Quartzsite 2007 - Info/Sign-up

[Bob Buchanan]

I plan to take the eastend offramp to avoid the snarls in town getting to 95.   Js that still do-able?   Recommendations appreciated.

Actually, the best way to avoid the traffic at this late date would be to take the 19 exit, go North to Main, down a few blocks past Sweet Darlene's, then go North about 4 blocks, then turn left (West) to 95, then South on 95 back down to Main Street, then West on Main to Crazy Al's Italian, take a left and immediate right down into Tyson Wash, follow the Wash South under the 10 freeway to Kuehn, take Kuehn West to the DOT building about half way to Loves, turn South onto the dirt road and follow it around the airport, then continue South past Q Mountain and follow the trail to the dumpsters on the Yuma Road, then continue on YR about 1/4 mile, turn left and continue about 1/2 mile -- you will then be at the back door to our site -- easy to spot from there as it's under John's balloon.

OTOH -- considering you do not have 4W on your trailer -- it would be better to opt for Ned's route.

Carl, sorry for the bad traveling weather you have had so far. Many of us have similar stories to share. However, it looks like we are back to what we all hope we will find in QZ. We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday. . .

Lowell:  Thanks for letting us know when you will arrive. We have some who unfortunately have only been able to stay for a few days -- so some prime spots are opening up here and there. So you should be able to park close to the activity.

Margi and Tom: Sorry you had to leave early. Next year I hope you have the Genset behavin' better on cold nights. It was good to see you on two occasions though -- and enjoyed that very much.

Jeannine: So sorry to hear about your mom -- and hope you find her feeling better.  Hopefully you can make it to our pot luck . . .

Ray D: Thank you for your note -- we hope many will do the same and enjoy reading of this and other RV Forum rallies. Hope that next year you can turn your fantasies into realities and join us.

NOTES

Weather: What can I write folks!!! It was great today.  It was warm and shirt sleeves were worn by many.

Activity of the Day: The main activity of the day was the 1st off road trek. I hope you can read Ron from big D's verbiage on a separate thread, and view the pics he took during the day. Thanks Ron. A second trek was announced this evening during the campfire -- and will take place Friday AM.

A VERY GOOD DAY IN QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA . . .

 

[John From Detroit]

I went to town yesterday to invert the status of my tanks (I left with 3 tanks full, or nearly full, and 3 tanks less than half full, or nearly empty, I cam back with three tanks empty and three tanks full  (Black, Gray, Gray#2, Gas, propane and Water are the six tanks in order)  Took 95 through the traffic jam to RV PIT stop, (took care of five of the tanks) then back south on 95 to a side road over to the east some to the gas station at exit 19 (would have been better if I'd cut down to main for the Chevron but hey)

Then came back a bit dropped down to main and back to 95 south.  Was not a bad trip, even the back up at Pit Stop was not bad

Flush and fill is 10 bucks this year,  Sewer cost went up

 

[Terry A. Brewer]

John

>>Flush and fill is 10 bucks this year,  Sewer cost went up<<

Why did you pay?  Dumping & water is included in your camp fee....It's located right across 95.

 

[John From Detroit]

I went there to avoid the line, And they do the dump, and the water is filtered, So for 10 bucks I don't have to mess with the hoses and I don't have to use up my filters.. That's why I went there, And they don't have propane across the road or gas

 

[DougJ]

For what it's worth, Bob, we plan to come south tomorrow (Thursday) on 95 from Parker, through whatever traffic jam there is to the ranger station and then follow the directions to the framily camp.  We're in Needles tonight.

If we don't show and anyone's curious as to why not, give me a call at 604-250-6196.

Ciao,

Doug

 

[Bob Buchanan]

For what it's worth, Bob, we plan to come south tomorrow (Thursday) on 95 from Parker, through whatever traffic jam there is to the ranger station and then follow the directions to the framily camp.  We're in Needles tonight.

If we don't show and anyone's curious as to why not, give me a call at 604-250-6196.

Ciao,

Doug

Thank you for letting us know, Doug. We will be looking for you tomorrow. A few other rigs are expected tomorrow as well. I have sent a private email with my cell number if you need to call me. I'm at the show most of the day -- but can get word to someone or probably direct you via my cell to the site. Plus John's balloon is flying high to lead you as well.

NOTES

Arrivals: A few more today again -- so keep checking my info, sign up web page for the latest.

Weather: It appears Mr. Yahoo was correct -- in that each day is good and getting better than the day before. Today I have seen some go from shirt sleeves to no shirts, and soaking up some of this AZ sunshine. My gage showed in the low seventies at 4:00PM.

QZ Installs: Those that follow the forum know that most questions about RVs can be answered by members of the framily. Fortunately, a number of those in the know attend this and other forum rallies. For example, today Jeff found a deal on a Motosat Auto Internet Sat dish (note his thread on that subject). He quickly found others to help him install it. For example, Terry Brewer -- though he likes to drive a large RV down the road, loves to hang out on the desert, enjoys off roading on level three routes, and especially likes riding the roller coaster and other rides atop the Stratosphere hotel tower in Las Vegas -- what he "really" likes is to drill holes in an RV roofs. His or anyone else's that needs it done. 8) Tomorrow he will drill more holes in his own RV roof to install a like dish as Jeff's.

Also, I found two 6 volt batteries for $79 each -- and Wally (who specializes in Solar installs) will be helping me install them. Actually, I only hope to help him a bit w/the install. An interesting thing I found out in this purchase was that if you are using the batteries for solar, there is no tax or re coring charge in QZ. And, of course, I "am" using them for solar. : Myself and others are also getting awnings fixed -- mostly from the wind we have encountered en route to QZ.

Betty's Plan: At our "getting bigger every nite" happy hour tonight, Betty Brewer announced plans for some entertainment tomorrow night. She also asked for volunteers -- then very nicely prompted and got most of those from our first time to QZ members or guests. So we are anxious to find out tomorrow what is going to happen. ??? ???

Morning Coffee: Now that Ned and Lorna have arrived (with a very quiet Genset for our coffee pot and "OPEN" sign), we have AM coffee brewed for us. Please stop by and fill your cup -- then move on over to our AM campfire. Wally has been lighting that puppy very early each AM now.

Parking Meters: We have encountered higher taxes in QZ this year. But now, we are finding the ultimate in our desert parking. There were a few hookup posts that some had reserved (Ron Ruward had one as did Bernie Dobrin) -- but, we are now finding parking meters by some sites. Can you believe this ??? ??? Check out the attached photo I took today . . .

 

[John From Detroit]

Now there has been much talk in the past about 30 or 50 amp sites here in the dessert.

Well, I'm here to tell you Wendy and Mike really do have a 30 amp site where they are parked now.... yup, though they do a fair job with Solar, they need a bit of help from their friend ONAN.  Well. Mr. Onan is feeling a bit peckish this week and refuses to provide them with power.. So we hooked them up with up to 30 amps of power from one of the only two 30 amp outlets here.

Good thing they parked where they parked!!!!

 

[Shayne]

Is that 50-AMP still there that SMoky got last year?  Worked great when my fuel was low and I couldn't run the genset  I just ran an extention to his couach and Walla  we had juice.  Also hate to say this but we will not be able to attend Sat potluck.  We have to meet some one in Tempe Sat eve to sign the papers of 1 of our park models An then meet others coming in from our place back home.  This really upsets me cuz I met so many wonderful people last year , I was looking forward to a repete.  Perhaps someone will ask for a mini 'rally later on up here. 

 

[jerryarlyne]

Hi Bob,
I have been quiet about Q/Z this year because I wasn't sure if we would make it or not. Well, I will be there tomorrow(Friday) afternoon but not with the m/h just in the car. Arlyne has a case of the "punys" so she is staying in Yuma and I am just coming up to deliver some Satt. parts to Jim Godward. I'll try to get there before happy hour but don't know how long I'll be able to stay. So see you tomorrow I hope.

Jerry Ray

 

[Betty Brewer]

I'd like to thank the  volunteer cast for their enthusiastic participation at our "entertainment" at today's happy hour. 12  brave souls volunteered to be in a skit.  Since Quartzsite is a shopping Mecca  we honored the traditions of the Quartzsite Swaps with tune to the  12 Days of Christmas but made it the 12 days of shopping in Quartzsite.
Wendy  demonstrated the Wonder Mop as seen on TV.
Mike demonstrated 2 Stetson hats
Lowell showed us 3 large rocks.
Lucy shared 4 funnel cakes
Dewey (from Minnesota) sung out his 5 BOLO ties
Marsha shared her 6 salsa makers
Rolf shared his 7 rolls of duct tape
Rene showed her 8 feather dusters
Shirley had 9 bags of bungees
Sue had 10 pounds of Jerky
Joann (also from Minnesota) had a hat-full of 11 packs of Potpourri
Cheryl had 12 feet of sewer hose

The RV forum had a roaring  laughing time.  This is indeed a talented special group.  Watch for photos on the forum of our debut!

Thanks to all for your  memory making activities!

Betty Brewer

 

[Bob Buchanan]

I'd like to thank the  volunteer cast for their enthusiastic participation at our "entertainment" at today's happy hour. 12  brave souls volunteered to be in a skit.  Since Quartzsite is a shopping Mecca  we honored the traditions of the Quartzsite Swaps with tune to the  12 Days of Christmas but made it the 12 days of shopping in Quartzsite.

Thanks to all for your  memory making activities!

Betty Brewer

And I would like to thank you for completely outdoing yourself and making today's Happy Hour a truly "Happy" hour or so. And thank you for posting the names as they apply to each of the 12 shopping days. A few of the pics (can only do 12 at a time after resizing and such) are attached. Hopefully I will be able to get all that I have together in a Zip file on my server for download by anyone interested. For now -- hope the pics attached will give everyone an idea of the fun day we had.

My pics are numbered only because I wanted to keep track of how many I was uploading and to not exceed 12 total -- as opposed to the 12 shopping day. So they may not be in order otherwise and all twelve days may not be included as yet. The first pic is from the roof of my MH -- and includes John's balloon. It now "really" hovers over our happy group of campers. Also, please note that most of the pics are of our new attendees . . .

There are also pics of the crazy hat contest that preceded the 12 days skit. For those lurking, each contestant was asked to explain the story behind the craziness of their hat, then judges were selected to judge the winner/s.

Thank you again, Betty. 

Jerry Ray: Great news, my friend!! We will look forward to seeing you again. Hope you do make it by happy hour time.

Shayne: Sorry to hear that you won't be with us on Saturday. I know how much you wanted to be here -- and we all appreciate that and will miss you. Next year -- or in between if we can hook up.

NOTES

Weather: Some are now complaining that it's getting too hot. ??? ??? Only kidding -- it "is" warmer than yesterday and still not a cloud in days.

Arrivals: A few more -- and as you can see from the first attached pic -- we continue to grow in numbers.

Installs: Terry's blue light special is up and running -- and when I returned from the show today, Wally had my batteries installed and my Trace meter indicating I now have 400 amp hours. Yes, we have RVing talent in the RV Forum. Thank you Wally -- you are a great friend.

EACH DAY GETS BETTER AND BETTER IN QUARTZSITE, AZ

 

[Tom]

Thanks for sharing photos of the events Bob. They bring back memories of the fun we've had at prior rallies.

A few of the pics (can only do 12 at a time after resizing and such) are attached.

Any time you have a "special event" like this and need to attach more photos, drop me a note and we can always override the attachment limits. OTOH you can always reply to your own message and attach more photos to your reply. We can also discuss optimum file sizes.

 

[Smoky]

12 feet of sewer hose!!  Wow!  I can't wait for the pictures!

Is anyone going to be there next week?  We are planning to hit Algodones on Monday, and might take the northern route back via QZ.  I am trying to convince the Admiral I need more water filters from the RV water filter place.  ;D

 

[Barb]

We're moving down the road today.  We've had a really great time.  Did some shopping, off roading, great campfires, made some new friends, and some great socializing.  This is a great pitch in and help group.  The guys pitched in and helped Terry and Jeff with the sat dishes.  Ned offered to do morning coffee.  Ron jumped in and is leading an off road this morning.  There was several Indian chiefs working on Lucy's power last night. Helene keeps us informed of important things to know, and what activities are going on. The list goes on and on.  What a great group of folks. 

Betty and her off-desert troupe did an excellent job on their skit yesterday.  It was rib hurting funny.  A good time was had by all.  Thanks Bob for all you effort and great job on your web site.  And a very big thanks to all for making us feel like framily.  We had a great time and will stay longer next year.

Thanks for the wonderful happy birthday song yesterday.  It made my day.

See you in Moab
Barb

 

[Lowell]

We had to leave today due to other commitments, but we had a fun time.  We really enjoyed meeting you all and putting the faces together with the names.  And how Betty ever got Cheryl to hold that sewer hose is beyond me!  I think its the first time she ever took an interest in that side of camping.  It must be the Stardom potential.  Thanks to all for a really great time.  A special thanks to John from Detroit for recharging my battery.

 

[Jeff]

A Serious Golfer

Ron & Shirley Marabito, Norm Landree and I got to enjoy a beautiful day and round of Golf up at Emerald Canyon Golf Course in Parker AZ Wednesday. The day and company were delightful.

Here is a picture of what a serious golfer looks like in Texas. Notice what Ron is teeing off from. Anything to save a stroke! ;D

Sorry for the quality, it was taken with my Treo.

 

[Jeannine]

Thanks for all the good wishes for my mother's health.  She is doing well now, but will be in a skilled nursing facility for a while.  I'm flying back to Tucson today.

Sorry we had to miss the rally.  If you are heading east on I-10 after the gathering, look us up.  We are in Benson, AZ about 45 miles east of Tucson.  We are at the Escapee coop park, lot #251.

Jeannine & Dan

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Thanks for all the good wishes for my mother's health.  She is doing well now, but will be in a skilled nursing facility for a while.  I'm flying back to Tucson today.

Sorry we had to miss the rally.  If you are heading east on I-10 after the gathering, look us up.  We are in Benson, AZ about 45 miles east of Tucson.  We are at the Escapee coop park, lot #251.

Jeannine & Dan

Thank you for the update on your mom, Jeannine. We missed you but you were where you should be -- and look forward to seeing you next year. I may be moving on to Texas in a few weeks so perhaps I will be able to stop in Benson and can visit . . .

NOTES

The final day of the RV Forum rally in Quartzsite was a fitting conclusion for the official rally dates. Some will leave in the AM whereas others will stay on and continue to enjoy the AZ desert. We have plenty of great firewood left and the weather continues to be perfect. Some left earlier in the week and were not able make the potluck but have been included in my list of total attendees. I will finalize the list tomorrow.

The potluck was -- well, what can I say -- it was typical RV Forum QZ Rally great food potluck. Helaine designed things so we had 4 lines total so the wait time was very short and everyone then enjoyed the big circle, good food, and framily friends. There were only a few clouds today, a slight breeze, and warm temps. After the potluck, the campfire continued on into the evening with many staying to enjoy sharing together. A major event there was seeing who had the brightess flashlite capable of illuminating John's ballon after dark. Ron M. won hands down after our other wimpy lights failed to do much good.

The Group Picture was set up prior to the food lines, so everyone was anxious to cooperate and get on to the food. The result was a great picture of those that were here on the final official day of our rally. I have attached a low res copy. Willl be placing higher res copies of the better shots taken by myself and others that have shared with me during the week on my server for download. I hope to get to that soon.

THANK YOU, HELAINE. You spent the time, energy, and concern to oversee another very happy and successful RV Forum rally in QZ. Everyone appreciates you very much. Glad that you and Wally will be hanging on for a few more days.

 

[jerryarlyne]

Hi Bob,
Sorry I missed you Saturday, it would have been great to see you again but maybe next time. I had hoped to get back on Sunday but my Dad passed away this morning, He was 91 and had been going down hill quickly for the last three weeks. But at least he passed quietly in his sleep. I have been using a lot of minutes on the cell phone today and just won't make it back there this year.

Take care my friend and maybe see you in Lancaster if you get that way.

Jerry

 

[Ned]

Jerry,

So sorry to hear of your fathers passing, you have our condolences.  We are so glad we got to see you when you did get up here.