There’s been a place I’ve wanted to visit since the first time I heard about. It’s one of a kind at least in my area of the world. Since we would be traveling to Quartzsite and Phoenix along the I-10 in Arizona, I was hoping we’d have time to visit for a side trip.
What is it?
I know, you’re dying to know what I’m talking about! If you ever head to Parker, AZ or Lake Havasu you have probably heard of the Desert Bar or Nellie E. Saloon. It is a completely off-grid restaurant and bar sitting on an old mining camp where they have live music every weekend from October to April.


Win-Win
I get a jaunt to hear a little live music while sipping a chilled adult beverage and we can explore how this off-grid setup is built out. The road is a dirt road and very bumpy. It’s about 5 miles from the highway and can be very slow going. High clearance is mentioned but it isn’t necessary. The road is just rough, rocky and dirt. I’d never take my corvette (if I had one) on it, but a small sedan or SUV would be ok.

I found a Walmart at the northern end of Parker. Since we were towing jeep, it made sense to park Maximus at the Walmart, unhitch, and then drive the jeep in. It was crazy busy there and the lot was full of ATVs plus passenger cars and trucks. We could’ve driven Maximus but not sure we could’ve parked it easily; worked out better to just leave it behind and let Cooper relax and nap inside.

It’s curious to see how many solar panels (and where they put them) along with what type of battery bank and how large is it. Panels were used as patio covers and the batteries were in one huge area behind one of the main buildings. We show them in the video below.
The website, The Desert Bar, gives some background on the development of the land which started back in the 1980s.
The only gotchas that I picked up on are:
- There’s no cheese for the burgers (can’t store enough of it to offer it)
- Cash only (they can’t process electronic payment methods)
- Cushions may make your stay more comfortable! As we arrived we saw several folks leaving with cushions in hand. But if you’re like us and didn’t plan on hanging out for hours, you can probably skip bringing a cushion.
Video
Follow WorkingOnExploring travels and ongoing #SundayStills photo Challenge Posts
Delivered directly to your email inbox.
Look fwd to visiting the Desert Bar down the road …… Just found your web site a couple weeks back when I was searching dual alternator installs for our 2003 Ford 7.3 We have a Bigfoot Truck Camper that we are fixing up. You are both very creative and inspirational. My wife and I are near Austin TX but hope to visit Quartsite one day. Great web site BTW! Your Maximus is amazing but Cooper is the Star of the show for sure. PS: We have a plug in for you guys if you get out our way even though you have your own mega battery system! Look fwd to crossing paths and sharing! Cheers, Don & Margaret
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Don! Glad you found us. Funny, April is a planned Austin trip to help a son with a house project but I could not find anywhere to park the rig that made sense. So Steve’s going alone on a plane instead of us all going. Cooper is such a reluctant traveler, but he’d of course be no where else! Recommend you subscribe to truck camper adventure mag if you’re not already. the truck camper rally that TCA hosts is a nice event in Quartzsite that connects us truck campers. Keep in touch and reach out to Steve on your alternator project if you need to bounce anything off of someone.
LikeLike
Wow, what a crazy off-the-grid place, Cheryl! What a great tidbit of info to know about if one is heading that way. Burgers and music sound delightful in the winter desert. Thanks for sharing such a fun memory and favorite place!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a definite hot spot…lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Terri…I just realized I added the ping back to my desert bar post which wasn’t the plan…stay tune to a real making memories post for the challenge in day or so…lol.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh OK, it seemed to work. 🤣
LikeLiked by 2 people