I Remember Desert Center When

[Hydroman55]

I’ll set the stage here…When I started going to Parker you could get gas, hamburgers and soft serve ice cream in Desert Center.

Got up this morning and my 70 year old ass said clean your old school stuff that’s 30 and 40 years old and bury the plate. Spent the morning washing and waxing.
Heading to Needles or Parker in the morning.

 

[coolchange]

I’ll set the stage here…When I started going to Parker you could get gas, hamburgers and use the bathroom and soft serve ice cream in Desert Center. View attachment 128568

Fixed it for ya

 

[coolchange]

Bury a plate

 

[Bugginout]

Yep I remember those days as well! Rolling to the river in my grandpa's 72 chevy pulling a 72 Sanger flat. Stop for gas and a good burger.

 

[Shlbyntro]

when I could get a 1/4lb hotdog with all the fixins and an order of freshly deep fried jalapeño poppers on my way into town at 11pm on a Friday night and then driving past the shoe tree just a short time later

 

[Hydroman55]

Let’s go way back …Anybody remember the Pow Wow Room and gas dock at Blue Water?

 

[TrollerDave]

I’ll set the stage here…When I started going to Parker you could get gas, hamburgers and soft serve ice cream in Desert Center. View attachment 1285684
Got up this morning and my 70 year old ass said clean your old school stuff that’s 30 and 40 years old and bury the plate. Spent the morning washing and waxing.
Heading to Needles or Parker in the morning.

Side note: nice garage. I love the poster of the upside down flat “Everything will kill you. So choose something fun.”

 

[Boat 405]

Side note: nice garage. I love the poster of the upside down flat “Everything will kill you. So choose something fun.”

Fred Hart. That was a wild ride

 

[boatpi]

And when you blew a tire in your trailer coming from Parker, the guy work in the gas station always seem to have the right size for you and did not screw you on the price

 

[LBLL]

Stay tuned, you may see the next mass distribution hub out there in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Hydroman55]

Fred Hart. That was a wild ride

Yes made that poster for my garage a classic photo. A whole new dimension to “this is going to hurt”.

 

[dryhoze1]

And when you blew a tire in your trailer coming from Parker, the guy work in the gas station always seem to have the right size for you and did not screw you on the price

Absolutely!
several tires replaced there. Most in the dark of night.


How about the fuel dock @Bransons ?

Pops pulling the plug on the Howard

 

[Hydroman55]

Bury a plate

You get it!!!

 

[stephenkatsea]

Years prior the road to Parker passed thru Hell CA. The lady at Magoo's store even had photos of it.

 

[mjc]

And you could get gas in Rice.

 

[CommanderLee]

My first experience with Desert Center was late 80s early 90s heading to La Paz county park for mini truck runs. Spring Splash in April and Endless Summer in I think September. The thing that stands out the most in my memory were the bathrooms at the gas station. Pretty sure that's why I am immune to Covid or anything else.

Years later a good friend of mine, when he was driving trucks, dated I think the granddaughter of the family that owned DC. At the time she was the one that ran the hamburger stand.

 

[2Driver]

Back when you only passed one car at a time on Rice Rd.

 

[cyclone]

My first experience with Desert Center was late 80s early 90s heading to La Paz county park for mini truck runs. Spring Splash in April and Endless Summer in I think September. The thing that stands out the most in my memory were the bathrooms at the gas station. Pretty sure that's why I am immune to Covid or anything else.

Years later a good friend of mine, when he was driving trucks, dated I think the granddaughter of the family that owned DC. At the time she was the one that ran the hamburger stand.

I used to to both of those truck runs. good times!

 

[CommanderLee]

I used to to both of those truck runs. good times!

Pretty good chance that I might have got ketchup or mustard in your eyes at one or them... And damn great times!

 

[Dana757]

I'm ten years away from 70 and hope I'm still able to bury the plate then.
Desert Center gas station had the grossest bathrooms ever. lol The guy who worked there once loaned us a jack and gave us some chain when we lost a wheel bearing. Gave him the chain back on the return trip for the next wheel bearingless soul passing through.

 

[Hydroman55]

Here’s some trivia …occasionally stopped in Chiriaco Summit in the 70s and could hear a generator running. They didn’t have electricity from the grid until 1999.

 

[rivermobster]

when I could get a 1/4lb hotdog with all the fixins and an order of freshly deep fried jalapeño poppers on my way into town at 11pm on a Friday night and then driving past the shoe tree just a short time later

No Fuckin WAY are you old enough to remember DS like that!!!

 

[Wheeler]

No Fuckin WAY are you old enough to remember DS like that!!!

It was before you time, newbie!

 

[Hydroman55]

I'm ten years away from 70 and hope I'm still able to bury the plate then.
Desert Center gas station had the grossest bathrooms ever. lol The guy who worked there once loaned us a jack and gave us some chain when we lost a wheel bearing. Gave him the chain back on the return trip for the next wheel bearingless soul passing through.

Sad part is in the old days when I buried the plate I pushed the gas pedal now I just push the plate.
Better get another Hydro!

 

[Wheeler]

I miss @gigamurph and his stories.

 

[Shlbyntro]

No Fuckin WAY are you old enough to remember DS like that!!!

It was before you time, newbie!

you calling me a liar?!

I remember it vividly as well as the broken condom machine at McGoo's teenagers best friend

 

[2Driver]

Back in the 80’s my wife’s friend drove from seal beach to visit us when we lived in Havasu.

She left at night and went through desert center. We were thinking, gee Jan should be here by now.
She got to Vidal junction, saw the Hwy 95 sign and took it heading south on 95 and called us from a pay phone in Quartzite lost.

 

[Hydroman55]

Fixed it for ya

Beer stop too

 

[SlowMyRoll]

Anyone remember the name of the hamburger stand at Desert Center? I’m thinking Astro Burger?

 

[Wheeler]

you calling me a liar?!

I remember it vividly as well as the broken condom machine at McGoo's teenagers best friend

you calling me a liar?!

I remember it vividly as well as the broken condom machine at McGoo's teenagers best friend

I called MR.Magoo aka rvr. Mobster a newb.

 

[coolchange]

Beer stop too

We called it the beer start.

 

[clark]

I'M damn near 80 and remember grilling a steak at McGoos in the bar next to the store and buying a beer in Rice to get me through to Parker

 

[Hydroman55]

Anyone remember the name of the hamburger stand at Desert Center? I’m thinking Astro Burger?

That sounds right.

 

[Cdog]

Stay tuned, you may see the next mass distribution hub out there in the not-too-distant future.

Charging stations

 

[boatnam2]

Not quite sure why but 45 years ago that was always are starting point to start tugging cold ones, being all safe out in the desert.

 

[Wheeler]

If you look real close at the post on the right you will see RD SUX sticker

 

[done]

Water slide on the Island ?

 

[Tom Slick]

My father in law was raised at Eagle Mountain and worked at the gas station at Desert Center as a teenager. Him and his buddies would hitch rides to Parker with river goers and that’s were his love for fast boats began.

 

[PlanB]

We called it the beer start.

Driving to Lost Lake, we always cracked our first beers at DC.

 

[Wheeler]

My father in law was raised at Eagle Mountain and worked at the gas station at Desert Center as a teenager. Him and his buddies would hitch rides to Parker with river goers and that’s were his love for fast boats began.

Sounds like Mike Murphy aka Giga Murph.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Let’s go way back …Anybody remember the Pow Wow Room and gas dock at Blue Water?

My father raced SK back in the early 60s and he remembers when they had a hot dog stand and that was it. And there were drunk Indians everywhere in Parker.

I remember both Desert Center being a viable stop as well as Rice still having the intact gas station.

 

[TCHB]

Yep I remember those days as well! Rolling to the river in my grandpa's 72 chevy pulling a 72 Sanger flat. Stop for gas and a good burger.

The did not have cell coverage in 70.

 

[pixrthis]

Last time I got gas at Desert Center the pump said I got, let’s say 35 gallons which would have been a first in that car. So I had my wife look at the owners manual and it’s said it had a, let’s say 23 gallon tank. I went to the attendant and showed him the book and he said “how much do you think you got?” And charged me for that. Made me wonder how many paid for gas they didn’t get from that place.

 

[Chili Palmer]

My buddy and I stopped for gas one time at Desert Center, maybe in 81 or 82. I remember the town of Rice, well basically a gas station and a few single story buildings.

Just past the Parker T wasn’t there a bar called the Winner’s Circle on the California side of Parker between the swamplands at the south and Bluewater to the north?

You can’t forget the concrete grandstands at Bluewater or the concrete cabanas either.

 

[Wheeler]

Years prior the road to Parker passed thru Hell CA. The lady at Magoo's store even had photos of it.

Where does one go for rattle snake eggs now that Magoo's is closed?

 

[Bugginout]

The did not have cell coverage in 70.

Cell coverage? I don't follow.

 

[coz]

My buddy and I stopped for gas one time at Desert Center, maybe in 81 or 82. I remember the town of Rice, well basically a gas station and a few single story buildings.

Just past the Parker T wasn’t there a bar called the Winner’s Circle on the California side of Parker between the swamplands at the south and Bluewater to the north?

You can’t forget the concrete grandstands at Bluewater or the concrete cabanas either.

The winners circle was Az side by the dam. After that it was Chasens and I was on the opening crew for that back in the 80's. Then became Paradise Cafe. I remember getting Lynchburg Lemonades at winners circle when the drinking age was 19 in Az. I still have a glass at the river house from then.

 

[C-Ya]

The thing I remember most about DS is the unbelievably gross bathroom. There were some real poets that wrote on the stall walls.

It is where I first read……….. “Here I sit, broken hearted. Tried to shit, but only farted” I can’t believe I remember that! Lol

 

[dryhoze1]

The thing I remember most about DS is the unbelievably gross bathroom. There were some real poets that wrote on the stall walls.

It is where I first read……….. “Here I sit, broken hearted. Tried to shit, but only farted” I can’t believe I remember that! Lol

I sat on my shoes and used a sock to wipe in that bathroom.
no joke

 

[grumpy88]

The winners circle was Az side by the dam. After that it was Chasens and I was on the opening crew for that back in the 80's. Then became Paradise Cafe. I remember getting Lynchburg Lemonades at winners circle when the drinking age was 19 in Az. I still have a glass at the river house from then.

I miss paradise cafe . The food was good . The AC sucked! Haha . What is Tommy doing with his boat out there weathering away ?