Around Quartzsite 1/13/14 - Day 6

Quartzsite, AZ has been a Mecca for gem and campers for years.  This my fourth year here camping at the RTR. I have been here before my RTR attendance with family too.

On busy I10 between Phoenix and Los Angeles, Quartzsite is hot and dry desert environment that shrinks in population in the summer and grows by thousands of “snow birds” in the winter.

Since I’ve been here this year it has been milder than normal with temps in low 70’s and lows about 40, and dry.  By mid March campers leave here as the daytime temperatures reach 95 degrees.

This week there is a large gem show and the RV Big Tent Event That also bring more people to town.  The influx of people is good for business but it does stretch everything.  

The above BLM Map shows the locations of BLM public camping in Quartzsite, AZ, and the town in the center.

With I10 cutting the town in half north and south, US95 separates the town east and west, as shown in the Map above.

The RTR where I am is in the southeast corner and the town and services are near the intersection of the two highways.

Where I am it is free 14 day permitted BLM camping. There is another area to the west side of town.  North and South on US95 are BLM long term visitor areas (LTVA) where you get some basic services for a nominal price.  Some stay on LTVA for months.

The entrance of one LTVA entrance is shown above.  I went to visit a friend in this area from where I am staying.  

Many groups are on free land and others, like the Magic Circle settle into the LTVA camping areas.

Visitors go into town for supplies such as dump holding tanks, take on water, and get propane.  There are dedicated spots for these purchases and one That does it all in one spot.

I get my water from a kiosk shown above found around town.  Here I pay $.25/gal or $1.00 for 5 gallons.  I often meet others here and it’s a good social place.

I met two other pick up campers, one being a Four Wheel Camper like mine, here at the park in town.

Parks are great places to park and organize or just relax.  There is a disc golf course nearby here that I will be going to.

Some of my friends go to the senior center for lunch for a $3.50 donation.  She also takes classes there.

There are many vendors in tents like a flea market and some in more permanent places.  There are plenty of things to walk and see.

There are lots of food vendors and a few decent restaurants.  One of my friends went to a small place with live music that looked like a good time.

Traffic is slow and busy but not generally gridlock yet.  The Big Tent event will change that in the area next werkend.

If you need a large grocery store look to Blythe, CA across the Colorado River or Parker, AZ, otherwise your hometown stores you can find the basics.

Above and below pictures are from the Facebook post from RTR Talk. The above boot gives a picture of the number of RV’s That come to town.

The above picture is of the center of the RTR. I am off this picture’s top left corner.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

The RTR routine 1/12/18 - Day 5

Many more people are still arriving.  Word has it that about 1000 vehicles and 2000 people are here.  A once quaint social event is now huge!

Previously I enjoyed the relatively close proximity I could get to the center of things without feeling crunched in.  Even when I needed some space last year, I could move and walk or drive over with relative ease.  No longer is this possible.  It is more like being in a city with subsections that are neighborhoods.  I miss the ability to walk from one friend’s site to another with relative ease.

All the people that are now accumulated around us are nice and I’ve had good conversation, but I miss the Old RTR.

Well, all things do change.

The daily RTR routine comprises of the gathering at 10:00 am for comments from the leader Bob Wells and staff, follows by sub group announcements, and general Q & A.

Directly following this there is a Seminar.  Today was about Solar.  I didn’t stay as I have a good grasp of the subject from my own wirk.

The afternoon also has a seminar, and today’s is the Woman’s meeting.  Last year of the solo travelers I guessed that 1/2 were woman.  In general it feels the same.

There may be more than one seminar in the afternoon and possibly a special gathering in the evening.

The RTR is somewhat loosely divided into sections, where there is a music section, art camp, noise area for generators (some limitations on time), mediditatiin, serious illnesses, mobility.  Then there are groups of people who meet their friends and form circles and neighborhoods.

There are many campfires that coincide with the above separations.  

In addition to getting your 14 Day BLM Pass on arrival, the RTR is trying to get a number of people attending by asking for voluntary demographics.

As with last year buttons are issued to facilitate introductions and keeping track of who you meet.

As with all events that have grown over time, rules are created to address problems from past years.  This year with so many in attendance the RTR have greater scrutiny by the BLM rangers.  

You can still stay as secluded as you want as there are so many acres of desert to find a spot. You can choose how much you go to or are involved in.  

You can’t beet the low 70 degree days and 40 something degree nights we have had so far.

Regardless of my missing some friend time, it’s better than freezing in Massschusetts.

The main RTR ends on Sunday, 1/21/18 and That is the same day the Woman’s RTR starts until the 24th. Suanne who fulltimes in the white Prius (have discussed Suanne in my prior years posts) is heading up the Woman’s gathering.

After the morning gathering, I headed back to camp and continue to work on things.  Although my truck and camper are well organized, there are details that need to be addressed from my list that weren’t completed at home before leaving.  

I also blew a 15 amp fuse on my truck running an inverter.  

It is also recommended that opening the hood on the engine when around the campsite to reduce the chance of varnints making a home.

I had put a bunch of things in a pillow case at the last minute before I left home that didn’t have a fixed home in the camper. I have worked on finding homes for the items.

I was to put a heavy duty wire with outlet in a friend’s vehicle but I am still looking for the best place to run the wire.

The RTR has 3 tarps that people put free usable items on for others to take.  Roxy is heading up the management of the items to prevent it being a dumping spot for junk.  Roxy is fulltime in her all wheel van and she has a great blog (https://nomadfornature.wordpress.com/) with many hikes to beautiful places.

I brought 4 things over today for the free pile.  In the couple hours I was there they were gone.  I picked up a metal trivet for my butane one burner stove to protect my small round pot from sliding off the four burner arms.

Tonight I give you a view of the mountains to the west with the town of Quartzsite, AZ below.  Picture was taken from my campsite.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

The RTR Kicks Off 1/11/18 - Day 4

As I walk to to main RTR area from my campsite I look back to see my camper top tilted to get a bit better angle for solar rays.  I made sure I parked facing south.

It is a 1.1 mile walk this way from the green dot where I’m parked and the blue dot where the main RTR gathering takes place.

I did walk back in a more direct route down and back up washes.  The extra distance is a better walk.

It is so crowded this year that I parked out a bit,  I enjoyed being closer in past years but most of my friends are all over the place too, except for a couple of my Priusdweller friends.

Oh my! This first day gathering is about twice the number of people that were here last year, and there are more people to come.

I didn’t get to listen to much of the announcements as I was busy meeting past friends.  Some of them are now “staff” positions helping with pieces of the event.

I went back to my campsite at noon and started the install a solar panel on a friend’s (Susan) RAV4, that she recently bought for her Vandwelling experience this year.  

The other car to the left is Randy’s.  Susan met Randy at the main gathering and he came over to hang out with us.  Randy is an engineer and we have that common engineering thought process.

Above I am installing the “Z” brackets to the solar panel, but in the opposite direction than normally done.  The reason for this is shown in the next picture.

The panel is set up to sit between the cross bars on her car.  This way the panel doesn’t stick up and cause attention as the side bar blocks most of it from a side view.

Everything was going great until I start threading the nylon captive nuts on the 1/4”-20 stainless steel bolts and they get stuck before the panel is tightened.  This resulted in me using my vibrating cutting tool to cut the bolts and zip tie the panel to the cross rails temporarily until we get to the store for more bolts.

As we were doing this we found the solar panel cord with MC4 connectors and adapter cable from Goal Zero were not long enough to reach the battery pack Susan had to order an extension cable to be delivered to a business in town that offers that service.

We can temporarily charge the battery pack by moving the battery but need the cable for the final design.

I was frustrated with the bolts not working from Lowe’s, but I was glad we got the panel charging the battery pack.  To help facilitate the charging I offer my excess solar to run Susan's compressor fridge so her solar power will go completely to the battery.

Right now with panels flat on the roof of vehicle at midday we are only getting 50% of the Watts the panels put out.  By tilting my panel oil can get 60% of the wattage.

Another friend (Joanne) arrived later in the day to hang out with us, and we met some neighbors in the area.  Directly behind us is a meditation group that meets at 8:30 am and then takes a walk later in the day.

Brent 

macaloney@hotmail.com

Heading to RTR 1/10/18 - Day 3

Today is Wednesday 1/10/18.  After heavy rain last night it was up and to McDonalds for unsweetened iced tea and podcast downloads before driving the 4 hours to Quartzsite, AZ, just shy of the boarder of California.

A quick look at the radar showed more rain headed our way on I10 so I decided to stay out of the rain and head directly west from Tucson to Why, AZ on AZ 86 and then pick up AZ 85 north to Gila Bend and on back to I10 west.  Although this added some time to the driving I bypassed the rain and whatever problems that come from it.

Above is Kit Peak on AZ86, just west of Tucson, covered in the cloud.  It is an observatory that offers tours.  If you are in the area it offers great views and also special events like star gazing from their at night.

I arrived at the RTR in Quartzsite, AZ mid afternoon after stopping at a water kiosk before heading out on to BLM land in the desert.

This BLM land is available for disbursed camping and you get a permit for no cost to stay up to 14 days.  Then you can move on BLM land 25 miles away and stay another 14 days.  I will be leaving on 1/21. For new location although Pass is good until 1/24.

Every year this event gets more crowded.  There is an estimate that we may exceed 2000 people this year.  That means that it will have more than doubled from last year

Above is my spot out past the crowd.  I’m a bit low on solar from the clouds and rain, so I have tilted the camper roof to get more rays from the sun that is low in the sky this time of year.  I was checking the fluids in the engine and charging a few things from the engine battery to let my house battery charge faster before dark.

This is my sunset view tonight.  There are just enough clouds to get great colors to night.  I will enjoy many great sunsets and sun rises while in the southwest.

Brent 

macaloney@hotmail.com

Planning / Organizing & Disc Golf 1/9/18 Day 2

Today is Tuesday, 1/9/18 and I planned this day in my schedule to do some planning, contact friends that are coming to the RTR in Quartzsite, AZ tomorrow, organize the camper, take on provisions, and play some disc golf.

As you can see above Dan and Brenda are planning g a tour of a Gold mine and have opened it up to their friends.  Dan and Brenda are friends from the east coast GTG that I go to in Alabama in April.  They are out here this year for the winter.  Dan did a Youtube video of me and my Prius.

I did take some time in the am to play disc golf in Tucson.  I’m remiss That the last time I have played was in September.  I didn’t play a full game as I was more interested in practicing putting and drives.

Santa Cruise River Park in Tucson is a good course to practice basics.

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday the rain that caused California deadly mudslides came through Tucson with high winds and rain.  It woke me up shaking my camper.

Friends on their way and at Quartzsite all reported the storm.

Next time my blog will be going to the RTR.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

2018 Travels - Officially On The Road 1/8/18

It’s Monday 1/8 and I have been in sunny San Diego since the end of December.  Today rain is coming in for a couple days and tonight will be my first night sleeping in the camper in Arizona.

While at my son’s I have taken care of a few things with my new camper that I didn’t get to do before I left home.

- Polyurethaned cabinets

- Installed trailer hitch step I picked up on way through Tucson at Camping World.

- Washed the solar panel from the road grime

- Reorganized what I brought - seems I will be doing this a few times

- Bought simple digital clock at Walmart for insidevof camper

- Bought dual camper levels to stick on corners of camper

- Realigned camper in truck bed - turn buckets loosened and camper shifted.  I’ll have to explain how you do this without jacks.

The drive back out I8 and I10 was a smooth trip and I played around with speed to see how it affects mpg.  I’ll be exporting on mpg with my truck/camper too.

With the nearly 7 hour drive and time zone change it was late in the day.  I stopped at the water kiosk I use in Tucson, got gas, unsweetened ice tea and went to my parking spot for the night.  

I spent the evening texting friends that are at the RTR or headed that way for the gathering in Quartzsite that starts Wednesday.

This will be my 3rd attending this event and each year it has grown.  Early reports From Quartzsite indicate that there are a lot of people already there.

For more information about the RTR go to www.cheaprvlivibg.con/gatherings.

First night in the camper.

I made rice to add with some meat for dinner, cooking using my single burner butane stove.  With the warmth of the day still around, I left the entrance door open and just opened the vent in the ceiling. 

After I made hot water for my hot water thermos and did some organizing of cooking items.

Where I park I can put up my pop up camper top.  So my first night was sleeping on the large bed over the truck cab..  it is the size of a double bed and it’s easy to get up and down stepping on the lower seat cabinets.

It was a mild night in the 50’s and it was plenty warm in the bed without heat.

There are certainly positives to the camper and let’s not forget the not so good things, but my first night went well with many more to go.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

On The Road 2018 - Kind Of

Hi all,

Well I’m getting on the road early this year by leaving the day after Christmas.  My wife and I wanted to visit our California son and family and flying out and back for me to arrive home and drive back out didn’t seem logical.  The decision was for us to drive out and I start my solo walkabout from California and she flys home.

The bad weather before Christmas, the severe cold afterwords, and the “Bomb” storm were good reason to leave early and be gone from New England.

Having cleaned the camper roof of snow and yet again ice from an ice storm I decided that it was time to tarp the camper until I left.

We were greeted on the 26th with a good track of weather with a cold front with snow coming through the day before.  Although a cold morning, it was not the severe cold that occurred in the beginning of January.

This is my 5th year of travels, haven driven cross country the four prior years.  Timing the weather, when possible to not get stuck in poor driving conditions is always my goal.

I use intellicast surface maps to plan my trip timing.

Here you see Clear cold weather from Boston to Dallas.  This allows me to take a more northern route saving some miles of traveling a more Southern route.

My travels across country with my wife included hotels.  My first night in Roanoke, VA via I84, to I81

The second night was in Little Rock, AR via I81 to I40 

Then it was the longest day as we decided to make this a 4 day trip across country.

936 miles from Little Rock to El Paso, TX via I30 to I20 to I10.  It was a long day with some pretreating of roads for ice before and around Dallas.  We broke through the warm front around Midland, TX and I knew we would have great weather for the rest of the trip.

From El Paso it was a not as long day ride to San Diego via I10 to I8, making it in 4 days and driving 3260 miles.

Technically, this travel was not part of my 2018 Travels but it will explain my next posts.

I stayed in San Diego until Monday 1/8/18 under sunny warm skys doing family things and fussing with the new camper I have yet to sleep in.  It was a great time.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com