A couple weeks back I went out to visit one of the strangest places I've ever been. It's a pocket of the Southwest that's become notorious in the world of recreational vehicle drivers. A million or more of them visit every year, creating a temporary metropolis of RVs out in the desert. They park in RV lots, on streets, and -- in vast quantities -- out in the desert on open land provided by the Bureau of Land Management. It's not just numbers that makes this place unique. It's the community that forms.
I've written a profile of this place, Quartzsite, Arizona, for the latest issue of High Country News. You can read the piece and view a related photo gallery (with infographics).
As you'll read in the piece, the RVers of Quartzsite create a temporary city and community out in the middle of the desert. It becomes home to thousands and thousands of snowbirds and RV drivers looking for a warm place to spend the winter. For just $180, they can park their RVs out in the BLM land for up to 7 months. And many of them do.
I've written a profile of this place, Quartzsite, Arizona, for the latest issue of High Country News. You can read the piece and view a related photo gallery (with infographics).
As you'll read in the piece, the RVers of Quartzsite create a temporary city and community out in the middle of the desert. It becomes home to thousands and thousands of snowbirds and RV drivers looking for a warm place to spend the winter. For just $180, they can park their RVs out in the BLM land for up to 7 months. And many of them do.