1 of 2
Elizabeth Hensley
2 of 2
Elizabeth Hensley
Words by Elizabeth Hensley
Little House on the HWY
Looking for an arid climate, open terrain, and raspberry sherbet sunset? Add in free camping, workshops, and the company of like-minded people dispersed throughout the Arizona desert, and you get an unparalleled event that continues to grow in size and scope every year.
The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, or RTR as it is known, takes place every January near Quartzsite, Arizona, a small desert town off Interstate 10 about 200 km west of Phoenix. This tiny town swells to more than triple its size in the winter months of January and February. Most of the population is made up of snowbirds who flock to the area to take advantage of its 70 RV parks and 11,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA), plus five 14-day free dispersed camping areas (https://quartzsitetourism.com/).
Quartzsite is dubbed "the rock capital of the world" and fully lives up to the claim. Home to several gem and mineral shows throughout the year, while being a natural centre for quartz deposits, the town boasts upwards of a million visitors in winter months and is a stop for thousands of vendors who sell everything from gems to handmade goods and groceries in Quartzsite's vast outdoor flea market. Beautiful sunsets were a mainstay during our visit, although the weather tended to cool off considerably at night and the desert winds sometimes picked up. The average rainfall is 10 cm (4 in) per year, however, this year it rained a full day of the RTR event.
We began hearing murmurs of RTR while we were traveling on the East Coast late last summer. On our first Boondockers Welcome stay, our host declared she would be meeting other RVers in Arizona and we loosely talked about caravanning together from Savannah. Word also came from two men we met separately in West Virginia in October, as well as nomads we traveled with who were in converted buses and vans. In addition to full-time RVers, RTR also attracts part-timers interested in the lifestyle.
Some have compared RTR to the Burning Man of the nomadic movement. It is an eleven-day event which begins in January, but people begin to descend as early as November to camp out and get familiar with the area. Once at RTR, like-minded nomads gravitate into their own tribes, creating neighbourhoods and groups in the middle of the desert, while also making up street names and group identities. "PaR-T-R," and "Advencha Island" are examples of groups this year. We started our stay in Ehrenberg and caravanned in with several other skoolies, camping just outside RTR.
The event was founded by CheapRVLiving.com creator Bob Wells in 2010. The first year there were approximately 40 people who showed up. As the event's size grew, its structure increased as well. This year it moved to a nearby location in Bouse, AZ. Although permits were required from staff on site, quiet hours could be enforced. However, the event was and will remain free according to Wells.
The event kicked off with Women's RTR or WRTR, which took place January 4-8. Goals for the women's-only event focused on ways "to help participants be successful in the van-dwelling lifestyle long term, and to build a supportive community of women." The schedule included networking sessions, yoga and meditation, and mentoring and discussion sessions.
Meag O'Neill Ontario, Canada, living full-time in her converted step van said, "I met some of the most soul-inspiring women I've met in my life at WRTR, made friendships to last a lifetime, shared stories, tears, and adventures. Nothing's better than that."
On the first day of RTR in 2019, there were an estimated 5,000 people in attendance and it grew from there. People arrived from all over North America in every type of rig from trucks and mini-vans to large class-As. My group chose to park in an adjacent area on BLM, or public use land which allows up to 14-days of free camping without hook-ups. BLM land is plentiful in the western United States and a popular destination for snowbirds and nomads who seek a milder winter.
The nomad-centered daily programs of RTR ranged from "Nomad Safety" and "Boondocking Seminar" to a "Working on the Road Panel." One tip to working on the road was to attend the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV "Big Tent" show and inquire about seasonal work-camping opportunities such as the sugar beet harvest and Amazon jobs taking place elsewhere later in the year. Back at RTR, other services included free haircuts by a California stylist, and tarot card readings could also be scheduled.
There was a "free" booth where folks could drop off and pick up items throughout the event. All scheduled events took place in the centre of RTR, near rows of rented port-o-potties and community dumpsters that filled up by the second week of camp. One unpopular feature of RTR's new location was the site's single entrance. It was a single lane with a considerable dip which had to be navigated by event volunteers. Patrons were encouraged to stay put when it rained to avoid getting stuck. By this time our group was already at another event specifically for school buses called Skoolie Palooza, and some smaller vehicles did get caught in the mud as they were trying to move.
Skoolie Palooza took place from Jan. 14-21st at Roadrunner BLM Campground in Quartzsite, AZ. Over the course of the week, 114 skoolies attended making it the largest meetup in North America.
For a more personalized take on Elizabeth and Richard's visit to RTR, Skoolie Palooza and Quartzsite, AZ, please check out their YouTube video:
- WRTR January 4-8
- RTR: January 9-20, 2019
- The event is free- nothing provided