Saturday, April 9, 2016

Not Liking Quartzsite

We're in the LTVA (Long Term Visitor's Area) in Quartzsite as a pit-stop in our northward migration.  I'm glad we discovered Yuma to the south of here because Quartzsite is depressing. 

It's been dreary.  We're parked in the middle of craggy dusty desert.  The views are great when the sky is clear, which isn't right now due to a forest fire nearby.  There's no supermarket, just 'markets' with $4.00 loaves of bread and $6.00 cases of soda.  There's nothing much for us to do outside the RV.

We also don't like the dump station here compared to the swanky one we got to use in Yuma.  There is only one dump station for the four huge sections of LTVA.  It has two bays.  That's it.  Those bays have been in regular use since we got here and the area is mostly empty.  I can't imagine the hassle of trying to dump at peak season. 

We have to dump and take on water every four days.  We're on our second month of boondocking and we know how fast our tanks fill and water empties.  Four days.  We don't have a 'blue boy' (portable dump tank) so we drive to the dump station and water spigot every four days.  I don't ever want to have to wait in line to do this, or have to hurry up the process when others are waiting in line behind me.  My tanks take a long time to drain.  My water takes a long time to fill. 

I brought trash to the garbage cans earlier today.  I was in my tee and shorts and wasn't venturing out to socialize.  I looked like shit.  A sun-ravaged shirtless and toothless old man is coming out to meet me at the dumpsters.  He's yelling at me as I approach, "I'm almost there, honey.  Almost there."  I realize that since I have a trash bag in each hand he is coming to help me dispose of my trash. 

Now I'm going to reveal a lot about my personality.  I'm an introvert and an extrovert in one.  When I want to be out in the public amongst humanity I am an excellent extrovert.  I dress to be seen.  I joke, I laugh, I conversate, and I try to spread joy to the people I'm with.  I enjoy the opportunity to commune with others.  I have fun.  Yay.

But when I don't want to be out in public, when I just want to throw away my trash and get out of sight as fast as possible, I don't want people intercepting me to be helpful.  Especially...and like I said, I'm revealing myself here, disgusting trashy, smelly, gross, loud, and annoying old men.  There.  I said it.  Maybe if he was my neighbor and I was sitting outside sipping gin and he came over to say hello I would have been fine with conversing for a while.  But when I'm in the clothes I slept in, with a bag of trash in either hand, I don't want or need this kind of company. 

"I was trying to toss my trash without anyone seeing me looking dumpy," I said with a forced smile.

"What?  You're in your shorts." 

And then I get my bra-less chest raked by his leer.  Oh goody.  Thank you so much for coming out. 

I realize I'm being harsh on this good Samaritan...but the Hell with him.  He should mind his own business.  I'm not helpless. 

As we're dumping today I see more toothless and shirtless old men dumping their blue-boys.  By and large it looks like single old men are camping here, and it doesn't look like they're vacationing.  It looks like a sad state of affairs.  I guess that's got a lot to do with why I'm finding this place depressing.


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