49ers Encampment

For me, making delightful discoveries is one of the great joys of RVing. But you have to be in the right place at the right time. The law of averages demands a few disappointments.

When my wife and I entered Death Valley National Park from Beatty, Nevada, last week, we headed directly to the isolated Mesquite Spring campground. Only when we drove to Furnace Creek to tour the visitor’s center three days later did we learn that the Death Valley ‘49ers’ 57th Encampment was under way there. Originating in 1949 to observe the 100th anniversary of the 1849 California gold rush, the Encampment has evolved into a grand celebration of western culture.

Hundreds of RVs were parked in several huge dry-camping lots. Here and there, amid the motorhomes and trailers, members sat in small groups, talking and laughing. Everywhere, people milled about with cameras and smiles. The scene reminded us of bustling, colorful Quartzsite in January, minus the vendors.

Unfortunately, by then the five-day, early-November gathering was about to end. We looked at a schedule of events and realized how much we had missed—square dancing, slide shows, poetry readings, a costume contest, pancake breakfasts, a horseshoe tournament, an art show, jamborees....

We wished we had arrived earlier. But we had a couple of consolations: the Encampment will return next year, and the Quartzsite festivities are just weeks away.