The Desert Bar - A Weekend Destination

For the past few years I have kown of The Desert Bar in Parker, Arizona.  (Nellie E Saloon -The Desert Bar, Cienega Springs Rd, Parker, AZ 85344)  It’s an off-grid establishment about 5 miles from US95 on dirt roads that get increasingly rough as you arrive at the bar.  It is only open on weekends October through April.

The road there takes you through BLM land, past Boondockers and people practice shooting.  Although a rough road, my Prius could have make it, provided I would take it slow and be careful.  

As you arrive parking could be tight for cars with low clearance.  Having my truck, I was able to back up over a rough gravel wash to park.  As you can see in the above picture the road is cut through the hill where the main parking is.  I parked at the bottom of this hill as the main parking was already full.



This destination is the site of an old mine and there are relics to amuse on the way to the bar.

Remember that this is my first time here and I only had sketchy information on what to expect.

I knew it opened at noon and that online it is recommded to arrive early, but arrived at 12:45 due to a bit of a late start from the Big Tent TV Show in Quartzsite. My tardiness resulted on parking a bit away, but not far.  What I didn’t know was the place was already packed as much of the parking is obscured.



There are two levels with seating and food ordering g lines in each level.  Seeing the first level was full I chose to go to the second level.  The prominent building with the tower is only a facade but adds charm to the setting.



There is a band playing rock music that started at 1:00, as I stood in the food line.  Susan, who is a friend and at the RTR came with me and she grabbed a couple chairs without table, since this was all that was left. 



The first floor, as it turns out, has a more extensive menu including cheese for your burger and fries.  I got in this second floor food line for burgers and chips.

After waiting for 10 minutes with a recent retiree from Washington State, the young woman announces that she would not take more orders for 20 minutes, as the cook was backed up.  The 6 people in line in front of us left and we looked at each other and we both agreed that no way would we want to leave the line to come back and stand in line again.  So, we stood for another 20 minutes until we could order.  After I ordered food I went around the bar for drinks, and brought them to were we were sitting, then returned to find the burgers I ordered ready.

With burgers $4.50 and $1.00 for potato chips there (cash only) there is no price gouging for the remoteness of the location.  Coors Light is $3.00.   It is also a family friendly environment, although not many children could be seen.

Many wandered around as they could not find a seat.

Others stood around under the canopy like any other  bar crowd..  There are two bars on the second floor and the wait to order was minimal.  The canopies shading patrons are actually solar panels.

Wether you came to people watch, have a few drinks, and or eat pub food, it’s a. nice crowd, mostly a bit older as many are in the area as they come for the winter, sun and warmth.  Therefore most are retired.

Although finding a table was an issue when I arrived, by 2:00 pm early birds were starting to leave freeing up tables.

I enjoyed my visit and would want to go again.  If you plan on going plan the time to drive on the dirt road since you have to go slow.  There is no cell service at the bar so you can’t call your friends to find out where they are and you will have to wait until you get back to the highway to share on social media.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

All Items Left On Public Land Is Trash

With upwards of 7k people attending the RTR here in Quartzsite, AZ, there are always people who trash our public lands.  There are always a few that can hit the rest of us.

I so much appreciate being able to camp on federal lands at no cost other than leave it better than the way you found it.  Most of us follow this belief and strive to keep our public lands available for all in the future.

There are groups that have rallied to make a difference. (Below)

(Below is copied from Facebook, related picture above.)

Hello Everyone,

Wow! Thank you so much for your help, volunteers! You guys are amazing. You came together and accomplished an astonishing amount. With your donations of time and money, we were able to rent and fill two 40 yard dumpsters. Numerous tires and a large pile of metal were also collected.

A giant congratulations to Seth Knight for being the man. He was our on the ground organizer and the event couldn't have happened without him.

I'd like to say the event was a tremendous success, but I can not. The site of the event is a disaster. Tons of scrap material were collected without a disposal plan and were left behind at the end of the event.

I don't think it's fair for us to expect Seth to shoulder this burden. He's a busy guy with a real life and he's been in stuck with this mess for more than a month.

As such, we're sending out a call for volunteers to take over. We need people that are willing to step up, finish the job, and get this area as clean as it was before we started.

If you are near Ehrenberg, AZ or planning to be there in the near future and willing to step up as an event coordinator, please contact us. contact@publiclandsociety.org

Some of the items may be of use to you, ie. van seats. Almost all of the materials are accepted at the dump. Just like last year's cleanup, I will reimburse any dump fees (with receipts) and gas (pickup truck or trailer loads - pictures required). I will also rent a trailer for someone willing to pull it. Please contact me ahead of time with your plans if you would like to be reimbursed for your expenses.

Thank You,

Public Land Society

contact@publiclandsociety.org

(Above is copied from Facebook, related picture above.)

My picture at the beginning of this post shows the cigarette remains that I picked up from 2 nearby campsites.  They left a folding chair too that was taken away by a concerned camper.

From a Google search we know cigarette filters take years to decay.

I arrive at a new BLM site today for the night and look what I find.

I hate picking up for inconsiderate people that use our public lands and leave anything, but if I want to continue to come here and be allowed to come, I feel I must make a difference.

Here in Quartzsite, AZ the transfer station has accommodating hours on many days and there is no cost to drop off your trash.  No excuses folks!

I’ll go dig the cigarette butts out of the campfire ring now, but before I do I’ll show you a cardboard box that I flattened that showed up near my other campsite this morning.

Please do your part👍

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Laundry Day - Don’t Go On Rainy Day

I arrived at 6:30 AM at the laundromat in Quartzsite to do 2 loads of laundry..  I quickly met a guy who told me that yesterday the laundromat was very crowded in the rain.

It rained for 24 hours from Monday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon, leaving the ground soft and water running in the washes.

I didn’t want to drive the muddy roads to town from the RTR during the rain so I came in on Wednesday.



$4.50 for a large front loader that handles 2 loads. It was a $1.00 each for the two boxes of powered laundry soap.

I then split the cotton sheets and towels into one dryer at hot setting and the rest gets medium heat.  At $.25 per 6.6 minutes it took a couple dollars to finish drying.

An hour and 15 minutes later I’m out of the laundromat and on to McDonald’s for a unsweetened Iced Tea.

This laundromat has $8.00 showers for a max of 20 minutes.  You could load the washer and get washed while the clothes gets washed.

It’s key to go early to do your laundry with so many people in this town this time of year.  By the time I was leaving it was getting crowded.

Disc Golf later this AM.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Posting Pictures Problem Solved - Blogger Issues

I stopped by the Quartzsite Library after Disc Golf today to resolve the issue of posting pictures to my Google Blogspot Account.

After eliminating AT&T potential throttling as an issue using WIFI, I looked and found a Blogger App that I use to post stating the problem.  I updated all apps before I left but here I was with a problem days into my travels.

This does not address the reason I can reply to comments, so I will try to address that in the next day.

Thank you for your patience and letting me know of the problem.

I appreciate your following the blog.

Please continue to write me emails until I let you know I’ve fixed the ability to reply to your comments.

Now I’m backed up on posts, so I will see about catching up.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Problems Posting To Blogger

😩

Sorry folks but I’m having problems posting to Blogger withpictures.  

I don’t yet understand the reason but this has happened before and I’ve never figured it out. 

Please contact me via email as I’m unable to reply to comments since I started me 2019 Travels.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

2019 Small Car Living Gathering At RTR

My friends Suanne, David, and John all partipated in this year’s Small Car Living Gathering at RTR with their Prius’s.  I was once part of a foursome, but I diverted to my Tacoma / FWC camper last year.

I have a special place in my heart for that way of life.  Three years at 4 months each I lived in my Prius in the road.  That’s living a Prius for a whole year! It was honestly a great experience.  

My desire to move to a pop up truck camper came with a desire for ability to travel less traveled roads in Utah, that the Prius couldn’t go.

It was great seeing my original Prius Friends and to see newer ones.  Missing is Nancy who got stuck in a snow storm after being delayed leaving for the RTR.

Above is a Honda with a pop up roof that was of interest to many.

Then there was this Toyota with a roof rack with a water storage system that can be pressurized to take hot showers.  Black pipe absorbs heat and under pressure it will squirt through a nozzle.

There were other Prius’s there, with one that carries a in-demand hot water heater.  

It was a fun afternoon meeting andvtalking to folks.  You never know, I may be seen in a Prius again some day.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Where Did I Camp At RTR

The RTR moved further up Mitchell Mine Road here in Quartzsite, AZ from last year.  Above is the general layout in an area not used as part of the general 14 Day camping.  It was allowed for the Cheap RV Living organizer Bob Wells.  

Knowing the logistics of access through one entrance, I along with many others, stayed in the old RTR area just back down the road towards I10.  I actually camped in same road, off the main road, as I did last year, but closer to the main road.  I’m about a 10 minute walk up the road to the main stage.

I moved around to get better solar and get away from people that run their generator on and off all night.

Here is an aerial view of the main RTR area and above the yellow line is the old area.  I’m parked with friends off the road going to the top right of the pucture. (This picture is from social media)

Above is a zoomed in on the larger picture above and I am parked to the right above the trailer in the center.  To the left of me are two of my previous RTR friends.

The RTR is nearly over and it’s about 1 mile across the RTR from where I am.

There are plenty of places to park and you can park like I did and then move as your needs fit.  

I ended up parking in the ParTR area where they party till 2 am but they are way down the road and I can barely hear them.  The generators that big rigs run are the problevwhen they start and stop all night.  You don’t argue just move.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com