Rest areas?

Terryallan wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
Tried Rest stops for "overnighting" more than once, each time very little "rest" was had. Not fun having trucks parking beside you with engines idling all night not to mention the occasional reefer parking beside you..

I finally resorted to using safety ear plugs in order to get a few winks..

I personally try to avoid overnighting at rest stops, too much truck traffic in and out all night long.

I find mall parking lots, WM, Sams and such to be a bit better in that respect (not to mention they often have CAMERAS pointing in all directions so if something happens it WILL be recorded). Even then safety ear plugs sometimes comes in handy...

Just pretend you are in a National Park, with other RVers generators running all night. Pretty much the same thing.

Don't care for the constant sound of engines while trying to get a few winks. One of the MAIN reasons I do not dry camp or camp in the "wilderness" type settings. Just not my "cup of tea" so I stick with camping facilities which provide electric hookups.

Overnighting without power on the way doesn't bother me much since it is once upon an occasion and I am merely trying to get some rest before continuing on.

What I found was rest stops (especially when towing) you are often sandwiched between big rigs. Now if I could park in the car area away from the constant drone of big rigs and reefers it wouldn't be bad.

At least with parking lots, any big rigs which happen to overnight are often scattered and more distance between me and them. Although in the case of Super WM stores there is often a constant parade of vehicle traffic until 1AM (who in the world goes shopping at those hrs?). Then it is pretty quiet until 5AM when the parking lot vacuums start making their rounds to clean up the garbage that the shoppers leave behind...

Super WM stores do have pretty darn fresh doughnuts in the morning :B , you just can't get those at a rest stop :)

When I was over the road driving I spent many nights sleeping in rest stops and travle plazes ( by the Ohio Trun pikes plazas are the best they have free showers) and never had any problems.

Just because someone was mugged in a rest stop doesn't make all rest stops unsafe. Mean people have bad things happen go them in big empty parking lots too.

O and I have more knocks on my door in truck stops asking if I need any company in truck stops than in rest areas.

And I always thought that hole no camping thing meant no tents .

Traveled to NY one year in my RV to visit an uncle. His neighbor was an Undersheriff who stopped by to meet me and ask me where I stayed when on the road. I told him I pulled into Rest Areas and napped when I was tired. He told me in NY it was illegal to camp in Rest Areas. My response was camping without beer is just sleeping outside and I didn't have any beer in the RV. The next evening he stopped by again, but this time he came with a couple of cold beers that we enjoyed together.

My take-away is if you're using the Rest Area to get some rest, you're OK. No LEO wants to see sleep drivers on the road. If you're picnicking, you should be OK but if you're camping with lawn chairs, slides, BBQ grill, lite strings and flags you're probably not OK.

I love trains and trucks and all their noise. Lived on an ambulance run as a student, and soon slept right thru' the sirens. Stayed at an RV park in Thermopolous WY on a site not much more than a hundred feet from a pretty busy RR track. Slept like a baby.

Not saying there's anything wrong with someone wanting a bit of quiet. Loud music bothers me. But not the trucks!

Terryallan wrote:
Just pretend you are in a National Park, with other RVers generators running all night. Pretty much the same thing.

Sounds reasonable to me!

Gdetrailer wrote:
Tried Rest stops for "overnighting" more than once, each time very little "rest" was had. Not fun having trucks parking beside you with engines idling all night not to mention the occasional reefer parking beside you..

I finally resorted to using safety ear plugs in order to get a few winks..

I personally try to avoid overnighting at rest stops, too much truck traffic in and out all night long.

I find mall parking lots, WM, Sams and such to be a bit better in that respect (not to mention they often have CAMERAS pointing in all directions so if something happens it WILL be recorded). Even then safety ear plugs sometimes comes in handy...

Just pretend you are in a National Park, with other RVers generators running all night. Pretty much the same thing.

Tried Rest stops for "overnighting" more than once, each time very little "rest" was had. Not fun having trucks parking beside you with engines idling all night not to mention the occasional reefer parking beside you..

I finally resorted to using safety ear plugs in order to get a few winks..

I personally try to avoid overnighting at rest stops, too much truck traffic in and out all night long.

I find mall parking lots, WM, Sams and such to be a bit better in that respect (not to mention they often have CAMERAS pointing in all directions so if something happens it WILL be recorded). Even then safety ear plugs sometimes comes in handy...

The Texan wrote:
Please post one state that has a "LAW" prohibiting overnight resting in a designated rest area. I do not mean State DOT rules or regulations, which do NOT have the color of law. The last state that actually had such a "law" was CT and the feds withheld highway funds for their imposing such a law on commercial drivers, that they repealed the law. Just ONE state is all I ask to see.....Even CA with it's wild laws does NOT have such a law, only CALDOT rules.

^^^^^^^THIS!!

Op:
#1. I have never seen a LEO chalk tires in a rest area.

#2. I have never been rousted or even talked to about "resting" "too long" in a rest area and I have done it many, many times.

#3. I have never heard of anybody being rousted or even talked to about "resting" "too long" in a rest area.

#4. I get as much "rest" in a rest area as I want or feel necessary to be "safe" and awake on the road.

#5. I provide my own "security" whether in a campground or in a rest area or in my home.

In Kansas a lot of rest areas have a separate area for RV's and a dump station.

Huntindog wrote:
My thoughts:
If it's not safe to use for a nap, then it's not safe to use period.
If it is staffed, then it is likely safe.
I doubt that anyone is starting a "clock" when you pull in.
So long as you are inconspicuous, I doubt you will have a problem.
These rules are probably in place to give the staffers the ability to "deal" with problems, such as the pimps, hookers transients etc.

I would just use the facilities in "stealth" mode, and see what happens. I bet nothing.

Exactly...I even said I have never seen a trucker get kicked out either.
But for some reason the MODS deleted my post for no reason...