We had always heard about Quartzsite, Arizona. Apparently, it is a huge snowbird mecca located in the southwestern corner of Arizona. Millions of rvers ascend upon it each winter to find free camping and warm weather. In January and February there is a huge RV show and rock and gem show that is held. We decided it would be fun to see, so started heading east. As we crossed over the Colorado River, we realized that we had been on the West Coast since early  summer of last year - boy time sure does fly. We arrived in Quartzsite and met up with several FOTR families that were also camping in the area. Michelle and Dereck Thomas, Tom and Deb Smythe and their kids became our camping buddies for the next few days. Dylan and Christian loved having other kids to play with and we enjoyed having others to hang out with. We had a good time checking out the RV shows and all of the trailers that were on display. All of us fell in love with a six slide coach that was simply gorgeous. We took some rigs for test drives and enjoyed the show. There was every type of vendor imaginable selling all kinds of gizmos and gadgets galore. There was fair food everywhere and we made sure we tested lots of it! There was also amazing displays of rocks and geodes from around the world. Huge amethysts and crystals had the kids in awe. We enjoyed evening campfires and one night joined Michelle and Derek at their ministry tent. It was a lot of fun hanging out with these fellow FOTRers!
 

   

              
                 Rayana & Christian               Jonathan, Dylan & Christian                   Jedi Warriors

             
         Gorgeous Gem from the Show       Dylan & his buddy Mikayla                 Gotta love 6 slides!

             
               "We'll take it!"                                   Rita and Deb                   Enjoying a Night by the Fire

             
           Having Fun with Friends               Enjoying the Gem Show           Tom Checking out his Satellite

Before we knew it, the Smythe and Thomas families were back on the road leaving Quartzsite. Right behind them though was our friends Eddy and Gayle Bennett, who were just arriving from New York to stay with us in the desert. As they set up camp and got acclimated to the area, our other friends - Vern and Katie Evans - surprised us with an unexpected visit. 

         
             Craziness in the Desert         The Bennetts take on Quartzsite              The Loud Family

Dylan and Christian were thrilled to see Kelby, Conner, Zoe and Auvi after such a long time! The last time we were together was in Tennessee, so it was wonderful to see them again!! We all enjoyed an awesome night catching up on each others travels. After a fun-filled night of glow sticks wars, dancing, marshmallow toasting, guitar hero competitions and fireworks - it was time to say goodbye to our friends the Evans, who were heading into Mexico for the next few weeks.

                 
              Vern, Dutch & Eddie - "Guys Gone Wild"          Gayle, Katie & Rita - we were much calmer!

             
        Best Buds - Christian & Kelby         Dylan Loved the Glow Wars             Camping in the Desert

            
                   Dutch & Katie                 Conner, Dylan, Christian & Kelby     A Good Time was Had by All

Gayle and Eddy stayed on and we introduced them to the world of Quartzsite. We discovered a really cool town full of fun and crazy people. From Craaaazy Jack at the sign making stand to the naked bookstore owner to the dead heads on the street to the “hottie” Gayle ran into at the tattoo “trailer”, we met a lot of cool people! By the end of our stay we felt like we knew most of the locals and were running into them everywhere we went. With thousands upon thousands of rvers in the area, we managed to connect with the locals and enjoy another side of Quartzsite that most people don’t see.

              
          Dancing the Day Away                  Dutch's New Girlfriend                 Dylan Takes a Time Out

              
              Chillin' in the Desert                     Are these guys real?             The Naked Book Store Owner

               
        Dutch's Next Business Venture           That's a Big Cactus!                Dutch Gets a Chinese Massage

           
         Checking Out a Geode              Eddie Breaks Up a Bar Fight...           Dylan, Christian & Abby

It was a great little town and we’re already planning our visit back next year!