Bits and Pieces

Yesterday was a jumble of activity. I won’t even try to put it into coherent order.

I fell asleep before 9:00 pm the night after the meetup, whether I liked it or not. It was a great time, but I was worn out from all the work. It was worth it. Amanda didn’t want to keep the sign she customized, so I picked it up and hung it up in my trailer — at least, until next year’s meetup.

I hopped on the bike and braved the crowds in Quartzsite to run a few basic errands. I put my superior maneuverability to good use and snuck into not really a parking space at Tyson Wells, where I hit the used food store (discount grocery tent) for a few cheap essentials. One of my personal rules is to never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, so I went back to Wings on Wheels for a delicious Smashburger first. It’s the best burger in town.

Then I fought traffic to Dollar General to pick up some shoelaces for my new-to-me hiking boots since one had broken. I’m not complaining, because the boots were free. The checkout line ran all the way to the back of the store. This is typical Quartzsite in peak season. I decided a pair of shoelaces wasn’t worth the time it would take me to get through the line, and skipped it. I picked up a package that came in for me at BCM during Amanda’s meetup, and then returned to camp.

I dropped off my stuff, then headed down the road a few miles to Quartzfest, a ham radio campout happening all week. I talked with a couple of people I know and cruised around a bit, checking everything out. While there are activities, presentations, and license exams every day, it’s more of a campout than a typical ham radio convention or flea market. I stopped to take a picture of this tilting solar panel setup on a van, something to study and consider duplicating on my own van at some point.

I’m in the market for a replacement HF radio, but no sales were going on, so I went home empty-handed — though not for long. I decided to order a Xiegu G90 portable HF radio. A friend back east was quite happy with his, and the reviews are surprisingly good for a Chinese radio that’s half the price of the traditional Japanese competition. It’s also the first HF radio I’ve had that’s newer than the 1980s, with many features I’ve never had before. I’ll geek out on it in a separate post sometime in the future after I get it and use it a bit.

Back at camp, I decided to install the new air filter I got for my bike. The airbox lives under the gas tank, so I had to take it off to get to the filter. At first, the job intimidated me, but I found a YouTube video that showed each and every step involved, which made it easy. I’m used to working with carbureted bikes, and the V-Strom is fuel-injected. This made removing the tank a whole lot easier since I didn’t have to worry about gas pouring out of the tank when I disconnected the fuel line. It definitely needed a new air filter, as you can see from the picture of both of them.

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I’ve been back at camp one day, and I’m already sick of the crowds and traffic. I’d decided to head back to Imperial Dam today, but then I heard an old friend from my first year here was coming to visit today, so I’ll stick around to see him. I can hold out one more day for a supply run and not head back into town. As I was writing this, I heard reports on the ham radio of a major crash on US 95 at the entrance to the Big Tent RV show, with traffic backed up for miles in all directions. I think I’ll just stay in camp today, and hope that our friend can get through it all at some point.

My plan is basically to head back to Imperial Dam, drop the trailer, resupply in Yuma, and stay in that area until the Ironwood meet-up next weekend. I can simply hop on I-8 out of Yuma for a straight shot toward Tucson. By the time that’s over, it’ll be the second week of February, and Quartzsite should have quieted down a bit by then.