Growing up in Alaska and camping with her parents as a very young child prepared Esther for a life of adventure. She’s camped on Kodiak Island where huge brown bears fish for salmon, lived in remote villages without running water, and spent two winter months in her car as a trial run to see if she could do it. When Esther became sick in 2017, she couldn’t continue working at her job as a caregiver and instead started training to become a computer programmer, a job that she could do remotely while on the road. The award of the minivan means Esther can live the independent life she has been dreaming about for years.
To avoid spreading COVID-19, HOWA canceled the April 2020 Build Out, however, plans were made to continue with the Minivan Home on Wheels program on a simpler scale. Outfitting the vans with pre-made furnishings allowed the builds to be finished safely by a smaller number of people. In July a 2006 Honda Odyssey was bought, outfitted, and awarded to Esther who completed a two week mentoring program to prepare her for nomadic life. Transferring the title was a challenge due to DMV coronavirus restrictions but once that was done Esther was ready to move into her new home.
When Bob Wells started the RTR in 2011 no one dreamed that it would become so large so fast. From a gathering of fewer than 50 people, the RTR attendance swelled to many thousands in 2019 and outgrew the site at Scadden Wash, east of Quartzsite, Arizona, where it had been held for years. After months of searching for a different location with little success, Suanne Carlson, HOWA executive director who took over the management of the RTR and WRTR in July 2019, and her team of assistants developed a new plan- the RTR would be held at the La Paz County Fairgrounds and attendees would camp on BLM public land.
While this wasn’t a perfect solution, because the part of the fun of the RTRs is camping in a large group, everything worked very well. New nomads and nomads-to-be attended the seminars then camped for the night with HOWA Caravans. Nomads who had attended RTRs in previous years gathered with friends at camping areas scattered across the desert. Most had no need to attend the seminars but they still enjoyed the spirit of the RTR gathering.
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