Greetings Everyone! Planning for the 2016 Circling of the Montana's rally is now underway where we hope to have another fun adventure. For first timers and others who are thinking about attending, we try to keep the rally relaxing while having enough events scheduled for folks to have fun and maybe learn something new. Here is information assembled by former wagon masters and myself to assist you in making the rally a success
This year is the 11th anniversary, and plans are to include everyone in the circle, regardless of brand of RV (SOB's just sound too indignant for our group). Of course, the hardest part of setting the rally up is balancing the amount of units with the available space. We are trying to expand the "circle" to include as many as possible.
We want to try and include everyone in the happy hours and campfire in order to make new friends and get to socialize with more folks, especially the newbies.
If anyone is adamant about being outside whatever circle we come up with, please PM me and we will accommodate. If anyone has suggestions about our plans, please PM or email me.
As always, we cannot wait to see old friends and make new ones.
Dates: Official start is Tuesday January 12, 2016 with the last night of the rally being Tuesday the 19th of January. Wednesday is departure day except for those whom want to stay.
Location: Quartzsite, AZ; camping on Plomosa Road.
The camping on Plomosa Road is on BLM land and is in the "NO FEE" area which means it is absolutely free!!! There is a 14 day stay limit in the no fee area where we will be camped (14 nights out on the 15th day) so plan accordingly.You will need to sign in with the BLM volunteer at the entrance to Plomosa Rd. and get your 14 day sticker. If you have questions or concerns about camping on the BLM land please do not contact the BLM Office or the rangers directly as this has caused problems for our group in the past. Instead, try to find the information on line or PM us and we will do our best to get the answer for you.
We will have a MOC sign posted on Plomosa Road to show you where to turn off the road to get to the gathering area (pictures and directions will be in a separate post after we arrive and know exactly where we will be).
Directions to our site:
We have the same site as the last couple of years.
Plomosa Road is about 6 miles NORTH of the intersection of Main Street and AZ-95 in downtown Quartzsite.
From Quartzsite drive NORTH on AZ-95 past mile marker 114, turn RIGHT (EAST) onto Plomosa Road.
Drive 2.8 miles, turn LEFT at Montana Sign onto BLM land.
Turn LEFT again (there will be a 2nd sign).....look for lots of Montana's and flags....about 1/4 mile WEST.
We are hoping for another large turnout this year and we will be assigning spaces early based on arrival/departure dates, but if you want to be located next to or close to a specific member/rig in the circle, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. Also, if you have solar we will position your rig to take full advantage of the abundant sunshine we hope to have.
The camping in the Plomosa Rd. area is "Dry Camping",but please do not let that discourage you from attending if you haven't dry camped before. This is just another aspect of the RVing experience and there is plenty of expertise that can be tapped into from your fellow MOC Members and with all the great people, you will not even miss any of the amenities.
Weather: The weather at this time of year is relatively mild with daytime temperatures hovering around 70 and nighttime temperatures dropping into the 50's-40's.
Quiet Hours: For the purposes of this rally and our group, we will observe Quiet Hours" between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. daily.
OTHER INFORMATION:
There are no electric hookups: QUIET generators are required for power. We have had issues with loud generators in the past, so for the peace of all, please do not use a contractor type or any open frame generator. IF YOU HAVE A LOUD GENERATOR YOU WILL BE ASKED TO SET UP RESIDENCE OUTSIDE OF THE CIRCLE....PERIOD.
There is cell phone service and internet access via your air card or phone if you have those services.
There is no cable TV: Satellite reception is great because of the lack of trees and "over- the- air" digital TV can be received from Yuma and Phoenix.
Garbage
Garbage is to be taken to the waste transfer station on Hwy. 95 between Plomosa Rd. and Quartzsite. Waste Management does not make calls to the desert. Some of our good-hearted souls will pull their truck in the center circle for a dump run. If you are going to Quartzsite or to the transfer station, please volunteer to take some trash and save on trips. If you are placing trash in someone else's truck, make sure bag is properly sealed and not leaking.
Water and Sewer
When you arrive at the Circle, you should have a full tank of water, and empty black and gray tanks.
There are no water hookups: However, several of us have 40-gallon water bladders and 12-volt pumps, all available for you to use to acquire water. Cost of filling the bladder in Quartzsite is 5-cents per gallon, $2.00 total, for well- filtered water at the “Pit Stop.” If you want city water (better quality, less minerals, but still not very drinkable) it runs around $6.00 per bladder from “Rose’s). You will find most people use RO (reverse-osmosis filtered) water for their drinking water available in stores or fill your own jugs for $.25 per gallon.
There are no sewage dumps at the campsite: When you need sewer service, you will need to call the honey wagon service. We will provide you with the name of a service later. They will come out to the area and take care of your rig on site. Historically, we have scheduled two visits during the rally when they are in the area. Not sure of the rate yet, but we have been paying $25 to $30 per rig in the past. We will try to get the same rate this year.
We will also need firewood, and lots of it, for our nightly visits around the camp fire. For 2015 we were able to purchase firewood locally and will plan to do the same again this year. Last year, thanks to the efforts of all, we had roaring fires each night.
We will be asking for a $10 donation when you arrive to help pay for the wood and various office and printing expenditures.
And, I should mention FLAGS. At each rally it appears we outdo all other groups in having the most flags mounted on our rigs. If you don’t have one, you may want to consider one as to not being left out. They are also available at the big tent during the RV Show that starts Jan 16th and runs for 9 days.
For those of you that have not attended or for rally veterans, here are a couple of web-sites you can visit and see what the territory looks like.
Last years 2015 rally
Quartzsite during the rally
Quartzsite from another angle
https://vimeo.com/87973648
Thank you and we really look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!
Jim Bender
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