Hi All,

This is an open discussion seeking to accomplish two primary goals:

1. To further the discussion points originally raised by Norb West in his Central Region VP article just published in the Fall issue of the Safari Trails.

2. To provide an open forum to identify and suggest possible solutions for issues and concerns highlighted in the above discussion,

To that end, I will be closely monitoring this thread to ensure that we are able to express our differing opinions on a very emotional and unfortunately politicized topic without having the discussion degrade to personal rancor or attacks due to those differences...."Kids, if I have to stop this thread and turn around, you're gonna be sooooo sorry!"

So, let's begin with what we know:

Ken Bruner has volunteered (thank you Ken!) to help Norb in pulling our Plomosa Road Quartzsite efforts together. The dates are 14-17 January with an awareness that the Trek gathering this coming January has officially stretched their timing to include the following Monday the 18th. There will be interested attendees who will be attending the Safari of Southern California 29 Palms rally that is currently still on the calendar so far as of now. They finish in 29 Palms conveniently on the 14th in time to make the 4 hour transit to Quartzsite that day. I am in communication with the Trek planning committee to ensure that we all share awareness and solutions with like-minded intent. There will be folks in our group who feel that the risk -vs- reward equation is too uncertain for them to attend this year....just as there will be folks who will attend no matter what. Both of those decisions can be honored without rancor and each can be acceptable in context, however, those who desire to attend without regard to current CDC guidelines for safe COVID-19 accommodations should be aware that this will be an issue.

I'm planning to attend, wear a mask as appropriate to the circumstances out of respect for the others around me, and practice safe distancing protocols in order to minimize risk of infection to all around me. I look forward to being able to converse with and interact with others in attendance....and I totally understand why there are some who will not be there this year.

Time for an update....as the POC / Liaison between the Trek planning committee for their Cholla Rd gathering and our planning efforts for our Plomosa Rd gathering I've been involved with the Trek discussions on how best to accommodate a safe environment for folks attending. I've promised Ken that I will keep him up-to-date on their solutions so that we can provide the same level of consideration in our plans.

As you might well imagine, there are some folks in their group (just as in ours) who feel that even with the best of efforts to minimize exposure to risk, the level of risk remains unacceptable for their personal situation....and they will not come to Quartzsite this year. I can not fault them for their decision....it is appropriate to their personal situation. For those in our group who have fewer underlying conditions which elevate the potential severity of being exposed to this damned virus, we would like to provide an opportunity to attend Quartzsite in January which realistically acknowledges, accommodates, and mitigates that risk so that we can safely gather.

On the table for discussion and consideration are safe distancing between rigs and between people, potluck meals, campfires, formal events, joint outings, the big tent, the length of the gathering itself and more....in fact, all of the things which have been easily accepted in past Quartzsite gatherings. As those discussions evolve to suggested best practices I will be sharing them with Ken and Norb, then once they have been rolled into our plan more information will be posted here and distributed by email to ensure that anyone in our group who wishes to attend can make an informed decision.

So here’s what we know so far:

The official time-line is Thursday, 14 January through Sunday, 17 January with the option to come early and stay later. This is an informal, NO-HOST event with no scheduled outings. Each participant is encouraged to bring a bundle of locally sourced firewood to donate to evening campfires. Rather than potluck dinners, the suggested plan would be to bring your own meal(s) to join your friends for a safely distanced outside common dining experience with no more than 5 couples. Going to the “Big Tent”, at least on opening day (and maybe not at all....), is discouraged due to the increased uncertainty of possible unwanted exposure.

Norb West, who was to be our POC for this event has been pulled off by other events and will not be able to attend. Ken Bruner, who had volunteered to be Norb’s 2nd for this, is unable to travel for an early arrival (and in-fact may not be able to get there until Friday the 15th due to COVID-related travel constraints in California). I, and several others, who plan to attend will not be able to arrive earlier than the 14th unless we were to forfeit a day of full hookups (and great meals!!!!) with the Safari of Southern California group at their 29 Palms location. Owen Clark, who normally travels to arrive early and stake out our area on Plomosa Rd, is unable to attend this year....

For a clearer look at how our counterparts with the Trek group gathering on Cholla Rd have approached the issues this year you can take a look at their agenda posted on the NWTFC website here:

www.nwtfc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10...-QUARTZSITE-2021.pdf

As before, they have invited us to join them again this year for any common events on the agenda if you so desire and are comfortable with that.

I will gladly provide an email summary of the finalized agenda for our Plomosa Rd gathering to any who wish it....simply use the “Contact Us” link in the Menu above to let me know where to send it.

Latest update....this year the Safari Trails winter issue did not have specific directions included as it had last winter, so I've excerpted that information from last years' issue (page 9, if you must ask....) and it can be found here:

safari-international.org/images/PDFs/Quartzsite_Directions.pdf

This link is also located on the News Page under the Quartzsite section.....