MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Every January, a group of self-described nomads meet in Quartzsite, Arizona, for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. It's a gathering where people who live a lifestyle on the open road can meet, can swap practical tips. NPR's Alina Hartounian went along and reports it is not the #vanlife you might be thinking of.
ALINA HARTOUNIAN, BYLINE: It's Taco Tuesday in the open air of the Arizona desert. A couple dozen volunteers are eating after a full day working at the RTR. The food was made by Derrick Hansler, better known in the community as D Rock.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DERRICK HANSLER: I have built a little chuck wagon, and I pull it around to all kinds of nomadic gatherings and put out food for just donations or whatever you have. And yeah, that's my part in helping this community.
HARTOUNIAN: The dinner is emblematic of the deep community ties among the nomads, many of whom have been coming to the rendezvous for years. The first gathering was held back in 2011. It was a meeting place for people who travel across the U.S. in vans, buses, cars and RVs. They typically camp untethered from a physical address. Some of them live in their vehicles out of necessity. They say that homelessness is the alternative. Others are drawn to a lifestyle that allows them the freedom to explore North America and live minimally.
APRIL CRAREN: And I get to travel. I get to go places, and I love that.
HARTOUNIAN: April Craren is one of the many people here who has stories to tell.
CRAREN: I did try running a place, and it was such a dump, and there were so many drug addicts and stuff all around. I couldn't do it.
HARTOUNIAN: Craren moved into a van, but the transmission died. She was on the brink of homelessness when she was given a van in 2020 by the Homes on Wheels Alliance. It's the nonprofit that puts on the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.
CRAREN: They'll give you the shirt off their back, even if they don't have one. They'll do anything for you. I've got a friend that's fixing women's solar - you know, helping them with their electrical and stuff, and they do it for free.
HARTOUNIAN: Mary Feuer also benefited from nomad community kindness. Her home is a teal school bus. She shows me a shrine she built next to the front door.
MARY FEUER: Yeah, that's St. Rita. She is the patron saint of improbable causes. And that's why she's the patron saint of this bus 'cause this bus has - you know, it's had its improbable moments (laughter).
HARTOUNIAN: Two years ago, it rolled over on a highway in Texas.
FEUER: I could drive it away. The engine was fine and everything, but the inside was just tossed like a salad.
HARTOUNIAN: But then her fellow nomads helped her rebuild. Feuer's kitchen cabinet doors are made from 1920 fruit crates. Her bed has a wooden headboard from the '30s.
FEUER: Yeah. I had an antique store before I got on the road.
HARTOUNIAN: Other rigs are more minimalist. Lori Gasaill (ph) has modified the interior of an ambulance with a rustic feel.
LORI GASAILL: Yeah, that's actual reclaimed barnwood.
HARTOUNIAN: Gasaill has also outfitted the ambulance to help with search and rescue efforts.
GASAILL: I also like to assist in wildland fire fighting situations, where I can be a resting station, whatever they need me to be.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Amazing restoration.
GASAILL: I've had it three years. It's - I got it gutted, got the measurements.
HARTOUNIAN: It's her first time at the RTR, and she's showing off her rig to curious nomads.
GASAILL: Oh, they're all very genuine - live and let live, respect each other's privacy, come by, say hi.
HARTOUNIAN: Gasaill recently retired and has big plans. Mexico, Canada and the Yukon are just some of her destinations over the next year or so. And she says if there are more events like this one, she'll definitely go. Alina Hartounian, NPR News, Quartzsite, Arizona.
(SOUNDBITE OF KILLA KYLEON SONG, "DUPPY FREESTYLE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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