We didn’t think we’ll like Quartzsite, and weren’t too sure about the RTR either. It sounded crowded and busy and sure to come with lots of noise and traffic havoc. It wasn’t.

Quartzsite is just a really interesting cultural phenomena. Not sure if it’s where old hippies go to die, or young one come to live, but it’s vibrant, lively, colourful, and full of interesting characters.

There are markets everywhere and you can buy almost anything you can imagine, but especially RV stuff, gem/jewelry making related items, and gold prospecting items. Killer combination!

We stopped at the cemetery to see the Hi Jolly monument. It’s a strange little cemetery, with weird grave decor, not to mention the failed camel history in the area.

The surrounding areas are agricultural lands, and the RV crop is a bit less natural than the cotton that was just harvested, but RVers are not going anywhere and are definitely bringing in a lot of cash.

RTR was extremely organized for an event of this caliber. Especially since most of the organizers and attendees seem to be free-spirits that would rather leave rules and regs behind them and go to the desert to do their own thing. Everything was well done, the traffic in and out and inside the event was controlled by volunteers who did an amazing job with their walkie-talkies that during their very long shifts.

We thought it would be crowded. Not sure how many people attended, but it didn’t feel crowded. Some stayed in groups of vans or buses circle and had their own get-together, and others, like us, chose to stay away from the main streets. We had our solitude and the nights were completely silent.

Everyone was just so friendly and relaxed, and there was kindness, generosity, and good spirits all around.  There seemed to be people of all ages and all walks of life and everyone got along just fine.  It was kind of awesome.

There were lots of interesting rigs around.

Lots of dogs making friends. Some with interesting outfits,

We need to check these Dog Mocs out!  They really help with the Cholla Cacti that like to stick to dog’s paws.

Some with interesting rides.

In the evening you could hear drumming or Irish jigs, while the smell of fires and cooking wafting through the desert air.   You can watch the sunset and feel the air cooling as the sun goes down.

We were a bit preoccupied with Emma and didn’t participate in many of the workshops, but we did go to the survival workshop and gold prospecting workshop.  The were some good tips in both!

We should be back another year and try and stay longer.

There was not too much time left between taking care of Emma and doing the necessary chores around the van, but when we did have a bit of a down time and the blog wasn’t calling, we played a mean and competitive backgammon game.

We spent a nice evening getting to know fellow Banffer, Kevin, who was also attending RTR.   Safe travels, Kevin, and we hope to meet again!  We hope to meet some of you in future travels!

Sadly, we hit the mid-point of our trip now and will slowly start our egress back to the cold.  Emma seems to be back to normal now so we are hoping to be able to do a bit more with her in the next few days.  Some hiking will be nice!

We may go via Texas, but it will depend on which weather system we’ll need to dodge this time.   We’ll keep you posted.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Cost: CAD$165 (US$125)(includes gas, propane, laundry, dumping, water, groceries, and eating out)
• Distance: 656 km (408 miles)
• Fuel Average: 5.8 km/l (13.7 mpg)

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