2023 Ocotillo Wells Wrap Up
Another events in the books! For the 2nd year in a row we teamed up with the CA State Parks and the Friends of Ocotillo Wells (FOW) to put on the Ocotillo Wells clean up. This years event saw a few new challenges and also saw us trying some ‘new’ things to try to make the event bigger and more fun for all involved. While some changes stuck and some didn’t, we have a few great take-aways that we hope to implement at future events. This is the part which is so fun for us: the constant learning and growing of what does and doesn’t work.
The Clean-Dezert crew was hard at work in the months leading up to the event trying to iron-out the many details that happen behind the scenes. After some back-and-forth with many of the folks involved, we got everything squared away and began reaching out to sponsors. This year Yamaha came on board to provide event shirts for the volunteers, and Fox/Trail Trust provided the tools needed to pick up trash and beautify the desert. Pacific office automation covered administration costs (something most people don’t even think about when it comes to putting on events such as this) and even donated a solo stove for the raffle! Being that the Ocotillo area sees a lot of small, wind-blown trash, we knew we would need A LOT of trash bags and Tread Lightly came in to provide those. Once again Gravel Kings went BIG with the many “big ticket” raffle prizes that they donated. Fishgistics stepped up to the plate to provide the prizes for the kids raffle (and oddly enough, Fish and the kids are about the same height).
The CD crew rolled into Ocotillo Wells late Thursday night to stake an area right behind the event center. This year we were planning on using the site all weekend long, so we wanted to camp close to minimize walking/exercise (who wants to do that!?). The desert was dead-quiet which is always a nice way to start the weekend. By Friday morning there was a steady stream of traffic on the 78 coming into Ocotillo Wells, and before we knew it camping spots off main street were a premium. Our team huddled up (that’s ‘huddled’, not ‘cuddled’) the night before in the event center cooking dinner and talking about what the following would bring. We all agreed that we needed to make it an early night because 5:30 am was going to smack us in the face. Luckily for them, some of our team conveniently “forgot” to set an alarm and they did not show their faces until about 6:15… slackers! MOST OF US were up early Saturday morning and started setting up at 6am. Its great working with a team who knows what to expect and what needs to be completed. The CD crew tore into the Clean-Dezert trailer to pull out banners, tables, canopies, etc and got to work to get it all handled. By 7:30 the vendors started to arrive and by 7:45 we already had a line of participants waiting to sign up. It was show time!
We got the volunteers signed-in and equipped with an “event shirt” provided by Yamaha Outdoors and they were off to scour the desert for some trash. Most of the trash found out there was smaller items, but we had one volunteer bring back an old pop-up trailer that had been dumped in the desert! It’s crazy what people find out there. The day flew by so fast that the next thing we knew it was raffle time, how was that possible? Our team estimated that we had over 450 volunteers sign up… apparently trying to manage organized chaos keeps you busy and time flies by! Without a doubt, the raffle is by far the highlight of the day. Everyone’s winding down from packing 4 dumpsters full of trash, and with their bellies full from lunch (provided and cooked by the Friends of Ocotillo Wells, and water provided by PCL Construction) it’s time to relax and chat with their friends and fellow volunteers and enthusiasts. All in all we had some exciting main event prizes from:
Yamaha Outdoors – PCI Race Radios
Trail Trust – Fox RC Car
Pacific Office Automation – Solo Stove
Gravel Kings- TVs, Cash, Xbox, PlayStation
Mint400- RC Car and Event Passes
Solo Motorsports – Roof racks, jack skid plates, Bumpers
Total Chaos – Upper Arm kit
Complete Trailer – UTV Strap Kits
Fishgistics- Kids Raffle
Blitzkrieg Offroad- Shackles
PCI Race Radios- Gift Certificates
Innov8 – Billet Bed Supports and GPS Mount
Heatwave Visual- Sunglasses
Locked Offroad – Bump Stops
Ocotillo RV Resort – Free stay
AntiGravity Batteries - Portable JumpStarter Packs
The raffle was just over an hour and half long and we try to do our best to get through it as quickly as possible. With so many great sponsors, our volunteers walked away with TONS of great prizes. I’m not sure about anyone else, but giving out prizes to hard working volunteers is really one of the best parts of the day. It’s hard to compete with the smiles on people’s faces as they win something and even better when it’s a kid.
Once the raffle was done and we thanked everyone for coming out. Our team started to tear down the event and this was the perfect time for Terra Crew along with their friends do what they do best. They led a group of anxious desert people out to their favorite spots and put on a great show by jumping their trucks/SxS and dirt bikes. This is always a ton of fun as it lets everyone see what these machines are made of. A great ending to a fun day.
We’d also like to take a moment to recognize all of the volunteers that showed up to pick up trash in the desert. As we talked to folks throughout the day, we began to see a pattern: a lot of the people out there were “locals” and very passionate about keeping the area clean. We also wanted to thank the local businesses who helped support this event. We wanted to do something special, so we set up a small raffle at the Blu Inn, Iron Door and the Ocotillo Wells RV Park and Store. These are all hard-working people who make sure us desert folk have the amenities we need to have a great weekend. Regardless of where they called home, we realize that none of this would be possible without the many volunteers that come out to do incredible work and we just want to say “THANK YOU” for all of your dedication.
Until the next event, keep the deserts clean
CD Staff
