By Machelle James
My mind is mush and my body is so sore that I can barely sit down. That is best how to describe my situation as AJ and I arrive home today. We just spent 13 days in Quartzsite, AZ, for the annual Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. We decided to sign up for this event as we have heard how many people visit it (over 100K), and we needed to meet them!
As first-timers, we had 5000 flyers, 1200 koozies plus lanyards, and had T-shirt giveaways. We had our RV wrapped for our travels, and we had a canopy professionally designed for the show. Our job was to inform the guests that AJ’s Getaway Family RV Campground is a newer campground in N.E. Arizona and we are open for business.
I have to admit that AJ and I did a great job working together and taking turns answering questions and truly working as a team. We were on our feet all day and exhausted in the evenings. Of course, we had a few nights where we met up with another vendors for dinner and drinks. I can tell you that Silly Al’s Pizza is truly a place to stop and eat at. We went there 3 times, it was so good.
Then we discovered the swap meet behind the event, over at Tyson Wells. We discovered a whole other type of wheelin’ and dealin’. From clothes, blankets, rocks and gems, to flags, RV and kitchen supplies to MANY food vendors. It was unreal! We have to give a SHOUT OUT to Beer Belly’s Adult Day Care. It is an outdoor bar in the middle of nowhere. With a food truck, cold drinks and country bands, it was packed every single day!
We were parked in the midway, just outside the big event tent with our RV, so our booth was right in front of it. This was very convenient to grab a snack, get more coffee and use the restroom! We met people all the way from Quebec, Canada, and from all over the U.S., as well.
One event that was memorable was one of our visitors who stopped by didn’t speak English. She looked Canadian, so I spoke to her in French. Her eyes lit up, she held my hands, and was SO surprised I spoke French. It was only beginner French, but she walked away with a smile and in AWE! Well, let me tell you what else happened. I had to pick AJ’s jaw up off the floor as he has never heard me speak French, He didn’t even know I could do it! He was in shock and shaking his head, wondering how his wife of 27 years had never spoken French before. Well, to be honest, I haven’t been in a situation to speak it. Plus, I like to keep him on his toes.
We even had many readers like you come by and introduce themselves! That was so very special to us as we were able to see the faces behind the names. I told them I would write an update, as they were all dying to know what we’ve been up to.
Update on AJ’s Getaway
So, in a nutshell, our washing machine froze and died as it is in on outdoor shed. So we had to fix everything and get a new machine. AJ had the power lines removed from overhead lines and they are now buried at the entrance. He rewired the wash bays for the side-by-sides, as you couldn’t run two power washers at a time last season. He also fixed the many fence posts that warped due to weather.
We installed a new Ramada in one of our two RV Buddy Sites. That was not fun as it was SOOO cold, but necessary. We also are remodeling the Check-In store, as we found out the counters were on the wrong side of the store. Our backs were to the windows and I was constantly turning around. The counters are now on the opposite side of where they were, so I can see who is coming in at all times.
I made new brochures and flyers for this season as well as new car security tags. I’ve been busy on the backend making reservations for private events and working with our Chamber of Commerce for our town’s events for the year. I am looking for an Event Coordinator to help with events during the season, as we are having BBQ’s and Movie Night in the trees. We are having other events, as well, and I want to make sure I have help this year.
We are also changing the store up with more items for kids—like forest-type of stuffed animals, bracelets and toys. Plus, we’re editing our candy choices based on last year’s sales. We are in the process of editing our logo a bit and making new T-shirt designs for 2023.
We are still waiting for the ground to dry up a bit so we can level the sites that need to be more level, as we had a few sink in the rains last season. The good news is we have 100 tons of gravel ready to be used when grading is done.
We have a to-do list with 15 more items, so we will be busy until we open in mid-April. We are working as much as we can while the weather is decent, as it is so unpredictable to plan for weeks out at a time. I will say I am feeling anxious, as April is only 2 months away.
Our new granddaughter arrived 3 days ago and we decided to fly to meet her in March for a week! Her name is Nova and she is HUGE, at 9 lbs. 13 oz., and 21 inches long. She is healthy, and we cannot wait to meet her in person!
Jenna is doing well and is liking her time with us and the peace and quiet of winter.
Thank You for your continued support and for following our Campground stories as we continue to improve.
See You in the Trees, and please leave a message!
AJ, Machelle and Jenna
Read previous articles here.
Machelle James and her husband, AJ, built, from the ground up, a 15-acre RV park in Heber-Overgaard, Arizona, in the beautiful White Mountains 140 miles from Phoenix. Follow them at their website, or on Facebook @ AJ’s Getaway RV Park, or on Instagram at ajsgetawayrvpark.
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It was nice meeting you both. You went to a lot of work getting ready and it showed. And thanks AJ for the t shirt. I’m actually wearing it often! All the best this coming season!!
Hi Rick! Thank You for stopping by! We are so happy you like that shirt. It is our best t-shirt blend and everyone LOVES it! Thanks for the well wishes!
I was so happy to see your byline pop up in rvtravel! I have followed your story from the beginning and admit to feeling “invested” in the the whole adventure. Something like a distant “Aunt Diane”. Best of luck in the upcoming season!
Hello Fox! Thanks for the kind words of support! I’ll write next month too, so stay tuned!
It was great to meet you and visit with you 😊 We are very excited for things to go right for you. Not sure when we will make it up there. Best of Luck to you 👍
Hi Don! Thank You for stopping by our booth- it was a pleasure to meet you! We will be here if you do make it up North 🙂
Darn, I was hoping you would be open the beginning of April as we head home to Canada. Oh well maybe next trip. Thanks for the update.
Hi Caren- It still snows until about the middle of April, hence, why we open then. Maybe when you come down in October you can stay here until you leave for your final Winter destination? We are open until Oct. 31st!
Great! Thank you for the update! 🙂
Hi Neal! Glad to be back! I’ll write once a month for now and see how it goes when we open. If I can write more often, I will! Thanks for your continued support 😀
I enjoyed meeting you and your husband at your booth in Quartzsite. Thank you for the koozie as it is getting a lot of use. One of these days we will make it down south to camp with you in the trees! 😁
Hi Suru! I’m so happy we met you! Those coozies get a lot of use from us too 😀 . Glad you stopped by and hope you can make it our way!
Great to hear from you! My husband and I were just wondering how you all were doing. Sounds like you have been doing great (aside from being tired from events and anxious about opening. I’m sure you will be ready.) And a big congrats on your latest grandchild. Will quickly put everything into perspective. Such a blessing. Hope to meet you one of these days.
Hi Diane! I was having an urgent feeling of needing to share updates as I have been taking a much needed break. I met SO many readers at the event, that I HAD to give updates. Thank You for being a huge support for us and following our story for so long.
Best of luck in 23 and keep the updates coming.
Hi Ron! Thank You for your well wishes as we working hard for a successful 2023 Season!
How does one “look Canadian”? I’m a dual citizen with Canada and have spent a lot of time in Canada. I see no difference between how people from both countries “look”. I found the reference offensive.
I’m also Canadian, and do not feel offended. Let’s dial down the Wokeness, gives us Canadians a bad name! lol
Thanks Leonard. It was a lovely moment meeting her.
I’m curious too, how does one “look” Canadian, Eh?
Hi Rolling Coal. Well, we learned that a lot of the folks that were at the event were Canadian, a beautiful woman came to our table with great skin, didn’t speak English and had a Canadian pin in her scarf. I simply guessed. It was a lovely moment!
Ron, I knew lots Canadians were there at the RV Show as we had met many wonderful folks there. This lovely lady, who didn’t speak English, had beautiful skin, and was wearing a Canadian flag pin. So I simply guessed. It was a lovely moment for both of us and wasn’t meant to be offensive.
I was at the show in Quartzsite this year with friends that bought an overlanding trailer. I would have visited had I known you were there. Darn. I always enjoyed your campground updates and love to hear about your continuing endeavors. Hope to see you on down the road.
Hi Ron! I’m sorry we missed you too! We had an outside the tent booth, on a corner. Opposite end of the RV’S for sale. We plan on being there next near as well!
I’m glad you’re back. I missed your articles.
So glad to hear from y’all again. Sounds like a typical “back office” update. Having helped open a new RV park, I know it is not easy and gets busier each year. Congratulations!
Hi Donald! It’s a great Industry to be in for sure. We love it and look forward to the the new Season!
Hi Betty! Awww! Thank You! We are still here and awaiting a HUGE snow storm to come through next week!
We are fairly new to rvtravel and new rvers in general, so I was so excited to see AJs Getaway because we are booked at your campground in June this summer. We found you on the campendium app and we are really looking forward to our 1st visit. I think the kind of campground you have built is so neat with actual space in your sites up north here in AZ, family friendly and your buddy sites are a cool idea too. We are looking forward to our visit and already planning another one. Sounds like you have alot of work still ahead of you but just know your work to have a campground like you do is very appreciated by families like ours. I hope you will inspire others to do the same🙂
Hi Christa! I’m so happy you found us! We truly are passionate about our Campground as well as our Campers. Its so fun to see the kids grow each season and know that they will have fond memories of camping. We look forward to meeting you and thank you for choosing us to camp with!
Hello Machelle and Family. It has been quite a while since I have seen any articles from you and I truly miss them. I very much looked forward to hearing about your adventure in the new Campground. Glad to hear things are still progressing. We have never made it to Quartzsite but hope to some day. Sounds like you and AJ have learned how to market your Campground. Quartzsite was a fantastic choice for that.
Well, I hope you will restart your semi-weekly blog this year. Until then, see you in the trees.
Hi Ed! It was good to write again! We had updates I really felt I needed to share, even in the off season. I’ll write once a month for now and see how it goes once we open. Nice hearing from you too!
I had the pleasure of meeting AJ and Machelle at Quartzsite. Very nice meeting the person that writes a much anticipated journal. AJ dug me out a t-shirt and a couple koozies. Can’t wait to get up and see the campground. They’ve worked so hard to make a dream come true. I took a brochure and the campground looks fabulous. All pull-through. Big spaces too. Best of luck, you deserve it.
Hi Thomas! We are so happy to have met you! Thanks for supporting us and stopping by to meet us. We hope the shirt fits and you are enjoying those coozies!
Nice wrap!
Hi John! Thank You! We had help designing it and we are thrilled with how it turned out!