The 2018 Quartzsite RV Show

I waited until this year's RV show was more than half done before attending with the purpose of avoiding possibly flu infected crowds, the show opened on Saturday and I went on Wednesday.

Guess which insurance company is a big sponsor?

First on my agenda was getting something for breakfast, a breakfast burrito jumped out at me:

About a pound's worth of burrito.

After eating 75% of my burrito (it was too big) I made a quick swing through the Big Tent where crowds are usually shoulder to shoulder in the aisles, this year, at least when I went, not so much.

Plenty of room in the Big Tent.

There are hundreds of different style RV's to walk through at the show, many are gigantic compared to the Mini (and cost many 10's of thousands more).

Big Fifth Wheels available for walk through at the show.

My favorite part of the show is outside the Big Tent north across Kuehn Street from the tent and all the model RV's.  That's where the stalls with every possible RV part or gadget is for sale.

If you can't find it in the stalls, they don't make it!

The good news (for me) is that it's been five days since I attended the show and so far I feel fine!  Knock on wood, maybe I dodged the virus?

Thanks for reading!

A Week in the Desert

Today starts the second of my planned two week boondock on the BLM's Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) south of Quartzsite.  The RV show started last Saturday and runs to this coming Saturday.  There's already been a noticeable reduction in RV density since just before the show.

Packed RV's on the LTVA south of Quartzsite.

The typical camper here buys a two week stay from the BLM ranger office for $40 and it appears many of them come in a week to 10 days prior to the show and then leave just after the first couple days of the show when their two weeks is up.  If you ever decide to camp in the LTVA during the show make sure you stay on the west side of Old Yuma Road which cuts the BLM land north to south.  Old Yuma Road is a dirt road that runs up to the show area and thus is extremely heavily traveled during the show's nine days.  Dusty is not an adequate describer of Old Yuma Road but since the prevailing winds are out of the west or northwest, if you are camped one the west side of the road you avoid most, but not quite all the dust thrown up by atv's.

Dust on the truck even though I'm on the clean side of the road.

After a week out here I'm pretty satisfied with the Mini's solar setup and how it's working and powering my laptop, Dish receiver, all my electronics and the Mini's lights and water pump.  I adjust the two sets of solar panels maybe two or three times a day to keep them angled to the sun but that's not really a big deal.

An optimist's sign along Old Yuma Road.

Thanks for reading!

Quartzsite Camp

I made it out to Quartzsite, actually the Long Term Visitors Area (LTVA) a couple miles south of the town.  I rolled in on the Wednesday before the RV Show and found a middling campsite, not as good as some I've had but with people still streaming in today (Friday) I bet a lot of folks are staring at my site enviously.

The Mini's campsite in the LTVA, note another RV is visible in the background.

When the first wave of campers come into the LTVA, probably in late December, everyone tries to not infringe on existing campers' sites by keeping generously spaced out.  As the RV show approaches and masses of more campers come in the RV's are packed closer and closer together.  I might come in a week earlier next year if I do come, to get a more secluded site.

The new Renogy 100 watt solar panel with "custom" stand.

The new solar panel I bought for the solar generator is performing very well.  I stopped at a Tucson Home Depot and bought some 3/4 inch PVC pipe and a couple 45 degree angles and crafted a simple stand for it.

Closeup of the stand secured to the panel with cable ties.

I use the 200 watt solar suitcase to keep the Mini's 12 volt deep cycle battery topped off.  I charge all my electronics and run my laptop off that system during the day and let the solar generator run the TV and Dish set top box at night.

I've tried the awning deflappers I got from Amazon and they do reduce the awning's flapping, but I haven't tried the awning stabilizer system yet because it hasn't been at all windy...yet.  The awning rug is performing really well, allowing sand I track on it to fall through it's mesh and staying relatively clean on the surface.  I only sweep the Mini about once a day so that's a huge improvement over the last time I was here -- the rug must be helping.

The new awning rug -- Spartan green, of course!

I'm debating actually going to the RV show.  I read an article that said Doctors have found that the flu virus can be transmitted by normal breathing, in addition to coughing and sneezing.  Arizona is really getting hit hard by the flu and with 100,000 people packed into the Big Tent at the show I think the odds of getting the bug go way up.  If I do go it'll probably be on one of the show's last days when hopefully things have thinned out.

Thanks for reading!