As I post it has been 166 days on solar power in our 2vanConvoy.
This post will cover our time spent in the Phoenix area with our daughter from the Christmas holiday then onto three large group gatherings of fellow RV travelers. It was a busy, enjoyable month, and we are ready for some alone time.
In the prior post I closed mentioning breaking camp at BLM land near Vicksburg Arizona, we drove the vans an easy two hour drive north east through Wickenburg and then setting up camp at Lake Pleasant just north west of where our daughter lives in Phoenix. As an FYI to those who visit, we played it safe and camped at one of the many available primitive camp sites (no hook ups) that each have a nice metal canopy shade and picnic table and gravel spot for both vans. Next trip we will probably find a dispersed site in the park around the lake since we are set with all we need for a nice camp.
We spent several days before and after Christmas hiking the nearby trails and spending quality time with our daughter, a real treat since we hadn’t seen her for over five years!
We are still getting used to the Cacti as the new Evergreen (30+ yrs of living in the PNW) ! That and experiencing clear blue skies most days of this new life vs the grey overcast drizzle we were used to on the Oregon coast.
One thing we had read was the opportunity to meet peeps along the journey, and we’ve had some quality time with some new friends in the first few months and this leg introduced us to some fellow van dwellers that we hope to meet up with in the future…i took this Tiny Planet surrounded by about 200 other RVers during a Baby-Boomer meetup.
We visited three large gatherings in the Quartzsite area; 1) Xscapers NYE gathering (upwards of 150 RVs comprised mostly of working age singles, couples, and even some families), 2) the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR – with nearly 10,000 in attendance from nearly every walk of life from tent dwellers, to those living in million dollar RVs), and 3) The Escapee Boomer (age) Boomerang gathering with over 150 RVs.
One draw to this area during the “winter” is mild temps in the mid 60’s to low 70’s, predominantly sunny skies, dark-sky night time views, and free camping.
Our total outlay for food, fuel, and supplies for the month was under $700. Have I said I luv free camping? Quite enjoyable to have a front & back yard that changes whenever the mood strikes, doesn’t cost anything but the gas and time to get there, and looks like this!
A note on the RTR event. If you do a YT search for RTR you will find several videos by Bob Wells, the organizer. He does a great job sharing about the event. From personal experience I will share my wife and were pleasantly surprised at the courtesy and mutual respect of the attendees we mingled with. IF Quartzsite is on the calendar while the RTR is going on we will visit again.
For any who are not aware, the population of the tiny town of Quartzsite (it doesn’t even have a grocery chain store!) is about 200 to 300, then in the winter months, specifically in January, the population swells to include upwards of 100,000 RVs! Head into town only if you feel the need to window shop at the annual Rock & Gem Show or other visiting vendors…as it is bumper to bumper and elbow to elbow once in town.
We continued to mingle with fellow RVers we saw during our daily walk-abouts and enjoyed exchanging stories and ideas on the nomadic lifestyle. Time was drawing to a close for this leg of the adventure as we had an appointment in Las Vegas on January 28th so we decided to break camp in Quartzsite and head north to a free BLM area called Craggy Wash just north of Lake Havasu City. As I post we’ve been here for three nights and the quiet and solitude is welcomed. The only noticeable unnatural noise is the frequent aerobatic maneuvers of two WWII planes flying for the good part of the day over the area…but enjoyable to watch!
In closing, Cari & I plan returning to the Quartzsite area as time and season allows, there are plenty of activities to keep us busy for many visits. We will head north to LV in a few days and begin a new leg of the big adventure…and content for another post.
…Until then, safe travels and thank you for stopping by!
Thom
PS 🙂 For Cari & I, the Burro is the new Elk as the Cactus is the new Evergreen.
