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Wind blown with a head cold equals the Quartzsite Crud

sunset clouds sun rays Plomosa Rd BLM Quartzsite AZI suppose it figures when as many as one million people from around the world converge in the desert, wind blown germs carry the Quartzsite Crud, or in my case a nasty head cold.

It started January 23rd with a brutal wind at Carolyn’s meetup.  Maybe germs fly on the wind or somebody there had a head cold.  Either way, I’ve been fighting wind and a head cold ever since.  I do feel better but still lack energy and have a slight cough.  Good time to hunker in, and that’s what I did for several days at a new to me BLM area called Scadden Wash just east of Quartzsite.

wind blown flag dust Plomosa Mts Scadden Wash BLM Quartzsite AZBetween the head cold and wind rocking the camper I stayed inside and watched the dusty window view.

RV neighbors Scadden Wash BLM Quartzsite AZA group of three RVs pulled in just a little too close considering how much open space is in this area.

Kathie & Gaelyn Tyson Wells Quartzsite AZKathie & Gaelyn plus finger

Probably a mistake, but Friday I downed some Sudafed for the head cold and picked up a long-time Facebook friend as yet unmet and we went exploring at Tyson Wells in Quartzsite.

rocks for sale Tyson Wells Quartzsite AZThat amounts to 25 acres of aisles with vendors selling literally everything from nuts to rocks.  Plus the Sports, Vacation, & RV Show sprawls across more than 40 acres including 550 booth spaces inside the big tent pushing vacation packages, 5th-wheel hitches, plastic storage containers and more.  All I bought was two LED lights and some small bungee cords.

ice cream maker Tyson Wells Quartzsite AZI wasn’t willing to pay $8 for an ice cream cone.  We attended a workshop about RV electric that was very interesting.  Had a great time but by the end of the day I had no voice.

morning light storm clouds Plomosa Rd BLM camp Quartzsite AZAfter dropping Kathie at her motorhome I drove north of Quartzsite to Plomosa Road BLM in hopes of catching up with yet another RV Facebook person but was too sick to make that happen.

Chris & GaelynI did however have company when Ranger Chris came by.  I warned him about the crud but he came inside anyway and we visited until 2am.  Two days later he was sick yet tested negative for strep, COVID, RSV, and flu.

morning light storm clouds Plomosa Rd BLM campp Quartzsite AZI spent the next two days sleeping and took Ibuprofen and electrolytes, all I had in the house for a head cold.

Sierra view Shady Lane RV Park Quartzsite AZNo choice but to move on Monday as I needed propane.  Back to Quartzsite for that plus truck fuel and a lovely $10 shower at the laundromat.  I’d planned to drive south and boondock near Kofa NWR but barely had the energy to get a mile to Shady Lane RV Park for the night where I could plug in for heat.  I freaked when that cost $50 for the night.  Place recently went under new ownership but wasn’t going to raise the price this season.  Found out later, they had no choice as Quartzsite taxes went way up to cover the cost of a new and much needed sewage plant.  A different form of Quartzsite crud.

sunrise camp view VFW-BLM Yuma AZ

Sierra window view train VFW-BLM Yuma AZAt that price, I left the next day and drove an hour south to Yuma back to the free and noisy VFW-BLM camp, hungry but with no appetite.  Gayle was there and gave me a cold Ensure which I managed to drink.

COVID test VFW-BLM Yuma AZJoann shopped for me and dropped off groceries, day and night head cold medicine, and a COVID test which was negative.

desert Kofa Mts clouds SR95 AZMade a quick stop along the way at Palm Canyon Road to admire the Kofa Mountains where I had hoped to catch February’s full moon.

moon over Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CASpent one night in a friend’s driveway in Yuma before a quick shop and back to Tumco, California to, hopefully once again, watch the full moon over the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.  And that’s where I still am a week later being wind blown and recovering from the Quartzsite Crud.

Arizona, Places I've been, Quartzsite, United States, Yuma , 28 Comments

Mexico, meetups, and cold nights in too crowded Quartzsite

Courtyard Algodones MXAfter a quick trip to Mexico I returned to crowded Quartzsite to meet up with friends old and new.

Chilaquiles Mi Casa Su Casa Algodones MXI left my Cargo Muchacho Mountains camp on January 17th, went to Yuma for supplies, then spent the night at—my favorite—VFW/BLM camp.  The next day I went to Algodones Mexico with Gayle for hopefully her final dental surgery.  After they put her under, I slipped out to breakfast and the recommended Mi Casa Su Casa was excellent.  A huge plate of shredded chicken Chilaquiles with beans and potatoes for $3.50 USD was more than I could finish.

RV Dometic thermistorThe next morning I headed to crowded Quartzsite.  After fighting with the fridge for almost three months I decided to order a new thermistor at RV Lifestyles.  Since buying that $64 part, the fridge has worked fine, and I found the part online for $10.  Can’t return electronics so I’ll just hang on to it.

Burning van 2023

Bob Wells RTR Quartzsite AZI attended the 13th annual RTR (Rubber Tramp Rendezvous) for my first time, video here.  Arrived in time to hear RV boondock guru Bob Wells talking about the movie Nomadland.  Then wandered around chatting to folks before waiting in line to meet Bob.  I asked him “Where were you 46 years ago when I first hit the road and there was nobody to ask questions?”  Think I caught him off guard with that.  (The burning van will go up in smoke at the end of the RTR.  Look above the front wheel for my signature.)

Mo Sue Gaelyn at Silly Al's Quartzsite AZMo, Sue, Gaelyn

pizza Silly Al's Quartzite AZLater in the afternoon I met Sue and Mo at the Roadrunner 14-day BLM south of crowded Quartzsite and they drove us into town for dinner at Silly Al’s Pizza.  Waited over an hour for a table and the place was packed with noise levels beyond conversation but the table-sized pizza was good.

window view Roadrunner BLM Quartzsite AZBy now I was ready for some down days in preparation for my next meetup after the weekend.  At crowded Quartzsite there’s very little bandwidth at Roadrunner with so many people but I did work on videos and blog posts to post later.  The traffic in and out was like watching a parade so I took video.  The Big Tent Show started that weekend and the crowds descended like flies on, well you know.

too close neighbor Roadrunner BLM Quartzsite AZ

too close neighbors Roadrunner BLM Quartzsite AZSaturday afternoon a trailer parked what I would call “too close” except for this location.  Later they were joined by two other outfits and I felt like part of the party, not.

too close neighbor sunrise Roadrunner BLM Quartzsite AZBy Monday morning I was ready to get out of Dodge.

wind blown dust clouds Scadden Wash Quartzsite AZThe wind was blasting and full of dust.  I headed east of crowded Quartzsite to Scadden Wash BLM, a new 14-day for me.

Carolyn & Gaelyn meetup Scadden Wash Quartzsite AZCarolyn’s RV Life meetup was held there from 11am-2pm.  I arrived way before that in hopes of a good signal and got lucky enough to upload the RTR video.  I walked over about 11am and stood in line talking to strangers to meet Carolyn.  She really is a down to Earth person and I like her a lot.  We’re both trying to be more social this year.  Just before noon I returned to the camper as I was cold. The wind was brutal. Dust almost obscured the Dome Rock Mountains to the west. After breakfast I walked back over about 1pm. Much warmer but still chill. A small group was asking questions.  I’d guess 50-60+ people came through in that four hours.

Saguaro desert Plomosa Mts BLM Mitchell Mine Rd Quartzsite AZBecause of the great signal, towers seen on the top of the Plomosa Mountains, I decided to cruise up the road a bit and found a wonderful quiet and uncrowded camp.  360° view video here.

Tuesday I woke with a runny nose, sore throat, and no energy.  Good day to stay home reading and knitting.

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I decided to be more social this year and get out to functions and activities, meet new people.  That’s been fun, except for catching the worse cold I’ve had in forever.  I’ve tested negative for COVID three times.  Over a week later, I’m finally feeling a bit better.  But now I’m even further behind on blog posts.  Bear with me please.

Arizona, Places I've been, Quartzsite, United States , , , , 26 Comments

Sunset clouds from Cargo Muchacho Mountains BLM camp

I thought about moving camp but decided to stay put for sunset clouds around the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.  Eventually I’ll head north towards Quartzsite for some functions then to Kofa for February’s full moon.

sunset clouds BLM Cargo Muchacho Mts Tumco CANo rush to move, especially with 70+° days, even when cloudy with the typical desert winter wind.  No complaint about sunset clouds.

Sierra cat Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CAOr lazy days staying home.

Gaelyn 2012Gaelyn 2022

When the wind rocks the camper I am not inclined to get outside for a walk.  Instead I stay inside playing online.  My blog went wonky because an automatic renewal on the security certificate didn’t happen as it should.  (That’s what makes an URL be “https”.)  While I was waiting for that to happen I decided it was past time to update my 2012 Facebook profile photo.

flag reverse sunset clouds Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CAEnded the day with yet another evening of sunset clouds.

sunset clouds Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CAFollowed by camper rocking wind all night.  And clouds whipped across the sky most of the day so I made a time-lapse video you can watch here.  Fridge had been off for almost ten hours so I braved the wind to look at the back of the fridge from outside.  I banged on some wires and it lit.  Guess I have a magic touch.  Not.  Sunset clouds once again put on a show.

sunset clouds Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CAWeekends always get busier with people but that doesn’t bother me if they don’t park too close.  Though I don’t particularly like the cranked up sound of the OHVs and the dust they throw up.  Not enough rain that afternoon to even moisten the ground.  But still enjoyed sunset clouds.

knittingCotton headwarmer

mts clouds BLM Cargo Muchacho Mts Tumco CASunday the temperature dropped to 55° while the wind whipped under gray skies.  Not much solar charging going on so it became a good day to read and knit while dreaming about the next week’s activities including meeting up with Sue and Mo in Quartzsite.  More about that in the next post.

desert sunset clouds Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CARained overnight but still not enough too dampen the ground.  Fridge was off more than on over several days.  Moved the thermistor again and it turned on. I looked on YouTube for how to change that part.  Called RV Lifestyles and ordered the part to the tune of $64.  That better work!

first light Imperial Sand Dunes Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CAFirst light on Imperial Sand Dunes

So on Tuesday morning I left camp at the Cargo Muchacho Mountains and visited with Joann in Yuma, including a shower and laundry.  Then I dumped tanks and bought groceries before heading just north of town back to the VFW/BLM camp.  Because the next day I would go to Mexico with Gayle for more more dental surgery.

rock collection Cargo Muchacho Mts BLM Tumco CACargo Muchacho Mts bumper collection

BTW,  I’ll be near the Kofa NWR February 2-5 to shoot the full moon.  Care to join Me?   https://geogypsytraveler.com/geogypsy-journey/

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