Sunday, October 6, 2013

Quartzsite LTVAs and the government shutdown

Katie and I left Bluewater on Friday about noon with full water tanks and empty grey/black water tanks.  We were ready for whatever we found in Quartzsite.  We got to within an hour and a half from Quartzsite and over-nighted at the Love's gas station in Buckeye, AZ.

Early Saturday morning, we drove the rest of the way into town.  I checked out two of the LTVA areas.  They looked open and there were camp hosts stationed at each of the four LTVAs (Long Term Visitor Areas - $180 for the season, September 15 through April 15, with water and dump provided free).

I drove in, past the little brown camp host office buildings, and then I saw the sign in the middle of the road that barred passage.  It stated the area was CLOSED. There were a few RVs in the LTVA areas that I could see, but found out later that those were people who got there and purchased their permits before the shutdown, and so they were allowed to stay.  They are truly few and far between.

I then drove to one of the 14-day limit BLM campground areas.  I was happy to see some RVs parked there, drove in and got a campsite for me and Katie.  We'll be in the 14-day BLM camping areas for the duration of the shutdown. I'm going to use this time to check out some of the 14-day areas.

The situation, as of today, is that the BLM 14-day areas are OPEN.  At the end of this post is a map showing which are the LTVAs and which areas are BLM 14-day limit areas, since you probably won't be able to find one on our government's BLM websites.

For now the camp hosts at the 14-day areas are here, but not working.  They are not giving out slips to campers with their in/out dates.  There are no American flags flying at the entrance of the camping areas.  I was told that when the flags are flying again, normalcy has returned and Quartzsite LTVA areas are again open for business.

But for now, the 14-days areas are OPEN and you can come-on-down!  Water and dumping is available in town.

The weather is perfect. Monday and Tuesday the temps will be around 92 degrees F and next Sunday and Monday will be low 90's.  From then on, we'll have 80's and 70's.  Perfect.   It's dry here, so yesterday, even though it was 93 inside The Palms, we were very comfortable.  I turned on a fan, opened the Fantastic Fan on the ceiling and my kitchen ceiling vent, put on cooler clothes, and didn't notice the heat for the rest of the day.

It's really empty here - this is the beginning of the busy time for Quartzsite and the town needs the business.  They will really be hurt if the shutdown continues and people stay away, so don't let the government hurt more people. 

Here's where we are now:


You can see how empty the area is.


We picked a site a ways in, away from the road, and have a nice site near a wash, with a beautiful, large rock campfire pit.


I've got all my solar lights laid out by the front tire - charging them up with the free solar.  It looks like I might be here a little while, so I might as well put out the lights and my American Flag.  I only seem to do that at Quartzsite, I guess because I can stay longer than two weeks. Otherwise it's not worth the effort to me.


Below is the first critter I saw.  He was on this rock in our campsite.  I saw a few lizards yesterday, but nothing else.  I put out my hummer feeder and a plate of seed for the squirrels and Gambel's Quail, so hopefully we'll have some company today looking for a meal.


On our way here, this truck was in front of us on the highway.  I don't know if this sheep was tied up in the back of the truck, but you'd think the driver would at least have the tailgate attached.


What is it with Dinosaurs in Arizona?  Huge fake dinosaurs are all over the place, my Grandkids would love it. I finally broke down and took a photo of these two:


I always get a picture of the state entrance signs if I see them soon enough.


As promised, below is a map of the BLM and LTVA areas in Quartzsite.  I tried to copy the map from the government website for you, but it appears, in an effort to deter American Citizens from accessing the websites that we pay for with our tax dollars, that the Quartzsite LTVA maps are not accessible during the shutdown.  @$%&$**#!   and also  *%#@^**($%!   (Real words deleted to protect the blog author.)  Aren't you happy that our government doesn't own Google? Or Wal-Mart?!?

I've gotten permission from Mello Mike to use his LTVA map from his website.


Thanks, Mello Mike, great map!  It's from his recent post, "Quartzsite Boondocking primer." Check it out.  :)

And here is our first, beautiful sunset in Quartzsite, AZ last night - I'm sure it's a familiar sight to many of you:



Don't let the shutdown keep you away.  I know it's early in the season, I've never been here this early before, but there are lots of fabulous campsites ready for the taking. 

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)

20 comments:

  1. Your RV looks a little lonely all by itself, but I'm sure you will soon have plenty of others around.

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  2. We won't be there til January but I'm glad to hear some of it is still open. What a mess. Wonder why the 14-days are still open? I am looking forward to seeing some of those beautiful desert sunsets. Weather should be about perfect right now.

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  3. I really appreciate your update with regard to Q and shared it in a few places. Enjoy the solitude! I recognize that sunset. Pretty sure I enjoyed that spot last year :)

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  4. Can't wait to get out there again. Looking at your sunset pics, makes us miss Quartzsite even more! We'll be there soon, just not soon enough. Maybe we'll see you there. Give Katie a pet from us!

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  5. This is an idle curiosity question - what happens if people park in the long term area without a permit? Is there anyone there to check permits?

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  6. Oh my! You are making us want to be in Q already! We spent our first two weeks in the area that I think you are in. At this time, we are in Michigan ...heading to Indianapolis for John's Dr. appts. in November then back onto the road heading to the Southwest. See you in January!

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  7. That is such a different part of the country to me. The pictures are wonderful. I love the dinosaurs.

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  8. Allison, I don't know what they would do if someone went in and parked. There are still camp hosts at each site who check out their areas, and I'm sure it would be reported.

    I read somewhere that people disregarding the AREA CLOSED signs would be fined or (I think) arrested. Not worth it since there are still areas that we can use. :)

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  9. Thanks for the update! I'm sure a lot of people will benefit.

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  10. I would love to be there by November 15 but not sure I can make it. Otherwise it will be my next winter plans for sure.

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  11. I like you are very upset about all this needless shutdown stuff. The arrogance of thinking that this is "owned by the Government" so the "people" have no right to use it when "the people" are the owners of the Government.

    Why is nps.gov, blm.gov, loc.gov shutdown, but Michelle Obama's letsmove.gov and President Obama's healthcare.gov both not shutdown (although his is not working very well).

    The finger pointing between the two sides is driving me nuts. It's like we the people are caught in temper tantrums between the right and the left.

    Sorry....just had to vent. --Dave

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  12. Barbara, Thanks for the update. I miss those gorgeous sunsets so much. Looking forward to seeing you again although I don't expect to get there much before the end of November.

    I just don't understand politics at all and I sure don't understand this 'government shut-down'. Does it mean that ALL U.S. Government Offices are shut-down also ???

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  13. Oh I love those Arizona sunsets! Can't wait to return the first of the year!

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  14. I just saw this and thought you might appreciate:
    DIY Tip of the Day: Better Bait. Mice don’t spend all their time foraging for food. They also search for bedding materials. Instead of baiting traps with cheese or peanut butter, try cotton balls. Just tuck the cotton into the trap mechanism. While the mouse is trying to tug it free, the trap is sure to spring. You can use the trap again and again without rebaiting, and your pets won’t be tempted by the bait.

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  15. Barbara - what a novel idea. Actually I haven't found any food missing, but I have found shredded paper towels and Kleenex in nests. I'm going to try that. Maybe one with peanut butter and one with paper and see which one catches more mice. (Of course, I'm hoping for NO mice at all - LOL.)

    Another thing, if the paper works, it won't go stale and rancid, like I'm sure the peanut butter does after a while.

    Thanks! :)

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  16. Nice post with helpful info from someone already on site. Glad to hear those areas are open.

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  17. There are shutdown rebels that defy the order and walk, drive into national parks, monuments and such anyway. They say it is the peoples property, nobody can tell them to not access it. Even a layer says it is unlawful. See USA today video.

    http://www.usatoday.com/media/cinematic/video/2958819/shutdown-rebels-catch-us-if-you-can-usa-now-video/

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  18. well don't worry about the two week limit, the mayor said quartzsite police will not enforce it nor will state or the sheriff, who are really all that's left to do the job anyway. the mayor assured those who are on the ltva to stay in place and they would work on dumping and water for winter visitors that show up. still a few diehards that have set up shop as you know but nothing like normal. I opted for pattie's rv park till the ltva opened.

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  19. Thanks for this info as we leave Canada in 2 weeks.

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