On The Way Back Home In The Biggest Campground In The World

They also call it the big Q, and it is probably the strangest little town in the world. While having a total permanent population of 3000, it swells to just unbelievable numbers of tens of thousands during the winter months. Of course, I am speaking of Quartzsite, Arizona. You'll find it by driving Hwy 95 straight north from Yuma. The Bureau of Land Management is running a huge area for seasonal campers just south of Quartzsite, and it isn't even the only BLM area bordering the Interstate 10.

We took off this morning from Holtville. Having packed down most of our stuff yesterday, we were ready at 9am.

But we hadn't even turned onto the highway when we hit a snagg. Bea was inquiring about my wallet, and I thought it would still be in the trailer, but we just couldn't find it. The slides went out again, but no wallet. And it wasn't in the van either. Feverishly we opened every cupboard door, rummaged through stuff, but it wasn't turning up. That is - until I removed the couch cover. That's when I found the darn thing in a crack between the armrest and the couch pillow. Needless to say a big smile appeared on my face.

So with that 30 minutes delay we were finally rolling down the highway. In Holtville we stopped at a tire shop to get all tires checked for airpressure.

This little precaution can save us for a lot of trouble.

Glamis sand dunes

Hwy 78

Rugged terrain along Hwy 78

Blooming "Brittle Bush", the first sign of spring

We were approaching the I-10 and had reached the village Palo Verde along Hwy 78. 

The Colorado at Palo Verde

There is a nice rest area along Hwy 78 at the Colorado River. It's a place where we used to stop in previous years. So, today we took our lunch there. The views across the slow-flowing river are just so beautiful. The area also serves as a camping area. 

But we went on, passing the run-down village of Ripley, we got to Blythe. Blythe is close to the AZ-border. And we noticed that gas prices were at a premium with regular selling for 5.85/gal. and premium being at 6.05/gal.

Luckily, in AZ prices are a lot lower, even though the current increases are staggering.

Shortly after, we pulled in at La Posa South. Our BLM permit allowed us free entry. We found a beautiful site along the edge of the Mesa. A slight cooling breeze was welcomed and nothing beats having a coffee with a bite to eat in front of your rig.

So how long are we gonna hang out here? We don't know yet. Maybe a few days, maybe more. Maybe we wanna go to Tombstone afterwards. Maybe we are just hitting the big highway out east. A camper's freedom is the greatest gift of all.