Friendly Folks in Quartzsite

If you’re not using your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook

 

Guess what we had?  It was a flat, flat tire.  There was only a slight wondering how we got it.  However, we all really knew.  Terry even admitted it was his fault.  Just because the Jeep is a 4 wheel drive doesn’t mean that the tires are capable of going everywhere he thinks they should.  Our son suggested his father leave the four wheeling to the ATVs and not the Jeep.  The advice came a little late.

We called Coach-Net. Coach-Net called Roadside Service.  Roadside Service located a tire shop in Quartzsite.  We were told it’d be two hours before they could get to us for repair and that’s when Jim got out his trusty little tools and the boys started changing the tire.  Once finished we cancelled the repair service.  However, it wasn’t quite that easy.  The rest of the story can wait for a campfire here and there.  To sum it up …  if you need tires fixed, in our opinion you probably will receive much better customer service in Parker or Blythe. The tire shop in town definitely is not recommended.

Why is it that the small towns that rely on seasonal visitors have many locals that don't realize that those visitors bring life to their town?  They bring money and with that money comes new services and many jobs  --- most likely even their job.  Of course, with the tourists come traffic, lines and just lots of people everywhere.  Towns like this probably would not survive without the snowbirds.  Some locals get annoyed and it often shows in attitudes towards their customers.  On the other side other locals are super friendly as are most of the vendors we’ve visited.

The Arco station in town is a good example of that.  A couple college kids on their way back to Phoenix had put in the wrong pump number just as we were putting in our credit card.  When they realized their mistake, we figured the easiest way was to get a receipt to determine what card was really charged.  We had to go inside to ask the lady at the register to print a receipt showing the last four digits of the credit card.  At first she refused and after some discussion finally agreed to do so.  We’ve got to admit she had to be one of the most unfriendly people we’ve ever met working at an Arco.  Obviously, we won’t be back.

Monday morning seven of us decided to visit Sweet Darlene’s for breakfast.  When we order breakfast we aren’t particularly fond of being served food that has been precooked and left to sit and get cold.  That appeared to be the routine as hash browns and toast weren’t just warm.  They were cold and I do mean cold.  We weren’t sure how long the hash browns, toast and meats were cooked ahead of time but in order to be that cold we knew that they hadn’t just been cooked. They had to have been sitting for a mighty long time.  The eggs were nice – not cooked as ordered but they had been freshly cooked.  Another location we won’t be getting our wallets out at in the future.

Cold Leftovers

Palo Verde Group

Dinner at Palo Verde’s was a totally different adventure.  Food was fantastic, service perfect and table-mates even better.  We have been to this Quartzsite restaurant several times in the past and there is a reason we keep returning.  it’s because it always has been a pleasant experience.

Club house

The clubhouse is finally done.   It took three days to put it together.  The first day the poles were put up.  Then the boys decided to take a day of rest.  That they did.  Final touches were put on it on Sunday and now it’s officially “The Clubhouse”.

There’s also been some horse-trading going on.  Terry did buy the DeWalt saw from Lee.  Lee was selling and Terry was buying.  Jim bought an icemaker from Mike.  Then, Mike bought a blue flame heater from Grandma’s …. a super nice vendor shop in town that sells RV heaters.   Next came the installation process.  

Installing Blue Flame Heater

There probably are many more friendly people in Quartzsite than the other kind.   Out on the BLM it’s a place where almost all of the RV’ers smile and wave at each other.   The problem is you tend to remember those that aren’t so friendly more than those that are.  Isn’t that a shame?

Our area

‘Tis life on the road.