Stopping Overnight

Crabbypatty wrote:
When my trip requires an overnight, we plan the route and make a reservation in a cg. Nothing like fhu and peace and quiet after a long ride. Its the journey as well as the destination. Sleeping in a parking lot is just ridiculous when you can hook up along the way and have a great night for just a few bucks more. Its a no brainer.

I have done both. Really depends on where you are headed. What time you are stopping, What's in the area etc.
Sometimes there is a convenient CG available. Sometimes you need to make do with a rest area, truck stop or Wal Mart. I don't need FHU just to overnight. I don't bother to connect water and sewer and just run off the fresh tank. If it is hot I will use the on board genset to run A/C.

Overnighting stops are just for sleeping with the idea of hitting the road again early in the morning. While I agree a convenient CG is great if it is available. However a CG is not always needed or necessary for an overnight stop. Having a self contained unit gives me flexibility to over night at places other than a full service CG.

When my trip requires an overnight, we plan the route and make a reservation in a cg. Nothing like fhu and peace and quiet after a long ride. Its the journey as well as the destination. Sleeping in a parking lot is just ridiculous when you can hook up along the way and have a great night for just a few bucks more. Its a no brainer.

I do stay overnight at truckstops. I do park where the trucks park. I was raised around trucks so the noise is like music to fall asleep to. I pump my fuel in the truck lanes just like you. I have just as much right to those facilities as you do.

And whose to say that I am not getting payed as I drive down the road in my rv. I buy fuel, food, pay taxes for the roads and went to war for the privillage to do it. I always overnite in an rv park but make r&r stops as necessary any where I can including truck stops.

I believe most road side stops are commonly referred to as "rest area's"! If I'm tired while on the road, I'll pull into the appropriate spot without a second thought. While I can appreciate the trucker's point, tired is tired whether your in truck or car or RV. I try not to make a habit of it, but that's the way it is.

HappyKayakers wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

It is getting harder to find places to park. Too many folks have abused the privilege I guess. I am urbandocking for the summer and move from place to place every two days. I'm also working full time at my profession, so believe me when I say I find it exhausting some days.

And you don't think you're one of the abusers? You're not looking for a place to get some sleep before rolling down the road. If you're working fulltime in one location, why not just rent a monthly spot in a park? Monthly rates should be fairly cheap and you won't be exhausted every other day.

I have never seen cheap rates in RV parks anywhere in Canada,,
on the contrary
,it might be cheaper to rent a motel by the month,,or an apartment

GordonThree wrote:
Being new the sharing rest areas with truckers, I found the other RV'rs noiser and less considerate than the commercial truck traffic.

Case in point; My last night at a rest area was in Montana, and I was parked in the RV area, separate from the truck parking and scale area. The trucks were in their lot, and some of them were idling / venting their air lines all night long, but that stuff fades into the background.

I woke to my CO detector going off, light headed. Around 2am, a gas puller motorhome pulls in next to me, with both the main engine and generator running. The exhaust for both was right outside my open window... That RV owner almost killed me. I found out in the morning, it was an ancient husband and wife team, at least double my age. I didn't say anything to them, as what good would it do?

I turned on all my outside lights, but their motorhome was so huge compared to my truck and trailer, I doubt they saw anything, their windows looked down onto my roof. I closed my windows and vents, went to my truck bed and started my generator, pointing the noisy end their way. Then I was able to turn on the fan for my rooftop unit, and drown out the sound of the motors.

You should have knocked on there door and told them before they kill someone

I do not use truck stops for overnight stays. If I do (which is very rare and hasn't happened in about 3 years), it is at a Flying J in one of the RV spots. I prefer Wal-Marts to truck stops. It does bother me when I see RVs parked with the trucks at a truck stop. It's called a Truck Stop for a reason, it's for trucks.

Several years ago I stopped at a Love's in Jonestown, PA at about 1 am after driving from Georgia. I asked the clerk behind the counter if they had RV parking. He said no, but you can park with the trucks. I went back behind the service station where the trucks were. There was 1 spot left along the curb. I pulled in and started to wind down when I heard a truck pull in. I decided to leave. I had been driving since 9 am and was exhausted, but I wasn't going to take a spot from a trucker.

Our lives would come to a screeching halt without truck drivers. I treat them with the utmost respect. I would gladly give up a free parking spot for a trucker. They have a thankless job and generally get dumped on by everyone else on the road.

-Michael

I've never considered parking overnight in a truck stop, so it can't be me. Didn't know people did that, I thought they were for truckers only.

GordonThree wrote:
Around 2am, a gas puller motorhome pulls in next to me, with both the main engine and generator running...That RV owner almost killed me

Boy, that is scary.

The more I dry camp the more I'm cognizant of generator exhaust fumes. Deadly stuff.