Monday Jan. 18
8 PM UPDATE
It just might rain tonight in Q.
Hope you are on high ground. Remember you were warned.
Click on the below graphic to see
the latest local radar scan which will open in a new window.
Or for a NWS radar scan of the entire
country click
here. This is so cool do check it out.
You will bookmark it for sure...
trust me.
When there you can click on any
area on the map and it takes you to the local NWS radar.
Since
it is overcast and rainy in Q today I thought I would just upload some
shots
from around town over the last few
days.
Sunday Jan. 17
We have not wondered down to the
big tent show as of yet. Like past years the first few days are a mad house.
You can't see anything being packed wall to wall inside a hot tent just
moving along with the flow. Not my idea of fun. In mid week we can have
the place to ourselves without the crowds. I can take proper pictures of
the unique offerings being hawked and actually talk to the venders and
vacation reps.
The Big Tent
taken from the far east side of Q on the I-10 overpass.
The view looking
west into the Tyson Wells vender area.
Saturday was
once again a gem of a day and evening. No breeze at all after sundown and
warm. I perfect night to sit out by the campfire. I'm sure many thousands
of happy campers all around Q were saying...
I don't think
it could get much better than this. A lot of tired people who had been
shopping till they dropped.
But little
did some of them not know... Houston we have a problem...
You know when
that's said your ears perk up a bit.
Well get this...
Three sperate storms are headed this way right in time for the big events
in Quartzsite.
The
Big Tent Show started this weekend and the huge QIA
Pow Wow Gem and Minereal Show starts Wdenesday and runs
January 20 - 24, 2010. This event draws big crowds of snowbirds and rock
hound shoppers. Rock hound vendors come from all corners of the Earth to
show, sell and swap their treasures. Public admission, parking and shuttle
service around the nine-acre QIA show grounds are free. As usual all the
vender spots are sold out again this year. More than 500 booths fill the
nine acre QIA showgrounds during the five day show. Latest forcast calls
for rain starting Monday 7AM.
...VERY
WET WEATHER IS FORECAST FOR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING PHOENIX...YUMA...AND EL CENTRO NEXT
WEEK...
A MAJOR CHANGE
TO WET WEATHER IS FORECAST FOR NEXT WEEK AS A VERY STRONG LOW LATITUDE
JET STREAM ACROSS THE PACIFIC SENDS VERY WET PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS INTO
THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES. THE SNOW LEVEL IS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO
BE RELATIVELY HIGH NEAR 6 THOUSAND FEET OR HIGHER MOST OF NEXT WEEK WITH
A VERY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SNOW IN THOSE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.
TIMING IS
SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN...BUT THE FIRST PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO
SPREAD RAIN EAST ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. A SECOND STORM
SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING THE LIKELIHOOD OF RAIN AGAIN AND A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS BY TUESDAY NIGHT. YET...A THIRD PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED
TO BRING THE LIKELIHOOD OF RAIN AGAIN BY THURSDAY NIGHT.
SEVERAL INCHES
OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN NORTH AND
EAST OF PHOENIX WHERE 5 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN IS QUITE POSSIBLE. LOCALIZED
FLOODING OF NORMALLY DRY WASHES... STREAMS...AND LOW LYING AREAS COULD
OCCUR IF STORMS CONTINUE MOVING OVER THE SAME AREA FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD
OF TIME. IN ANY CASE...A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE FLOW OF WATER IS EXPECTED
IN NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND STREAMS. IF YOU ENCOUNTER FLOODING OF WATER
OVER THE
ROAD OR DEBRIS
SUCH AS ROCKS OR MUD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY TO YOUR DESTINATION.
THE RAIN ON
TOP OF A BUILDUP OF OIL AND DUST WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SLIPPERY ROADS NEXT
WEEK. IF YOU WILL BE DRIVING...BE ALERT FOR SLICK ROADS...SLOW DOWN...AND
LEAVE EXTRA SPACE BETWEEN YOUR VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF YOU.
STAY UP-TO-DATE
ON THE LATEST FORECASTS BY LISTENING TO WEATHER RADIO ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE
BAND.
If you are
parked or planning on camping in the BLM watch where you set up. Don't
park it in a wash. Or on leaving you have to drive through a wash. Guess
I had better get fresh batteries in my police scanner.... This should be
some extraordinary fun people watching, he sez in jest. Looking for
more info on Q check my out. What
is this place called Quartzsite, AZ? page.
Update 9 PM Sunday
Just looked at the radar. It's moving
in... take cover.
Click on the
above radar map to see the latest updated scan.
Saturday
Jan. 16
8 PM
The BLM LTVA areas offer water and
a dump station at La Posa South for $40 for 14 days ($180 for about 6 months)
yet yesterday they put up signs up saying there is NO water. That means
RVers might just as well stay in the 14 day FREE BLM areas and go to the
Pit Stop in town and fill up their RV for $3 and I think dump for $5.
Now most people come here with full
water tanks and empty gray and black tanks so if they are here for only
a week or so all this is meaningless as they are good to last out their
stay. (Now the norm is not to travel with a fulll water tank but when headiing
to the BLM to dry camp you do try to arrive with water on board.) The dump
station is still open. But if you came here thinking you could get water
as advertised you are out of luck. Wonder how many RVers drove back to
the BLM contact stations and requested a refund for services not performed.
Sure this is the desert but this situation should not last for more than
a day or two.
Sunday 9 AM Found out it was
the pump that went out and not a lack of water. A new pump is on order.
Still thousands of unhappy campers.
Friday arrived with clear skies with
no wind unlike yesterday. And the RVs just kept pulling into the
BLM areas. The $7 a day dry camping in town sites right along I-10 were
filling up also. It's party time in Q.
While Terry was off to, where else,
the rock club, in the morning I had a visit from Bob and Linda
from www.because-we-can.net
who are in Q for the big show. I remember meeting them when they were hosting
at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Oregon. Bob does a great tour and Linda
does the visitor center. They both do research on the history of the places
they host so as to be able to share it with their visitors.
file photo
Terry took a bike ride up later in
the afternoon to the corner to Tyson Wash and come home with this.
He claims it's all for the rock
club. Ya sure. They had to tie the box to the bike holder with plastic
bags.
Later we were outside at the picnic
table taking in all the action and up pulled Scott and his wife Lisa from
San Diego. Scott had written saying they were coming to Q for the shows
and wanted to stop by. We sat around the picnic table and had a great conversation.
They later headed to the Grubstake for the Fish Fry. Hope they liked it
as we suggested that's the place to go to.
Terry had been in the above picture
next to Scott, but I edited him out. Who wants to mess up a great shot
of these two. They brought us a huge container of famous HK Anderson Peanut
Butter Filled Pretzels.
I don't know where these have been
all my life but Oh My God they are so good! Thanks...
Terry and I later built a fire and
ate more of them. After that supper was just a salad.
Thursday
Jan. 14
For all you who are heading to the
big
tent show in Quartzsite and later are going to wonder around the Tyson
Wells vender area. I took another look at BEER BELLY's bar. This
is right north of the big tent show and a little east of K and B tools.
Easy to find and me thinks a great spot. After you guys are tired
of following your wives around you can retreat to the beer tent (they'll
know where to find ya) while they continue to shop till they drop. Perhaps
they'll came back and have a brew with you.
(Like they say... I don't know these
venders, or have any interest
in promoting beer drinking or drunkeness
unless it's my own.)
Food venders right next door and
you can carry your food into the beer tent and sit at their tables. Bet
you should order a brew.
The Gyros place had a sign for Tenderloins
at $5 w chips. Hope it's pounded out thin and hanging out over the bun
like I remembr from days past. I'll want to see one. See the Burger sign
for $1.50. I'm going to check out their Gyros later on, but want
to make sure they are selling enough of them so they are fresh.
Beer prices seem fair so they should
do a well.
Love the
clock... it's always 5 somewhere.
Wednesday
Jan. 13
We headed out
north for Parker after lunch to beat the rush later in the week and set
ourselves up with supplies so if needed we can sit tight in the grid lock
and just watch the circus around us. Terry of course will still have
to get to the rock club at all costs. (Sort of like getting to work up
north in winter through ice and snow. You just take your time and tuff
it out.) Traffic is not so bad as in years past now that the main streets
are 4 lanes with center turn lanes. We are in a good spot to watch it all,
we are right along HW 95 south of Q on the west side just up from the La
Posa West BLM contact station. We're the big Hitchhiker 5er with the DataStorm
satellite dish on top (second dish out back on tripod for HD TV) and the
white canopy with redwood picnic table under it.
We can walk
to the big tent show or Tyson Wells vender areas whenever we want. Many
times I like to get out my police radio and FRS radios and set them to
scan and listen to the action just sitting at the picnic table. Like a
state fair people watching or listening is the best part.
We were surprised
today to find Walmart up in Parker was well stocked and running on all
cylinders. Vicki our check out person said they have hired many more
stockers to keep the shelves full due to the rush of snowbirds. It
seems to be working. We did of course go across the street to Safeway and
secured our meat selections and some veggies that looked better than what
Walmart had. Walmart has lots of things but fresh meat is not one
of them. Safeway had NY Strips in a family pack for $4.49 so picked
that up. That should be good to grill while watching all the action next
week.
Back in Q pictures
from earlier this week...
It's not an
official happening unless the Too Crazy Ladies show up.
We noted Root Farms, Inc. have at
least three or more vender spots around the area. Not to miss a beat. All
good stuff at what seemed to us at first glance fair prices. Easy to buy
and carry and a treat when you get back to the RV for later at night. If
people don't buy anthing else they will get some of this comfort food,
me thinks. Nuts are heart healthy don't ya know.
Terry just loves to search out the
flea markets. Never can tell what he will drag home. And I slowly just
ask him what he is going to throw out to make room for this new hunk of
junk. Stops him dead in his tracks, as he just can't part with any of his
old treasures. He has been known to try to hide stuff under the truck back
seat, untill I raise a fit and demand it gets removed, at least from the
truck. I don't even look in the back reaches of the 5er basement anymore.
Tuesday
Jan. 12
Reporting
on life in Quartzsite as we see it.
We wondered over to the Main Event
on the west side of Q on B I-10 this afternoon.
We ran into friends from the rock
club eating at a BBQ vender just under the ape in the above picture.
They just seem to know the hot spots
for good food so I asked why they were at this BBQ vender. They said because
it was the best in town. Word of mouth moves fast around here.
Don on the right liked it so much
he went back for a second one.
The cole slaw looked good. We had
Subways that Terry brought back for lunch an hour earlier.
This looked so much better... so
this will be on our must have list for later.
Pulled Pork or Beef Brisket $6.50
w/side. Small operation who look like they have their act together.
Keep it simple and do it well...
They sell their own BBQ sauce.
He opend up his smoker so I could
get a shot as the others at the table were telling him I do a blog and
will help his sales. Don't think he needs any help... Big
Hole BBQ check them out...
I told you,
you can find most anything in the vender show areas here in Q.
These were
in the Main Event Show area on B-10 West.
Just what you may want in
your back yard or around your pool.
Need some lawn ornaments
or party room items. This is the place to find them. Investments in antiques
could be a better return than .9% in a CDs these days.
Place this pool boy
by your pool and his fish.

I want a hot tub with this
guy and other treasures next to it with green grass and palm trees on a
lot of our own in Q.
I think or maybe not. I
guy can dream can't he. The tree below would work.
They haul all this stuff in for days
and unload it to sell. We wonder how much has to be hauled away again.
Come to think about it, there are lots of storage areas that they might
store it, in Q till the next year.
Not to fret
they do even have lots of rocks. Huge rock show areas I have not even been
to. I let Terry do that part of the Q adventure.
These fine folks made it back to
the food vender area in Tyson Wells.
Ready to serve you.
After our little campfire last night
we headed back into town to the Best Mexican Restaurant. We have been hearing
good things about this place and Terry does love to eat Mexican. On B-10
west next to Pilot truck stop. Don't get confused on the other side of
Pilot is McDonald's. Go for the Mexican place. Entrees under $10 which
included fresh warn chips and salsa. I'm gunna use that word again Yummmm...
They even do a highly rated Friday
night fish special, would you believe. Now if they could just get rid of
the pink painted walls.
Monday
Jan. 11
It just seems
to get warmer in Q each day. About 75°
today and clear skies. Sorry if you don't want to hear that... if you are
where it is not as nice. But that's the way it is. Above normal temps.
We headed
out in mid afternoon after Terry returned from laboring at the rock and
gem club. We needed a loaf of bread and propane. Now at $2.55 a gal but
still total cost under $20. We can handle that without much complaining.
We stopped
at Tyson Wells after that to look around. And you though all was rock and
gems. Thery are pushing everything. As you can see below.

Items like
these go on and on in the vender areas. This is lke the CES happening now
in Las Vegas of out on the edge anything. Not a electronic chip in
any of these but that's the point of it all, me thinks.
We got back
and lounged around the picnic table with happy hour listening to NPR playing
on our WiFi netbook. Even started a small fire at sunset. Turning to the
west I got this shot of a different kind of sunset today.
See
where we are at right now. DataStormUsers
map ID 98
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