Here I am camped out in the desert in Quartzsite, Arizona. Where is that you may ask? That depends on who you ask. Most people would either have no idea, or would say that it is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Quartzsite itself claims in its motto, however, to be not in the middle of nowhere, but rather in the center of everywhere. By that it means it is in the middle of the desert in between Blythe, California, (like that is somewhere I’d heard of before) and Phoenix, AZ (ah- now that I have heard of) and Parker, AZ and Yuma, AZ. But no matter who you ask, the reality is that Quartzsite is just a tiny town in the middle of the desert in southwest Arizona.
And now you may ask, so why am I here? I actually came here for the winter season, because the months of January and February are the big tourist season here, believe it or not. It's a good place to be if you are a rockhound and prospector and outdoors lover. I can sell my rocks and stuff, and be outside all winter long because its nice and warm. And so, I reiterate, here I am camped out in the desert in Quartzsite, AZ. I am on BLM land. There are no amenities out here, 3 miles out from town. Just desert with a few porta-potties randomly placed in designated camping areas. I am camping in my build-it-myself, work-in progress van camper. I don’t have a lot of luxuries, but I have what I need to live rather comfortably.
I am thankful for good camping gear. My Mammut sleeping bag and North Face outer wear and base layers have been keeping me toasty during cold desert nights that have gone down into the low twenties a few times. Daytime is rather pleasant- in the 60s and now getting into the 70s, but with nightfall comes chilly temps. A heavy LL Bean fleece has helped a lot too. As all outdoors folk will attest to, the key to comfort, and sometimes survival, in the outdoors is good, reliable gear.
Which brings me to my trusty Whisperlite International backpacking stove and how it saved the day. I came home…home being my campsite out in the desert…and proceeded to cook my dinner on my Coleman 2-burner propane stove. About halfway through, with a potful of still uncooked pasta, my propane ran out. I knew it had been getting low, but I’d been too busy to buy more. I could have started a campfire to finish cooking on, but that would have taken too long. What to do?
Being the kind of person that is always prepared for anything, I remembered about my backpacking stove and how many trips it had taken me reliably through. Digging through my pack, I found my stove and my fuel, put it together, pumped up the pressure, grabbed my lighter, and whoosh! Within minutes I had beautiful blue flame on which to continue cooking my dinner. My backpacking stove saved the day. My trusted Whisperlite had once again filled my stomach with hot tasty food out in the middle of nowhere. Or the center of everywhere, depending on who you ask.
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