#93 / 2009 Tour 4 Spring: Quartsite, AZ

QUARTZSITE, AZ

#93


We took I-10 out of Southern California and crossed the Colorado River back into Arizona. I heard a lot about Quartzsite from the Slabbers. There is the biggest swap meet in the world there in the winter targeted for the RVers and Canadian snow birds. We pretty much missed the season by arriving in March.

It's a small town, has a big gem trade show as well, and offers an inordinate amount of free camping. There are four campsites, dry camping of course, two on each side of town. We pick the eastern camp and are surprised to see there is even a campground host. We set up for two days.

We spent a lot of time at the library. The town isn't that special but the people are. Unlike that hellhole Yuma, Quartzsite seems to appreciate the modest camper. I think they must be catering to some really senior citizens as well. We couldn't get anything on the radio but Patti Page and Bing Crosby tunes. My goodness we are going back aways. That limited our listening enjoyment so we spent most of our time reading and hanging out at the library.

There were some small roadside outdoor cafes and great bakeries with tiny little prices. Apple fritters were huge and less than a dollar, and eight-grain fresh bread for about three dollars instead of four. And when we pulled out of town we bought water for five cents a gallon. We couldn't believe our ears. I asked the guy how he made a profit but he said it all adds up.

You can park free for fourteen days there, walk into town for any supplies needed, and generally have a good view of mountain ranges. I liked it a lot and we'll use it again I'm sure as a good stopping off place when we go back west again.

I spent the night visualizing what would make me happy, seeing myself as a gracious and happy woman, and drifted off to sleep. We are headed for Stanton, an old ghost town, and Jerome AZ tomorrow.