Overnighting on Cross Country

[GDeen]

Just curious what most of you do when making tracks across country - stay in a campground with hookups, or pull in a rest area or retail area for free?

Seems like the campground could give you more piece of mind, security and quiet, whereas just pulling over would be more convenient.

Bringing my bus home from LA to Austin this week and will need to rest somewhere.

[phorner]

When we're in "travel mode", any large parking lot will do.

We've used Wal Marts, rest areas, Flying J's, Cracker Barrels, old strip mall parking lots, visitor centers, etc.

Convenience to our travel route, and wide-open spaces are our priorities while trying to make time and put some miles behind us. Unfortunately, many of the smaller campgrounds nearest the interstate highways are an invitation to damage due to their design for older, much smaller RV's. If I even suspect that the campground boasts about "shaded sites" I keep on moving down the road....

We'll seek out a larger campground every 2 or 3 days while travelling if need be.

Have fun picking up your new bus :)

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Gordon, congratulations on your beautiful new bus.

I know, you may be on the actual road coming home but I'll bet you will be flying high!

As to your question about staying overnight roadside or campgrounds: Peg and I rarely stay in a campground till we get to our destination. We prefer the short overnight stops at the rest areas. Just pull in, lock her down, and call it a night till the morning, where you give the bus a once over on the outside, check the tires, towbar and head out.

Lots of the roadside parks these days have 24 hour security, and we feel pretty safe inside the bus anyway. So we don't go into a campground till we get to where we are going to stay for a couple of days.

Enjoy the journey and anxious to see your new bus soon. Come to La Hacienda for July 4th, I think there will be several of us up there for that weekend?

Gary S.

[GDeen]

Thanks Gary and Paul - that makes sense. And yes, I am fired up. Almost embarrasing how excited I am about this deal.:o

Gary, La Hacienda is literally 10-15 minutes from my house. I will definitely come out there the 4th to visit, and look forward to meeting you guys.

[Ray Davis]

I am probably different than most. Almost all of my overnights have been in an RV park. Why? Well, I generally do not like to travel in the dark, if possible. Not that I'm afraid of it, I just don't see quite as well at night.

So, most of my planning involves arriving at a place to stay by late afternoon. As such, I don't feel right pulling into a Wallmart or similar in the early afternoon.

I have on occasion stopped in a Cabela's parking lot (1AM, I was bushed), in Flying J parking lots when driving at night. I have also spent one night in an Indian casino parking lot, but I did have dinner there.


I wouldn't mind staying less at RV parks, it's just the early hours makes it not feel right to stop for the night.

Ray

[Pete]

Gordon,
Not knowing when you will leave to head home, it is difficult to suggest where to stay. There are not many places along I-10, but I have found that if you elect to stay in roadside parks, you must secure yourself a spot early in the evening, because of all the truck traffic. When the 18 wheelers start stopping, the roadside parks fill up real fast and there are not that many along 10. I suggest stopping rather early, and getting up early to travel.
There is one park on the north side of I-10 in Anthony Tx. just west of El Paso, and also a Flying J about 1 mile west of the park. The name of the park is American RV. The park is nothing more than a large gravel lot with full hook ups (don't think you will be looking for a 10-10-10 park)
, but the power is good, with water and sewer.
There are a couple of roadside parks to the west of Ozona and Sonora, can't remember the mile markers but they are off and elevated from I-10, and are quiet (except for trucks in and out thru the night)
I have made this trip several times, and there is not much out there so be careful, keep plenty of fuel on board, and have a great trip. Look forward to seeing your new coach.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If we are trying to make time on a long cross country trip we typically will pull into a rest area early enough to get the spot on the end. That cuts the risk of someone accidently dinging us in half. We usually eat and head to bed early and we are out of there at O'dark thirty.

If we are not sure about the rest areas such as when crossing the country on unfamiliar roads we use the big rig book and find campgrounds near the highway that list pull throughs and we do the same thing as far as timing. Get there before dark and generally get back on the road very early.

We do not stay in Walmart or mall parking lots. We used to until we realized how exposed we are to all the local crazies that think Garth Brooks is in the big bus. We will stay in a truck stop as long as we can get an end spot. Ain't no way I am staying in a truck stop if I have to have both sides exposed. Watch them trying to back in a truck stop spot during the day. Then imagine what it is like at midnight with your bus in the next spot.

[jelmore]

Gordon, congrats on the Marathon. Really like how you brought the interior around.

We travel a lot and on long trips use WalMart almost exclusively. They have 24-hour security and it's good to check in with them. Sometimes, it's good to check with the manager. We've found rest stops to be iffy and many don't allow overnights. Wouldn't stay in a truck stop. Too noisy. Campgrounds are fun, sometimes challenging and calling it a day around 4pm opens things up for scouting around a bit, taking a bike ride and seeing new areas. If you call ahead, they will tell you if you can fit.

One thing we almost always do is check a satellite view of where we will end up. After a while, you can tell if there are medians and tight turns you should avoid. A view of a destination WalMart will readily show which entrance you should take and where the RVs park. Also good to have a plan B in case the parking lot has height restriction bars.

And, if in doubt about the break over on an entrance ramp to a parking lot, always just stop and air up the suspension before proceeding.

Have a blast. Take your time. There's lots to see.

[garyde]

Hi Gordon. When crossing the country after purchasing my Coach in Florida, I used the Big Rigs book and co-ordinated with my wife who was at home to arrange nightly reservations. Drove from 8 to 5 daily most of the time. It worked out for the most part.
I have also driven with Kevin Erion 24 hours a day, non stop. Thats fun for a night or two.
If I am driving alone during the day, I will pull over and nap for a half hour or so and move on.
I do stop at Truck stops on occasion but only if I'm stopping late at night.
Only stopped at rest stops once or twice and have been advised not to.
I do prefer the RV Parks because it gives me time to rest and relax.

[Loc]

Gordon,

We typically do the drive from LA to Houston over two 12-hour days. We sometime stay in parks and other times stay in parking lots depending on how fast we are trying to get there. For campgrounds there are a couple in Van Horn, Anthony, TX (Pete mentioned), Tucson (Beaudry's RV park), Blythe, CA (nothing special), and the Palm Springs area (but this will warp your view of what campgrounds are). If we are in a hurry, we typically make one stop at the Flying J in Anthony, Texas (Exit 1, I-10 at the New Mexico border) which is a 12 hour drive from Houston and a 12 hour drive from LA. There is also a nice Texas Welcome Center at Exit 2 or so (JDUB has stayed there). We have also spent the night at the Wal-Mart in Las Cruces. I tend to avoid the roadside rest areas unless they have security. We only stay in parking lots if we plan on driving late (midnight or later) and leaving early (before 6 am). I strongly prefer to stay in campgrounds.

Loc

[GDeen]

All good stuff here folks - thanks! Good idea on the sat view Jim, especially for a rookie.

Loc, I was thinking somewhere in the Las Cruces area would probably be a good first day. Printed out a list of options from the website Joe posted the other day. The Tejas welcome center also sounds like a good possibility.

I will be solo, so however I feel will dictate the deal. Main thing is to be back Thurs night so we can load our "bus stuff" and take a shake down cruise this weekend to Buckhorn.:)

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Gordon we have grown to enjoy the 2 night stay when in route. This way I am not saddled with hooking, unhooking and driving on EVERY day, after a few days it becomes too much. It allows 1 full day, every other day, I do not have to go thru it and allows us some leisure time to look around or just get caught up.

This one new habit alone has probably done more to increase the enjoyment of traveling than anything else we have tried or changed, accept the purchase of the bus.:rolleyes:

[phorner]

I agree, Joe.

If we're in a campground, it's almost never for a single night. In fact, when we're just travelling about with no real schedule, we usually take advantage of the weekly rates, since you can save a couple of bucks better spent on entertainment :)

[Petervs]

All this brings up an interesting subject. I find that we are either in a traveling mode to get somewhere, or a vacation mode to enjoy ourselves, take more time, see more sights, etc.

The RV industry is missing half the boat in my opinion. The RV parks mostly act like they are a destination resort. They offer picnic tables, bathrooms, pools, meeting halls, etc... Trust me, when I am traveling, I do not need any of those things. I appreciate a dump site every so many days, and at that time like to refill my fresh water tank, but all the rest is not needed or wanted.

Add to that, just to get parked, you have to stop, go in the office to register and pay, it always takes way too long and costs way too much when all I want to do is relax INSIDE my coach, have a nice dinner, watch a little TV and sleep, and depart relatively early the next morning. It is all such a pain in the a__ that we prefer not to stop in an RV park unless absolutely necessary.

I think the RV industry needs to make a kind of private rest area, just a huge gravel lot, a couple of security cameras, mark some lines for easy pull throughs, provide a dump station and water at one location, and some kind of quick pay station, $10 or 20 a night would be easy. No trucks allowed, no trees, no backing in, no unhooking, park as you pull in, walk over to pay, first come first served.

Ideally they would be located a mile off the interstate to reduce the noise and provide easy access. Lots of RV parks are underutilized, and they might find this a nice way to add to their income. If the word got out that these kind of spots were available, I bet lots of people would prefer them to both the high priced full RV park deal or the free WalMart, side street, church parking lot options.

[phorner]

Peter, that's a great idea. I would GLADLY pay for a convenient, spacious spot to pull-through for a night's stay.

All I need is a keep-it-simple spot on a fairly level, hard surface with a clear view of the sky for my satellite and I'm happy :)

In fact, there are many times when I would have been better off paying to stay in the campground parking lot, or their storage area, rather than the crappy spot they sent me to that required half an hour just to squeeze into hoping for minimal damage!

[gmcbuffalo]

Peter you are right on the mark. If I can and don't need to dump or take on water I use Indian Casinos parking lots just as you stated. I was told once that if you are rousted out by the security patrol just come out of your coach like your drunk and had a good time in their bar. They probably let you sleep it off.


On taking trucker spots to stay over night I stay away from them only because I know that the trucker needs the spot more than I. I can drive a lot longer than the law allows them. If I take their spot for the night and these place fill up fast he has to move on down the road. And the BEAR maybe waitiing for him. Like the incident told on this site about the truck with "no blank pages for vacation". I do use them if I need a nap.

I do agree it is a waste of money to pay for the swimming pool and kids park for a one nighter. wish the wife would start driving a little and not sleep in the buddy seat.

GregM

[TG Transport]

I like the way Peter thinks. We are either in the "get there" mode or park for a few days. A $10 parking lot with electrical is something I would use. It probably costs me about the same to run the generator for 4 hours. There is a place on I-75 in Tifton GA that has this basic set-up. I think its a Agricultural Center but you can see it from the interstate.

That said, we are not big campground fans anyway. I'd rather park in a creative place as close to the action we travelled to see as possible. The superior dry camping ability of the Prevost conversions was a big factor in our decision to purchase our first.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

That's an old discussion. We supply RV parks and campgrounds and at trade shows I have mentioned this often. There are destination parks and there are transient parks yet they all seem to have the same amenities and the same BS when checking in.

I don't want to fill out a form, I don't want to hear where the showers and toilets and laundry are. I don't want the combination to the pool gate.

I want to drive to the first open spot, plug in my electric cord and sit down in the living room and chill out. In the morning I want to just roll up the electric cord and drive away. I will leave a $5.00 or $10.00 bill in the office.

The first time we were in a place like this it was a Best Western, and since have seen many others. We parked, I walked in to the desk and gave the clerk the $5.00 it cost at the time and that was it. No discussion, no leading me down hundreds of feet of gravel road to my site, no paperwork and not even a receipt.

The closest thing to that is Agrirama off I-75 in Tifton GA. All except having to fill out the damn form.

[phorner]

When it comes to forms, Janice got tired of that chore as well.

So, she ran off a bunch of peel and stick address labels with the usual info, slaps one on their form and adds the date.

Hey, if she's happy..........I'm happier :)

[rfoster]

I didn't fill out the form at Agirama.

It is just what a fellow needs for a stop over for the night.

I showed up after six pm and the guy came around to me while I was plugging up and I gave him twenty bucks. He thinks I am George Washington or Andrew Jackson cause I dont have a phone either.

Quicker that way.

[truk4u]

Good, glad all you anti rv park cheap skates stay where it's free, that makes my reservations easier to be had. I love to fill out the paperwork, follow the golf cart to my site and leave my bag of trash to be picked up in the morning.

Gotta go, the pool closes in about an hour and I don't want to miss the movie!:) Oh, I forgot to mention the free garbage bag at check-in and map of the campground in case I get lost. Leaving in the morning, but hate to miss the campground dog show tomorrow.:rolleyes:

Maybe I'll try a rest area or truckstop tomorrow night, what the hell, stainless is pretty easy to repair and we all know that crap about truckers hating RV's can't be all true!

[garyde]

There's no benefit for Parks to have a '5 items or less' check-out station. How would that benefit them. Most Parks are designed for three types of Travelers; the transient overnighter, the vacationer, and the long term or seasonal guy. They have to have amenities for those who make up the base of their income. It was my experience the overnighter made up less than 20 percent of the annual income for the park. And they were seasonal , asked for discounts, and added to the hours the office had to remain open.
So, most Parks are designed for the longer term travelers. They help keep these parks open.

I also have had some very memorable moments at RV Parks where I have stayed. You meet some really nice people and hear some great stories.

[rfoster]

We are presently hold up in Myrtle Beach SC with the Chevy Chase family vacation thing going on. This place is huge with a population of about a million campers (not) it is big tho. Oceanlakes was selected as Campground/RV park of the year by some survey/ magazine cause it has it all except room.

The one thing that impressed me most when I arrived there were five Lanes (yea 5 lanes) of traffic coming into this place and my wife had arranged for express check in (not a new term) and we shot over to the left of everyone and drove directly to our spot at less than 10 mph. Sweet.

So remember when camping if you don't want to fill out the paper work - ask for Express Check in. Requires payment in advance, but who doesn't anymore? and knowing where you are assigned.

Bad storm here last night, the old bus was "a rocking" - before anyone gets excited - it was the wind.

[truk4u]

King,

How could you possibly drive all the way to Myrtle without OTR?:p

[rfoster]

No problemo, I used one of Dennys funeral home fans to keep cool.