Friends at a HOWA camp in Pahrump, Fall 2020.

A HOWA Caravan is a group of people who want to join others from the mobile community. Participants casually camp together for days, weeks, or months at a time. Caravan Groups range from 5 to 75 people, depending on the number who show up and how many vehicles the camping location will accommodate. Participants are free to stay to themselves or join-in, as they desire.  Caravan Groups move to a new camp every 14 days.  Participants drive individually to the next location and do not convoy as one large group.

HOWA has multiple Caravan Groups running at the same time. Sometimes participants come and go, and try out different Caravan Groups. Caravan Locations accommodate many types of rigs – cars, vans, RVs and more

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.

Join a Caravan Group:

• It’s FREE — HOWA’s Caravan Locator service is offered to you at no cost.

• No sign up is required.  Click here to go to the top of the page where you can get the most current information about each of the Caravan Groups, after agreeing to the Liability Release Statement.

HOWA also offers optional online CHAT for you and your campmates before and during the Caravan.

• Specific Location is published one day before the Caravan begins.  Go to the Caravan Group you are interested in joining, then click AGREE to the Liability Release to get the location one day before.

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.

Caravan Locations change every 14 days.

Seven Days Before the Caravan begins, the general location of this Caravan will be below your clicked agreement to the Liability Statement.  Examples of general locations: North Pahrump, South Pahrump, Lovell Canyon, etc.

One Day Before this Caravan begins, the written directions and GPS coordinates of center camp will be provided below your clicked agreement to Liability Statement.  (Note: Do not follow Google Maps or other mapping program’s off-pavement directions to the GPS coordinates.)

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.

Each red pin shows the general location where a Caravan will be camped. In the Fall we start in the north, then move south with the cooler weather in the Winter.

To make it as easy as possible for participants to find each of the Caravan Locations, before each Caravan begins, HOWA will provide:

1. 1. Details above on this web page a week before each Caravan begins (once agreeing to the Liability Statement) including

   2. Written directions to the Caravan Camp above on this web page (once agreeing to the Liability Statement) 1 day before the Caravan begins, and

   3. GPS coordinates* to center camp above on this web page (once agreeing to the Liability Statement) 1 day before the Caravan begins. (Click here for Bob Wells’ CheapRVLiving video to learn about GPS Coordinates.) and

   4. A flag, the color of the Caravan, at center camp just before the Caravan begins, and

   5. One or two “arrowed” signs to show the way to the Caravan Camp just before the Caravan begins.

*Recommendation:  Once off pavement, do not follow Google Maps’ directions (or any other mapping program’s directions) to the GPS coordinates of center camp.  The mapping programs will direct you to take the shortest distance.  On dirt and gravel roads, the shortest distance is not always the safest route.  Look at satellite views for a better idea of the safest route.  Read the written directions provided by HOWA for a safer route.  Many have got stuck in sand, or unable to turn around, when blindly following the mapping program’s directions to GPS coordinates in the back country.  Click here for Bob Wells’ CheapRVLiving video to learn about GPS Coordinates. Keep yourself safe!

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.

A personal camp in Pahrump, Fall 2018. Courtesy of Phyllis.

When you arrive:

1. 1. Find the flag (the color of the Caravan) at center camp , then

   2. Give a wave, smile, or quick hello to campmates who are out and about, then

   3. Locate a place for your personal camp (read below for recommendations for selecting a personal camp), then

   4. Set up your personal camp, then

   5. To identify that you are part of the Caravan Camp, tie or place something on your rig the color of your Caravan.

   6. Join the evening and morning gathering at center camp (usually at a campfire ring), as you desire.  This is the primary place where participants congregate in order to get to know one another, and to make any group plans or decisions.  This is where community begins.

A small Caravan Camp where some rigs are. close together and others spread out.

HOWA’s Recommendations to select your personal camp within the larger Caravan Camp:

• Arrive with plenty of sunlight to spare.  It’s not fun finding or setting up camp in the dark.
• Find a personal camp location that is the desired distance*:
  • From center camp, and
  • From other participants’ personal camps.
  • Note:  Keep the personal campsites closest to center camp for those with mobile disabilities, and
• Select a safe place to put your personal camp.  Important note:
  • In the desert, avoid camping in washes (dry creek beds).
  • Even though you’ll see more shade in the washes, they may become dangerous torrents of water when raining in the surrounding mountains.
• If you select a location that is close to others’ personal camps:
  • Ask if your distance is too close (especially if lots of other places are available for you to park).
  • If too close, select another location for your personal camp.
• If you expect to do anything that may intrude on others’ experiences of being in nature, examples — burn outside lights all night long, create noise (late campfire discussions, run a generator, play music, have loud pets, etc.), make odors (engines, cigarettes, etc.) — talk with your potential neighbors to make sure they are OK with that.
  • Suggestion: Be as specific as possible when talking with your potential neighbors.  For example, if you run a generator just a few minutes in the morning and evening to power a microwave, that may be ok with them; whereas, if you run a generator all night long to keep your swamp cooler going, they may ask you to move elsewhere.
  • As a courtesy, if someone new stops near by, let them know before they set up their personal camp.  They may want to move elsewhere.
  • In the desert, sound carries very clearly for a very long distance (miles).
• Neighbors differing convictions and actions about COVID precautions may be another reason you may want to move your camp elsewhere.  See below for HOWA’s recommendations for being the kind, caring, supportive community that we are … even among those whose convictions and actions oppose our own.

*Since the Caravans began, we’ve observed that some people like to be close in, and others far away from center camp (a half mile or more).  There’s not a single right way to select your personal camp location.  In fact, you can move your personal camp every day if you want to!

Before each Caravan Camp begins, HOWA will:

• Scout and find Caravan Locations that meet the following criteria:

  • In compliance with the policies of that public land (number of campers, length of stay and distance from last stay),

  • Sufficient room for 75, or sometimes less rigs to comfortably camp together without doing damage to the land or plant life,

• Scout and find Caravan Locations that meet as many of the following criteria as possible:

  • Internet service by at least one major carrier,

  • Within an hour’s drive of town for supplies,

  • Mostly comfortable weather, based on historical data,

  • Within a half-day’s drive of both the previous and next Caravan Locations.

• Publish information about the Caravans:

  • On this HOWA web page: Your primary source of the most up-to-date information.

  • Announce the Caravans on HOWA’s social media

• Put a flag with the Caravan color at center camp for each Caravan Location the day before.

• Add more Caravans based upon demand, for up to seven total.

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.

Once HOWA provides everything detailed above, nothing else will be provided at each of the Caravan Locations.

To avoid onerous and costly permitting processes, HOWA Caravans are casual camping only. HOWA is not providing any organization or amenities.

• Participants welcome one another. No HOWA staff or volunteers will be there to encourage interactions.

• Participants will learn lots from each other about the nomadic lifestyle. HOWA will not be offering any classes.

• Informal discussions at center camp’s campfire are the best. HOWA will not be leading any discussions.

• Participants will find lots to do together. HOWA will not organize any outings.

• Each participant responsibly stores and disposes of their own human waste. HOWA provides no bathroom or disposal facilities.

• Each participant arrives prepared with enough water and water storage containers for themselves (typically an average of one gallon per day). HOWA provides no water.

• Each participant maintains a clean neat camp, leaving the area better than they found it. For more information, check out HOWA’s partner LeaveNoTrace, as well as the information at TreadLightly. Pack it in, pack it out. Neither HOWA or your campmates will clean up after you, nor does HOWA provide any trash bins or dumpsters.

• Each participant arrives with enough funds to live and drive on for the entire time of the Caravans.  In addition, each participant has a savings in case of an emergency*. Neither HOWA nor your campmates will support you financially.

• Each participant arrives prepared to be 100% self-sufficient at the Caravans.

*If your emergency funds and other assets are unexpectedly exhausted from a recent emergency and you find yourself in yet another unexpected emergency situation, you may want to contact HOWA’s Emergency Fund Program for assistance. For an application, email efund@HomesOnWheelsAlliance.org.

Recommendations for participants’ comfort and safety in a winter desert environment where dryness, wind, heat, cold, prickly things, rocks, and coyotes are the norm:

• Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration, especially when the wind is sapping moisture from your body.
• Wear thick-soled shoes with good support to manage the rocky, uneven ground.
• Wear a wide brimmed hat and sunscreen.
• Keep smaller animals close to prevent them from becoming prey.
• Dress in layers and sleep with layers of blankets to manage temperature variations.
• When cold, avoid wearing cotton or cotton blends. (https://www.adk.org/why-we-say-cotton-kills/)
• When hot, wear cotton moistened with water.
• Avoid camping in washes (dry creeks/riverbeds) where there’s more shade. When it rains in the nearby mountains, water may flow, sometimes in a torrent.

In case of an emergency, call local Law Enforcement or Emergency Services:

• Be prepared to give verbal directions to your camp. (In the past, GPS coordinates have not been useful for first responders.) Use the names of paved roads, mile markers, distances, or send someone to guide them in from the main highway, if necessary.

• Recommendation:  In case you become non-responsive, put an envelope labeled “ICE” (in case of emergency) in plain sight in your rig.  Inside the envelope list your emergency contacts, medical conditions, medications, and advanced directives (end-of-life medical care, or not).  Include information for your pet’s care.

• Recommendation:  Make sure you have the correct number to call for Law Enforcement and Emergency Services. Usually this is “911.” But, if you are close to a state border, then your 911 call may go to the wrong state’s Emergency Center because the cell tower your call used is in the neighboring state.  Therefore, if close to the border, find the correct dispatch number to call for emergencies for the actual state and county in which you are camped.

• Recommendation:  Before you get to the next camp, write down the verbal directions and emergency number. Keep them handy if needed.

Sexual Harassment:

• Sexual harassment includes any unwanted verbal or physical sexual behavior. This can range from sexual comments about a person’s clothing, anatomy, or looks, to very serious acts that qualify as assault or rape. Sexual harassment is about the impact of the behavior on you [the victim], and the severity and frequency of the incidents. It is not about the intent of the person who is engaging in the behavior. (https://www.mycallisto.org/cresources/language)

• Not tolerated.

• No means no.

• Report to local law enforcement (see above “Emergency” question).

Sexual Harassment from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:

“It is unlawful to harass a person … because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.

Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.

Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex…”  https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment

Nomads join Caravans to find a community in which they belong.  Many of us are introverts and, so, it may take some initial effort for us to connect with others.

When you join a new Caravan Location, it’s sometimes intimidating to be around so many new people.  This is a time to take baby steps to expand our comfort zone.  One suggestion:  First, simply give a friendly nod to people on a daily walk or a visit to the campfire, then wave to them the next day on a walk.  The following day, say something like “nice rig” as a conversation starter.  By then, I suspect, at least one connection will happen.  Take it slow, and you will find your community.

As nomads, we have so many unique attributes that make us like-minded, such as our —

• love for nature,
• best places to camp on public land,
• love for the road,
• small space living,
• vehicles made into homes,
• minimalism,
• outdoor cooking,
• night sky viewing,
• hiking,
• hobbies,
• etc.

Focus on these attributes and everything else that makes us like-minded nomads; and also recognize and honor the differences as we get to know one another.

To avoid conflict at the Caravan Camps, please do not bring up or wear items that highlight controversial topics or imply devaluing of others related to:

• politics,
• religion,
• race,
• gender identity,
• sexual orientation, or
• any other “hot-button” topic.

Homes On Wheels Alliance is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. The collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent represents not only part of our culture, but our reputation as well. When we camp together, we welcome the unique contributions that participants can bring in terms of their education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and belief.

• Do not go into each other’s rigs, tents, screened rooms, etc,
• Isolate when feeling sick,
• Get fully vaccinated,
• Wear a mask, especially if unvaccinated
• Sit or stand at least 6’ apart,
• Do not share food or utensils,  and
• Use hand sanitizer or wash hands regularly.

IMPORTANT:  In HOWA Caravans, everyone is welcome regardless of their personal beliefs, convictions and decisions about their own COVID-related practices.  Respect.

RECOMMENDATIONS*:

• Before attending a Caravan, be clear about your own personal boundaries regarding COVID.
• Before attending a Caravan, determine that your responses and interactions with every other person in the Caravan will be kind and compassionate.
  • Not everyone will share your same convictions regarding COVID.  Don’t make assumptions.
  • Honor every person in the Caravan regardless of their personal convictions and actions regarding COVID.
  • You are not entitled to know anyone’s personal convictions or decisions.  Seek permission to ask, if you must.
• Once together at the Caravan Camp, find win-win solutions if in proximity to others with different COVID-related behaviors than your own.
  • One example of a possible win-win solution:  Everyone wears masks when together, especially when someone new joins the Caravan.
  • Another example: Make an agreement that the highly risk-adverse wear a certain color bracelet indicating that they want everyone to always stay 6′ away and wear a mask while in proximity to them.
  • If a win-win solution cannot be negotiated, then leave.  Perhaps form a spin-off group with other like-minded participants to camp at a different location.
• Honor your own truth and convictions.
  • If inclined, share.  Focus on your own personal opinions or decisions should others show interest:
    • Use “I” statements.
    • Stick to just the facts.
      • Avoid editorializing about all of the good reasons for your decisions.
      • Avoid statements of judgement about others who have made different decisions.
  • Accept, then manage what is happening for yourself.  Take actions to keep yourself safe, as you define “safe.”  Possible examples:
    • Step back.  Creating more space between the person or people with whom you are visiting.
    • Put a sign on your rig that visitors “need to be” or “do not need to be,” or “vaccinated” or “social distancing,” etc.
    • Move your personal camp else where within the larger Caravan Location.
    • Form a spin-off group with like-minded others to camp at another location all together.

Simplistically:  My vaccine protects me.  My mask protects you.  Social distancing protects both of us.

*Much appreciation to Sept 12th’s women of HOWA’s Virtual Caravan for providing their wisdom, which then formed the basis for the above recommendations.

Small group in Bouse, AZ. Photo courtesy of Andrea.

Spin-Off Groups are Good:

What usually happens, is that people make friends, gain confidence and then go off to travel together in smaller spin-off groups. Thus, maintaining a stable Caravan Group size as new people join and experienced people leave.  On the other hand, many will decide to stay with the larger group until the end of the season.  Going back and forth is good too.

HOWA considers these unofficial spin-off groups a successes!

Some examples of reasons to create a spin off group:

• To keep each Caravan under 75 people,
• To see a specific sight or have a specific experience elsewhere,
• To camp with others who keep the same wake-sleep hours,
• To camp with those who run generators, or don’t run generators,
• To be with others who share the same level of COVID risk-aversion,
• To camp without smoke from a campfire, cigarettes, wildfires, etc.
• To be with a smaller number of campers,
• To camp with others who share the same, or different, philosophies,
• To enjoy the same type of music — listening, singing, or playing on instruments,
• To camp with others who enjoy partying,
• To find a place that is prettier, has better hiking, close-by tourist attractions, etc.
• To find better weather, cell service, town amenities, etc.
• Any reason is a good reason.

Many people bring their pets to the Caravans.

• Be prepared to keep them safe from:

  • Weather extremes — heat, cold, wind, rain — sometimes within the same 24 hour period.

  • Predators — coyotes, birds of prey

• Public Lands Policies are that dogs be on leash and in full control of the person holding the leash.

• Please pick-up your animal’s feces and dispose of them as you would your own.

• Recommendation: Be mindful of any noise that your animal makes.  Park further from the group or keep them quiet for your campmates’ sake.

The History of the Caravans

In January 2018, Bob Wells of CheapRVLiving started talking about Caravans on this video.  He wanted to create a way for nomads to camp together and be a community.

CheapRVLiving began the Caravans in the Fall of 2018.  Click here for Bob Well’s Fall 2018 introduction of the Caravans (note: although the Caravan expectations are still relevant in the video, CRVL contact information and links provided are no longer active).  After the January 2019 RTRs, we started a Women’s Caravan.  Click here for a video that Bob and Suanne made at that time (note: although the Caravan experiences are still relevant in the video, CRVL contact information and links provided are no longer active).

In 2019, the Caravans were adopted by HOWA.  Before their transfer to HOWA, several serious accidents happened within the Caravans.  As a result, HOWA realized the need for a Liability Release Statement so that participants understood that camping in the back country is inherently risky and that they would hold HOWA harmless should another accident happen.  So, in the Fall of 2019 HOWA implemented an RSVP system using Meetup.com so that, when joining HOWA’s Meetup Caravan Group, participants agreed to the Liability Release.  Meetup also provided a place for participants to text chat, as well as single online place to communicate instructions, directions, and GPS coordinates for each Caravan.

Happily, some of the Caravan Groups continued, unofficially, long beyond the end of the official Caravan (3 months at the time).  They simply continued camping together.  Some Caravans Groups formed Facebook Groups to communicate online when not camping together. A few of these online groups remain active today.

Then COVID hit.  The Caravans were postponed beginning April 2019.  Who would have thought that they would have been postponed for a full 18 months.  Now we begin them again in October 2021?  The processes surrounding the Caravans continue to evolve, but the basic premise of finding community remains the same.

The Caravans are free.  No registration is required.  Click here to go to where you can agree to the Liability Release and get the most current information.