of bourbon but did not get it. It was fun and exciting to be a part of it.

We finished out our week in Quartzsite by going out to dinner with the friends mentioned in this post. We went to Grubstakes, not so much for the food but to support another RVing friend who was performing in a group that night. We enjoyed the music, tolerated the food, and had a great time with our expanding circle of friends.

In case you wonder what it looks like when we pull our rig, check out the video we shot as we left Boomerville.