Subes for life!

I was going to make a reference to Desert Solitaire in the title, but the BLM ranger I talked to said they get an influx of >1,000,000 people this time of year. And so, there is almost nothing empty or stark or quiet about the expanse right now.

Since I’m not “self-contained”*, I have to camp within 500′ of the water and bathrooms, and that’s just fine with me. I can watch the other campers come and go, give a friendly wave now and then, and also have easy access to the facilities (which, I have to admit, is kind of nice).

I’m here for HOWA’s RTR2024 gathering, which includes a mixture of socio-economic sectors from homeless to glampers. At yesterday’s meet-and-greet, Bob asked for a show of hands for how many live on the road voluntarily, and it was about 2/3 of the crowd. So, not everyone is down and out, and the rigs I watch roll through reflect that. Everything from $50 rolling rust-buckets coughing and sagging and barely making it up the road, to million-dollar custom setups with 50′ trailers and thousand-gallon water tanks and multiple tow vehicles (four-wheelers, e-Bikes, smart cars, you name it — I’ve seem ’em all). Both ends of the scale are truly impressive.

Even though my Subes4Life setup is pretty minimal, I include myself more along the glamper end of things. In fact, making dinner last night I caught myself holding a bottle of red wine** and I said out loud, “I think I’d like a white.” It was a pretty bougie thing to think, but it’s nice that I have the options.

From what I’ve seen so far, this place is a win. A win for winter, that is. Cheap rent ($180 for six months, November through April), no flies, and miles and miles of open space to check out. I’m not staying much longer, but it’s been a good run and quite nice to be out of the snow for a while.

See you on the road!

*Meaning, I don’t have water tanks or a bathroom.

**Bahuna red, FTW!