January 27, 2013 -- Quartzsite, AZ – When it gets busy…

This is what we woke up to last Wednesday morning.  The sky was on fire! 
While it is beautiful, it also means there is a LOT of dust in the air—the air we breathe.  This happens every year in the middle January, just before the Big Tent show opens.  The RV show brings in thousands of visitors, many who now tow jeeps, four-wheelers, and “side by side” off-road vehicles.  And they come to run the miles of dirt roads and even make new dirt roads—which throws a lot of dust into the air.
A friend once asked about parking on the BLM lands,  “How do you know where to park?”  My response was:  Any where you want!
  These photos show a few different parking styles.
Some like to park with space around them.
Others like to park close, very close, to each other.
Some respect a set amount of space between RVs—as if there is a set “distance-between” rule,”  They park in a very orderly fashion.
Others park “willy-nilly,” according to their own rules of parking.
There are big expensive rigs.
And some that have been around for a long, long time.
For some, it must have been an act of faith to leave their home state and head to Arizona!  There were rocks behind the wheels on the RV on the right—to keep it in place.
And some RVers just can’t leave anything home—whether it fits safely or not.  This set up was a bit scary.  Imagine following him through Los Angeles, CA, in traffic.
Most visitors come for the RV shows.  I made my way to the tent three times. 

There are food vendors galore.  You name it and it is probably here.

This photo was quite unusual.  I could see the green carpet on the ground.  Usually the tent looks like this:

I had been hearing visitor numbers were down this year.  I believe it after visiting the tent.  Usually the aisles are so full, you can’t take photos.
Here are some booths this year. In addition to “everything about RVing,” other vendors come to cash in on the high visitor count.
This was just for dog owners.  Those are pouches to carry your small dogs and clothes on the back wall.  Dog accessories are a big industry in the RV world.

This was a new product—silicone sheets to put on the BBQ grill and cook food like in a skillet.


Janet carries everything microfiber.  It’s a fun booth to explore.

Chef Bob and his cooking gear.  He always draws a crowd.  I saw several generator booths this year.  Two of our brands were covered.  Honda is our favorite for the RV, while we have a Champion for the Texas house. (Texas has lots of BIG storms in the spring.)


Good Sam Club did not have a booth in the big tent this year.  This was a first for Good Sam.  Texas neighbors, Charles and Chris Yust, were in the tent with Good Sam Insurance products.

However, the Escapees RV Club had the same booth, # 201, as usual—good for them:

And, I think one of the crowd pleasing favorites is:

However, as I was wandering around alone, and it wasn’t very warm, I passed on the delicious, huge ice cream cones sold in this booth every year.
There were a few long-time vendors missing this year.  The show was a bit smaller than previous years—a sign of the down-turn in the economy.  We had enough visitors to clog the roads as usual, but not as bad as previous years.
Then, after weeks of  bitter cold weather and windy and sunny days, to round out the weather situation we woke up yesterday morning to:

It was so nice to see all the puddles.  The dust is out of the air.  We can see the mountains again!
Many of the off-roaders packed up and left yesterday.  We won’t miss them.
It wasn’t the best of weather for the vendors for the last weekend, but they too will breathe easier today—on the last day of the Big Tent Show.
Later this week, we are packing the camper and car and heading to the S. F. Bay Area .  We have doctor’s appointments on the 7th and 8th.  If all goes well, we will be back in Quartzsite around the 14th for another 4-6 weeks. 
If you are having nice weather, be sure to take a moment and enjoy it.  We are enjoying every sunny day—it fills the batteries so we don’t have to run the generator.  Life is good.
P.S., Ever wonder if we cook in the camper?  Yesterday’s rain brought on a “soup day.”

The pressure cooker that I bought at the Big Tent show two years ago makes wonderful soup in a short time.  It was sooooo gooood on a wet, damp day.  However, it trashed the kitchen for an hour.