Sunrise over the mountains.
As I have said before Quartzsite is all about connection and it sure proved that for me this year. I made some very good friends this year that I will enjoy seeing down the road.
Here’s how we camp in the desert. Some smaller groups park in a circle. But it’s nice to give everyone space in the desert for those who run generators and those who don’t.
Take Your Dog Along 1st Rally
Our dog Rally was just 3 nights long and unfortunately we did not have great weather. But boy did we have fun. 6 rigs, 9 people and 11 dogs, we all made the most of pot luck dinners, desert hikes, shopping in town, lounging around camp, eating out and making new friends. I thank from the bottom of my heart my new friends Lisa & Dave Bok, Mary Kossik, Lori Davisson, Vicki Andreotti, Herlinda Lopez & Deb & Greg Holder for coming to the rally.
Dog Rally hike, Romeo posing as usual.
Pot Luck at the Dog Rally
New Connections
I also enjoyed camping a few nights with the Xscapers, a group that is for RVers who are working on the road (as opposed to being retired as many are). This was a super fun group of many people ages 20 -70 sharing how they work on the road. The Xscapers is a part of the Escapees club, 50k members strong. https://www.escapees.com/ I highly recommend joining the Escapee family, there are many, many benefits for being a member.
Xscapers nightly gathering.
Dog Sitting while some went shopping in town.
I met a great couple, Kayla & Eric who design whimsical dog T-Shirts, their website is Winks & Whiskers. Check it out to get one of their exclusive designs.
RV Love is a fun and informative website owned by Julie & Marc and I enjoyed several conversations with them. They hosted an Australia Day (Julie is an Aussie) and showed us the many fine products that the Aussies love. They have many great blog articles to guide you on the right path in your RV travels.
Marc & Julie wearing their Aussie hats and demoing many treats from Australia
Quartzsite Any deals?
Quartzsite is filled with some great deals. LED lights, RV mats, solar equipment and a lot more. Some prices are unbeatable and I did get a few things for my RV. I splurged and bought a new dog stroller (photos coming soon) that will be great for playing around Tucson and going to Farmers Mkts and Art shows. I added a few more LED lights, they draw 1/3 or less of power, so worth switching out.
Daily walk from camp.
The traffic in Quartzsite became gridlock for a few days when the big White Tent was going on. (RV related products) This little town of 3600 has to absorb hundreds of thousands of people, not so pretty at times, but it all seems to work out. See our previous article on how to camp in Quartzsite.
Stormy clouds at the Xscaper camp.
More new Friends
Another fun couple I met was Mike & Jenny of Duet Justus, they have an interesting YouTube channel with videos on RVing, places to go and “how to”. They bought an older C-class RV and make it the cutest ever inside, modern and beautiful!
Hiking up Palm Canyon 18 miles south of Quartzsite in the Kofa Wilderness area.
Dog Rally hike with 11 dogs.
Lori & Mary around the campfire.
Deb & Greg owned AM Solar in Springfield, OR for 25+ years. AM Solar is the Ferrari of the RV solar world, and I was gifted their friendship in Quartzsite. Recently they sold their company to their employees, wow, what an amazing thing to do. To show you how popular their company was 3 rigs in our camp had systems from AM solar. Greg ended up solving issues (really education) in 2 rigs, Thank You Greg! And they charged up some of our electronics because they have a lot of solar/battery power! Investing in solar on your motorhome is a good idea if you like to camp anywhere. It gives you a lot of freedom and will save you a lot of money in RV park fees. Someday I’ll have it!
Greg & Deb with their dogs Cisco & Buddy
Boondocking – aka dry camping
This year for my boondocking set up I added a ventless, propane heater that my buddy Georgia Griffiths gave me. I had it installed in my motorhome in December, plumbed into my onboard propane tank with an easy disconnect. What a gift this heater was, I was warm and toasty with silent heat the whole 2 ½ weeks. The onboard heaters that come on many RV’s use a lot of battery power and propane, so when you are boondocking you really don’t want to use all of your stored up battery power on the heater. I also added a backup battery brick that would charge my laptop, and all other electronics. With these two items, I only ran the generator 1-2 hours a day and I was happy and comfortable. A solar set up will be on the next rig!
Our dog rally sign!
It was fun to see people that I have met in the past and hear about their travels. I enjoyed hanging with the Boomers at Boomerville a group of 150+ rigs. The Boomers are an Escapees group that are just pure fun. Gretchen Mattison, a co-host and her beautiful poodle Bella couldn’t have been more welcoming. I did a dog talk there which was fun and engaging and enjoyed a yummy pot luck.
Boomerville Pot Luck
I could go on and on about Quartzsite, it’s a wild, weird, quirky place in the desert full of rocks, stuff and welcoming community spirit. If you are an RVer, it’s definitely worth a trip some January.
Happy trails and tails!
Looks like an amazing time was had by all… two-legged and four-legged! Maybe someday.
We’ll get you to a rally Lisa one of these days!
Thanks again for bringing us together Juliet! The ‘pack walks’ were an awesome new experience for us and the new friendships even better?
Sounds like so much fun! I have watched the youtube videos of a few of the RVers that you mentioned. Would love to join your group next time. My husband and I are living stationary in our new RV in Seattle right now and hit the road this June with our two little dogs. Glad to have just found your site on Make Money and RV.
Hey Melissa, Thanks so much for visiting. Sorry for the delay, somehow I missed this comment. Hope you are surviving the winter in Seattle, you must be ok with the rain. Not sure if you have joined the Facebook group, but if you haven’t post a photo of your dogs, would love to see them. https://www.facebook.com/groups/TakeYourDogAlong/
Just found your site. Deciding if my pup and I should forgo another house when this sells end of June and become RV’rs. Leaning in that direction. A bit scary since I know nothing about the lifestyle. Reading your post makes me feel excited about fun Toby and I can have out on the road. First task is picking the right vehicle. Any words of wisdom on where I can find guidance on that? My friends think I’m nuts.
Hey Stephanie, sorry I didn’t reply earlier, somehow missed this. Have your joined our Facebook group, Take Your Dog Along? Do that and I’ll direct you to a few other groups and websites.
Good morning. Think you did respond. I did join your FB page. I’m good of course any referrals to other sites always welcome. Steph.