Day Trip to Quartzsite

We left home at daybreak and made our way north up Hwy 95 about 80 miles to the town of Quartzsite.
It is located at the junction of 95 and I 10 just east of the California border.
During the months of December January and February the population of this very small place explodes by many thousands, as it becomes the biggest RV meeting and Swap meet in the nation. A big top tent is erected and holds different events on different weekends. This weekend is the last of the RV Show and they will have an Arts and Craft Show and Rock and Gem show in February.
About 5 miles south of town we began to see lots of RVs "boondocking" and the closer we got the greater the masses became! The town itself was a bit overwhelming and it had not even begun to wake up yet. We stopped off at the edge of town to get our bearings and turned in behind the Main Street Traders location to find a central place to park.

We happened onto the cemetary and learned a little of the history and lore of the town's beginnings and the camel herd that used to roam the area.
A legendary gent, Hi-Jolly is explained in a plaque at the cemetary.
After spending some time and money in the Hardies bead store..we browsed through some of the other trader's tents in that central location until it was time for lunch.
We met some of our Escapee friends that moved up from Yuma last week. Silly Al's is notorious for their pizza, so we sat around a table for eight, swapped some more stories and made up some new ones.
Enjoyed lunch and all too soon had to say good-bye once more for now. I'm sure we will meet again!
DH and I went back to the Main Street merchants for a while, and then finally made it to one of the RV Stores....RV Lifestyles....and back. The traffic at this point was a bumper to bumper crawl both ways. We drove down the main street by the bigtop....stopped and browsed the outer booths, and never made it into the Main Big tent!
The whole place is rather overwhelming to me, and it would take days and days to see it all. I'm sure it's the place to be if you are in need of anything for the RV lifestle from Rigs to tools, kitchen gadgets to rocks, beads and crafts. There's even portable Service Bays set up for repairs. Everyone should experience that event, and I think I'll go back before it's over this year and probably go again next year too! About 17 miles south of Q is a place that we spotted along the highway in the morning...
The Stone Cabin....it was the perfect place to stop as the afternoon sun was going down. I was in the mood for a cool drink...DH headed for the ice cream....however will I keep his cholesterol in check? lol The traffic was heavy for while, but thinned out soon after we started for home.
I think quite a few rigs are starting to leave the area. We saw lots on the roads, but it still leaves many for miles and miles around Q. It's definitely going to be worth a repeat visit, but for now, I can say that I definitely survived my very first trip!