Quartzsite, Arizona – Out and About

RV Big Tent

Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, also known as The Big Tent, or as I like to call it “Burning Man for Seniors” is held yearly in January. It’s a great place to check out some new RVs and/or new RV products and buy lots of stuff that you don’t really need.  There is also plenty of food and drink where you can just have some fun meeting up with fellow RVers and poking around the vendor booths.

Funny vendor

Ahh….wine

Some of the Big Tent food

No trip to the Big Tent is complete without a stop by Beer Belly’s – Adult Day Care

Beer Belly’s

Readers Oasis Bookstore

On the east side of town is the infamous Readers Oasis Bookstore, a used bookstore where just about any kind of book, magazine, or interesting object can be found.  More famous than the bookstore is the owner, Paul Winer or Sweet Pie.  Drop by to meet him and get your picture taken with him. He is a very interesting man and has been a main fixture of Quartzsite for years.

Inside the Readers Oasis Bookstore

Hanging with Paul at the Readers Oasis Bookstore

Hi Jolly Cemetery

The Hi Jolly Cemetery on the west side of town is named after a Greek born Syrian camel herder called “Hi Jolly”, AKA Haiji Ali or Philip Tedro.  There is a monument dedicated to Hi Jolly located at the cemetery.  He died in Quartzsite and was a member of the US Army Camel Corps.

Q Rocks

The area north of Quartzsite along Plomosa Rd was used for WWII training by General Patton’s troops and has an area of rocks near mile marker 6 on the north side of the road which spell out Quartzsite.  This was created for aircraft to see while training and is still in place today.

The Q made of rocks for the training missions

A North sign made of rocks for the training missions

Bouse

Bouse is a small town northeast of Quartziste at the crossroads of highway 72 and Plomosa Rd.  General Patton established a military Camp Bouse here during WWII that was used for training by thousands of soldiers. The area has a few monuments and artifacts from the good old days and is worth of visit if you have a free afternoon.  There are a few RV parks there, a small store, and a gas station but it doesn’t offer anywhere near the amenities as Quartzsite.

Alfa Roadrunners Rally

No trip to Quartzsite during The Big Tent is complete for us without visiting the Alfa Roadrunners Rally. One of the many RV brand rallies that are held during the winter months.