Quartzsite, AZ January 2014

Quartzfest 2014 (Part 1)

Amateur Radio Gathering in the Desert
Sun., Jan. 19 - Sun., Jan. 26

Every January, Ham Radio operators gather in the Quartzsite, AZ desert for what is basically a convention in the outdoors.  We have attended this event many times, but this year was particularly warm and the wind was minimal compared to the past.  Daytime temps were in the 70's and low 80's instead of the 50's and 60's. Nights were cool enough for jackets or hoodies, no winter coats needed this year.  The wind was quite calm with a nice breeze to keep us comfortable.  There were a couple times when the wind was a little stronger, but not anything like we had experienced before. 

Rather than take each day's activities as an entry, I will tell about various things that go on at Quartzsite as topics because each day has some of everything.

Camping

We met some of our friends and staked our desert campsite claim within the area that Quartzfest has occupied for many years.  Ham's had come from across the country.  There were about 500 people who attended at least one day of Quartzfest.



Our Campsite

We made wadingers for dinner one night.  First you wrap a Pillsbury Grands Biscuit around a section of closet pole with a dowel attached for a handle.  You need to cover the end and sides of the pole to form a cup/glass shape. 

Next you cook it over the campfire until it is done and slips off the wooden pole.

Now fill it with your favorite filling, either sweet or savory.  We had taco fixin's.

As you can see, we are sitting around enjoying our creations, potluck, and each others' company.  Some are ready for seconds.

One night we had a campfire.  We were sitting around talking...

...when Rich and Cathy brought out their Chinese lanterns.  They are like mini hot air balloons that use a block of waxy stuff set on fire to heat the air inside the bag causing the whole thing to rise and float on the currents until the fuel burns out.  We saw some of these when we were with the Montana Owners Circle a few days ago.

And it's off!



Sunsets

Sunsets are one of my favorite subjects to photograph, so here are some that occurred during the week of Quartzfest.  These are some interesting clouds.  Some of the campers here in the Roadrunner BLM camping area south of Quartzsite can be seen across from where we have parked our trailer.



And beautiful deep colors.  Note some of the various types of antennas.

I even got a sunset reflected into the back window of our trailer.  It almost matches the Montana logo sunset below it, well, sort of.

In my next blog post I will talk about other activities that go on at Quartzfest.