Back into the Desert

Yesterday we headed west again, planning to make a stop in the desert on our way to Palm Springs. We stayed at the Black Rock RV Village in Brenda, AZ. This is where we first saw, and met, some people boondocking. That's camping for free, usually in the wilderness, without any access to utilities. Our neighbors were spending a couple of days at Black Rock and then heading back out to the desert. They had been out for nine days before taking this respite. They were so friendly, forthcoming, and enthusiastic, I had to hide my horror at the idea. I didn't have the heart to tell them that we are travelers, not campers; and that Winnie with full hook ups in a spotlessly clean campground is as close as I ever want to get roughing it. 

Black rocks at Black Rock

We got to know these neighbors while riding into a little town nearby called Quartzsite. We thought the 'free shuttle into town' was such a nice little gesture compliments of the campground. Little did we know that Quartzsite's claim to fame is hosting one of the largest RV shows on the planet every January, thus the free shuttle. Imagine our surprise when we were dropped of in the midst of it! Most of those attending were ageing baby boomers like us. In response, there were at least 50 out of the hundreds of vendors offering products to ease aching joints, sore backs, and swollen feet. We also found every kind of 'fair food' you can imagine; live music and dancing at 1:00 in the afternoon; gem and rock shows; and thousands of RV's. Many were new and for sale, but just as many seemed to belong to vendors and visitors attending the show. When we can't find houses to visit, we are generally content to crawl through some RVs, so we were well occupied for a couple of hours. Here are a few pics to whet your appetite so you can be ready for January 2019!!

Quartzsite's main street.

And one more thing. I woke up at about 4:00am this morning and noticed it was still quite dark. I stepped outside to take a look at the night sky. The stars were amazing! I haven't seen that many, so clear and so brilliant, since I was very young. I'm sorry I don't have a camera that could capture it for you. Believe me, I tried. In any event, you may know that Doug has a song for every occasion. He did not disappoint. I drifted back to sleep serenaded by Doug and the Eagles, 'I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight, with a million stars all around'.