Quartzsite 2008 rally arrivals

Arrived in Quartzsite around noon today (Sunday, the 13th). I began my trek from NCal on Thursday - but didn't get very far with the rain and fog. On Friday the story was the same with fog and misty rain that lasted until I reached the Tahachapi summit on the 58. However, was pleased to find clear skies and no wind during the drive from Mojave to Needles on Saturday. Was not able to make QZ that day because of the Kentucky/Vandy game -- so it was important for me to spent time in a rest area on the 40 cheering on the cats.

Am set up at the site -- and here is what I have to report so far:

o Gas in QZ is running $2.95 at Loves and Pilot. Diesel is $3.25 and propane at the Pit Stop is $2.75. I filled up in Parker and found a station just Easst of the Arco for $2.89 -- with propane $2.59. I did stop at the Pit Stop to fill my water tank ($3.00) and the have the valve changed in my older 4.5 gal extra tank. They charged me $22 plus then the $2.75/gal to fill the tank.

o The weather is Great -- especially for someone coming from NCal. Not a cloud in the ski today -- tho a bit windy this afternoon. However, coming down the CA side 95, ran into pretty heavy wind. That sure added to the fun of driving that rolly coaster road. BTW, gas in Needles was around $4.00 and $3.63 in Vidal Junction -- the over the river into Parker it was only $2.89. Needles seems to be one of the biggest gas gouging areas in CA.

o They have improved the "main" road into our camp site!. Right away I noticed about a 10 inch layer of a finer gravel road bed over the pot hole and larger rock road bed it now covers. The new road goes from the entrance on th 95, includes the ranger station parking area, and extends all the way to the North/South road into town. There is still dust, but even that appears lessened.

Had dinner tonight at Sweet Darlene's (baked chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes -- with a piece of home made pie for a buck more). In the AM I plan to visit the QZ bakery and have one of those warm from the oven apple fritters. It's nice to be back in Quartzsite. 

Will keep you posted as members and guests arrive -- so keep checking this thread for the latest . . .

Bob Buchanan said:

Arrived in Quartzsite around noon today (Sunday, the 13th).

Click to expand...

great bob i will get out and meet face to face. me and dw went out and played on the cat, dripping springs, and the cabin,cullingans crash hill and the washes all around there. was windy they said 20mi winds but i think it was more like 30 to 40 was not bad in the washes but was chilly on the high spots. it's been in the high 30 at nite hope to stay warmer soon. the new road at the forum site is nice, have been checking for about 2 weeks to see if any one had pulled in yet. you are the first. see you soon. i'm at tews date palm at the end of moon mountain #33 i have my 2 scooters out front for sale.
                                                                                                                            steve

Good to hear you have arrived in QZ safely Bob.  Wish we could be there but Grandparent duty in TX will be the thing till Feb.

Like Ron, I'm glad that you have made it safely to QZ, Bob.

We won't be at QZ this year because we're doing two months rather than three down south and we don't leave Vancouver BC until Jan 20.  Departure date is chosen so that we can be as close as possible to warmer temperatures in Hemet, CA, where we will spend five weeks before heading home.  We hope to miss nasty weather traveling south--we'll be doing 101 in northern CA, then cutting over to I-5 from the Petaluma area.

Anyway, this post is really to wish you and the QZ-ers, especially the ones I met last year, happy times and a great rally.

Ciao,

Doug

Bob,

Glad you're keeping "our spot" warm!  We expect to arrive Sunday the 20th instead of Saturday the 19th as originally planned.

See you then,
ArdraF

Bob Buchanan said:

Arrived in Quartzsite around noon today (Sunday, the 13th). I began my trek from NCal on Thursday - but didn't get very far with the rain and fog. On Friday the story was the same with fog and misty rain that lasted until I reached the Tahachapi summit on the 58. However, was pleased to find clear skies and no wind during the drive from Mojave to Needles on Saturday. Was not able to make QZ that day because of the Kentucky/Vandy game -- so it was important for me to spent time in a rest area on the 40 cheering on the cats.

Am set up at the site -- and here is what I have to report so far:

o Gas in QZ is running $2.95 at Loves and Pilot. Diesel is $3.25 and propane at the Pit Stop is $2.75. I filled up in Parker and found a station just Easst of the Arco for $2.89 -- with propane $2.59. I did stop at the Pit Stop to fill my water tank ($3.00) and the have the valve changed in my older 4.5 gal extra tank. They charged me $22 plus then the $2.75/gal to fill the tank.

o The weather is Great -- especially for someone coming from NCal. Not a cloud in the ski today -- tho a bit windy this afternoon. However, coming down the CA side 95, ran into pretty heavy wind. That sure added to the fun of driving that rolly coaster road. BTW, gas in Needles was around $4.00 and $3.63 in Vidal Junction -- the over the river into Parker it was only $2.89. Needles seems to be one of the biggest gas gouging areas in CA.

o They have improved the "main" road into our camp site!. Right away I noticed about a 10 inch layer of a finer gravel road bed over the pot hole and larger rock road bed it now covers. The new road goes from the entrance on th 95, includes the ranger station parking area, and extends all the way to the North/South road into town. There is still dust, but even that appears lessened.

Had dinner tonight at Sweet Darlene's (baked chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes -- with a piece of home made pie for a buck more). In the AM I plan to visit the QZ bakery and have one of those warm from the oven apple fritters. It's nice to be back in Quartzsite. 

Will keep you posted as members and guests arrive -- so keep checking this thread for the latest . . .

Click to expand...

Bob:  Going to the Bakery without me is not fair.  Have one for me.  See you soon.  Hope to leave tomorrow, but son had some surgery today so not sure if we will get off tomorrow or not.  I'm ready to get out of here.  Bad weather is on the way.

Another nice day yesterday in QZ -- haven't seen a cloud since my arrival. Down side of that is that we don't get fiery sunsets without a few clouds. The wind has been picking up in the afternoon, but typical in QZ. While working around the rig, it was shirtsleeve weather. Nights are cold, but again, that is QZ. Have set the furnace down to 55 and am sleeping OK under a few blankets. I "do" hate those 4 steps to the thermostat in the AM tho.

Steve, stop by when you can. I'm still trying to get settled in after the trek down -- so my rig and Jeep are really dirty. I drove into town this afternoon down Old Yuma road, then into Tyson wash to Kuehn. Looks like a Old Yuma Road has been eaten up in a few places by high water in the cross washes. I then browsed some of the vendor fun stuff.

Ron M., it would be tough to wait until you arrival to partake in the goodies at the QZ Bakery. I saw a fellow having one of those decadent items with heavy icing and custard leaking from it's center that you enjoy so much. He explained it was low calorie, low fat, and low in carbs - so OK to have a second one. Looking forward to seeing you soon. I am anxious to check out that new camera.

Ron R., sorry that you and Sam will miss the party again. Considering how much you enjoy the event, I hope you can schedule it again next year. The off roaders will miss your guidance I'm sure.

Ardra, I may be having a problem with keeping our space warm.   When I arrived I found two well entrenched big rigs parked parallel, with lots stuff around the rigs plus close lines. In the past when a rig enters this area I chat with them explaining the onslaught of RV Forum rigs within a few days -- but in this case, they got here first. Not sure if they are part of a larger group or not. Oh well, they can either move or join us.   They do seem like nice folk. Hopefully, the "enforcers" like Helaine or Bernie will arrive soon . . .    It will be good to see you and Jerry on Sunday, Ardra.

Hey Doug, thank you for your thoughtful comments. We will miss you guys, for sure. Maybe next year again. Be careful of the fog when you come over to the 5 on your way South. If it looks bad, you may want to jump back over to the 101, spend a few days in Pismo Beach, then back over to the 5 at Ventura. That way you miss the fog, the Grapevine, plus can stop at the Navel and Valencia orange groves on the 126 over to the 5. Drive safely, my friend.

Not much to report. I have been spending my time getting settled in -- and back into boondocking mode. Haven't done this for awhile so am going over all the stuff that needs to be shut down when on battery, and back up when the genset and charger are cooking. My trusty Trace monitor that Wally installed a few years back sure helps when isolating those gremlin loads.

One thing for sure, if you are new to boondocking -- this is place to learn how it is done.

Will keep you posted . . . 

ok bob i'll hookup with you soon. dw wants to get more quartz for her gardens today, so we will be going out to elephant back , me a neighbor vern went to apache chief mine and followed the string for a long ways, it's so interesting in there, will show dw the mine not sure how far she will follow me in the mine, but  she will like it
                                                                                                        steve

Hi Bob. Figured it might make sense to split this off, starting with your arrival in QZ. I know you usually announce folks' arrivals as they happen. Also cross-linked the two topics.

Someone reading along who hasn't yet signed up, but is planning to attend, drop Bob a note in this topic.

Tom said:

Hi Bob. Figured it might make sense to split this off, starting with your arrival in QZ. I know you usually announce folks' arrivals as they happen. Also cross-linked the two topics.

Someone reading along who hasn't yet signed up, but is planning to attend, drop Bob a note in this topic.

Click to expand...

thanks tom
                            steve

Cindy and I are finally headed south to Quartzsite!  We were planning to leave WA state last Wednesday, but Cindy's Aunt Barbara suddenly decided to move to Phoenix. She put her house up for sale and it sold within 24 hours, so we spent most of last week helping her clean out the property (it had been in the family for over 50 years and had lots of family heirlooms).  We finally left Nordland on Friday, with the pass-through compartments in the motorhome completely filled with her stuff.    After Quartszite we will gp to Phoenix to drop off her stuff. You don't want to know what our GVW was when we passed through a closed scale.

We were undecided whether to go over the Siskiyous or turn towards the coast at Grants Pass.  We got to the mountains Saturday afternoon and the pass was clear, but there was no traffic coming towards us.  There was an overturned big rig halfway up whose trailer had jacknifed and spilled cabbage over all the northbound lanes, completely blocking the highway.  On our side, the road was clear and dry the whole way and we made it over without incident.

I just finished working two days in San Francisco, so we are packing up now and heading south.  We're going to stop in Escapees' Park Sierra near Yosemite for a day or so, then continue south.  We should arrive in Quartzsite late Saturday or Sunday.

See y'all soon!

Lou & Cindy

Hi Bob -

Cindy and I are on our way - I didn't see this thread and posted under a seperate topic.  We're currently in San Francisco and the weather is perfect here.  In fact, except for a few rain showers in Oregon the weather has been beautiful all the way down from WA state.

We expect to arrive in QZ either late Saturday or Sunday.  See you then!

Lou & Cindy

Lou Schneider said:

After Quartszite we will go to Phoenix to drop off her stuff.

Click to expand...

Lou,

There will be an RV Forum After Quartzsite/Super Bowl Party at Happy Trails on Feb 3.  Feel free to join us if you are still in the Phoenix area.

Phil

To see the attendee list of those indicating they plan to attend this years rally -- and to see who has arrived at the rally site so far click HERE. You can the either scroll down to the Attendee List segment, or click that link on the left side just below the opening.

The best way to print this list is to highlight JUST that portion of the page, do a right click, then click the Print option. From your print menu, click the Selection radio button (as opposed to ALL, or This Page, or Page number).

As members or guests arrive, I add the ARRIVED indicator by their name -- so keep checking back for the latest on who is here.

Note: As you know, some come for just a few days and leave early. I do not indicate when someone leaves. .

Hi Mayor Bob.
We will arrive Sat or Sun. Are those other rigs in the middle of our usual area. Can we move one way or the other and not bother them too much. It is first come first serve so we either invite them to join us or work around them.

Helaine

Oh, I forgot to mention ... we're bringing a trunkload of split firewood for the campfire.  Of course, our toad is a Nissan Sentra, but it's still a fair amount of wood.

And if anyone needs an electric hookup to charge their trailer batteries, I'm bringing a couple hundred feet of extension cord (left over from our house construction) and you're more than welcome to share our generator.  Just ask.

Lou & Cindy

Hi Lou and Cindy,
Thanks for the firewood and this is a great time to remind everyone that we will need plenty of firewood.  The weather man has said we are in for some cool temps and that means we need fires morning and night. Looking forward to seeing everybody

Helaine

Hi from Us.

We noticed in the Arrivals list that we are the only prospective arrivals without a last name. We are the Bowerman family.

We are currently online at the Coyote Lanes Bowling alley the the YPG Army base near Imperial Dam. We are camped at Senator Wash on Herman's Horse Path.

We will be arriving mid day Fri. Jan 18 and can hardly wait. This is the fulfillment of another of our retirement dreams.

John, Mary-Ann & Panda Bear

We have two of the firepots and Norm and Dee will be bringing them up on Friday.  We won't be there until next week some time.

does anyone have the balloon ???
                                          steve