"OOB'ed" in Quartzsite

Posted from Casa Grande, AZ
(Click on Pics to Enlarge)

It's not really as bad as it sounds.  Really.

We decided to take a few days and visit Quartzsite recently for two main reasons.  The first was that our coach had been sitting for 3 months and it needed to be run on the highway for a bit.  Taking Casa Grande to Gila Bend up to Interstate 10 and west to Quartzsite was slightly over 3 hours driving time, so that part was fulfilled.  Secondly, we decided to join David  Bott's first gathering at Quartzsite. He named this the OOB Fest because his very informative blog is entitled Outside Our Bubble. If you like quadcopter videography, take a look at his blog.  He made a very cool video of our group one evening.

 Front Side

Here's Karen holding one of the T-shirts David and his wife supplied to all in attendance.

Back Side

There were originally 42 or 43 rigs which indicated they would be in attendance, but I believe the final count while we were there from Jan. 14-17 was somewhere in the high 20s.

We arrived shortly after noon on Thursday and were parked right next to David's rig (not sure why), set up our site in the desert, and joined a bunch of other folks for an informal "meet and greet" sitting around talking.

Each evening many folks gathered around the centrally positioned fire ring to chat and solve the problems of the world.

Saturday was the opening of the "Big RV Tent" in town.  Karen wanted to take a look at some of the gems and minerals for sale at a huge area near Tyson Wells just west of the Big RV Tent area.  I don't know much about rocks and geology, but I'm sure that someone who has a passion for these types of interests would be thrilled.  We walked around this vendor area for a bit and Karen purchased a few small items for jewelry and display items.

Although we really weren't looking for any RV-related items, we decided to subject ourselves to the crowded area that is the "Big RV Tent".  There was certainly a variety of RV and non-RV things for sale. (Did I mention crowded?)

There certainly was no shortage of food vendors on site.  We did do a bit of "purchasing" in this area.

Quartzsite draws an "unusual" group of folks. I'm certain that number increases when the RV Show rolls into town.

We finally left the crowds and business of the tent area and traveled east on Kuehn Road to meet up with a fellow Palm Creek resident who was staying with the SKPs in "Boomerville.  After a short drive on some dusty roads we met up with Len at the entrance to "Boomerville".

Len's MH is just past the Airstream on the right side of this picture.

Though not that crowded yet, many rigs had already arrived to stake their spot.  Here's a picture looking west with some of the Boomers in the foreground.

Getting back to the OOB Fest, Saturday night was designated as potluck dinner night.  I can say with certainty that there was no shortage of food.

Everyone seemed very content (and full) as we sat around the fire circle chatting and getting to know one another a bit.

A very "cool" thing that David had planned was an outdoor evening movie.  Here he is setting up the rear projector and screen.

In David's past life he had business ties with Dish Network.  He invited them out to movie night with us.  They provided the excellent sound system for the movie and a free promotional giveaway to anyone who wanted to take home a very cute stuffed "Joey" to advertise the Dish Hopper system.

 

We left on Sunday to return to Casa Grande, but I'll have to say that we thoroughly enjoyed "OOB Fest 2016".  Thank you to David and Brenda Bott for the great hospitality and planning of this event.

If you're an RVer and you've never been to Quartzsite, you really should try it at least once.  I've heard that you'll either love it or hate it.  I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised and would probably do it again.  The weather was very nice during our stay and it was really only windy one evening.  I understand from some "old timers" that some years have been very windy in the past.

We're safely back in Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort again.  Probably here until the middle of April before heading out again.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

2015 Year End Review

3rd Year of Fulltiming Summation

Posted from Casa Grande, AZ

It's hard to fathom that we've just completed our 3rd full year of fulltime RVing.  The time has really passed rapidly.

As I haven't posted a blog entry in some time (over 3 months now, but who's counting), I decided not to attempt a "catch up" blog, but rather do a summation of "fun facts" for the year 2015.  BTW, we're wintering over again, for the third winter now, at Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort in Casa Grande, AZ.  We've been here since October 15th and will be here until at least April 15, 2016.

Ok, here goes.

We began 2015 in Casa Grande, AZ at Palm Creek Golf and RV and we liked the place so much that we decided to return for wintering over this year, so we ended the year there as well.
After leaving Casa Grande, AZ in the spring of 2015 we meandered slowly up to Las Vegas, NV for a few weeks before slowing heading toward the Southeast. We spent a large portion of the summer in FL visiting several old friends I had worked with in my prior life.  Many great visits and activities, but FL is NOT the place to be in the summertime.
After FL we headed up the Eastern Seaboard and went as far north as VA to visit with family for a bit. We took the southern route back to AZ in the late fall and again arrived in Casa Grande, AZ in October, 2015.

Click on this link if you're interested in viewing a map of our travels in 2015.
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Because I'm a bit anal when it comes to numbers and statistics here's a breakdown of our third year on the road showing a comparison to 2013 and 2014.
Transportation Related

                                              2013            2014           2015
Motorhome:        
    Miles Traveled                   9095               8384          7519
    Ave. MPG                           8.58               8.40            8.20
    Total Cost of Diesel Fuel   $4162.53        $3781.76    $2230.49
     Ave. Price per Gallon        $3.61              $3.78         $2.43

Honda Fit:                   
    Miles Traveled                    8592             7886            6956
    Ave. MPG                           39.34             35.70          34.42
    Total Cost of Gasoline       $777.66          $674.96       $444.52
    Ave. Price per Gallon         $3.56              $3.05          $2.19

Camping Related (Figures include all utilities as well)

Total Cost                          $7387.21          $8942.69     $7421.06 
        Ave. Price per Day          $20.24             $24.50         $20.33
        Shortest Stay(Nights)             1                   1               1
        Longest Stay(Nights)             60                 74             105
Types of facilities (separate locations, not nights)
        Pr/Comm/Fairgrnd             18                  23                  22
        StPks/COE/CoPks                7                    3                   6
        Member Pks (TT, SKP)         9                    6                   6
        Tiffin Service Center            1                    1                   2
        Dry Camp (Boondock)         1                    1                   0
        Casinos                                                                         1
Total Locations                         36                 34                  37

We camped in a total of 14 different states during the year of 2015 and stayed an average of 9.86 days in each location.
I have all of the budget line item figures for the year as well, but because this varies so much from person to person I've decided not to post charts for these figures.
Should anyone be interested in a "budget" item please do not hesitate to either leave a request in the "comment" section below or send us an email at the address listed in the top left portion of this blog page.
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Summation and General Comments Pertaining to the Third Year on the Road

Last year I used the phrase “we’ve had a blast during our first year of fulltiming”.  Well, that phrase continues to ring true in 2015. There is just so much to see, and so many places to visit in this beautiful country in which we live.
Here's wishing everyone a safe travel year in the coming year.
Hopefully, we'll meet up with a few of you on the road this year.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ OUR BLOG!

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!