Hanging Out in Quartzsite, AZ Area

For the past month we've been staying in the area around Quartzsite, Arizona. It's been an enjoyable experience for the most part. A couple of peeves:

Quartzsite, although it is filled with RVers and is known for it's rock and mineral shows, is getting extremely expensive. We naively thought that I would be able to set up a table quite easily to sell the jewelry I make. It's not quite as easy as you would have thought for a place that is supposed to cater to vendors of stone products. First of all, you must have a place to park that is recognized by the city, such as one of the many show grounds, or have a permanent COMMERCIAL address. Either of these options are extremely expensive, there's just not a lot of places for the little guys any longer. Next, you need a vending permit from the city. When we checked into it, they wanted $50 for this season, which is basically over with at the end of February. The city also collects the fees for the state of Arizona and requires you have an Arizona EIN (another fee depending on where you plan to sell). We decided this was a little much for someone who probably would be pushing it if they had $200 worth of stock.

The other pet peeve is in a little town on Hwy 72 called Bouse. We stopped in on a day when they were holding their townwide swap meet/yard sale. As the laundry was kind of piling up, we decided to get it done, and while washing it, we'd just pop into the little cafe next door and have some breakfast. The sign out front neglected to warn travelers that it wasn't extremely friendly to non-locals. We sat for approximately half an hour at a table, no menus, no water, no silverware, and no acknowledgement from a waitress. There were two of them working. One had her hands full clearing tables, taking money from patrons trying to leave, and sitting at a table by the front door taking her break(s). The other waitress was busily running at full speed, accomplishing such masterful things as carrying a single catsup bottle while standing beside a table debating if it should be cleaned off. She also managed to carry a single plate of toast, a cup of coffee, and one plate of food (not at the same time, mind you) to patrons in the back of the restaurant. Her "look at me, I'm so busy I can't think straight" act didn't really wash with me. Call me demanding, but I really feel that half an hour is plenty of time to at least tell someone you'll be right with them. We finally left in complete disgust at the lack of service, and weren't the only ones to do so.

Now for the more pleasant part of our stay: We did find a nice little place called the Vicksburg Swap Meet along Hwy 72 and Vicksburg Road. For a very reasonable fee, we could park for the month with electric, water, and sewer, and set up a table to sell our wares and a few yard sale type items we needed to clean off the bus. The other residents were very friendly, celebrating an 80 something birthday with a cake, and another by letting the birthday gal pick any item she wished ffom the other tables. The owner, Jan, and her husband are very sweet people, allowing everyone to use their address to receive mail, and basically stopping in periodically to just chat. I haven't sold any jewelry as yet, but gleaned some great tidbits on which wholesalers are best to buy supplies, where the better shows are to set up and sell, and made some new and dear friends.

Along highway 95, between Lake Havasu City and Quarztsite, is a pleasant little town called Parker. The Colorado River Indian Tribes maintain a casino with decent odds at their slots, and a fantastic buffet for a very reasonable price. They have a small RV park, but don't seem to mind if their parking lot is half full of campers and motorhomes enjoying a day to a few day respite from the road. They have free internet available in their lobby with several very comfy chairs and sofas to relax in. We've been here on two separate trips to Parker, and will probably visit it again once or twice more before we leave Arizona. The view of the Colorado River is beautiful, worthy of a photograph or two. Don't miss the indoor swimming pool with it's Aztec architecture waterfalls. Even if you're not staying in the hotel, it's a site worth seeing. The Wal-Mart is also camper-friendly, and a great place to meet other full-timers, stock up on a few necessities, and just take a break from the road. Don't be surprised if you even get a welcome from the management when you stop in the store.

This week, we've got plans to attend the inaugural Lighthouse Ministries Street Fair as a vendor. Set up is free with the opportunity to make a donation if you so desire. All proceeds will go towards their homeless program. For us, it will be a time for some exposure of my jewelry, paintings, and staffs in the Parker area. I'll have to let you know how it goes in my next blog. Until then, enjoy the open road...

Crossing the Country

I don't remember a time when my family wasn't packing up and leaving for a new home somewhere. As early as the age of 3, I've seen pictures of three of my sisters and I sitting on the hood of a car, ready to go. Most of the travels in my childhood were between Oklahoma and Wyoming. Now that I'm an adult my travels have been much more extensive.

I love the open road and being able to go where I want when I want. Spontaneity is the rule rather than the exception.

A favorite trip was taken about two years ago. My youngest daughter and I left Wilmington, DE for Big Pine, CA, with one stop in Rose, OK to pick up my younger son. The first part of the trip was pretty uneventful with the exception of crossing the Mississippi River at near flood stage. As far as I was concerned, the river was wide enough at normal conditions. Overflowing it's banks, even though it didn't come near the height of the bridge, was an experience for me. We hit a rain storm just as we cleared the bridge and I wondered who had decided to unend all the buckets at once. I finally gave up trying to drive through it in West Memphis and got a motel room.

The next day dawned bright and clear, and my daughter and I continued on to my dad's house in Oklahoma. After a short visit with him and my younger sister, we added my son and his suitcase to the pickup and continued on our way. We had been travel Interstate 40 for the most part, but had left it to pick up my son. Now we made our way toward Tulsa, OK and the Turner Turnpike to rejoin the Interstate for the majority of our trip.

If you've never traveled I-40 through Oklahoma, you should experience it. I'm not sure what causes it, but you get a rythmic thu-thump, thu-thump the entire way. You actually tell when you cross over into Texas or Arkansas because the tires will cease their thumping noise. If you are prone to headaches, I recommend a dose of ibuprofen before attempting the drive. The scenery for me is normally worth the drive, but this was January and the green just hadn't appeared yet.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, there just isn't anything I can say great or interesting about the panhandle of Texas. I can say that it's not a true representation of the rest of Texas. You get to pass through Amarillo, which I seriously doubt has changed all that much from the days of the cattle drives. It's still a cowtown and it was night. Not a lot to see other than trucks and truck stops.

I think my favorite two states to drive through are New Mexico and Arizona. New Mexico has wonderful red cliffs as you enter the state which are decorated with animals and paintings. There is also multiple gift shops along the interstate where you can find authentic crafts from the locals. You may have to dig through the normal "made in China" stuff, but some great beading can be had, as well as some leather and bone work.

Arizona's gem, in my mind is the Petrified Forest. It cost us $20 to go through but was well worth it to see the enormous tree trunks. The gift shop at the south end is fun to go through even as a museum. An enormous geode with amethyst inside decorates the entryway, as well as polished pertrified wood.

It took us a couple of days from Oklahoma to reach our destination. We got to visit with my three grandchildren before having to return home again. All in all, a great trip for the gypsy that lives in my soul.