RATING: ♦♦♦♦
Quartzsite has been on our list of places to visit forever, and we’re glad we finally made it here. For decades, Quartzsite’s claim to fame was that it was the home of Hi Jolly, who came from Syria to drive camels for the U.S. Army during the mid-1800s. His real name was Hadji Ali, and he became a living legend in the Southwest. He eventually settled in Quartzsite, and is now buried in the local cemetery. In 1934, the Arizona Department of Transportation marked his grave with a large pyramid commemorating his life.
However, we didn’t come to visit the grave of Hi Jolly. We came to converge! Quartzsite is the temporary home of tens of thousands of RVers who come here during the winter because of the warm weather and free camping on BLM land that surrounds the town. The RVers in turn attract vendors, RV dealers, and the Big Tent – Quartzsite’s annual two week RV show.
Even though we had reserved a full hookup site in La Paz RV Park for the entire month of January, we decided to boondock with the Escapees Boomers group at their camping area on Plomosa Rd, AKA Boomerville. We thought we’d only be there for a couple days, but had so much fun we ended up spending eight. Hiking in the desert, nightly happy hours, outdoor concerts, and interesting seminars. The highpoint was an all-day auction to raise money for CARE (Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees). Over $10,000 was raised. The final day of Boomerville ended with dinner and dancing at the Grubstake Restaurant. It was all good.
We enjoyed boondocking in the desert more that we thought we would, especially the fantastic Arizona sunsets. Our new lithium batteries, charger, and solar panel worked great. We also were able to meet some of the folks we’ll be caravaning with to Mexico in February, many of whom are Boomers, too. We’re looking forward to our Mexico trip, and hope to meet up with the Boomers group again somewhere in the future.
One of the more memorable days with the Boomers was a visit to the Desert Bar north of Parker. The bar is an unlikely destination that sits on an abandoned copper mine in the middle of the desert down five miles of rough dirt road. It’s only open on the weekends from October to April.
About 35 years ago, a crazy entrepreneur came across the property. It seemed worthless except for one thing. It had a grandfathered liquor license. Thus was born the Desert Bar. Turns out that being “far off the beaten path” is one of it most compelling attractions.
I went on a Sunday with about 20 carloads from the Boomers group. Becky was working at the Big Tent with Kassandra, who is the leader of our Mexico caravan. Paul and Vicki, who are also caravanning with us to Mexico, graciously offered to let me carpool with them. They have a four-wheel drive pickup, so the dirt road was no problem.
There was live music, drinks, and plenty of food. We were just some of the hundreds of people who showed up from Quartzsite, Lake Havasu City, and Parker. It was a surprisingly large crowd. The venue is a hodgepodge of new and old buildings. Something is added every year. Shade is provided by what seemed like nearly half an acre of solar panels. There is a church facade on the property, a short hiking trail up the hill, and lots of different seating areas to enjoy the views and people. A fine time was had by all.
