I dig the desert! Not literally, of course, with a pick or shovel. I dig it in the slang sense: I love it. It makes me happy from the inside out.

My dad used the term “dig it” back in the day when he lived in NYC and was a writer. Sometimes he assumed the beatnik persona and the term “dig it” was a beatnik favorite. Really, my dad was nothing more than a moderately functioning drunk, but I remember how his face lit up when something pleased him enough to say “I dig it.” He seemed genuinely happy and that made me happy too. So, as I enjoy my travels in the desert and feel a pervading sense of happiness, the term “dig it” has returned to my vocabulary.

I was planning to head over to Deming, NM in the Chihuahuan Desert for the holidays, but temperatures plummted there. Frigid temps impose a great deal of stress because of the potential for water lines to freeze. My inner child screams, “No cold! No cold.” The time I spent in Death Valley, in the Mojave Desert, has spoiled me now. I want warm and nothing less. The deserts that hug the California/Arizona border are the warmest places in the country right now, so I am staying! 

I parked a few nights just north of Quartzsite, AZ, a popular winter destination for RVers. Then, I moved 75 miles south to Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA). Yuma is not too far so I can do shopping and errands there. I jcan head to Algodones, MX, just across the border, for my teeth cleaning, cheap booze, and trinkets.

The 4 or 5 LTVAs (BLM land), including Quartzsite and Imperial Dam, offer RV parking all season only $180. You don’t get an official site; rather, people spread out all over the desert. Visitors from years past staked out sites using rocks, and some of these sites are quite roomy. It is dry camping, but I am feeling quite confident about my solar setup and my ability to live without hookups, especially after Death Valley. The Imperial Dam site appeals to me because it has $1 showers, a dump station, potable water, a swimming beach (Colorado River) and a few views of the water. A small Christian community nearby sells propane, runs a “post office”, and has a thrift store with books ($1 for 6 books). When I was still working and only dreaming about a nomadic lifestyle, I dreamed about spending time in the snowbird scene at the LTVAs. It took me until my 4th winter to get here, and I am loving it, just as I once dreamed. For off-the-grid nomads, this is Mecca.

Somehow, I managed to find a spot with a tiny view of the water. The obvious ones, along the ridge overlooking the river, were taken or reserved with chairs so I drove slowly through the area and found an unexpected. We are far enough out that Tango can wander a bit without being on his lead. He loves the freedom to run, although he never goes far! His job is protecting me from whatever might crawl or slither by.

Below, Imperial Dam area, then Quartzsite.

I also dig the Quartzsite/ Yuma area because I am in the Sonoran Desert again. It is my favorite because of the more abundant plant life. I have seen typical Sonora plants, including ocotillo and palo verde trees. The terrain in this spot is a bit challenging for walking because of the volcanic rock, but there are enough graded roads and desert trails for Tango and me to walk for hours through this relatively lush terrain. Lush, anyway, compared to Death Valley.

Around Thanksgiving I will head to Slab City, another snowbird destination, to whoop it up with the LOWS group there. I plant to stop at at least one other LTVA on the way there, but will return to Imperial Dam shortly after that. My plan is to stay there until early January, working on my writing project. I have had something clearly defined and outlined, but I have been too busy whooping it up with other old folks to make much progress. Slab City will be an adventure that I will write about at length. It is an iconic and crazy place.

I usually trash talk my dad like I did above, but I am inspired to offer him thanks this morning because I did, after all, get things from him that I treasure. Thanks, Dad, for my love of writing, travel, and adventure. I wish you were here to dig the desert with me and to talk to me about writing, something we never did when you were alive.