(Or...Boondocking With A Flair)
Terry and I belong to several RV organizations: Escapees and Good Sam as well as the Alfa Roadrunners and Alfa Sun Risers. The Roadrunners is a group of mostly fulltimers who have organized campouts in various parts of the country. For several years they have had a "rolling rally" which terminates in Quartzsite, Arizona. This year they started in Tennessee just after New Years Day and arrived in Quartzsite two weeks later. Because of logistics and the holidays, we opted to join the group in Quartzsite.
Quartzsite, Arizona is on Interstate 10 roughly fifteen miles east of Blythe, California, at the junction of Arizona 95. It is one of those places that you would miss seeing if traveling during the summer, but definitely notice in winter. From a summertime population of roughly zero, the winter count burgeons to over one million, depending on who you talk to. Most of the area is under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM. Consisting of open desert, camping is allowed nearly everywhere. Coming over the hill from Blythe, RVs are scattered and clustered as far as the eye can see, looking as if an enormous flock of birds has landed. (This may be why Quartzsite is also known as the Mating Grounds of the Snowbirds.) Unless you have seen this phenomenon, it is hard to imagine the spectacle of a gathering of every conceivable type of RV. The permanent part of town consists of several fuel stations, a post office, some trailer parks and retail stores. Hundreds of transient businesses crop up during the "season". Stretching one mile between two freeway exits, Quartzsite resembles a vast flea market.
We arrived on Saturday afternoon, absolutely the worst time to be there. Traffic was backed up for miles in every direction, waiting to turn at the four way stop south of the freeway. The map to our site was not at all accurate, and we promptly got confused. (Not really lost -- we could still see the freeway!) After wandering around town for about 45 minutes, covering about two miles, we found 95 and were on our way again. Approximately one mile south of I-10 we came to the entrance of La Posa North, where our group was gathering. At the entrance kiosk, I joined the line to register. A very kind lady took our $20 for the week, ($100.00 for the whole season!) and indicated on a very detailed map exactly where our group was. While I was waiting to do this she told several people exactly where their groups were -- how she could keep track of all those people was amazing! We got our passes, maps, rules and regulations and set out for our destination. We found our group about 3 miles south and made our grand entrance. To the shouts of "Alfa incoming!!!" we were welcomed to a group of people we had never seen before.
We found a spot to park our coach and under the direction of half a dozen supervisors, got set up. Boondocking is somewhat different from full hookups, to say the least. We arrived fully prepared, with a full fresh water tank, and empty holding tanks, or so we thought.
At this point I must regress. Prior to Quartzsite, we spent three weeks boondocking in Borrego Springs, Ca. We have a favorite site there, well away from the hustle and bustle of that great little desert town. We spent our last night at a local RV park, mainly to fully charge our batteries, fill the water tank, empty holding tanks and generally clean up before going to Quartzsite. The sites at that particular park are not really set up for big rigs. Our biggest challenge there is dumping. The sewers are located on the uphill side of the few sites that will accommodate us. Our fifth wheel has basement heating and air conditioning, and the underside is lower than most trailers. Therefore, there is not much clearance between the sewer outlet and the ground. When we dump at this particular park, we have very little, if any, drop. We almost have to Òhand walkÓ the outflow. When we arrived we were completely full. It normally takes only about 15 minutes to empty all three tanks. After 60 minutes of intensive labor, assorted low volume bad words, and rebuilding the hose system several times, we were finished.
We checked the tank levels before we left, but once in a while we get false readings, and werenÕt really concerned at that time. We have boondocked extensively and generally can get a good 2 1/2 weeks on the black and gray water tanks and at least 3 weeks on the fresh water. When we arrived at Quartzsite, our black water tank still read 1/3 full, but we still (there is a clue here..) attributed that to the sensor having something hung up on it. We are very frugal when it comes to water use, but do not to spare the water in the black tank. After about 3 days the tank was reading 2/3 full. We had the opportunity to have the honey wagon pump us out, but opted not to. When we left Quartzsite, the tank read full. Obviously when we left Borrego Springs, the tank was still about half full. Now we check the tank itself by tapping on it, and the sound tells us if it is empty or not. We were not inconvenienced by this, but did learn another lesson. A good drop on the sewer hose is essential to completely empty the tanks.
Boondocking, or dry camping, is a wonderful way to get out and enjoy an area. When properly prepared it is a pleasure, kind of like backpacking with all the comforts of home. We set up our coach to handle roughly two weeks of boondocking comfortably. In addition to 100 gallons of fresh water we carry several gallons of bottled water (for those times we need to contribute to the community coffee pot). Our holding tanks consist of a 50 gallon galley tank, 50-gallon gray tank and 50-gallon black tank. The fridge, water heater, and furnace run on either AC or propane, and the stove/oven is propane. We have two 100-watt solar panels, a 2500-watt inverter, four 6-volt deep cycle batteries and two original 12-volt housebatteries. We will replace the 12-volt batteries with two 6-volt batteries in the near future. We also have a small Honda 2200 generator mounted in the truck. With this system we have found we have plenty of "trons" (electricity) to live comfortably. Naturally we donÕt use the microwave or toaster oven to cook meals, but we do enjoy the coffee pot, a few hours of satellite TV or audio, the furnace and lights each day. Depending on the time of year and weather, we rarely use the generator more than one or two hours a week if at all. The one appliance I really miss using is my bread machine! We have a cellphone and a lap top computer that we charge with a 12-volt system that Terry installed in the coach. He also has a ham radio station. During cold weather we use the propane furnace. We are considering a free standing propane ceramic heater if we find that we need one. A wind up clock, battery powered radio, lots of blankets, and some basic camping items (propane BBQ, stove and lantern) complete our boondocking equipment. Lots of reading material, games and each other keep us occupied. We like to hike, ride our bikes or just sit and enjoy the areas we visit. We are easily entertained!
During our stay in Quartzsite, our mode of travel was walking or bicycles. The camp was located about three miles south of the town. During our stay, the annual RV Show, Flea Market and Rock, Gem and Mineral Show was being held. We are not too excited about flea markets, but did go to the RV Show. We also did a lot of bike riding in the area and had the opportunity to eat at one of the transient "eateries".
During our camp out we had a drawing and WE WON!!! That in its self is unusual, we never win those things! Our prize was two full meals including drinks and dessert. The establishment was -- OOF-DA TACOS. O K, you say, what's an oof-da taco? Probably the best thing since sliced bread! (Indian fry bread,that is.) Begin with a paper plate, add one piece of Indian Fry bread (sort of a real thick "bready" tortilla, deep fried, don't even think about all those calories and cholesterol), add refried beans, seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, jalapeno chilies optional! Forget about picking this taco up in your hands, no mouth I have seen can open up six inches, use the plastic fork and knife provided in the Mason jar on each table. Take advantage of the pile of paper napkins, you will need them. By far the messiest taco I have ever had, it was also the best. For dessert, take another piece of fry bread, add a good helping of blueberry or apple pie filling and top with a mountain of REAL whipped cream, all that and a diet soda (I know, what's the point of a diet drink?) and it was one of the best meals we had ever had. And to think we had to go to Quartzsite to find this gem of a place.
Our trips from the campsite were fascinating. Whether walking or riding we were able to see a vast array of portable living quarters. From the most rudimentary tents with room additions fashioned from tarps and cardboard, to million dollar custom bus conversions, we saw it all. One particular abode was a "tear drop" trailer whose roof was covered entirely by solar panels and balanced off one corner was a satellite dish. I would imagine the TV set inside occupied a prominent spot! Some RVs had tent affairs added for extra rooms, elaborate rock landscaping and fanciful signs. Yes, Quartzsite is a fascinating study of human ingenuity.
If you are looking for a very inexpensive way to spend a few winter weeks or months, consider one or more of the many BLM areas open to boondocking. Go with a sense of humor and adventure and have a ball -- we did! Will we go back? You bet, (sure hope those two gals with the tacos do too...)