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Quartzsite Report

Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Explorer III
We just returned from Quartzsite, our third year in a row, and here is what we observed:

Attendance is way down with many of the vendors threatening to boycott the next show due to the smaller crowds. This is probably their own fault as prices were high and bargains nearly nonexistent. Much junk that has nothing whatsoever to do with RVโ€™s clogging up the (very big), tent and the surrounding swap meet booths.

The good news is that it was very easy to navigate the tent and surrounding RV Show and swap meet booths. Even parking seemed plentiful near the show. The weather and the crowd were both awesome. Temps in the mid 70โ€™s, not much wind and lows in the upper 40โ€™s. Even with the thousands of mostly older folks navigating the crowded streets and the grid lock of Highway 95 and Kuehn Street I never heard a single horn honk or a harsh/unkind word. Everyone seemed to be having a great time especially over at Beer Bellyโ€™s Adult Day Care center (a great outdoor bar with live music every afternoon just outside of the big tent).

This year we elected to stay right in town at the Rice Ranch RV Park, located at the southeast corner of 95 and Kuehn Street which has only three things going for it.... Location, location and location!. This puts you a couple of hundred yards east of the tent and RV show across highway 95. Now it is not much of an RV Park, lots of dirt and with gravel pads, one small restroom with flush toilets and a couple of big dumpsters.. Full hook ups went for $35 a night but if you wanted to dry camp it was only $7 a night. We opted for two nights with hook ups which made it easy to just stroll over to the show and or shop without having to drive.

As usual we had a blast and did manage to pick up a couple of trinkets. We will be back next year but unless the folks at the Q start doing a much better job of running the show I fear it will fade into obscurity. :C

Here is a shot of our "Site" at Rice Ranch:


32 REPLIES 32

atreis
Explorer
Explorer
RVUSA wrote:

I remember Indiana as endless fields of flat ground where the corn stood before the cold came and let all the winds into my house. Other than brown county the place ranks right up there with a broken big toe. Comparatively speaking of course. :B


Sounds like what you see if you drive NW out of Indy. There aren't a lot of places where you can see the earth's curvature on land, but that's one of them. I live very near Brown County - it's not at all flat here. ๐Ÿ™‚

Anyway... Back to Q. There's this big classic car auction in AZ in Jan... Is it anywhere near Q?
2021 Four Winds 26B on Chevy 4500

atreis
Explorer
Explorer
MrWizard wrote:
atreis wrote:
Wow is that picture of the campsite unappealing... (nice little RV you have there, though!)

Your in Indiana..green hills trees and lots of rivers

There is no place in Quartzite that is going to look green,
All RV parking is on gravel, you can have electric and water if you want, or dry camping if you want "which desert captain did"
You can come to Q in a provost willing to pay lots$$ for a green resort
But you won't find one

It is the Desert


It's not that it's the desert - it's been a while but I've done desert camping and like it. Interesting hiking and backpacking experiences to be had in the desert. It's the closeness of the neighbors and site size in the photo that don't appeal to me. I'd probably like the more remote boondocking places, in particular when the shows aren't happening and there are few people around.
2021 Four Winds 26B on Chevy 4500

Greydog_1
Explorer
Explorer
It should be a national Law that all fuel stations are to be one way traffic only. We've all seen those tie ups and frustrations at the pumps when some hog tries to out do the other hog and backs up and into other vehicles or pumps trying to be first in. Real manners from traveling public. I guess not enough crashes and gunshots are done to make station owners do the one way grid.

SuzzeeeQ2012
Explorer
Explorer
did anyone buy the contraption for putting the spare tire on the back? that looked cool.

so, if crowds dwindle...bad for business. I love the hustle and bustle. Traffic slow? Well, we're retired and have a lllllot of time lol We just relax and drive. The Love's parking lot is always a nightmare though. So frustrating. They need to have arrows like Costco does. ONE way in.
1997 HR Endeavor Turbo Diesel

RWDIII
Explorer
Explorer
Desert Cap and the others are right on,except for the traffic
I decided to be there when it opened on the 18th.
traffic was really heavy with no parking left.
I finally parked in the wash west of the show.
so I got to see the show,I wanted to see some stableloads but it seemed none of the venders knew what they were.
did get to do a little 4 wheeling to get out of the wash. One guy learned the hard way that a 2wd diesel dually is not something you want to drive in a sandy wash.
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dverstra
Explorer
Explorer
Greydog 1 wrote:
If everyone leaves the area starting next year, will I have a nice big field to park and play in? No crowds? Great!!


By the time I retire, the crowd won't be as big then. I'm ok with that.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...Holy Cow....what a ride!"

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Greydog_1
Explorer
Explorer
If everyone leaves the area starting next year, will I have a nice big field to park and play in? No crowds? Great!!

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
my brother owns a 7 acre green patch of woods bordered by two creeks with about 1 acre clearing for the house and a few trees to shade it

I lived in Indiana 30yrs

now back to quartzite
this was our first year, arrived Tuesday, stayed util this morning,
we had a great time, will be back next year

was actually tempted to stay a few more days and check out the flea markets, we didn't make it to, there are so many
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

RVUSA
Explorer
Explorer
MrWizard wrote:
atreis wrote:
Wow is that picture of the campsite unappealing... (nice little RV you have there, though!)

Your in Indiana..green hills trees and lots of rivers

There is no place in Quartzite that is going to look green,
All RV parking is on gravel, you can have electric and water if you want, or dry camping if you want "which desert captain did"
You can come to Q in a provost willing to pay lots$$ for a green resort
But you won't find one

It is the Desert


I remember Indiana as endless fields of flat ground where the corn stood before the cold came and let all the winds into my house. Other than brown county the place ranks right up there with a broken big toe. Comparatively speaking of course. :B

dons2346
Explorer
Explorer
mowermech wrote:
I have heard that there is a really great "Hamfest" and swap meet by and for Amateur Radio Operators during the first weeks of January at Q. I would really like to go to that!


Yup, we had a good time. Plan on making it next year.

MrWizard
Moderator
Moderator
atreis wrote:
Wow is that picture of the campsite unappealing... (nice little RV you have there, though!)

Your in Indiana..green hills trees and lots of rivers

There is no place in Quartzite that is going to look green,
All RV parking is on gravel, you can have electric and water if you want, or dry camping if you want "which desert captain did"
You can come to Q in a provost willing to pay lots$$ for a green resort
But you won't find one

It is the Desert
I can explain it to you.
But I Can Not understand it for you !

....

Connected using T-Mobile Home internet and Visible Phone service
1997 F53 Bounder 36s

mowermech
Explorer
Explorer
I have heard that there is a really great "Hamfest" and swap meet by and for Amateur Radio Operators during the first weeks of January at Q. I would really like to go to that!
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D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
I agree with Desert Captain, Q was fun, people fantastic, the big tent worse than any show including Pomona. I loved the consideration that folks gave to one another during the heavy traffic times. We heard a horn honk once, turns out it was a signal to someone on the side street that they could go ahead of traffic with the right of way.

Goodness but RV folks are a great group.

Dave
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
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C_Schomer
Explorer
Explorer
The traffic was the worst we've seen, on the 18th, but maybe it was just the timing. The tent wasn't too crowded and we got thru it in about 1 hour. I tried to find the Titan guy who sells the Kodiak kits but I didn't find him. I agree, too much junk the RV show is a huge mess. We couldn't find anyone giving out maps and it was hard to figure out which clusters of rvs belonged to vendors and which were the show. We quickly got a case of the 'screw its' and left. The stuff in town isn't the reason we go anyway. Craig
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