We returned to our base camp in Quartzsite late last week. It’s getting near the end of the season, and we wanted to spend some time with our new and old friends here before we scattered to the far corners of the country on our summer travels. Dalane’s dog, Link, was very happy to see me.
My master plan of buying building materials in civilization in Yuma, and then doing the build in Quartzsite near a hardware store worked well, especially when I suddenly found myself needing longer bolts than I had with me for building the headboard. It was also helpful to have multiple people to help remove my old bed from the van. I put it on the local buy/sell Facebook groups for free, and a biker woman took it away to install in her cargo trailer where she transports her Harley Heritage. That bed was built by a biker (my uncle), used by a biker (me), and remains with a biker, which is pretty cool. I’m also happy someone can put it to use, and that I didn’t have to toss it in the dumpster on my way out of town.
I’ve had time to make a few more additions, too, thanks to an Amazon delivery arriving ahead of schedule. I no longer had a place to put stuff next to the bed, but these baskets designed to hang under a shelf fit perfectly. I also installed new USB outlets on both sides so that there are convenient places to plug in phones overnight. I left the old outlets in place as well, maximizing power options throughout the van.
But really, the main reason we’re back is to visit our old camp where we spent a great deal of time this year — and, not coincidentally, where Melissa and I first met. We had a great campfire last night, with all the usual suspects gathering for an evening with no wind and warm enough temperatures to stay outside a bit later than usual. Juliann is back home in Massachusetts but was there in spirit, with most of us trying her idea of toasted marshmallows on Fudge Stripe cookies instead of the traditional graham crackers and chocolate. The cookies meld those ingredients into one and provide better structural integrity for the sandwich as a whole.
The plan from here is still in flux, but this is what we know so far. Soon after Melissa arrived back out west, her son scheduled his wedding for March 25. She’s going to fly back to Arkansas out of Las Vegas because that’s where the cheapest flights are (they want to draw people in to take their money gambling instead). Exactly how we’re getting there is still up in the air, but we’re going to set up camp on the BLM land just outside Pahrump, where I’ve camped before. I’ll drive her to and pick her up from the airport in Vegas, and hang out and keep an eye on her 4Runner while she’s gone. We’re allowed to camp for up to 14 days, so we’ll time our arrival so that her trip lands in the middle of that time so I don’t have to drive two cars at the same time to move camp.
Why Pahrump? It’s warming up in Quartzsite, so it’ll be downright comfortable at a slightly higher elevation in Pahrump at the end of March. We’ll be camped just one mile from town, and Pahrump is a real town with everything I need for a two-week stay. Matty Van Halen will likely join us since he’s never seen Pahrump before and wants to, and Dalane may also stop in on her way north to Sparks, Nevada. I’d like to show Melissa Death Valley since she’s never been, as well as Lake Mead, Valley of Fire, and check out Las Vegas itself.
From there, we’re not sure which direction we want to go. I’ve compiled a master list of all the places we both want to see, and it looks like another big loop of the western US this summer. Melissa has never explored out west. I’ve been to some of these places before but don’t mind going again, while other places neither of us have seen, specifically Utah, which I’ve been meaning to explore more anyway. Once again, the only fixed point in time and space for summer travel is the Rocky Mtn Roll in early August. Beyond that, we’ll figure it out as we go.
Smokey Da Van 