RubberTramp Rendezvous - Van Party in the Desert

Every winter, thousands of nomads descend upon Quartzsite, Arizona for two-three weeks of connection, campfires & camping under the stars. The RubberTramp Rendezvous (RTR) draws a vast array of individuals & lots of sweet vans, trucks & DIY homes on wheels. Last year, I stumbled across a group of younger folks at the self-dubbed Advencha Island (the event skews older & more camper-y in general though). We all clicked, stayed in touch & wanted to do something similar this time ‘round.

Enter Advencha Island 2.0. We found a different site with lots of space & invited all our friends. It was an absolute blast. Below are photos from the shindig!

And feel free to come on out to the desert this year! Here’s the info. Keep in mind the dates don’t usually get updated for another month or so. It’s usually mid-January. See ya there!

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Caroline lookin reaaaaaaal pretty in the early evening light.

Official sign we made so that folks wouldn’t miss the turn & get stuck in the wash a few hundred feet down the road. Ha

A vanner enter the isle, ready for a couple weeks of fun!

Tried to take a bunch of portraits of folks & their vans. Here’s one of them, Amber.

And her pup, Koda, patiently waiting for the ball.

Look at the concentration & reserve! He’s being so good tbh.

Koda sends his regards, on the windows. Look at that slobber.

Sometimes you just bust out the power tools to cut up firewood, amirite?

Fires are a #vanlife staple.

The mountains off in the distance in Quartzsite are so picturesque.

Contrast those mountains with the changing rays of light.

Another bangin’ shot of Caroline with the sunset.

The sun sets slowly over the hills.

My trusty steed/escape pod, Jackson. It’s a beast.

The herd grows!

This here is Austin. We convinced him that he should still come for RTR even though his now second van wasn’t quite built out yet. So he brought it & worked on it while he was there.

Inside of the van, you should see it now!

More work up on top. He was installing the roof rack & we were having a TIME!

The circle grows larger. In the van community, we joke we like to circle the wagons. But it’s so nice having everyone facing towards the firepit in the center.

Birthday girl, Molly, cuts her cake, making this a party within a party in the desert.

So many exciting colors

Tasted great too! She got first dibs, obvs.

More firewood cutting because circular saws are awesome & overkill is always necessary.

Then when the fun & games of the saw are over, we’re back to the regular wood chopping.

Nothing like a good fire to close out a great day!

So so many pups & these two are making the best faces.

A friendly game of chess ensues while Austin does yoga in the background.

Austin does yoga while a friendly game of chess ensues in the foreground.

Austin demonstrating the beginning of Cactus Pose.

Molly handing out stickers because who doesn’t love stickers? Fun fact: most vanners have them.

Catching up with old friends during some down time.

More dogs, obviously needed to be included.

A vanner shows off her hundreds of paper mache cranes she made for her back curtain. Neat!

My little home with all the fixins.

Another vanlife portrait. This time, it’s Molly.

Wood burning project going down in the van. Many vanners are hella crafty & creative with things like knitting, wood burning, photography, jewelry-making, etc.

Another cute pup, needed y’all to see.

TJ comes back with some ice for the crew.

Steph makes some toast for a nice snack.

Another fun thing we do as van people are group meals! Brandon helps himself to one of the fine dishes.

Lotta happy campers here, group meals are the best.

Beersbee, a popular game to kill some time.

Terri stokes the fire, gotta keep it hot!

Lots of laughs & smiles around the campfire.

Good conversations also happen here. Lots of them.

Another van pup.

Keeping the bromance alive.

Campfire sing-a-longs are also a staple.

Portrait of Jesse at the fireside.

Next up, Cards Against Humanity with the fam.

Everybody always gets real into it.

Plenty o’ smiles as the game progressed.

Presentation is everything. Jon went all out.

More gut-busting laughter

Hooked Steph up with my old solar shower, for I never really used it. Here she is getting it all set up.

Almost got me with this one. ;)

The lovely Holly Priestley as I was first getting to know her. And Mona Lisa, of course.

Another cute shot of the two of them.

Chris busted out his electric bike for a spin.

Such action, much wow.

Even had a sweet Volkswagen show up.

Brien, said VW owner, & I exchange a friendly handshake.

Matt, obsessed with morning coffee, indulges.

Caught him red-handed.

Some van-planning for future events, something the pandemic totally screwed with.

Chris does his best to hide from the camera but I persist.

Front porch hangs with Jesse & Victoria.

Snapped a nice portrait of Kenny while we were touring vans.

More amazing fireside action.

This one was fueled by left over wood from an ax throwing place, that’s one way to recycle!

And that’s a wrap! Hope y’all enjoyed & maybe I’ll see ya at next year’s event!