Gathering in the Desert - Quartzsite

 January 17-22, 2024

Quartzsite is a phenomenon--often said to be a bucket list destination for rv-ers.  It is called Woodstock in the desert, as thousands and thousands of people gather during January and February each year, boondocking (dry camping) on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land.  You see big rigs, little rigs, school buses, tents and everything in between.

Quartzsite is about 150 miles west of Scottsdale, and 20 miles east of the California line, just off I10.  It started as a stopover point on a stagecoach route, became a mining town, and has developed over the years into a mecca for rock, mineral and gem shows, as well as the annual Big Tent Sports, Vacation and RV show.  

The allure of the area is the remoteness, and the novelty of "dropping anchor" in the middle of the desert.  Since there are no facilities (no electric, no water, etc.) it's important to come with a full water tank and empty holding tank. (for obvious reasons...)

We joined a group of 100 Newmar rv's (the manufacturer of our rv).  

1/2 the circle of motorhomes in our group

 They scoped out an area about 6 miles out of town, with signs to mark the route (although we did miss  the turn and had to turn around).  They planned meals, programs. seminars and activities for the group. 

The whole weekend was well organized, and very impressive that they could feed 200 people in 10 minutes (9 lines at the table!)  There was a pizza night, a chili cook off, spaghetti, sloppy joes, etc.  And, each night's dinner was followed by a huge bonfire, and entertainment.

Entertainment by Rocky Watson

One night was a really good bluegrass band: Incidentally, Cactus Jack owns a Newmar!  

Cactus Jack and the Prickly Pears (1 guy and 3 girls!)

The desert skies are beautiful--sunsets and sunrises, and the night skies are a blanket of stars.     

Sunset Wednesday nite

Moonlit night sky

Sunrise Saturday morning

One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip on Saturday to the Desert Bar, an Arizona icon in Parker, Arizona.  It was an adventure just getting there.  10 vehicles from our group made the trek on the highway which took over an hour, while another group on ATV's took the "backroads" and they arrived 3 hours later!  

Our little CRV made it, but it was one of the few vehicles in the parking lot that wasn't a jeep or off-road vehicle. 

The Desert Bar is 5 miles off the highway, along a dirt, winding road, in the middle of an uninhabited rocky desert area.  If we weren't following someone who knew where they were going, we would have turned around.  The roads were as bad as those we encountered in Alaska and Africa!

What a place!  It is at the location of an old mine, off grid, with electricity totally supplied by solar power.  The owner installed a well and septic system, and has expanded the place over the past 39 years.  It is only open Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5pm between October and April each year.

There are all kinds of interesting things to see...from the bathroom with a view,

to the horseshoe sculptures, 

a short hike up the hill to the crest, 

 cold beer, and a dance floor with a live band.

Thankfully we got there early, just as it opened, so we were able to grab lunch and a table.  By the time we left, the dance floor was full, every table and chair were taken, and there was a stream of vehicles still coming in.  Although it's on the site of a defunct mine, I think it is currently a real gold mine!

On Friday, we checked out the rock and mineral show and were amazed to see quartz pieces which were works of art priced at $15,000 and $30,000. (I was afraid they would charge me if I tried to take a picture!)  We picked up a few things on the $5 shelf-- supposed to get love and energy vibes from the rocks--we'll see!

On Sunday we hit the RV expo--a 70,000 square foot structure filled with 400 vendors and exhibitors, surrounded by rv dealers and an open air flea market. 

 Opening day was Saturday, so we waited until Sunday hoping to avoid the crowd, but that strategy didn't quite work...the place was packed!  We wandered the aisles and talked to people, gathered stuff, found ideas for our next big trip, and enjoyed being part of the activity.

We'll close out the final evening with a group happy hour tonite and say goodbye to new friends until next year!

  

  

It's a Lovely Day for a Guinness

 Wednesday September 6, 2023

We slept in this morning--no bag check or breakfast time requirement--it felt pretty good!  Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year--it got up to 77 degrees and everyone was commenting on the broiling heat!

Today was a "free day", so we set out to "Do Dublin" on the Hop on Hop off bus.  It took awhile to find the bus stop, but we got our steps in.  We checked in for the Guiness Storehouse tour.  Guinness began brewing beer here in 1759 and now brews 1.5 million pints per day! 

We found out it is quite a science, as Guinness was the first brewer to introduce nitrogen into the beer. This helps create the creamy white head.  Of course we got to sample a pint from high above, at the Gravity Bar on top of the facility.  What a lovely day for a Guinness.

Dublin is the capital of Ireland, and bustle of activity, with lots of busses taking people in and out of the city.  There is a light rail line called "Lewis" that means "speed" in Irish.  It is quite speedy, and moves a lot of people throughout the area.   There are scenic views around the river Liffey which runs through the center of the city. 

Of course we had to see the famous statue of Molly Malone.

On our walk back to the hotel, we came across sculptures dedicated to the Irish people forced to emigrate due to the famine.   They show the starving people walking toward ships to take them overseas, away from hunger and poverty.  It's almost haunting to see the statues, especially after seeing the ship they were headed for.

On a lighter note, everyone here is getting excited about the Rugby World Cup starting this weekend. It's a big deal for the island of Ireland, as they are ranked #1.  The team represents both the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland.   The games will be played in France, and Ireland's first match is Saturday night.  I'll be cheering for them!

We have made our full circle tour around the island, and it has gone quickly.  We've been kept very busy but have seen so much.

We are ready to get home.  We've been here so long, we may start talking like the Irish.

"How are yas?"

"No bother"

"It's lovely"

To go is "Take Away"

"Booking" means reservation

Restroom is "Toilet"

H is silent, so Third is "turd", and Thing is "ting"

Point is "pint" 

I wonder how the Irish say "Your suitcase weighs too much?"

Waterford and Wrapping up

 Tuesday September 5, 2023

Waterford is the oldest city in Ireland, established when the Vikings came and named this their base for piracy.  The name means "safe harbor" and it is a gateway for an extensive river network, and where the Vikings moored their great long ships.  But the city is probably best known for its crystal.

We visited the house of Waterford, which has the largest showroom of crystal in the world.  The company was established in 1783.   We were able to tour the factory and see the craftsmen at work.  I was surprised to see what a painstaking job it is to create the crystal designs (also explains why it is so expensive!) 

The craftsmen train for about six years to learn the various cuts and hone their skills.  We learned that crystal contains more than 23% lead;  if it's less than that, it is just glass.  

Each piece goes through a quality control check at least six times, and is destroyed if it fails quality standards.  The smashed pieces are melted and used to produce more glass.  There are never Waterford Crystal "seconds".  (no outlet shopping opportunities!)

This guy has been working on this custom piece for two weeks; it is a vase with a special etching, and it's not done yet.

The showroom was impressive with lots of beautiful things, including a large crystal gingerbread house!

Jim surprised me with some crystal earrings!  They are beautiful and will be a special souvenir of a special trip.  One other guest said to him "Well, I bet you'll get some good points for that!" (he did)

Our next stop was at New Ross, the ancestral hometown of John F Kennedy.  On display is the Emigrant Flame which burns permanently to remember all emigrants throughout the world. 

The Flame came from John F. Kennedy's grave, and was sent to Ireland by land, air and sea (3700 miles!). It was placed exactly 50 years after JFK's visit to symbolically fulfill his promise to return to the town of his forefathers.

The flame sits at the site of the Dunbrody Famine Ship, an authentic reproduction of an emigrant ship from the 1840's.  

A tour of the boat provided insight into the emigrant experience of so many desperate people who left Ireland during the famine looking for hope.  Most travelled in the steerage area, where entire families occupied a bunk together.  Their belongings also had to fit in the space.

There could have been 300 people in this small space, for up to 6 weeks, allowed on deck for less than 1 hour per day, unless there was a storm, when all hatches were closed and gaslights extinguished.  During the storm, steerage passengers were forced to stay below in the dark.  Many passengers died before they reached their destination.  What a sad part of history.

We weren't quite steerage, but were glad to finally get off of our bus when we arrived in Dublin, where the group enjoyed a nice dinner drinks and Irish entertainment, and stayed out way too late!  We said goodbye to PJ O'Brien, our driver and tour guide. (He's probably doing cartwheels as he departed!)  We will have a full day on our own tomorrow to explore Dublin.

We will wrap things up tomorrow and figure out what will fit in the suitcase to bring home!

A bunch of Blarney?

 Monday September 4, 2023

We hit the road at 8am to get to Cork to see the Blarney castle before the cruise ship passengers arrived.  Good move...we got there early enough to avoid the crowds, but they started pouring in as we were leaving.  

 The Blarney castle was built in 1446--it's amazing to see something that old and be able to go inside the structure.  Although part of it is in ruins, there were several chambers open to observe--a bedroom, the kitchen, a chapel-like area, etc.  

A bagpiper greeted us as we approached the castle.

Once you enter the castle, there are 100 steps up a stone spiral staircase to get to the top where the Stone of Eloquence (The Blarney Stone) is located.  This is Jim going up and me going down!

The Blarney Stone has been in place for 200 years, and there are several legends about it. Some say it was Jacob's pillow brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah.  Others say it was a stone used as a throne for Irish kings and served as the power of royal succession.  Regardless, they say if you kiss the stone, you will gain the gift of eloquence!  In this picture, you can see the open space at the very top of the castle where the Blarney stone is located.

The stone is on the bottom of a wall at the top of the castle.  To kiss the stone, you have to lay on your back and hang down over an open area to get to the stone.  Jim did it!  I'm not sure it helped his eloquence, but we have evidence to show he did it!  I laid down, but was creeped out by leaning backwards, so I struck out on kissing the stone and gaining the gift of eloquence! I wonder how many people really kiss the stone? I think the whole thing is a bunch of blarney!

This is Jim at the top of the stairs at the side of the castle (trying out his eloquence!)

We walked the grounds to admire the beautiful gardens and landscaped spaces. 

The stately Blarney House built in 1874 sits on the grounds, and looks like a castle.  The mansion is still occupied by family members!

Later in the day, we made a stop at The Marine Bar, a small pub on the route, for some Irish coffee and Irish music.  We were treated and entertained by the owner who had lots of tales about people who have visited.  His music was good and we even had a sing-a-long!

The Clancy brothers grew up within 5 miles of the pub, and frequented the place.  Also, Maureen O'Hara had a home not too far away, and was an occasional visitor. 

At the end of the day, we arrived in Waterford, and after a quick city tour, we checked into The Granville Hotel, a charming hotel right on the waterfront.  

We'll explore more of the city tomorrow--and that's no blarney!