Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Arrived in Quartzsite

First off...
Welcome to Bruce H from the MOC
(Montana Owners Club)
Our Newest Follower.
Glad to have you along for the ride.



Yesterday (Monday) was a bit of a frantic day.
I had an overnight package being delivered from work 
and depending on when it would arrive 
would determine if we left Phoenix yesterday - or today.

The package arrived at 10am so we made busy with our final preparations 
for who knows how long out in the desert.
Food Shopping, 
Fill Water, Propane, & Diesel tanks.
Empty waste tanks.

By 1430 we were on the road for the 2.5 hr drive to Quartzsite.

As soon as you crest the final hill coming into the valley you can see an
expansive panorama of little white dots (RV's)
spread out and stretching from horizon to horizon.

Taking the exit into this tiny little desert town you are immediately
aware that this is RV Country.

There are wall to wall - all things RV
for sale... services... you name it.

We snaked our way thru town and took US 95 about 7 miles north
where, as the sun set low on the western horizon,
 we turned onto a smaller road and headed about 3 miles east
to the planned coordinates were we saw the sign for the 
Montana Owners Club marking the spot to turn off the pavement.

By this time we had already seen the gathering collection of Montanas
and knew we had found our home for the next ? days/weeks.

Our arrival to the circle was greeted by the "Wagonmaster" - the volunteer
who has taken the responsibility to organize the event.

We were directed to our place in the growing circle - which was assigned
based upon our having solar panels allowing us  the best utilization
of the sunlight.

A view from the top of the coach looking at the circle.



A yellow rope was laid down from the center of the circle to our spot.
All that was necessary was to drive into the center of the circle and straddle
the Yellow Brick Rope until we were told to stop in precisely the correct
spot to keep the geometrics of the circle intact.

Easy Peasy Japaneesy.


Exiting the truck we were greeted by several of the attendees along with a brisk,
and quite cold north wind.

I set about setting up camp while Kate took the Doods for a short
walk to stretch their little legs.

I erected my yellow Island Packet Flag so that we could find our way home.



In a short while they made several new friends.

Soon it was dark, and under a clear star-filled sky we retreated to the warm confines 
of our desert home for the long cold night ahead.

  In the middle of the night I heard what I thought was some
footsteps in the rocks outside.. I peered out the window into the blackness to
see if someone was messing (stealing) my satellite dish and then heard running
footsteps.  So I leaped out of bed and dressed only in my shorts was out the
door into the ice cold night in pursuit of a thieving phantom who I
expected was running away with my Satellite dish in tow.

The long and short of it is that the wind had died down and what I was hearing
was the slow (and sometimes faster) flapping of my flag that sounded to
my sleep clogged brain as footsteps in the rocks.

Needless to say - getting back to sleep was a challenge now that the
adrenaline had been ratcheted up to combat mode.

There is a large pile of wood in the center of the circle
and since today (Tuesday) is the official start of the Rally, tonight will mark
the start of the nightly campfires, happy hours, and all things social.

This afternoon was the official start of the Rally and at 430p our
wagonmasters welcomed us and gave us the lay of the land.


There will be lots of activities during the next 7 days and ample
opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

After the welcome meeting we headed back to the coach for a quick dinner
before the campfire.

I took the opportunity to try and grab a few sunset shots.





The sun is now down - the campfire is roaring...
Its time to get off of the computer and enjoy the evening.


Till tomorrow.

4 comments:

  1. This sounds as good if not better than an IPY raft up....but with FIRE! VERY FUN. Great sunset photos.

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  2. Lol! I pictured ou getting up & running outside! Sounds like you all are having a great time. The RV circle seems cool. Have a great time!

    Amber

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  3. Glad you made it to Quartzite in time for meeting the Montana Owners' Group! Very clever to use the IPY flag for identifying your coach...could be tricky, with so many Montanas there. The flag should be a great topic of conversation, too. Hope you both have a wonderful week of fun and activities!

    My favorite photo is the one of your truck, the coach and the red mountains in the background. That could be a marketing shot!

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  4. Thanks for taking me along on the ride. I hope the Doods don't bite!

    Bruce H.

    ReplyDelete

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