(Yawn) Another day in Quartzsite

SVC Jeff, I was referring to your post that said "it would be nice to open the south BLM land for parking". The "Big Tent" sure isn't what it used to be, when Goodyear Tire, multiple hitch manufactures, and many other RV related industries showed up. Now there is Chinese massages, copper bracelets, and of course slicers/dicers (direct from New Jersey boardwalks, and cookware.

Your jeep will be more than fine. No need for anything else.

My wife and I are planning on coming out that way a little later to scout it out. This would be our first trip out to Quartzsite.

I have a question for folks that are out there or have been out there before. Are there any Jeeping roads out there, I don't mean hard out rock crawling or anything like that. I just like to explore a bit and like to get out away from everything once in a while. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it is a trail rated model but I don't feel like bashing it up. If I wanted to go really rough I would bring my Polaris RZR with us but wanted to check it out first before hauling the RZR for over 2600 miles round trip and then find out we really don't need it and the Jeep will be fine. Also if we brought the RZR I would tow it behind the MH and my wife would drive the Jeep. No way to tow both of them.

Thanks for any info.

SCVJeff wrote:
Huh ?
What negotiations ?
What tent ? If you are talking about that main tent, it's completely full

I agree that the bit tent is full, but the ratio of RV to non RV booths is getting worse each year. Some photos from Monday here.

Huh ?
What negotiations ?
What tent ? If you are talking about that main tent, it's completely full

SVC Jeff, who is going to do the negotiations with the BLM? I'm sure after seeing the tent go down hill over the years it sure won't be the promoter. Also DON'T park on shoulders of RT. 95 as the Quartzite PD. gets their policemen's' ball money out of the no parking strips. Get to the tent around 8 AM. and you can park directly behind the tent.

So here are some different views. We went up to Guadalupe peak on Monday to work on a UHF radio and I was hoping to get some good pix while there, but with all the wind and storms moving east over the last few days, the air was far from typical "Quartzsite clear". I also left the 35mm behind, so these pix are from an iPhone. Maybe get up there again when the air clears. The town is allot closer than it looks, but the iPhone lens really doesn't do distance well.

This is Guadalupe peak


Quartzsite center screen



Quartzsite a little off to the left, and Plomosa BLM area is the thin line beyond the lighter desert area


This is an isolated BLM area just under the mtn. Its a very different landscape than Quartzsite with Saguaro and other Cactus all over the valley. The hills are almost completely rock; vert little dirt off the floor of the valley





Looking East is the I-10 toward Phx, and Brenda, the white spot just under the distant hill



And its steep too. One of the guys is at the end of the rope working on an antenna :)

pnichols wrote:
I few years ago I was riding to the Big Tent with a friend in his Class C when we tried to turn around in the wash to find a parking spot. Got stuck and had to be towed out.

They need to relocate the Big Tent out just a bit in the desert so parking can be unlimited. You need to be able to park close to it with less hassle - especially those of us who don't tow or ride ATVs.

Within an hour there was a Class C & a Class A both buried to the axle out there. The tent is going to be where it is, but it might be nice to open the south BLM land to parking

I few years ago I was riding to the Big Tent with a friend in his Class C when we tried to turn around in the wash to find a parking spot. Got stuck and had to be towed out.

They need to relocate the Big Tent out just a bit in the desert so parking can be unlimited. You need to be able to park close to it with less hassle - especially those of us who don't tow or ride ATVs.

Saturday was crowded as it always is, but yesterday (Sunday) was as if no one was there. The bad weather and football games seemed to keep everybody home. Today though is a different story. Those who didn't make it on Sunday are making up for it now. When we couldn't find a parking place, even down the washes, we left. We did have to stop and help two vehicles stuck in the wash. Not a place to be without 4WD!