Quartzsite winter camping is an experience that every RVer needs to do at least once. Have you done it? If so, what did you think?

This is our second time here, and we’ve learned a few tips from the pros since arriving.

If you haven’t been to this sprawling mecca of rubber roofs, fiberglass and windblown desert rats, here are a few suggestions to make your stay more enjoyable:

Unhook from the grid. You can stay in a RV park anywhere in the USA, but the Quartzsite experience means taking advantage of the thousands of acres of free boondocking in the finest scrub brush country that Arizona has to offer.

Save your money for the flea markets and vendor stands, get out there and boondock! The Chamber of Commerce website features this list of where to dry camp in Quartzsite.

Give your neighbor some elbow room. With so much free camping around Quartzsite, why do so many RVers set up camp within spitting distance of each other? I don’t get it.

We woke up one morning to find this tenter camped in the bushes directly behind our rig, with his dog wandering around our campsite.

Remember; the desert is a big place and there are lots of places to camp far away from the hubbub.

Detach your toad  and drive down the dirt roads to locate a spot as far away from the next guy as you can get. Watch for loose gravel though, it can be as sticky as quicksand.

Watch for solar panels. When you’re scanning the landscape for that perfect campsite, look up on the roof of RVs where you want to camp.

If you spot solar panels, but you’re hauling a clackety old generator that rattles your fillings, please mind your desert boondocking manners and move! Chances are, your solar-powered neighbor hardly uses their generator and doesn’t want to hear yours constantly running.

Keep your dogs close. Sure, you have the most obedient dog in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that mine is. My dog is a real cranky bastard, and if your off-leash dog decides to sneak up to my leashed Wyatt while he takes his evening pee (the way my neighbor’s did the other night), don’t get mad at me if my Shepherd eats your Weenie.

Lights out please. Porch lights are for the Motel 6, not for the desert. Turn your lights off at night so we can all watch the stars without interference.

Take your trash to town. The free BLM camping areas don’t have a single dumpster, so you’ll need to hang onto your trash and haul it to town. You’ll find truck stops and gas stations with dumpsters; be kind and buy something there to help offset the costs of removing your trash.

Go eat free. Quartzsite is ground zero for cheap eats. From the free pancake breakfast and afternoon meal at La Mesa RV, to $1 tacos at Sweet Darlene’s, every senior citizen here can tell you where to eat on the cheap. But beware; carnivores will have it made at the freebie stations, but vegetarians are gonna starve.

Dumping can be easy. We used to think dumping RV tanks in Quartzsite was a hassle, but not anymore. And no, I’m not talking about stealth greywater dumping!

Step 1: Take care of your first round of dumping and water fill-up when you arrive in town.

We like Rose RV Park, which had numerous filling stations for just $20 no matter what size rig you have.

Water was an extra $5 to fill our tank but if you only need a little, you’ll find water station vending machines throughout town offering five gallons of water for just .25 cents.

Step 2: If you stay at the Long Term Visitor Area, your fees include a water and dump station. But if you camp in the 14-day areas like we did, you have to either go to town, or you can call a local septic service like All-Pro Toilets.

For $25, they’ll empty your tanks (but they don’t bring water). Just be sure to show them where your dump valves are or else they might miss one of your tanks, which happened to us.

Watch where you park. To the west of the big tent at the RV show you’ll see a large parking area situated inside a gravel wash. It looks like a great place to park, but stay away from there unless you like getting stuck. We saw numerous vehicles dig themselves in, and our 4×4 almost didn’t make it out.

Keep it under 10. A huge dust cloud lingers over the Quartzsite region because people like to speed through the desert. That dust will eventually end up in your rig, and inside your electronics. So slow down, darnit, what’s your hurry?

The biggest thing to keep in mind when you come to Quartzsite is; be prepared for company.

This isn’t the place to get away from civilization; it’s one of the most crowded camping situations we’ve ever been in. It’s the ideal place to come if you’re with a large group and want to party, but if you’re looking for solitude, this ain’t it!

Jim and I tend to be hermits when we boondock, so Quartzsite as a destination doesn’t really rock our world.

We’re glad we stopped here for a few days, however, since even crowded desert camping is a nice way to prepare ourselves for our upcoming long-overdue family reunion in Los Angeles.

See you in the city!

In the Colorado Rockies, Fall fell hard in September.

The aspens put on a great show in the San Juan Mountains, which only happened because the region ended up getting a fair share of rain this summer, unlike most other parts of the state.

The San Juans have an extremely arid climate but the area is also blessed with an abundance of rainfall. This is one reason why we love it there so much, it’s much more lush than most of Colorado.

I snapped this picture at Vickers Ranch during early September. By the time we left, most of these gorgeous leaves had been blown away as winter came roaring in.

But now that we’re on the road and at a much l0wer elevation. we get to experience Fall’s appearance all over again. In Missouri, the drought has hit the state hard and stressed the trees, but some fall colors are beginning to show.

That’s one of the best parts of being on the road. . . . you can make your favorite times of year last and last, as long as you’re willing to go where the wind blows and move with the seasons!

We’re working our tails off here at Vickers Ranch, and the guests have just started arriving. In about two weeks, Lake City’s short, spectacular summer will be in full swing as the cabins start filling up with long-time visitors, some of whom have been spending their summer vacations here for generations.

While Jim works on everything from painting cabins to plumbing issues, and I handle everything from reservations to laundry in the busy front office, our Wyatt Ray waits patiently for our long day to end.

In the meantime, we are having a blast being surrounded by living history.

As one of the first homesteaders in this section of gorgeous Southwestern Colorado, the Vickers family’s ties to the land and dedication to hard work for over 100 years leaves us awestruck. Few people are made from this kind of stock any more, fewer are as kind as they are, and it’s an honor to be a part of this circle of tradition.

Unfortunately as the years go by, things do have to change. One of the biggest changes around here has been the absence of the patriarch of the family, Perk Vickers. At 97 years old, Perk recently moved to the “big city” of Gunnison, to live in the old folks home.

For nearly his entire life, Perk entertained ranch guests with his tales of the old days while sipping on his nightly mason jar of fine whiskey.

Not only did this hearty cowboy live during the prohibition years and farm hay with teams of mules and horses, but he also fought like hell to keep this 2,000+ acre property from being overrun by government regulations, which at one time almost swiped it out from under the family.  It literally took a U.S. congressional act in the 1950s to keep Vickers Ranch alive and prospering.

In this video, we ask Perk (who is deaf as a post) to share some of his tales about farming hay, life during prohibition and ranch living before electricity and conveniences like motorized vehicles.  We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed getting to know this one-of-a-kind gentleman.

The best words of wisdom I have to offer anyone visiting Slab City for the first time is to not judge this place or its people based on outward appearances.

Judge not, lest ye not be judged
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged…
Matthew  7:1

As often as St. Matthew is misinterpreted, this verse is especially relative when visiting the slabs for the first time. For starters, no slabber I’ve met is about to pass judgement on anyone. And any visitors who do judge, are not likely to make it past the Range.

I take that back. When it comes to justice, Slab City does have its own judges and juries.

Take for instance the slabber whose boat got burnt down by vigilantes after he mistreated a fellow resident of the opposite sex. But I digress…

I have never felt unsafe when visiting Slab City. Not even when Moth stabbed Sam. That’s because I live by the unspoken law of leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone.

But seriously, while judgmental folks may take one look at some of these souls and see a wild pack filthy miscreants and ne’er do wells, I see a bunch of fun-loving friends just doing what they can to survive and loving life to the fullest as they do.

Never mind their looks – and in some cases their smell – Slabbers really are some of the nicest folks I’ve ever met. I’ve never been greeted with a smile by strangers in Los Angeles. And I’ve never had such a warm welcome to a strange part of a big city, as I have to an even stranger Slab City encampment.

Take for instance one night at the Oasis, where those gathered around the fire might happily pass along whatever it is they may choose to partake. You don’t need to agree with their poison of choice, but ya gotta appreciate the offer! Then there was the guy returning to his seat who did not barge right in front of Rene as we talked. He politely waited, then said excuse me and even bowed before he passed.

Or how ’bout the boisterous gang in the corner at the pot luck?

A suspecting individual might wonder what mayhem was in the works. The quiet observer would soon discover the Mad Hatter was just having a tea party.

People Watching is Best Slab City Entertainment

People watching is one of my favorite activities at the Slabs. There is actually some amazing talent to be seen at East Jesus and heard at the Range. But the audience is often the best act. Where else will you see a drunkard don a helmet before hitting the dance floor, or a clean cut young lady give Moth a sweet kiss goodbye?

What I find most interesting, however, is the harmony that exists among such a striking dichotomy of economic classes. One Saturday night I observed an Audi convertible parked at the Range, clearly out of place. It was easy to identify the owner and his clique trying just a little too hard to fit in.

But then again, I guess that would just be me passing judgement.

If you have heard of boondocking for free the Slabs, but have never given it a try, what has kept you from joining the fun?

Today, as we travel Highway 90 to this weekend’s Texas Cowboy Poetry Festival in Alpine, we’re recuperating from a year’s worth of fun that was packed into one month at Slab City.

Cheap Entertainment for All

Fun is cheap at the Slabs, with free music and entertainment options for all tastes.

From Saturday night music at the Range to meandering through the East Jesus sculpture garden. From daily happy hours with the old-timer Travel’N Pals to Wednesday night gatherings at “A Camp,” hardly a day goes by without some type of gathering.

When there’s nothing going on, Slab City people watching can turn into a day’s worth of fun.

While some folks only see the downsides of this one-of-a-kind place, we think this fun factor outweighs the negatives, so we keep returning each winter. This time we only planned to stay a few weeks, but soon after arriving it seemed as if we were meant to stay longer.

Zen Harmony with NuRVers

Having ZenNomads Sam and Tracy as neighbors made it too easy to plant temporary roots; when two couples meet and everyone clicks, you just have to take advantage of that moment.

Being around their inspirational 20-something year-old relationship was good for ours, and we never ran out of fun times (or booze!). We love these two!

Wheelin’ It to East Jesus

Nina from the fabulous young, full-time RVer blog, Wheelin’ It, also made our stay worthwhile. She was nice enough to make the day trek from Anza Borrego to the Slabs to meet us for the first time.

Actually, we’re sure she just came to see Wyatt. But she put up with us anyways so we played hooky from work to show her around. Our tour took us to East Jesus.

Riding the East Jesus Roller Coaster

Dearly departed Container Charley’s desolate landscape is alive with creativity. These mind-blowing sculptures are made with found objects around the Slabs, reminiscent of Austin’s Cathedral of Junk.

Visit repeatedly and you’ll always see something you missed the first time.

East Jesus sits on abandoned Federal land, and it’s occupants could be considered trespassers if the government cared enough to pursue an eviction. But the high costs of cleaning up the toxic land on which it sits makes an eviction unlikely.

Even so, the boring “play-by-the-rules” side of Jim and I wondered out loud: don’t the artists have any concerns about putting so much effort into a project on land that could be shut down without warning?

“Nah,” our resident artist tour guide said, “Hey, life’s a roller coaster and we’re just enjoying the ride; it could roll off the rails anytime. We’re just gonna ride this roller coaster as long as we can and see where it ends up.”

Jim and I turned to each other and smiled. These crazy, talented artists are really living in the Now!

And isn’t that the way life should be?