I haven’t had much to blog about lately. No travels or adventures. And it’s like my brain has decided to power down for the season. At least the deep thoughts and wry observations part of it.
I’m in Quartzite to pick up a package that should arrive at my mail forwarder tomorrow. The contents of that package will be good for a couple of posts.
Being here is also an opportunity to load up on stuff from the overstock/off brand/past-freshness-date stores where almost everything is a dollar. Nutrition bars are ten for a buck. And one place was giving away red potatoes.
Then it’s back to Yuma where the nights are a little warmer. Although Yuma is a much larger city it feels less crowded than Quartzsite because everyone’s not trying to use the same handful of shops and services. And Yuma is more pleasant to me because it isn’t a monoculture of RVers.
The "monoculture" comment is an excellent way of putting it. I am with you on that.
ReplyDeleteThose bars are sure an easy way to eat. Most of them are too sweet for me, though. And most jerky is too spicy for me. It's hard to be so picky. :)
ReplyDelete"A tire weight. That’s sort of like a horse being crippled by stray horseshoe."...Priceless!....been trolling your back pages upon discovery of your blog today.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll slow to covid-speed and not miss any more of your witty gems! (We are wintering home this season - normally would be at Senator Wash (Imperial Dam LTVA) right after Xmas.)
Using Google Maps, we see that it's 83 miles from Yuma to Quartzsite; round trip = 166. The 5.3 L V8 is purported to get (in the 2010 1500 model) 13 miles-per-gallon city and 17 highway for an average of 14. So 166/14 results in 11.8 gallons. The cheapest price for gas these days is $1.99/gallon which brings the cost to $23.48.
ReplyDeleteNot bad for a day's entertainment.
There's an old Spanish proverb Michelle keeps on her refrigerator: It's wonderful to do nothing and rest afterward.
I would modify it to: It's wonderful to have nothing to do and just rest.
"...which brings the cost to $23.48." But I make it up on volume.
DeleteGas here in Rockport TX was $1.589 a gallon when I filled the truck this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation: "monoculture." Can you say more?
ReplyDeleteQuartzsite exists primarily to serve or exploit the mobile world, whether snowbirds and nomads or those just passing through on the Interstate. There's not much going on apart from that. And it's predominantly white boomers. In comparison, Yuma would still be a functioning city even if snowbirds didn't invade each winter. And the population is diverse in age and ethnicity.
DeleteI got the same impression (of Quarzsite), but I wonder....
DeleteI met an elder a couple of years ago near one of the Ogilby LTVAs. He'd come back to see what was happening. He told of impromptu jam sessions and enjoyable gatherings but said they seemed to have disappeared.
The parents of my Cleveland (Ohio) girlfriend came to visit in Albuq in the early '80s. Their first night in town they headed to the German Club and for the rest of their stay spent every night out dancing and/or playing cards with their new-found friends.
I hear rumors of similar happenings in other places (Baja, Puerto Vallarta), but it seems things have changed here in The States. But I wonder how much it's me. I've never been a bar or pizza-joint hanger-outer. Have you been into any of the hangouts in Quarzsite?
I'm not the hangout type. There are probably a lot of social opportunities in Quartzsite, and a number of subcultures, and sub-subcultures within the general boomer RV culture. But as an introvert, I prefer to socialize one or two at a time. And my need for even that is very low.
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