I 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.
Between the head cold and wind rocking the camper I stayed inside and watched the dusty window view.
A group of three RVs pulled in just a little too close considering how much open space is in this area.
Kathie & 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.
That 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.
I 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.
After 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.
I 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.
I spent the next two days sleeping and took Ibuprofen and electrolytes, all I had in the house for a head cold.
No 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.
At 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.
Joann shopped for me and dropped off groceries, day and night head cold medicine, and a COVID test which was negative.
Made 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.
Spent 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.