Quartzsite, AZ March 2019

Our week here went by way too fast.  Had such a fun time with Len's "brother", Al and his lady friend Alta.  Quartzsite is known for their annual Rock and Gem show that happens every January and February, then the RV show follows.  You would be amazed to see the number of RV's that are boon docking in the middle of the desert, all the RV parks are full also. Population of Quartzsite is a little more than 3,000.  During the 9 major rock and gem shows and the 15 general swap meets there are 1.5 million people, mostly during January and February.

We checked out one of the remaining swap meets while we were there.  Only highlight we found was Beer Belly's Bar, aka Adult Day Care Center. Did manage to spend some time there with Al and Alta.

A few places we got together and ate at was Grubstake, good fish-n-chips.  Silly Al's Pizza, guys had calzones, Alta and I had sandwiches, everything was delicious. Breakfast at the Quail Café also.  Also spent time at their place and them at ours. Not sure how those guys are still roaming the earth after hearing some of the stories.

One day we drove over to Parker, AZ to catch up with RV friends Don and Della, such a good visit.

Checked out the local museum in Quartzsite, the location of Tyson Wells Stage Stop.  Small museum with a lot of local area history. The Tyson’s Well Stage Station Museum is housed in the original adobe stagecoach station built in 1866 by Charles Tyson at the present location. The station served as an important watering stop for the stagecoaches and freighters carrying mining equipment and supplies to the mines and the army from the river port at Ehrenberg on the Colorado River.

Also visited the Hi Jolly Monument.  Hi Jolly or Hadji Ali, later known as Philip Tedro, was an Ottoman subject of Syrian and Greek parentage, and in 1856 became one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest. Hi Jolly became a living legend until his death in Arizona. Once, insulted because he had not been invited to a German picnic in Los Angeles, he broke up the gathering by driving into it on a yellow cart pulled by two of his pet camels.

Onto our next adventure in California