The Happy Janssens

Current Location: Longmont, CO

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Tuesday
Feb232010

Desert Boondocking

Last summer, we learned about an "event" in the desert that brings tens of thousands of RV'ers each year...the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation, and RV Show. Basically, it's a BUNCH of retired RV'ers boondocking and selling stuff. For several months. In the desert. I think I saw only a handful of people our same age, but it was still fun!

We didn't care about the show as much as we did just hanging out with our friends Kevin and Angie. Kev and Ang have been on the road full time for several years and we met them through mutual friends and their website, NuRVers. NuRVers is a group of younger RV'ers who are working full time on the road or taking a sabbatical from their "normal" life. We have connected with them several times around the country and we love hanging out with them. They are the most laid back, sweet couple...and Bella ADORES them.

We enjoyed sharing many meals and campfires and just sharing life in general. It's so much fun to park your house right next to your friend's house. Instant community.

The allure of Quartzsite for us was also the CHEAP camping. It's $40 to camp for 2 weeks on BLM land. After you pay, you just go pick a spot anywhere in the great wide open. They do provide a way to fill up your tanks and dump, but this is hard core boondocking (for those of you who don't know, boondocking is camping without hook ups). Many of the rigs there have a nice solar set up. We got by with just running the generator a couple times a day to charge up our batteries and then being very conservative on running lights/water.

One of the other fun things about Quartzsite is the rallies. Many different groups get together because it's such a large open space. For example, we were able to go over to the Alpine rally and meet a bunch of other Alpine Coach owners. They had over 100 coaches there! Same goes for pretty much any brand of RV's...Wanderlodge, Monoco, Airstreams, Prevosts...they all had rallies too.

We wandered around the flea market on several different occasions and had fun checking out all of the goods people were selling. I was super surprised (and pleased) to find a gourmet veggie burger stand...amidst all the BBQ. :) After that, we took our super healthy selves down to the hot chocolate chip cookie stand. Yum. After we had those cookies the first time, they became a hard sought after commodity. Even though we tried 3 times to catch them open again, they were always closed.

Aunt Edmoe's Chocolate Chip Cookie stand...where did you go!?

Kev found a sweet bike that he liked.

The guys liked looking at spare parts.

Bella baked Angie some muffins.

Kev and Angie cooked us some falafels.

Angie and Bella had fun painting rocks.

Remember our friend Monica from our Portland and Eugene stops? She was back on the road with her kids coming from Texas and she was headed through Quartzsite. So of course, we said "Stay with us!".

They stopped and we had a fun slumber party. We love having friends over...these are memories we will cherish forever.

We followed them to Blythe for a goodbye coffee and sent them on their way...back to Oregon.

Not too long after that, we said goodbye to Kevin and Angie and headed to Phoenix. We were sad to leave them, but we will be reunited in Texas. For now...the road calls!

Photos from Quartzsite here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.

Tuesday
Feb232010

Tornado and Community

After San Diego, we headed out across the very rainy desert...towards Quartzsite, AZ. But you can imagine what happens in the desert when it downpours for days. It floods. So we stopped short of our destination and hunkered in for a few days at a campground in Blythe, CA.

It was an interesting little place...most of the people camping there had been coming back every year for 10-20 years and they all knew each other well. It was such a neat example of the type of "alternative community" that the RV lifestyle brings. Matt LOVES getting out there and talking shop with all of the older travelers. All the ladies knew him by name ;-) I love my man.

The first night we were there, the rain was beating the front windshield so hard that we couldn't see out. But as we were peering into the dark wetness, we overheard them announcing outside that there was a tornado warning. Ok then. Not knowing exactly what to do or where to go, we just stayed put and checked the radar. It was coming straight at us, but at the last minute it veered off and our lives were spared. Well, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I was hiding with the girls under the bunk bed. Not sure what good that was going to do when our RV spiraled into oblivion with Dorothy and Toto, but I FELT safer there.


After the rains, we had fun finding the everyday beauty in that little park. This is one of the reasons we love being on the road...we would have never stopped there normally, but due to the circumstances, we did...and we were totally blessed by the people and the landscape.

Although, if you are ever seriously considering MOVING to Blythe, CA...you might want to re-think your decision. There isn't much there. BUT, there is a Starbucks. With a drive-thru. Which makes it ok in my book.

Photos of Blythe, CA and the desert here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.

Tuesday
Feb232010

El Nino and Curry

I have followed Denise's awesome blog for many years, when we had a chance to meet up in Portland in November, I was thrilled. She lives in San Diego though...so lucky for me, we got double the Denise this time around!

We pulled into San Diego and unbeknownst to us, it was El Nino season. Rain, rain, and more rain. As the newscaster said, "we could get as much or more rain in just one week than we've gotten during any of the previous winters since 2004." Greeeeeeaaaaat. But we headed out in it anyway. We had already spent almost a week in San Diego with my parents in 2008, so we weren't too disappointed...but a LITTLE sunshine would have been nice!

I spent one rainy morning at a cute little coffee shop in the Pacific Beach area, Cafe 976. I was supposed to be working, but it was really much more fun to people watch :) SoCal is good for that. I thoroughly enjoyed my lemongrass tea and scone.

We spent a lovely day in the RV with Denise and her boys Carson and Cedar...and then again at their wonderfully comfy and cozy home. It was an evening of inspiration and encouragement and good food!



Denise also snapped some fun photos of my dreads for my 3 year "dreadiversary" post. Thanks mama! We hope to make it back to San Diego again soon...but for some sunshine!

San Diego photos here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.