Welcome Back to Quartzsite!
Or, As the Long, Hot Summer Ends and the Winter Migration Begins
As we prepare for the yearly snowbird mass-migration, we locals have a chance to snap a few photographs that don’t include someone else in the frame, also trying to snap a photograph.
We Cordrays have enjoyed some blissfully silent and unpopulated local camping forays this month. I have stories and pictures to share about our camping trip at Plomosa Road (video posted by LivingOurDreamNow on YouTube), but I thought I would mix it up a little bit. We are knees-deep in the creative making-mode, preparing for art and craft shows happening soon, plus volunteering for ham radio events with the rapidly expanding Desert Amateur Radio Club. We are so proud of all that they have accomplished! It has been a busy summer for the Cordrays.
Dan and I have some exciting creative projects in the works besides the above-mentioned ventures, but we aren't ready to reveal all of the details just yet. We plan to enjoy the winter season here in the Q, amongst friends who stay year-round and those who come to visit yearly, or whenever they can make the journey. Quartzsite is the great gathering place of the desert, that is a fact.
If you are saddling up the Winnebago or the traveling-van to head this way, we look forward to seeing your smiling face soonly. Quartzsite is a can’t-miss stop if you are planning to explore some of the more unique sights of the Southwest United States. It truly is very inexpensive to own or rent a little pineapple slice of paradise to call home, if only to experience the fun of the epic winter season.
Live music, rock, gold, craft, RV, antique, flea market, and every other type of show and sale is on tap from October to March, with more happening daily than you could ever hope to attend. The choices are endless! Quartzsite Roadrunners Gem and Mineral Club offers group rockhounding expeditions and classes on silversmithing, lapidary, leather working, wire wrapping, pine needle basket weaving, and much more. Quartzsite Metal Detecting Club offers coin hunts, outings, group digs, and is very active at the Quartzsite Gold and Treasure Show. Members of the Quartzsite Off-Road vehicle group gather to enjoy our unique desert landscape beyond the bounds of the paved road. Phoenix, Yuma, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Southern California are all less than a few hours away, making Quartzsite a great place for a short or long-term home base to return to after adventures elsewhere.
Tyson Wells Stage Station Museum is the place to learn about the town’s settlement and early gold mining in this area. The Quartzsite Improvement Association offers Desert Sky Theater Shows featuring live entertainment and dinner. Quartzsite Town Council member and local crooner Sam Saxton will be performing for the St Patrick’s Day Dinner & Show on March 15th at 5 p.m. (tickets available at the QIA). If you don’t get a chance to hear him on St Patrick’s Day, check out his schedule here and go see him somewhere. He is excellent! I can still hear last year’s Christmas songs in his velvety voice.
If you haven’t been to Silly Al’s Pizza, you haven’t been to Quartzsite. News is that Gypsy Wagyn, one of our favorite bands, will be playing LIVE at Silly Al’s January 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, and 14th (2023). We have missed the live music and dancing at Silly Al’s and are so happy to hear that it will be returning. We look forward to hearing another favorite, Alaska Dan, playing all around Quartzsite. When the musicians arrive, the party begins!
You can find dates of events, local links, and tons of information about Quartzsite by visiting the Quartzsite Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism website or by stopping by their office at 1240 W. Main Street. Shanana Rain Bear, editor/publisher of the local newspaper, Desert Messenger News, will be happy to greet you, answer any questions you may have and hand out maps and other publications to help you navigate our little Sonoran Desert village and surrounding areas. Desert Messenger News publishes a free community newspaper and seasonal guides to all of the upcoming attractions and events.
We’re quaint and quirky here in the Q and always happy to welcome friends returning from near and far back to their desert oasis homes. If it will be your first season in Quartzsite, welcome! If it’s on your bucket list, bless you. Not everyone thinks the desert is spectacular. Many equate it with Mars, or the Moon, based on the rocky land surfaces and sparse vegetation. This year, the monsoon rains have greened up the place substantially. We have high hopes for a stunning wildflower season and zero wildfires due to an especially wet monsoon season. We sure needed it, although our town and the surrounding areas have suffered a lot of wind and storm damage and flooding.
So, enjoy these local sights for now, and I will gather a few more to keep you entertained next time we are out and about. Stay tuned for more about our creative projects as we enjoy the autumnal cool-down at Casa de Cordray.
Many blessings, and fields full of wildflowers for your delight,
Brenda Cordray
“The Desert Rose”
Buy Me a Coffee!
