Cheap camping.

[Hombre]

Keep the pics coming Thump. For us working stiffs its cool to live vicariously.

[Thumper]

Again, we’re simply “traveling” right now, with no plan, except for putting a few leisurely miles behind us. The daily drives are limited so we’re not at all rushed, just no pressing schedule other than arriving in Iowa by Sunday night. A piece of cake. Once my brother and I hook up, there will be no more Interstates and we’ll do nothing but more rural, river roads. But, back to our current route heading north, we have no planned stops and are just “boondocking” along the way. NO paid camping. Plenty of places if you want no amenities other than restrooms. We’re self-contained of course, but I don’t mind using public restrooms to avoid dealing with the black tank since I’m having a valve replaced at the factory in Iowa. (Pretty simple job really, but I’m too old and lazy to do it myself)

We have plenty of options to simply “spend the night”. Cabellas/Bass Pro offers free camping and most even have dump stations. Many like to stay at Wally Worlds, although some stores are getting persnickety due to “pig campers”, but generally, a word with a manager is all it takes to not be hassled. You also have access to restrooms and groceries, etc. 24/7 at the super stores. Cracker Barrels offer free camping and many even have rv sections (oversized spaces) marked off in their lots. Again, no facilities after-hours, but a nice breakfast would be available in the morning (not required). There are lots of options if you’re simply looking for a place to spend the night while traveling to or from a specific destination. One of our personal favorites is hospitals (preferably smaller towns) as they’re open 24/7 (restroom facilities), if you have a stroke at 3:00 am, you’re already right in front of the ER! (shhhhh, this is one of our self-discovered secrets, so don’t tell anybody).

Then, sometimes, rest areas are a good option and we’ve been having good luck on this trip with finding decent ones. We always go to an end spot and park so we have room to kick out our slide, plus the general stop-and-go travelers normally stop at the more “central” areas. Other than the one posted above, here and the Interstate rest areas we’ve stayed at so far this trip.