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Quartzsite, Arizona

Monday, September 7, 2009

Lake in Quartzsite?











When it rains in Quartzsite, a pond sometimes appears on the southside of town, just off E. Kuehn, on Rice Ranch property. Sunday, the pond turned into a lake!
Vito pulled out his jet ski and gave a great show! The owners of Rice Ranch, Chaunce and Doris, went for a ride on the pontoon boat, creating memories for years to come!

Storm aftermath and the cleanup begins!

In the afternoon, there was a wonderful babbling brook on Tyson Road. The water gently ran over the boulders and the sound was sweet. Below is a large piece of pavement missing from Tyson Road.





The day after the big storm found Kuehn, Quail Trail and Tyson roads unpassable. Tons of sand covered Kuehen, however crews from the town and La Paz County quickly began clearing the roads. Quail Trail has the most damage, as a large section of the road disappeared.




By 7am, Acting Mayor Wes Huntley, and Interim Town Manager Alex Taft were on the scene and making decisions. Some smaller roads also received damage, but are usable. There was still water running on the roads, so folks had to use Main Street to get from east to west.






Saturday, September 5, 2009

Storm hits Quartzsite! Washes running!






















This afternoon the storm brought torrential rains, lightening, winds, and hail. Didn't know we had rapids in Quartzsite? During a break in the weather, I drove around town, taking photos of Tyson Wash, which spread out farther than most folks have seen in over 10 years.
Tents, tires, whole trees, and huge amounts of trash went flowing down the washes. On the north side of town, Tyson Road was getting washed out and the waters were rising past the bank onto private property. On Quail Trail, there is Tyson Wash and another small one, but today they almost looked like one.
On the south end of town, W. Kuehn St., the waters rose up into the showgrounds area, almost to row O, according to Charlie, the caretaker. The waters receded and the rock wall held. However, all over town, folks gathered to watch the incredible site during a break in the storm.
Along Moon Mt. Rd., I walked out toward the wash with some folks who lived across the street. While there, we saw a tractor tire go bounding in the rapids. We had to leave quickly as the water was sneaking in behind us. Just one more photo...., but not risking my safety, I returned to the van. Just 15 minutes later, on my return trip, I saw the water had totally filled in almost up to the road.
Everywhere I went, folks had their cameras. Dee, from the Quartzsite Bakery, told me she took videos to show how fast the water was running. Lots of activity today! And I don't even have the A/C on as the temps dipped into the 80's. Whoooo hooooo!!! Enjoying having my door and windows open for some fresh air!

International Vulture Awareness Day




Today is International Vulture Awareness Day! I just took this photo last Sunday just north of Quartzsite. The vultures have taught me that sometimes it is good to clean up someone else's messes. Sometimes it is good just to wait your turn. Sometimes, you let someone else do the hard work, and then you swoop in for the desert.

And then there are the times to enjoy the sunshine warm your body!

May we all be blessed by the medicine the "Black Eagles" (as some call them) can teach us.





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