From left: Len Magsamen, Julie Magsamen, Phyllis Tackett, Glen Bolon, Linda Bolon, Fairrel Tackett, Billie Gramlich, Jay Gramlich (rear), Betty East (front), Jim East, Juli Thornton, Terry Thornton, Stan Ashby (rear), Cher Zeman (front) Judy Ashby, Mike Zeman, Ted Blaine (photographer), Ole Lodberg, Edie Lodberg and Kathryn Sarter
Fairrel Tackett
On January 19 twelve RVs from the Rovin’ Pebbles RV Club headed west for their annual trip to Quartzsite, Arizona. All arrived at Quartzsite before noon and circled the wagons in the desert sand for four days of fun and camaraderie. That afternoon was spent touring around town and later there was a great potluck dinner followed by an evening around a roaring campfire. We didn’t have group tours as we usually have on our outings, so every day was a YOYO day (You’re On Your Own). Tuesday was a great day of exploring the area and in the late afternoon and evening campers cooked hot dogs over a blazing campfire accompanied by numerous side dishes. On Wednesday the wind picked up and put a damper on our evening activities for Wednesday and Thursday but we were still able to enjoy all that Quartzsite has to offer during the day. Quartzsite is a sleepy little town with a few thousand permanent residents in the summer. The town and surrounding area grows to several hundred thousand people during the winter. There are plenty of things to do on your own in Quartzsite. Gem shows became big attractions, starting in the 1960s, and have grown into eight major gem and mineral shows. Merchandise ranging from raw material to handcrafted items can be found in abundance. There are numerous flea markets/swap meets where you can buy, sell or trade items. On the south side of Interstate 10 just west of Highway 95 is The Big Tent. This 69,000 square foot tent is the home of the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation and RV Show. The tent is divided into 10’ X 10’ booths that sell just about anything you would ever want for sports, vacations or RVs. Another interesting place to visit is the Pioneer Cemetery which is the final resting place of the camel driver Hadji Ali. He came to America in 1856 as a part of the camel experiment in the Southwest. The soldiers couldn’t pronounce his Arabic name so they called him Hi Jolly. The camel experiment failed but Hi Jolly stayed in Arizona and died in Quartzsite in 1902. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/