After staying 2 nights at the Oxbow Campground we moved on to Quartzsite, or the big Q as it is also called. March is the month when Quartzsite BLM LTVAs are emptying out. That means there is plenty room and sites to choose.
We always stay at "LaPosa South" and preferably at the outskirts. Our idea of staying here was based on avoiding the increasing attack force of bugs at Holtville. Quartzsite is at a higher elevation (879ft) and thus cooler. It is also more windy, which we have the pleasure of experiencing today. Unfortunately it also comes with a bit of rain and generally grey skies.
So we are listening to Quartzsite Oldies Radio channel at 96.5.
While we have been staying here we have taken walks into the stony desert here. What we found is most astounding. The desert up here is nothing short of being a botanical wonderland. Trees are mostly Palo Verde and Iron Wood, but it is the flowers who dazzled me.
Back home, on Campobello Island we have an annual super bloom of Lupines in June.
Out here a smaller Lupine relative lives and sprouts out of the mineral-rich desert floor.
And while you walk among them your smelling sense might get strong whiffs of various perfumes. Truly amazing! And I wonder why nobody seems to offer botanical desert tours around here.
We briefly drove to town to get a few groceries, and that's where Quartzsite is lacking services. If you need something, anything, out of the ordinary you better take the drive to Blythe or even Parker, where there is a Walmart. Quartzsite has a couple of Dollar Stores and a regular small grocery market, which at peak times is packed with people. Gas here is more expensive than in Yuma. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because they can, and because the season here is short.
Of course, we have been visiting Quartzsite a number of times, and over the years, we found very little changes - if any.
The town has fewer than 2,500 permanent residents and there might be very few job opportunities outside of the winter season.
Whenever you visit the big Q you will be in the heart of the Old West and thus meeting history at every corner. One of the real Western stories is the one of the kidnapping of Larcena Pennington by some Apache Indians. If you want to read it, here is the LINK.
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| Multiple arms at a Saguaro |
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| Protecting each other - a Palo Verde tree and a Saguaro |
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| The death of a Saguaro Cactus |
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| The "ribs" of a Saguaro |
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