How do you get a bunch of people who live on the road to get together in one place? That was a question I asked myself several times when I was in the middle of planning a Colorado van gathering. Little did I know that this amazing group of wanderers are all searching for the same thing: community.
At the end of August, more than 60 people gathered for a weekend in a national forest in Colorado. We spent the first night around the campfire as musician Stevey Ertl performed a solo set. Saturday morning, Jane of Rock Meets Soil provided Bonfire Coffee and Lynelle of A Life on Land led a yoga class. In the afternoon, several small groups got together to go mountain biking and rock climbing. When everyone returned, I hosted a raffle with donated items from sponsors as an opportunity to give back to the community. At night, Colby, Anthony and Sophie of An American Road Story performed an acoustic set filled with classics such as Eddie Vedder’s song, Society. The last morning, we wandered around taking photos and touring everyone’s rigs.
I was surprised by the number of people that I was already following on social media. It was beautiful to experience a connection with them off the grid and learn more about them in person.
When I asked people how they heard of the event, they said they had seen it advertised on Facebook and Instagram, and a few said they heard it from their friends. I couldn’t believe that so many people who are often without service or plans would be able to reserve a weekend for each other. But the truth is, we’re all searching for like-minded people to become a part of our community.
What’s powerful about this movement is that we are all have something in common, the thirst to escape from society’s expectations and the desire to support each other to chase our dreams.
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