Rubber Tramp Rendezvous 2019

Monday, 14 January 

The biggest event going on in Quartzsite today is the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, also known as RTR.  RTR was started in 2010 when Bob Ella and a group of 45 of his friends gathered in Quartzsite on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mange’s public land.  Bob Wells has been organizing this event every year, which has grown each year.  Last year, over 4,000 attended, this year the estimated count is 6,600.

Two weeks ago when we checked out the area, there were maybe a dozen people camping in that area.  Today it is a sea of campers of all different types. 

What is the RTR?  It is a January gathering in Quartzsite organized by Bob Wells as an opportunity for people to get together and learn from each other.  The main purpose is to provide and informal gathering for people living the nomadic lifestyle, usually in make shift or home built campers, to share ideas and help one another.

Who is Bob Wells?  Bob is a full-time nomad who lives in a converted van.  He started van life when he was living in Alaska and got a divorce.  He had no money and no house.  So he started living in the back of a box truck.  For six years, he stealth camped and maintained a regular job.  Bob has a large following of his blog and other social media where tips and tricks for living in cars and vans are shared.  Over 240,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Here is a link to Bob Wells explaining why he organizes the RTR:  https://youtu.be/Fs2D9oC-904

The RTR attendance last year required that Bob Wells find an alternative location for a larger group.  Working with the BLM, Bob got a special use permit to hold the event on BLM land not usually available for dispersed camping.

As a number of people we follow on social media were attending, Sprinty wanted to go see what the fuss was about.  When we got to Quartzsite two weeks ago, we scooped out the location so we were familiar with road conditions, etc.  it was several miles down unpaved roads and paved roads that would have been better if they were unpaved.  We chose to park in an area called Scadden Wash so Sprinty would not have to navigate the large wash at the entrance to the RTR.  

YouTube video of Aerial Views of RTR:

https://youtu.be/dg2xBBSis3g

The morning event was a show and tell mostly about gadgets for cooking in small places.  Interesting to listen to people share tips for camp cooking, as well as to take in the energy and vibe of the assembled masses.  Probably around 400 people attended the presentation which was just a stage in the desert.

Here is a link for more info about the RTR:  https://www.cheaprvliving.com/rtr/

After the presentation, we moved Sprinty to the day parking area (closer to the RTR area) and broke out the bikes.  The area for the RTR was huge, and would have been a long day of walking.  We rode up and down the “roads” in the desert looking at camping rigs.  People were in every imaginable type of rig - from tents, to roof mount tents, to cars, vans, pickup campers, converted vans and RVS.  Due to the focus of the event and the large wash that had to be navigated, there were almost no Class As, which was quite a difference from the FMCA rally we attended last week where Class As made up over 80% of the rigs.

While riding about, we got to meet Kaylee and Jordon of the Nomadic Movement, two nomads who live full time in a converted short school bus.  They were as nice in person as they appear on YouTube.  Jordon and some of his friends were busy changing an alternator belt as they were getting the bus ready for traveling through Mexico to Belize.  Here is a link to their latest YouTube video:  https://youtu.be/IabFuDH4sQQ

We also saw the rigs (but not their owners) of Carolyn of Carolyns’s RV; Robin of Creativity RV; and Robert Morales of Traveling Robert.  

Photo of Traveling Robert with Bob Wells at the Meet and greet:

We knew Two Meander was not there as they had to leave.  We looked for Joni of The Galavan and Amber of Story Chasing, but couldn’t find them.  Maybe they moved on up to Lake Havasu where around 350 Xcapers (working age full-time RVers) are holding a rally.

We were impressed with the friendliness of everyone and how well organized the event was.  Lots and lots of volunteers helping with parking, providing traffic control through the large one-lane wide wash, providing information, working the sound system and many more.  As but one example, the dumpsters were full to the brim and overflowing, and it appeared that it would not get emptied until Wednesday.  Bob asked for volunteers with pickups to haul garbage to the dump - about a dozen volunteered.

Last night as we walked back from the pizza place, a lady in a Toyota pickup camper waved us down and asked for directions to the RTR.  As we had been out there before, we could help.  Barbara was from Blairsville, GA and had driven all the way out for this event.  Older than either of us, she was as excited as a young schoolgirl for the opportunity to attend the RTR.  We did see her rig at the RTR, but did not see her.  We both admire her courage to (1) travel by herself, and (2) to try and arrive at the RTR in the dark.  Just riding our bikes around, we ran into deep washes a number of times - too deep and rough to walk our bikes through.  The kind of ditches you don’t want to find in the dark - walking, riding or driving.

An interesting experience for sure.  Sprinty may hang out there some more this week as he tries to participate in a variety of different gatherings going on.