Another Flat on the Way to the Big Tent

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To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.

Dog stroller - great for blocking aisles

Last I wrote we were heading to the Big Tent in Quartzsite on Sunday.  That we did.  We expected to see huge crowds and lines.  Actually, it wasn’t bad and traffic was even fairly light considering the Big Tent was opened and it was a weekend.  Now Monday morning was another thing.  The traffic was backed up for miles and lines were everywhere around town.  It appears everyone else decided to wait until the weekend was over to visit. 

We pulled out early Sunday morning to visit the Big Tent.  We had a minor slow down.  It was another flat tire!!  That’s right … it was the second flat tire in about two weeks. Why is it that every time Terry goes off road at the BLM and I get the car next, the tire goes flat? 

Last time I had the little Coach-Net card in my purse.  This time I had my travel bag and no Coach-Net card.  However, we were lucky.  Jim had returned to Quartzsite with Sandie.  So, guess who we called??  Sure enough we called Jim.  He came to our aid just like we knew he would.  Isn’t it nice to have friends who have the right tools and a working vehicle to get to you when you need them?

Eventually, we did make the Big Tent.  There were lots of people but it wasn’t quite as bad as we imagined it would be.  There is one thing we bought or rather two things.  We bought tires.  Obviously, we needed them.  The tires were ordered and will be installed on Tuesday.  At least we don’t have to make a trip to Yuma now.

Vendors did seem to be doing well.  We saw lots of bags and purchases.  We also noticed most of the food vendors were busy serving food.  Tables were full and people were doing more than just resting their feet at the tables.  They were eating!!

Early Sunday morning

This is where we found the tires.

We also found a couple of folks we knew helping the vendors.

Toni and Doug (Lyn must be hiding)

Jerry and Kimberly at work

There were a few great items we found but nothing we really needed to buy.

Would this have helped our tire?

Great generator cover

People will be pretty busy for about another week going back and forth to the Big Tent.  That’s about how long they’ll have to visit and find something to purchase.  After that they’ll have to resort back to the vendor booths that are scattered all over town.  Quartzsite is definitely an experience.  It’s one of those places that needs to be on everyone’s bucket list.

Monday the clouds rolled in and folks in our group started to move south.  We actually lost four rigs but we’re  intending to catch up with a couple of them again around the Yuma area.  Well, at least we hope to.

We checked around with our crowd and found a few willing to try again for a nice meal out.   Some were working, some weren’t home, others had eaten and some even had other plans.  So, nine of us met for dinner at the Q-Town Café.  With all the people in town you can guess that we had quite a wait.  However, the food was good, the waitress fantastic and our table-mates the greatest.

Paul, Terry, Jeri, Marti, Paul, Jim, Sandie, Carol and Steve

 Paul and Marti are newbies.  Check out their blog at R Sanity RV Travels here.

‘Tis life on the road.

Stampede through Quartzsite’s Big Tent

Wear short sleeves! Support your right to bare arms!

 

The Big Tent is really the big event in Quartzsite.  This is the time hoards of RVs and people swarm this little town in the middle of nowhere.  Just about everyone with an RV shows up to check it out.  How do we know just about everyone with an RV shows up?  All you have to do is look around and see all the RVs.  We’re sure every RV owner in three states is somewhere around here.  The place is packed.  Obviously, we are no exception because we are here too.

Sunday was our turn to go.  Well, I could rephrase that.  People don’t really take turns.  They show up at the same time and push each other through the walkways.  It’s big.  It’s really big.  It’s open for nine whole days and during that time herds of people stampede through.  The vendors are competing for  wallets filled with cash.  It’s like a migration.  Those that don’t move, get trampled.

 

Now walking through the tent can be extremely frustrating.  You always have those who walk four abreast making it almost next to impossible to get around them and on your way.  If these same four walked at a decent pace it wouldn’t be so bad but they don’t.  They meander along making sure to block everything you want to see.  They also stop right in the middle of the walkways just to talk.  Then, there are others who push and shove so you just go sailing by the little booths you actually came to check out.  It can be rough in there.  Everyone is on their own.  All the little strollers that block the booths aren’t really baby carriers.  Some might even be empty but others are dog carriers.  Some of the more aggressive shoppers use the strollers.  Occasionally you’ll feel them on your heels and in your back.   Maybe next year maybe we’ll take a stroller with us just as a defense tool.  Dress for it and be prepared.  It’s a dog eat dog world and the Big Tent is evidence of just that.

All this commotion, all the pushing, shoving and crowds just means more people are shopping and hopefully, spending.  It’s a great time.  It’s something we certainly don’t want to miss ….. but neither do all the others.  Tomorrow I’ll try to give you a little view of what’s actually there that causes all this fluff.  For now ... we're getting ready to head and check it out ourselves.

‘Tis life on the road.