Big cats on the Colorado -- not far from Quartzsite

Snowbirds who make Quartzsite their destination have plenty of interests. From rock hunting to quading across the desert, to strolling through the endless rows of vendor tents. And then there's always fishing. No, there aren't a lot of ponds to dunk your line in, but there is, not far to the west, that big hole for bass and catfish anglers, the Colorado River.

A couple of years ago we got a phone call from a fellow who was tiring of the cold winters and "lake effect" snows of Michigan. Desirous of trading in his snow blower for a fifth wheel, he made some serious inquiries about the climate, and before you know it, Ken and his wife showed up with a big fifth wheel and a hearty appetite for desert living. He also brought his fishing poles, and not long after, had a little fishing boat go along with the tackle.

Ken settled on down in the little town across the river, Blythe, California. None of us locals had a lot of experience with angling. Sure, some would go out occasionally a drop a line in an irrigation canal, or stick our toes into the river water, but Ken was serious about his business. Driving around the area, his eyes constantly scanning for "likely spots," it wasn't long before Ken settled into the life of the inveterate piscatorian. So it didn't surprise us in the least when one day, he brought home the big one.

The "masculine" side of our family well remembers the thrill when hooking and landing a seven pound cat fish. But Ken—well—with all modesty on his part, seven pounds would be fine, but something a little bigger would even be better. We can only imagine the look on his wife's face when he staggered up to the door with a fifty-pound catfish. Aside from, the "hows" and the "wheres," the "whats" also came to her lips. What do you do with a whopper like that?

The answer to that question came in the form of a very big fish fry, where about 40 of us descended and ate catfish – and those us from the southwest – some hushpuppies, too. One of our hosts cooked up a big turkey for those whose heart was to faint to taste something of a "mud eater like that thing." In reality, Ken's big fish turned out to be quite tasty, not anything like you might imagine.

Truth be told though, there are more "cats" on the Colorado that just catfish.

A few weeks ago, Ken was out stalking more of those scaled critters when he had a run in with another critter he hardly expected to see. Dunking his line on the California side of the Colorado as darkness began to settle in, he was startled to see something join him that had come in from the opposite shore: A bobcat.

Now Lynx rufus is not a stranger to the area – winter visitors occasionally report sightings of these cats in the desert around Quartzsite, but they tend to be rather retiring creatures. Ken watched with fascination as the cat shook out his fur and eyeballed him for a bit – long enough for Ken to take a few pictures.

Big cats and big fish.  Who knows, maybe if you run down the river, you might just run into one or the other yourself. But one of each for the same soul? Almost too good to be true.

If you have a hankering for fishing, out-of-state residents can pick up a fishing license for use in Arizona waters for $55 for the year, or $20 per day. Licenses can be purchased and printed from the state's web site.

Fish in California, an annual license is $126; however short term licenses for out-of-staters are a bit less: A one-day license is $15.12; $23.50 buys two days; or lay out $47.01 for a ten-day license. Again, these can be purchased on-line.

Finally, if you've ever wondered why the bobcat looks as he does, the Shawnee people have an explanation. Bobcat was out hunting Rabbit one day, and had almost got him in his claws when Rabbit escaped into a hollow tree. Rabbit taunted Bobcat, telling him he could stay there forever, that he, Rabbit, would never come out.

Bobcat wisely replied that Rabbit would eventually have to come out to eat. So Rabbit, recognizing the truth of it, suggested that Bobcat build a fire so that when he came out from the tree, Bobcat would be ready to cook his dinner. This seemed reasonable, so Bobcat lit a large fire, whereupon, Rabbit jumped out of the tree and into the midst of the hot coals, spreading them all over the duped cat's fur. Bobcat escaped death by jumping into the nearby river, but to this day, his coat shows the dark brown spots where the coals landed.

photos courtesy Ken Stutzman, all rights reserved

Quartzsite ignites with propane wars

Snowbirds come to Quartzsite for plenty of good reasons: Desert sunsets. Scores of vendors with products to sell. Quiet times around the campfire with good friends. Warm weather. Warm weather? If you've looked at the weather map, you'll notice the "warmer than average temperatures" are giving way to some definitely chilly nights. Yep, you'll soon see Paul the "Naked Bookseller" put on his coat – when that happens, you KNOW it's cold.

Maybe it's a good thing that Quartzsite is in the middle of a propane war. Yep, the chief heating fuel of RVers is on sale across the great Quartzsite metropolis. Here are the prices (and a few tips) from around QZ as of December 10.

$2.15 Patties RV Park on the B-10 (Main Street) across from the Family Dollar. Patties offers free pickup and delivery, which is a big draw, especially for those with those honkin' big 20 gallon tanks. Trouble is, they won't take your credit card.

$2.15 Herb's Hardware Store on Highway 95 (Central Boulevard). When there's a line-up at other LP purveyors, you'll often find a quick fill-up at Herbs, and it's handy when you're picking up those repair needs. Many don't know about Herb's LP, because the tank is stashed away out of sight of the main road. A bonus: Herb's takes credit cards.

$2.15 RV Pit Stop on Highway 95 (Central Boulevard). The Pit Stop also offers a dump station, and you can fill up with either RO water or city water. Sorry, no credit cards here, but if you need custom-made LP hoses and LP fittings, you'll find them here.

$2.15 Texaco Quick Check, Highway 95 and the B-10. Credit cards OK here.

$2.09 Fill-R-Up, on Highway 95, just north of the Texaco Quick Check. These fellows moved in last year and are giving most of the LP retailers a run for their money. Making them attractive is their acceptance of credit cards – sorry, checks only drawn on the local bank. Fill-R-Up also offers free pickup and delivery for the same low price. Laundromat on the property.

$2.05 Mobile Station, far east end of the B-10 (Main Street). Yep, at present the low-price leader, but hang on to your hats, prices have been flipping around like a landed fish. Mobile will take your credit card; our big beef: You'll probably have to send somebody inside to fetch the LP attendant, then run inside again to pay. Kind of a hassle, but if you're watching your pennies . . .

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New rock festival in Quartzsite may not be what you think

Cruising up Interstate 10, a mile west of Quartzsite, we were a bit startled to see a billboard advertising a "Rock Fiesta" slated to come to Quartzsite in March. Now anyone who's been in Quartzsite during the winter season knows that Quartzsite is "all about rocks." From the fantastic "Rock, Mineral, and Gem Show" put on by the QIA, to the any one or more of dozens of rock vendors, if you want rocks, you'll find them in Quartzsite. So, we figured, a new rock selling venue.

Perfectly wrong. 

Come March 18 and 19, this Rock Fiesta is nothing about "a naturally occurring solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids," and everything to do with, "a genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later." Ready or not, electric guitars a plenty are headed to this so-called quiet little corner of Arizona.

In an event aimed particularly at folks who enjoy Latino-accented Rock music, the existing Desert Gardens Showgrounds, (which is already getting populated with vendors of "naturally occuring solid aggregates of one or more minerals") will give way to this two (or three) day extravaganza that will bring in groups going by names like "Caifanes," "Maldita Vecindad," "Molotov," "PXNDA," "Kinky," and others. Kinky? As an RVer I'm familiar with that word – it happens every time I have to pull out my long water hose and spend a half-hour cussing the thing out when the water won't flow through it.

One of the local papers is praising (puffing?) the event like some tout flu injections every fall. Says Blythe's Palo Verde Times of the fiesta, it is "intended as an annual event providing global promotion for Quartzsite, tax revenue, revenue for contractors and local businesses and providing hope to this small town with the same financial concerns as any American small town. Rock Fiesta is the next jewel in Quartzsite's tourism crown." Sounds like a phrase pulled straight out of a media release.

Who knows. Maybe all the features of this big show will bring in people with bucks. After all, what with saloons, a dance tent, "the world's largest inflatable double water slide," and a "human car wash" (boy, does that ever present some scary mental images), maybe the vast crowd that's to be contained by a 11,000 foot perimeter fence will bring plenty of loot to drop in on the local economy. Whether or not that 11,000 feet of fence will also contain high levels of rock decibels is another thing to wonder about – guess we're just glad we live a couple of miles away. Hang on – is that really far enough?

We posed the question of crowd control and "guest" management to one of the few local Quartzsite police officers. He said that the local police agency will definitely be needing help from other agencies. Meantime, festival organizers say they'll have their own security team, as well as first aid crews, and fire responders.

With tickets on sale now for as low as $99 for the entire weekend, Quartzsite may never be the same.

map: rockfiesta.com

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One more Quartzsite "flyover" video

David Bott, of OutsideOurBubble.com, posted a fly over of Quartzsite during the recently ended 2015 RV show. David shot this with his drone. It's amazing how many RVers show up in this dusty outpost in the Arizona desert each winter. When the RV show is going on in mid-January, the place must have a resident population of 50,000, most in RVs.

Quartzsite — before the masses arrive

Here's is a drone flyover from David Bott, of OutsideOurBubble.com, of the public lands about five miles away from Quartzsite, Arizona in early January. As you can see there is a lot of open space for RVs. Starting about mid-January, with the kickoff of the huge RV show, this open space will fill up with recreational vehicles of every size, shape and color. Before long, the same flyover will reveal thousands of RVers, camped every which way on this huge open expanse. Camping is free here for up to 14 days.