Sanctified Saturday: Getting Out of Sideways

Moonrise at sunset near Bouse, AZ

In the Spring, when the nighttime temperatures warm up past 50 degrees or more for several days, the Sidewinder Rattlesnakes come out of hibernation. I’ve only seen a few since we are not down here for long once it gets hot enough. But to watch them in motion is a marvel. How do they move sideways so rapidly? They make it look easy, scooting along leaving a distinctive pattern behind them. How do they know what direction to go and how do they keep going that way?

It brings to mind those times when I have been moving sideways, not going in a forward direction, but lateral, marking time without a clear direction. Did God look down in his love and say “Oh, child, come this way! Come forward! I have so much more for you than this sideways dance, back and forth in place”? I think he must have, because eventually I felt the tug of more, of destiny, of direction and purpose. I felt his love pull me into a place where I connected with his heavenly GPS to guide me into a course correction. Pulled by that loving, bigger-than-life Heavenly Father into his presence, his better ways and purpose, I move in the direction and course he had planned for me all along.

I leave behind the cloudy self-focus, the time-wasting activities, the negative thinking, the circular questioning and step into the identity he created just for me. Now I joyfully dance along the road, sometimes running, sometimes walking quietly in contemplation, always trying to be in step with him, moving forward with purpose. 

He has called me, I have answered with my life.

Sunset near Bouse, AZ, camping with Boondocker BOF

Travel Tuesdays: January in Quartzsite, AZ

Sunsets are often spectacular in Quartzsite. I'm told it's because of the dust in the air. Whatever!

 

Quartzsite, Arizona in January is a phenomenon. I suspect it is unique in the whole world. Where else would you find so many RV enthusiasts in one place? For over 30 years, upwards of a million people have annually flocked to this desert town during the month of January. Sunshine and warmer winter weather play a part, but the space to spread out plays an even larger part. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) owns miles of land around the town. Not just acres, miles. There are two types of areas where RVers can park. Dispersed camping areas are free to stay for 14 days, no services, just a place to park. The Long Term Visitors Areas (LTVA) is $40 for 14 days, or an annual permit for $180 lets you stay for seven months . Provided is garbage dumpsters, water stations, and dump stations. Some places have pit toilets, but many do not. 

Most often we park in the dispersed camping areas, although we did stay in an LTVA once. It’s a favorite way to gather in groups. Such places as “Mile Marker 99” a favorite meeting spot for Geocachers and Ham Radio aficionados. “Scadden Wash”, one of the first areas we stayed, is off the worst road I’ve seen yet. This is a ‘paved’ road where the old pavement is so broken and cracked that a rig like ours can only go about 3 miles an hour to prevent being shaken to pieces. Driving on the wide dirt edge is preferred. Clearly, it’s not on any road crew’s maintenance list. Our favorite place now is Plomosa Road, where 3 miles of camping on either side is occupied with different special interest groups. Some groups are as small as two or three, some as large as 200 or more. The Bureau has rangers who come from time to time and check to see that people have checked in with the Camp Host to register. It’s how they get their numbers and can allot resources. One year the Ranger came to the Boomers BOF group and spoke. He said the head count that year was 850,000 people. It boggles the mind because it doesn’t seem that crowded and it leaves you wondering how that many people can be so easily spread out around this small town of 3,000.

What attracts people other than all the space to gather with each other? This area is famous for its rocks. Everywhere you look there are rocks. This has drawn rock hounds from all over for years. The town has capitalized on that and has an annual rock show, where collectors can find not only local rocks, but ones imported from around the world. There are more rock shops in town than gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants put together! After the rock show, there is the Big Tent Outdoor Recreation and RV show. I hear that back in the day it was really something special. Still, it’s fun to see what all the vendors bring. Outside of the Big Tent, there are hundreds of vendors with all variety of goods scattered about town. This year seemed to have less people shopping, but more than I expected in the surrounding area. I think many people headed out to the desert for a safe and enjoyable place to maintain distance while still being able to socialize.  

We reserve a day to shop, but most of our time is spent with the RV groups that have gathered. We have three Escapee RV Club groups (BOF: Birds of a Feather)  that we belong to that meet off Plomosa Rd: Boondockers BOF, Boomers BOF, and Christian Fellowship BOF. Thankfully they are now all within an easy 1/2 mile walk of the Christian Fellowship group where we start out. 

A camp setup that got my attention! There are some great cooks in this group.

 Besides getting to know the other Christians in the group, we enjoy the daily message given by a retired pastor and the time of worship music prior to that. This year I led the worship for the Monday through Friday times as well as the church services on the Sunday before and after. I was thankful for Nancy on her guitar and Kathy singing along. We made a great team and their input was invaluable for choosing songs and praying together beforehand. We were dubbed “The Desert Trio”. I also shared my music after dinner one evening, and although I hesitate to call it a concert, it was well received and appreciated by the group. First I shared songs I had written, which didn’t take long. When I finished, their expectant faces looked for more, so I went on to play favorite worship music and invited them to join me in praise of our Lord, welcoming his presence. What a blessing to know that I am doing what the Lord is asking of me, even if I feel only minimally qualified! He is so good to take what I have to offer and magnify it for his glory.  

The Christian Flag flying in the sunset.