In the summertime, it’s just another sleepy town in the southwestern Arizona desert (Pop. about 2,500) In the winter months, it’s a different story when Quartzsite turns into one of the biggest gathering places in the country, especially January and February when the annual dealer shows are held there. The biggest is the RV, Sports and Vacation Show held this year Jan 17-25 in “the big tent,” a huge three-ring circus size tent packed with vendors, followed by the Rock, Gem and Mineral Show, then the Classic Car Show. There are also numerous ongoing swap meets featuring rocks, gems, and minerals, beads, antiques, craft items and jewelry to name only a few.
Quartzsite is also a place where snowbirds from Canada and the US states come in their RVs to spend the winter on thousands of acres of BLM land in the warm desert climate. Winter daytime temps are normally in the 70s. One can boondock (dry camp) here for two weeks for a fee of $40 or stay the entire season (September-April) for $180. A nearby water and dump station is available. There are also free 14-day camping areas but they are farther away from town. We like it close to town because we can walk about ¼ mile to where the “action” is.
We arrived here January 8 with a full tank of fresh water and empty holding t
anks, paid our two-week fee and claimed our dusty plot of ground in the desert, facing a dry wash lined with Palo Verde trees. We were surprised to see so few RVs here compared to past years. But, a few days before the “big tent show” opened, RVs began swarming into the area.
Every time we stay here, we learn more about this area and thanks to Gary and Diane, our next-door neighbors from British Columbia, we have learned a lot more on this visit. Gary volunteers at the QIA building. What’s that? We asked. The QIA is a sort of community center but not run by the city. It’s an independent non-profit that hosts numerous activities. Gary gave us a schedule: exercise classes, line dancing, programs and entertainment; they serve lunches and dinners on scheduled days and host dances Friday or Saturday nights. That’s how we learned that the New Christy Minstrels (thenewchristyminstrels.com) were scheduled for a performance and we were able to get tickets. What an enjoyable evening that was!! The QIA also hosts Pow-Wow, a large gem, mineral and jewelry show with over 700 vendors.
We arrived here January 8 with a full tank of fresh water and empty holding t
anks, paid our two-week fee and claimed our dusty plot of ground in the desert, facing a dry wash lined with Palo Verde trees. We were surprised to see so few RVs here compared to past years. But, a few days before the “big tent show” opened, RVs began swarming into the area.Every time we stay here, we learn more about this area and thanks to Gary and Diane, our next-door neighbors from British Columbia, we have learned a lot more on this visit. Gary volunteers at the QIA building. What’s that? We asked. The QIA is a sort of community center but not run by the city. It’s an independent non-profit that hosts numerous activities. Gary gave us a schedule: exercise classes, line dancing, programs and entertainment; they serve lunches and dinners on scheduled days and host dances Friday or Saturday nights. That’s how we learned that the New Christy Minstrels (thenewchristyminstrels.com) were scheduled for a performance and we were able to get tickets. What an enjoyable evening that was!! The QIA also hosts Pow-Wow, a large gem, mineral and jewelry show with over 700 vendors.
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