In a previous email, I described Quartzsite as a little town tucked along Interstate 10 between Los Angeles and Phoenix. Well after spending two weeks here I need to add that Quartzsite is also a phenomena. Each year at this time hundreds of thousands (some say up to two million) snowbirds flock here from the cold northern states and Canada. Snowbirds for those who may not know are people, usually retired, who travel in motor homes, trailers and sometimes tents (RVs of all types) to enjoy the warm, dry winter climate. There is also a RV Show and a Rock and Mineral Show going on back to back in January and February. The number of vendors for this gigantic flea market has been put at over 8,000. This year something new has been added; RAIN. I heard from those who lived here for years that we got more rain so far this month than the area gets in a year. As a result the usually parched desert floor is covered with a blanket of green vegetation sprinkled with flowers of red and yellow and blue. The official population is a little over 800 and in the summer heat of 120 degrees or more that population goes down to about 200 according to one resident. You can imagine that the town's infrastructure is severely strained by the millions of RVers who fill the town's few camping parks and overflow into the surrounding desert. The town is limited by state and federal funds by the official population count. And so fresh water and sewerage, electricity, phone service and traffic at the town's three stop lights can be strained. Cell phone connections are sometime hard to make with everyone trying to get on to the one of two cell towers. 
Luckily most of the RVers are a patient lot and carry their own fresh water and black water in holding tanks and supply their own electricity from generators or solar panels. My own experience reminds me how to conserve. At home, I turn on the tap and an endless supply of water (hot or cold) flows out of the faucet. Here in the desert, water is a scarce commodity and every gallon that passes through the sink faucet or shower head or toilet is one less gallon of fresh water and one more gallon of gray or black water to carry out. On top of that My fresh water tank sprung a leak and after filling my tank with 100 gallons before I left Las Vegas, I ended up with about 75 gallons when I got here two weeks ago. To complicate matters further, the tank's capacity is measured by four idiot lights which are a guestimate at best. I'm now on one light which could mean that I have a quarter of a tank or 25 gallons or I could be close to empty. Heating is not much of a problem. The daytime outside temperatures are in the mid 70's and the RV can reach the mid 80's inside. I don't mind the warm dry air especially after sunset when the temperatures rapidly plunge to a overnight low of about 40 to 45. An efficient LP heater keeps the inside comfortable. Electricity is also not a problem. Although I am living off the grid there is an abundance of sunlight even on overcast days to drive my solar panels and store the charge in 6 deep cycle batteries. I have a 2500 watt inverter which changes the DC battery power to regular household AC power. That inverter itself draws a lot of power and so I've been stingy with the power usage and relay on a smaller 350 watt portable inverter to run my small portable TV and computer. The large 27 inch TV draws more power and I'd have to watch the battery drain more closely. The whole experience has been quite a lesson in ecology and energy conservation. My days are spent with activities of three of the RV groups I belong to; the WINs, RVW and the Solos. They are camped close to one another and so I have my choice of which group activity I want to participate in. The choices are morning and afternoon gatherings, off-roading into the mountains, kayaking, hiking, dancing, going out to diner or having a potluck and my favorite... conversations... around the campfire at night or one-on-one at anytime. It's difficult to share the total experience in just a narrative and so I composed a stream-of-consciousness prose to capture some of the experiences....
From Quartzsite Arizona, Linda |
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