Salome AZ

We spent the week of Feb. 4 - Feb. 11th in the desert area of Salome, AZ. When you come from New England and you don't see a green surrounding, it seems rather strange. The only green in the desert are a few cacti. We traveled to Quartzsite from here. Quartzsite is a city in AZ that comes alive in January and February with hundreds of vendors selling their goods from tents, trailers and some permanent buildings. There was a lot of junk but there were also some beautiful minerals and gems for sale. The minerals and gems that can be found in the desert are outstanding. One could easily find them in raw stage or polished and finished. If you were into jewelry making, they had all that one would need to make these goods. The tents fold up and the vendors leave starting in late February. It was a sight to see. In order to do any exploring for rocks or to see the old mines in the desert, you really need 4-wheelers. It is too vast an area to explore on foot. The desert does get into the high 120's in the summer months with the nights only cooling to the low 100's. Water is a problem and even with the wells, most water needs to be heavily treated before it is tolerable.