RV Industry | Stoness Travel Blog

A Return to Quartzsite

If you go south for part of the winter, where do you like to go? Many Canadians will turn their RV’s south looking for sun and sand, and some of them will turn up at Quartzsite, Arizona. During the hot summer, Quartzsite is a quiet

whistlestop off Interstate-10, baking under the summer sun. In the winter, the temperature is pleasant in the daytime, and a little chilly at night. That doesn’t stop the mass migration to the area. It’s suggested that perhaps a million snowbirds visit the shows that have made Quartzsite famous. That may be an overstatement, but there are a lot of people.

Sun loving folks keep busy visiting the abundant flea markets, rock, mineral and gem shows, craft shows, car shows, and the monster RV and vacation show. The RV show’s 240 display booths are displayed in a 650-foot long tent and have almost anything you’d ever want for your RVing fun. You can have some of the items you purchase installed on your RV in an outlying tent garage while you stay inside and enjoy the show. On both sides of the interstate a conglomeration of booths display rocks, minerals, gems, in fact, there are piles of things you never knew you needed.

One of the greatest attractions to the Quartzsite area is the free camping in the desert. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has set aside over 10,000 acres of desert just for you, and upwards of 50,000 RV’s take advantage of it. The facilities range from only a place to camp for a few days with no charge, to a modest US$40 for two weeks, or US$180 for seven months with a few services available, such as dump station and water. You should check on these prices as they may be higher for the 2017 winter.

In the past, traffic entering Quartzsite in the winter has frequently created massive traffic jams stretching back along the highway for miles. Road improvements were made, but I suggest that you stay at one of the La Posa Long Term Visitor sites south of Quartzsite along US-95. Drive in to the show in the early morning, and park in the RV show parking lot. Leave early, and you will be heading south in light traffic. The new road improvements did not totally cure the traffic problem. Often, early in the day until noon, the opposite lane will be stop and go traffic moving towards Quartzsite. Part of the blame for choked traffic falls directly on the RVer. Instead of stopping at the white line where there is a red light, many proceed out into the intersection. Traffic ahead may stop moving, the light turns to red, and someone is stuck out in traffic. And then nothing moves.

There are many things to see at Quartzsite in the winter. There is a big mineral and rock show and some very nice pieces of jewelry are sold there. Along the streets are a few flea markets, but not near what there used to be. Apparently the city ‘cleaned up’ and many vendors left, since they couldn’t afford to stay. They are sadly missed.

In the area around town you can explore with your 4WD vehicle into some of the old mining areas. Road tend to be rough and not maintained. Go, enjoy, and return again next year.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels. Visit his website at: www.stonesstravelguides.com

Happy RV’ing!

The Ever Striking Blue Ridge Parkway

If you enjoy mountain driving you will be in your element driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia through North Carolina. The parkway is essentially a mountain crest highway joining peak to peak through the long Appalachian chain of mountains. This means there will be a lot of climbing up the side of one mountain, and descending the other side for over 469 miles.

However, if the weather is good, it will be 469 miles of forests during the climbs, and tremendous panoramic views from the mountain tops. Mostly it will be necessary to use the lay-bys to see the valley sights. Years ago the forests had been cut and it was easy to see across the countryside below as you drove. Now the trees are maturing and are too high to see over.

The road is generally in good shape, but some sections are grown in to the point where you have to keep away from the edges or suffer scratches from limbs. It is necessary to watch for branches above as well or endanger your air conditioner if you have a high RV. There is a section of road at the southern end that has three tunnels too low for many RV’s.
There are several excellent campgrounds without hookups so it’s a good opportunity to try out your RV’s self containment features. One drawback is the use of noisy generators. Although there are new quiet generators on the market, many people insist of using the cheaper, noisy variety, thus ruining the camping experience for those around them.
In the spring miles and miles of beautiful rhododendrons line the route and these along with the other spring flowers make it a terrific drive. In the fall the leaves and mountain ash berries provide another colourful time to make the trip.

Linking to the Grand Canyon by Train

When was the last time you visited the Grand Canyon? Driving by car or RV is a great, fun way to see this great spectacle. One of the most exciting ways of visiting is to leave your RV at Williams, Arizona, and ride the train. I can remember the train rumbling into the South Rim Station before it ceased

operation in 1968. Now, since its reopening in 1989, people are again able to ride to the rim in style. The old cars are refurbished and drawn by good old nostalgic steam engines, although once it gets cold in the fall they switch to diesels.

The trip starts from the historic Williams Depot, now fully restored to its former grandeur. Nearby is the brand new southern style Fray Marcos Hotel, now called the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, with 196 rooms, is handy for travellers who want to stay in Williams overnight.

The Grand Canyon Railway RV Park is across the street from the hotel and the train depot which means there is easy access to the train when it’s time for your train ride to the canyon. Campers can also get away from the noise of town by driving a few minutes north to the Williams KOA and leave their rigs while they visit the canyon.

The train leaves for the canyon right after an exciting shoot-out at the corral. At first you cross several miles of open grassland shadowed by a few volcanic cinder cones. I saw a cattle roundup in progress on my last trip there. Later the open landscape is replaced by the green shade of evergreen trees. After executing a couple of loops,

where the train almost runs back over itself, you begin to climb to the rim of the canyon.

You can see it on television a dozen times, but the wonder and amazement of the first view of the great canyon will stay with the visitor for a lifetime. The Grand Canyon is a mile deep and perhaps eighteen miles wide. Erosion has created freestanding buttes and mesas as well as several steep sections of cliffs. The morning or evening sun blends with the natural colours of the rock layers to create a kaleidoscope of reds, purples and mauves that change steadily as the light level changes.

Time will be short if you go up just for the day,

so the obvious thing to do is to book an overnight trip go up on the train and stay at one of the Grand Canyon National Park Lodges. There are several lodges, all with good rooms, excellent food, and with prices to accommodate almost any wallet. We stayed at the Maswik Lodge and found it very comfortable. You can exit right onto the rim from some lodgings, but you’re never very far from a shuttle stop so it doesn’t matter which one you choose. You can ride to the end of the paved trail along the edge, and walk back at your leisure. That’s nice, and no vehicle to park, or to have to go back to get. It’s like being young again with no worries. Just wander as you wish and stop where you want to.

I suggest riding the shuttle east, getting off at either Pipe Creek Vista stop, or the South Kaibab Trail stop, and walking back along the trail which edges the top of the canyon wall. The views are great, and you’ll likely find solitude along the way. It seems not too many people take the time to get away from the crowd.

You can also book bus tours to take you to the more remote parts of the rim. These tours are well worth the money and the scenic overlooks you will stop at provide excellent views into the canyon.