The town of Quartzsite, Arizona, has an official population of two,413 in response to the U.S. Census. But each winter, that number grows exponentially as vehicle dwellers of every kind arrange camp on public land just outside town, reports the Guardian. The nice and cozy winters and free camping on public land for 2 weeks at a time, or a seven-month Long Term Visitor Area permit for just $180, attract people from all walks of life, forming temporary communities and lasting friendships within the desert.
The explanations for taking on temporary residency in Quartzsite are as varied because the people themselves. They vary from the well-off of their latest and biggest RVs, to digital nomads in homebuilt camper vans, to retirees attempting to stretch their meager Social Security checks so far as possible while living in whatever vehicle they’ll afford. Some are there for the great weather. Others come for events just like the Quartzsite RV Show and the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. Still others simply appreciate taking a break from a lifetime of constant travel and movement, all the time staying one step ahead of overnight parking laws and increasing restrictions on living in a vehicle.
The Guardian article is well price a read in case you’ve ever been inquisitive about the realities of van life. It goes into the small print of how and why various people do it. A common thread amongst the assorted nomads is being priced out of “sticks and bricks” housing, then falling in love with the liberty of life on the road.
I’m considered one of them
The explanation why I relate to the Guardian’s article a lot is that I used to be an automotive nomad myself. I lived in my camper van for 3 winters at La Posa South LTVA, just outside Quartzsite, and traveled the country the remaining of the yr. My $180 per-season fee covered water, trash, bathrooms, and a spot to cool down for several months. I even know a couple of of the people the Guardian talks about of their story.
The community aspect the article keeps referring to is kind of real. Lots of the individuals who just happened to camp near me became good friends with whom I’ve stayed in contact ever since. One in every of them even became my wife, and now we’re constructing a house together within the Ozarks. People in my camp would head into town to eat together, explore local wildlife areas, and have fun holidays together. One time I parked my van right next to a friend’s Super Bowl party so we could watch the sport reliably through my Starlink. Nearly every night, we might gather just before sunset, watch the sun go down, and luxuriate in the sunshine show, because Arizona sunsets are the very best.
Justin Hughes/Jalopnik
It wasn’t just fun and games, either. We might help one another out when we would have liked it. I do not understand how repeatedly I plugged my OBD2 scanner into some stranger’s rig to assist them work out what was unsuitable with it. Likewise, someone I knew from the web, but barely knew in real life, drove me to Lake Havasu City, 80 miles away, to purchase a clutch cable for my motorcycle at the closest dealer who had one in stock. It was a pop-up temporary society where we set our differences aside and genuinely looked out for one another. After my time there, I’m convinced that it is the form of community we could use quite a bit more of on the earth.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
