Tuesday, November 5
Drive to Quartzite
The following day we left about 9:30 am and headed toward Quartzite, AZ. We traveled mostly on two-lane roads through a desolate desert environment. Once again, we traveled through desert valleys between mountain ranges. Though we both agreed that this was not someplace that we would like to live, its rugged beauty was picturesque.
About an hour into the drive, we connected with I-10, which was in terrible condition. When we crossed the Arizona-California state line, the desert plant life started to get a little taller and greener, and we began to see some Saguaro cactus.
Quartzite
Quartzite was considered the rock and gem capital of the world. It was also known as a place to RV for the winter because they could stay on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near there for a ridiculously low cost.
As we approached Quartzite, we saw plenty of RVers taking advantage of this space in the barren land. Quartzite had a lot of RV campgrounds for those who wanted the benefits of utilities. It was also full of restaurants and rock shops, but the largest retail store we found was Dollar General. The nearest Walmart was about 30 minutes away.
88 Shades RV Park
We were staying in 88 Shades RV Park. We decided not to unhook the trailer since we would only be there one night. Instead of driving around, Lisa did some laundry and cleaned the trailer while I verified our future reservations. Afterward, we relaxed under the awning, drank some beers, and walked around the campground. Later, we took a dip in their hot tub, where we met a couple of full-time residents who invited us to the coffee and donut meeting at the clubhouse the next day.
As a snowbird destination, the campground was full of trailers that had not moved in years. It gave the place a shanty town look that was rather unpleasant. They did have regular activities that included morning donuts and coffee MWF, karaoke once a week, a movie night, some game nights, and a group dinner planned for Thanksgiving. Overall, it did not look like something Lisa and I would enjoy doing.
