Quartzsite: SOLOs Group & Lots of Friends

Don and I served as VCRs (Volunteer Club Representatives) for the Escapees SOLOs group, parked on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land about 7 miles north of Quartzsite on Plomosa Rd. About 60 people who travel in RVs alone were there to share fun and stories of their adventures.

There was a ‘burn your own’ potluck on Saturday (grill your meat on BBQs and share another dish).

There were some good looking pieces of meat on those grills!

And lots of other goodies were shared to complete the meal. When it comes to food, the SOLOs are just like other Escapees – they know how to cook, and they know how to eat!

Photographers flying in ultralights made a few passes overhead. Hope they got some good pics of our group. We’ll know when we go shopping, as they display and sell prints of their work.

Our time with the SOLOs ended today with the business meeting. Before the meeting began, the outgoing president Roy Kannada was recognized with a surprise skit by some of the members.

And he was given a hobo pack and told to “Hit the Road.” Thanks for serving for 2 years, Roy.

Don presented certificates of recognition to Roy…

…and to Carole Tibbets, outgoing Vice-President.

I conducted the installation of new officers: Betty Ogden, President, Dave Anderson, Vice-President, and Dottie Brunner, continuing as Treasurer. The continuing Secretary, Shari Haywood, was absent due to family matters requiring her attention.

The final event was counting money collected for a 50/50 contribution to CARE (Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees). Over $200 was collected by selling tickets for $1 each or 6 for $5.

The winning ticket was drawn.

And the winner was the Treasurer!

Dottie generously donated her winnings to CARE as well, so the total contribution was over $200. Over the years, this group has donated over $28,000 to CARE!

After saying our goodbyes to these folks, many of which are long-time personal friends since Don & I met each other through the group, we picked up jacks, moved the slides in and drove a few miles to an RV park on the east side of town. Not long after we checked in and got parked, Dennis Hill came knocking on our door, as he and wife Carol had arrived and parked a few sites down.

Dennis & Carol are applying to be part of a TV show about full-time RVers and wanted me to shoot a 4-minute video of them for the application. I managed to do it with my Droid Razr Maxx cell phone because it was easier to figure out than my new Canon G15 camera. It would be great if they are selected for the show, as they are a fun and unique couple, with lots of RVing experience. Wish them good luck!

The final event of the day was getting together with about 35 of our closest friends (mostly VCRs) for pizza at Silly Al’s, a Quartzsite MUST to visit. Here are some pictures from our fun evening.

I called out “Hey, Gloria” and both these lovely ladies answered! What are the odds that they would end up sitting across the table from each other?

Here’s what a Goliath-size pizza looks like. It fed 8 people. Two pieces of this pizza are probably equal to a small individual pizza, but a lot more fun.

And then it was over.

Till next time!