Quartzsite: An Adventure in Boondocking

Our very large campfire circle.

March 1 we left our Winter home in Picacho Peak and headed over to Quartzsite. We have heard a lot about this place over the last couple of months as the big RV show went on and the towns population grew with Winter Residents. 
BLM land around Quartzsite is a destination for boondockers-intrepid RVers that live for extended periods of time without hookups. We are fascinated by the lifestyle and wanted to experience a bit of it.
We are here to attend a Boondocking Rally hosted by Howard and Linda Payne of RV-Dreams. We met the Payne's in 2014 at an Educational Rally they presented in Elkhart Indiana. The information that we learned from them helped us to get started in full-time RVing and we were confident in our ability to learn boondocking skills from them as well.
Our first 4 nights in Quartzite were spent at La Paz RV Park-with full hook-ups before moving to the Rally site. 
Those few days gave us the opportunity to explore this community and to learn a little bit of the history of the area.

The welcome to Quartzsite sign has camels on it. It is an interesting clue that camels are an part of the history of the American west. The experiment began in the 1850's by order of Jefferson Davis who at that time was secretary of War.  Seventy-seven camels were brought to the southwest territory and utilized as pack animals to build a road from Fort Defiance to  California across the Arizona desert. The experiment was moderately successful and might have continued had it not been for the Civil War and the loss of Davis's support. The camels were released into the desert when the program was abandoned and lived there for many years. Tales of camel sightings and of ghost camels have become local legend.

Hi Jolly's Tomb.

The camels handler Haiji Ali (Americanized to Hi Jolly) lived out his life near Quartzite and is buried here. 

The lost pilot sign is still providing direction in the desert.

Out in the desert in a fenced area of sand and cactus is a 100 foot long series of letters that spell out Quartzsite and an arrow with an N pointing North. The Quartzite Rock Alignment also know as the lost pilot sign was fashioned in 1945 for flyers of Patton's Army Air Force who became disoriented in the never changing desert landscape. The arrow pointed to the airfield to guide the novice pilots back home. 73 years later the rocks remain as a testimony to those airmen and their ingenuity.

Japanese Internment Camp Monument

Postun Arizona is home to a more somber point in our history. Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation land is where 3 of the 10 WWII Internment Camps for Japanese Americans were located. The camps were torn down and all that remains to mark their place is a monument dedicated in the 1990's by the camps survivors and their families. 

Fred with an Air National Guard friend Jeff Harran

Fred has a friend from his Air National Guard Days that lives in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. We were able to meet up with Jeff and visit for a while. He was kind enough to give us a tour of one of his Fire Stations and to tell us a bit about the history of Lake Havasu. 

We enjoyed lunch in the shadow of the London Bridge.

Jeff suggested a great cafe for lunch with outdoor seating that overlooks the London Bridge. We enjoyed burgers at Makai's and walked over the bridge. 

It was fun to see all of the British flags and London Bridge signage as we walked across the river.

Our boondocking site on Plumosa Rd

Monday morning we packed the Behemoth, emptied our holding tanks, filled our water tank and headed over to Plumosa Rd where the Rally was being held. We stopped to get a 14 day permit and found the Rally site where Howard was directing incoming rigs to positions on the perimeter of the clearing facing inward. We felt like we were circling up the wagons for the night. Some earlier arrivals had made 3 fire pits in the center of the circle and there were big stacks of wood waiting for the sun to go down. Fred and I set up camp and went out for a walk to meet the neighbors. 
We found that most of the Rally attendants were pretty experienced at dry camping and felt like the novices we were at our first rally.
The schedule was pretty loose.  Seminar's by Howard and Linda on 3 of the mornings, one on one walkthroughs of our unit to give individualized advice and a lot of conversation with others about the problems and pitfalls that can arise if you don't manage your tanks and electrical systems prudently. 
We had a hotdog and hamburger night, 2 potluck dinners and 1 potluck breakfast during the week. There were campfires and field trips and caravans to the grocery store. The desert sunrises and sunsets were spectacular and the night sky the brightest I have ever seen.

We met some great people and hope to see some of them again later in the month at the Reunion Rally. 
It was a great week. I don't foresee that we will ever be living off the grid for extended periods of time, but it is nice to know that with a little pre-planning we can pull into a remote or rustic campground and stay for a week or so.

Naan Bread Recipe

Naan of the grill. Camp cooking is great!

This is the Naan Bread Recipe that Fred and I have been using since we have been on the road. It is quick easy and delicious. makes about 12-14 pieces and lasts 5-6 days.
We made this for a pot luck at the RV-Dreams Rally and many people have requested the recipe.

Naan

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 beaten egg
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups white flour

Add the yeast to the warm water and half of the sugar in a mixing bowl. Wisk lightly and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the rest of the sugar, the milk, egg, salt and 4 cups of flour. Mix gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup flour until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth. (we use our Kitchen-aid mixer for the whole process changing from mixing to kneading paddle) Oil the bowl with olive oil cover and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.   It should double in size.

Punch down the dough. Break off a piece about the size of a golf ball. Roll it between your oiled hands to make a ball. We end up with 12-14 pieces. Cover and let rise for 30 min.

Heat the grill to high.

Immediately prior to cooking roll out each dough ball into a thin oval.  Place on the oiled grill. cook for 2-3 minutes. You will see the dough become puffy and the bottom turn slightly golden. Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side.

Traditional Naan calls for brushing the breads with melted butter prior to cooking. We skip this step.

The Naan is delicious plain but you can add the seasonings of your choice. We have used at different times roasted garlic, dill, and Italian seasoning mix.

Have fun making your grill bread!

RV Park review: Tom Johnson Camping Center and Rally Park

Tom Johnson Camping Center and Rally Park

348 Resistoflex Rd.

Marion, North Carolina

800-225-7802

nights stayed: 13

price per night: Campground $27 (Good Sam's rate)  Rally Park $25

                      

We stayed at Tom Johnson Campground and Rally Park for an RV-Dreams Family Reunion.  We arrived early spending 5 days in the Campground and the remainder of our stay in the Rally park.

There are 2 separate parks in the compound. One is for Rallies and the other is a campground that seems to be primarily used by people doing business with Tom Johnson's Dealership sales and service departments.

The sites at the campground are adequate. There are concrete pads and full hookups. Tom Johnson's has courtesy Wi-Fi. Over the air TV is very limited.  There are no picnic tables here so bring your own. The camp store is associated with camping World.

There is a small Laundromat located within the Service center.

The sites at the Rally Park are level  grass with full hookups. We enjoyed a large open sided pavilion for group meals and spent each evening talking around a roaring fire in the enormous stone fire pit.   The Rally Park has restrooms and showers located near the Pavilion.

Tom Johnsons is adjacent to the Catawba River. There is an area within the park that is suitable for launching tubes or kayaks.

Marion is a small, historic town in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina about 30 miles east of Ashville.   The area is beautiful with outdoor opportunities for hiking, boating, and zip-lining.  We were able to experience food tours and art exhibits in nearby Black Mountain.

We would love to return for another Rally. 

Addendum: While staying at Tom Johnson's we experienced a minor electrical issue with our motor coach. The service team was friendly, courteous and quick to diagnose and fix the problem.

Memorial Day with our RV-Dreams Family

The Rally puzzle was completed by Fred, Nancy, Connie and Bonnie

We had a wonderful Memorial Day at the RV-Dreams Family Reunion.
Monday was our first Holiday away from our extended family and one that has always meant opening the pool and the first back yard barbeque of the Summer.  We missed our loved ones at home and especially missed visiting Fred's Dad at the Saratoga National Cemetery.

It was very nice to be surrounded by our new family and to share the day with them.

Watching Corn-Hole, Washer-Toss, and Frisbee Golf from the Games Gallery

We had a catered southern style breakfast followed by a photo shoot.

The afternoon was full of fun and games.

Linked Hula Hoop Relay winners

Air-time!

Then our potluck dinner turned out to have just the right amount of everything.

 

Linda put together a lovely slide presentation with photos of past Rally's and a memorial to those who are no longer with us.

The evening was made complete by a roaring campfire under a crescent moon.

Building Relationships

Fred and I had the pleasure of lunching with friends Jim and Diana Belisle on Sunday. 
We met Jim and Diana last fall at an RV Dreams rally in Indiana and felt like friends by the end of that week. We have been following their blog since then as they wintered in their RV in Michigan. 
They are great planners with a sense of adventure, so it has been fun following their story at ExploRVistas.
Jim and Diane headed south to get a break from Michigan's cold weather and ended up visiting family not to far from Ocala. 
We had a great lunch and got a glimpse of The Villages, when we went to lunch at TooJays Gourmet Deli.
It was fun to spend a few hours catching up comparing notes about the fulltime RV lifestyle.

Jim is participating in a photo challenge. It asks only that we post a black and white photo of our own every day for 5 days and to pass along the challenge to another blogger at the same time.

Day #1 photo is of our beautiful daughter Becky and her 3 boys in one of our favorite places.  The photo was shot on Bearskin Neck in Rockport Massachusetts Summer 2014.

We nominate Lissa and Clay of The Sunday Supper Club to participate.  Your beautiful foodie pix would look great in black and white.