Published January, 2001
Happy New Year! Welcome to the New Millenium. Or was that last year? Those in the know say January 1, 2000 was NOT the beginning of the Millenium, January 1, 2001 is the beginning. The good news is that we can finally be sure we are in the New Millenium and the 21st century.
This problem all started when the 7th century monk who helped develop the new calendar did not bother to put a zero between 1 AD and -1 BC. You can read all about calendars and this early miscue at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Larry_Freeman/calendar.htm.
Whatever the year, January and February are special months for many RVers. It is cold and snowing in the north and warm and dry in the south. That means boondocking. More than half a million RVers are visiting the deserts around Quartzsite in Arizona this year. But things are changing.
It is both good and sad to see that the town of Quartzsite and the vendors who work there are becoming more and more organized. Some of the old charm is being lost, but they are reducing the dust and widening the roads. Another big improvement is the websites regarding Quartzsite. At http://www.quartzsitervshow.com/ you can find web pages for the RV show, the Car show, the Rock and Gem show, and the Crafts show. There are listings for the different vendors who will be on site and their locations.
On the south side of the I-10 freeway the Tyson Wells area has grown rapidly in the past couple of years. They too have a fine website at http://www.tysonwells.com/ where they have separate pages for the Rock and Gems show, the Sell-o-Rama, and the Arts and Crafts show.
Many people camp in the BLM La Posa Long Term Visitor Areas just to the south of Quartzsite. See http://yuma.az.blm.gov/laposa.html for details. Even if you park your rig elsewhere in the area, it is sometimes handy to have a permit to gain access to the water and dump stations.
How well do you know the rules of the road where you are driving? Some of the rules depend upon in which states you travel. How fast can you go? How long can your rig be? How high? How wide? It does make a difference. You bet! Take a look at http://rvsafety.com/state.htm for a great review of some of the laws affecting RVs in the different states.
If you are not spending the entire winter in Quartzsite you might be on the road. A great site about roads in the USA is http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/mount/highways.html. This collection of links to different web sites that discuss roads covers historical and current roads. I found the one about Old Route 66 at http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/mount/route66.html to be of special interest.
One place these roads could lead you to is the Big Easy, New Orleans. It has the great climate during the winter and there is lots going on. But before you travel to New Orleans, be sure you understand the language. The dictionary at http://www.noconnect.com/lingo.htm should get you started on the basic terms.
The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans this year runs from February 20 to March 7. The schedule for all the parades can be found at http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/mardigrasparade.html. Plan your schedule around those parades. While you are there check out http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/mardiboard.html, the Mardi Gras message board. It is well organized and has continuing discussions on subjects of interest to all tourists.While in the Big Easy, take the time for some of the great walking tours in the French Quarter and along the riverfront. You can find a fine selection of guided tours at http://www.tourneworleans.com/. And if you visit the city later in the year, there is the 2001 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival from April 27 to May 6. Information can be found at http://www.satchmo.com/nolavl/jazzfest.html. Other activities of the area are described at http://www.bigeasy.com/ and http://www.neworleansatoz.com/home.htm.
There are many other places south of the snow line to see this time of year. In Southern California you can find much to do around Los Angeles and San Diego. Las Vegas is always alive. Pheonix, Albuquerque, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, and Florida offer great activities and fine weather. And if you are simply stuck at home, start planning for next summer's vacation.
New subject, I must admit I was wrong. A few months ago I said that Satellite Internet access was still years away. I was wrong! Hurray! It's here now!
As you read this article I am surfing the Internet from a boondock site in the middle of the Arizona desert on a system that allows both download and upload to satellite from my laptop. I have no access to a phone line or a cellphone tower from where I sit. I depend upon solar power to keep my rig operational and the satellite to keep in touch. I can even make phone calls over the Internet. Transmission speeds are up to 350Kilobit per second. This is what 21st century boondocking is all about!!
A consortium of DISHnetwork, Microsoft Network, and Starband (formerly Gilat, Inc.) provides the service I use. Radio Shack also offers service of this type, but I am not sure of their features at the time I am writing this article. Check out the latest news on the service at http://www.starband.com/. I got my system up and running courtesy of Steve Oldham at Home Entertainment Systems, Inc. in LaPine, Oregon. His Internet address is sandkoldham@aol.com.
Well, that's it. Hopefully these websites will lead you to some interesting places. Drop me an email with your comments, especially if you have experience with Satellite Internet access. And take care driving down the road. Maybe we'll see you along the way.