Unusual places you have stayed the night.

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I submitted this question to a motorcycle / camping website and received several interesting stories about where people have spent the night. We are of the same ilk; my 6 1/2 foot motorcycle trailer folds out to a 13 foot Pop-up, with a king size bed.

Some of the more interesting ones were in the median on I-65 North of Nashville. Self-Serve car washes are not generally used during a rainstorm and provide more protection than a freeway overpass. One young kid in the Army spent the night on a California beach, and was hauled in to see the judge. He was fined $50. He explained that if he had $50 he would have gotten as room. Sometimes just going to the County Mounty they will let you use a cell.

So what are some of the unique places you have spent the night?

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’94 GL 1500 SE Extras: SIRUS Satellite Radio, Garmin GPS, SADDLEMAN Road Sofa and Touring Luggage, Touring Floodlights, Multiple Deer Whistles.
Pulling an ’80 Eagle 1 Trailer or ’12 Roll A Home (wide bed, brakes)

[clikrf8]

Frisco, UT; Ward, NV; both ghost towns and the cemetaries at Delamar, NV and Ward, NV. Very quiet and peaceful. DOT gravel pits, boat launches, Etc. Last three week trip, we paid nothing for camping.

[Mtwoodson]

We (parents and four kids) tent camped our way to California when we escaped Maine in 67. We stopped in Valley Forge, Pa one evening in a torrential downpour. We rearranged the picnic tables and pitched the tent in a covered picnic area at a park. Midway through the night a motorcycle camper came by and shared the space.

[TomB_]

In a rest area on I70 in a hot July night. Woke up about 3AM coughing & choking due to the fumes... Turned out that a pair of hog haulers parked on both sides of me & went to sleep. I got the heck outta there ASAP!!!! :S Happened back in the early 80's so now I'm able to laugh about it now... :B

[John_S_]

I had a doctors appointment early in the morning and it was about 450 miles from home, so we stayed in the doctors lot overnight. It was the most interesting place to stay and there was an elementary school next door so the kids were lined up in the morning as we left to office looking at the coach.

I have stayed in mall lots and in neat rest areas overlooking farms. I stay at a farm every year as well.

[Campinghoss]

In 2008 my turbo hose blew off and I could not get it to stay back on. Our GPS took us to a cg in Fayetteville, NC right off of I-95. It was 2 am and we were the ONLY campers there. No one in the office, no one around and payment was the honor system. We left a check in the box outside the office door as the note posted on the door stated but talk about a weird feeling!! I cannot remember the name.

[peajay]

The first night after we'd bought our TT we pulled up in front of house and slept in it that night(in January). Since it was still in the street we couldn't even put the slide out.
The first night after it was de-winterized we pulled it into the driveway and slept in it. It started sleeting then snowing ( in April) early the next morning. It didn't occur to us until it was too late that when you bring the slide in, all that slush on top the slide comes in with it. At least we knew after these first two "camp outs" that the furnace works like a charm!

[Monster9903]

On a trip to New Brunswick we made reservations in Mid September to stay for a week in a campground that is on the St. John River. Due to lack customers they decided to shut down for the season. When we showed up they had the place all closed up. When we showed up they were shocked. They had lost our reservation and were really upset and embarrassed. They turned water back on to a site next to the office and had us plug into the power there. We had the whole place to ourselves. we had beautiful views of the bay and it was definitely quiet. They also didn't charge us for 3 days of the week. I don't remember the campground's name but it was one of the best trips ever.

[Veebyes]

How about having a CG opened & power turned on just for you?

2008, Federl Dam, Leech Lake COE, MN. Stopped in not knowing they were not open for season yet. On our way to Alaska. Nothing else in the area was open either & a late season snowstorm was bearing down on the area that weekend.

No options.

Water in the CG was not turned on yet. No problem. Our tank was full. They turned the power on in a loop for us, put us in a double site with 50A & said "Bye Bye. See you Monday if you can't get out before. If you can, close & lock the gate behind you."

Well,it snowed & snowed. We had 3 nights & did not see another person till Monday when the CG staff returned.

Won't ever forget that weekend. Never did need the furnace. 2 built in electric heaters going plus a little 1200W one kept things toasty.

[RaenMark]

The most unusual I've stayed at was alongside my deuce and a half at Flughafen Liepheim when headed out on a deployment with the Air Force. Oh, and the farmers fields and forests in Germany when we deployed. Shelter halves are not designed with a 6'7" tenant in mind, my feet always ended up outside.

[CSG]

Over the years, we overnighted at a police station (with their permission), a truck scale off an interstate, just off an off ramp one New Year's, on the Sioux Indian reservation (with permission), and all the usual free overnight dry camp spots (schools, church's, hospitals, Walmarts, Cabelas, etc.).

Once, when I was young and had a little black p/u with a black camper, I snuck into the back of a picnic spot at Yosemite and had the place to myself while all the other poor slobs were crammed into the campgrounds (height of summer). I was probably lucky to get away with it.

Oh, almost forgot, about 10 years ago, I had my trck camper and was at Bryce. As an amateur astronomer and member of my local club, I had my telescope with me and saw they were doing an astronomy program that evening. I spoke to the rangers and offered my scope to the mix. My only request was they let me overnight at Bryce Point as it would be 1 or so AM before we packed it in. They had no problem with that and I had the spot all to myself until sunrise. It was great!

[Naio]

The above stories reminded me:

I was in college, and on a road trip with friends. We pulled over in some federal land outside of los vegas, in the dark, and laid out our sleeping bags on the ground. Woke up to find the hardpacked dirt was covered with broken glass, little bits all over.

We heard later that it was a bombing range...

[John___Angela]

In 2010 we were on our way from San Cristobal Chiapis to Oaxaca city Oaxaca. We were getting in late because we kept stopping to sample Mezcal along the way. (Best place in the world to buy the stuff) Anyway it was already dark and it was twisty turny mountainy type road. Came around a corner and there was a roadblock with bright lights shining in our eye. Mexican Army checkpoint checking for drugs and illegals coming across from central America. Anyway, we waited patiently while they gave us the once over and then when I knew they were done I asked the Sgt if it would be alright if we pulled onto the soccer field adjacent to the check point for the night as we were really tired. The "Teniente" came out of the shadows and piped up with "no hay ningun problema" He assigned us a young soldier who got us all leveled and squared away and we spent the night not too far from a 50 Cal. We made knew friends, talked for a couple hours and slept like babies. The lieutenant was a career guy who had 3 or 4 years to go before retirement. He had come up through the non-commissioned ranks and took his commision so his pension would be better. His grand kids collected coins from other countries and we gave him a Canadian Loonie and Twonie. Great experience and cultural exchange.

This was just down the block from our over nighter. How convenient. 🙂



The next day we arrived in our Favourite big Mexican City. Oaxaca. Just in time for a Sunday concert in the square. The start of a fantastic week.



Everywhere in the city there was great entertainment till late in the night



So much to see in the world. It will be awhile before we get back there, but some day.......

[Kittykath]

On a motorcycle/tenting trip through Wisconsin, spotty showers made us late getting to our destination. It was well after 11pm so we stopped for the night at a small roadside campground. The office was closed, but a sign allowed us to park and pay in the morning. By the light of flashlights, we set up our tent in the only empty site. Why had no one claimed this prime spot? The answer was clear when a freight train came roaring through at 1am, only a stone's throw from our tent! Glad I packed extra undies.

[Geocritter]

I read a book last year called A Hunter's Road by Jim Fergus and in it he writes about being stopped for the night in a parking lot. A police officer came by and was very insistent that he move on. Jim had been cleaning his shotgun and asked the officer if he would mind if he finished his cleaning project first because he always cleaned his gun after a day spent pheasant hunting. It turned out the police officer was an avid pheasant hunter! The officer ended up not only letting him stay the night but stopped by after his shift was over to tip a few beers and the two of them spent a few hours swapping hunting stories.