Sights in Quartzsite.....

OK, been here in Quartzsite just over 2 1/2 weeks, and have seen some pret--ty wild things!! People living in their 35 year old cars loaded down with so much crap you have to wonder how they still manage to roll down the road more than 5mph!! Chevy conversion vans with gensets on the back...vans with solar panels on the roof...Chevy Suburbans with solar panels that are set outside in the daytime and folded up and placed underneath the vehicle at night!! This past Saturday, I even saw a flatbed 1 ton Ford from the 60s and the guy had literally pitched a tent on the bed, and had a exercycle hooked up to a whirligig that generated power to a deep cycle battery!!! The more he pedalled, the faster the whirligig turned, and the more power he was putting in the battery, which he had a dinky little 450 watt inverter hooked up to with 1 plug!!!!! Naturally I didn't have my camera, but the guy was nice enough to let me pedal for 15 minutes or so!!

But, alas!! Today I had to send a fax out, and after talking with a local learned that the Desert Oasis Bookstore had a fax, just $1.00 a page, sent or received....so I cruised on over. Went in and theres books everywhere!! Old ones, new ones, cheap ones (.25) and expensive and VERY RARE ones ($22,000.!!!!).....Couple of nice friendly girls behind the counter, and I told this one that I needed to send a fax.....she called out---Paul.....and a couple minutes later, I KID YOU NOT, this stood in front of ME

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Paul Winer, owner of Quartzsites only real bookstore, and undoubtedly the desert towns most famous resident. This was not a gag, nor a practical joke, I didn't pay him to strip for the camera!! This is how he is, every day, all day long!! Don't believe me?? Just do a Google on PAUL WINER, NAKED BOOKSELLER and see for yourselves! He has an interesting past, and the guy is VERY intelligent, and very nice to talk to as well!

Also, it is starting to get crowded here in Quartzsite. This picture was just an empty field when I got here...

and this is just one area!! I had noticed traffic had picked up some around Pilot and McDonalds, but the locals say this ain't nuthin yet!! You know theres more people in town when you go to the post office at 10am and have to wait in line 2 HOURS just to get to the window!!