Oddball Places you wouldn't think you could go.

Rok · 08-04-2013, 10:22 PM

O.K. So we're still fairly new to this, but we've got a little time out in the rig. My question to some of you seasoned class B'ers is: Are there any places where you didn't think you could camp where you found you could.

My wife thinks she found a place in Washington, DC that is near the museums where one can camp, or at least park during the day.

Are there other places where you though you wouldn't find a place to park and found one anyway?

Are there places in downtown areas? Places I would like to know about are New York City, or Boston near Harvard (I want to attend the Ignoble Awards.)

I'm just trying to prompt others to tell us about their surprising finds of places to stay. Maybe we can follow in your footsteps (er...tiretreads?) or maybe it will give us some ideas on how to park "outside the box".

Thanks in advace.............Rocky.

markopolo · 08-04-2013, 10:50 PM

I just saw this RV park in New York mentioned on a Roadtrek group:
Liberty Harbor RV Park www.libertyharborrv.com

Mike · 08-08-2013, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markopolo

I just saw this RV park in New York mentioned on a Roadtrek group:
Liberty Harbor RV Park http://www.libertyharborrv.com

Did you see the rates?
http://www.libertyharborrv.com/rates
1 night $80 (plus taxes?). 7 nights only $480 (one night free).
I don't need to park that close to New York City, to see it.
However, based on the address,
11 Luis Munoz Marin Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07302
it is right in the heart of Jersey City, about 1 mile away, and right across the Hudson from Manhattan. It's definitely got "location".

stanw909 · 08-09-2013, 03:12 AM

Stayed at Liberty Harbor 4 years ago for $55 a night. Even $80 is a great price. As far as DC. Cherryhill cg in College park is best. The city bus comes right into the entrance and drops you at the Metro station. That was in class A but with a B I would probably drive in.

stanw909 · 08-09-2013, 03:17 AM

BTW. When I was a kid in 1974 my parents took us in their little class c on a trip back East and stayed 3 days right in front of the old Smithsonian building.My dad walked up to the door where he saw a guard and asked him if there was a campground nearby.The guard said he new of none but saw the rig and suggested we stay right there.He said he would watch us all night except during rounds.

Mike · 08-09-2013, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanw909

BTW. When I was a kid in 1974 my parents took us in their little class c on a trip back East and stayed 3 days right in front of the old Smithsonian building.My dad walked up to the door where he saw a guard and asked him if there was a campground nearby.The guard said he new of none but saw the rig and suggested we stay right there.He said he would watch us all night except during rounds.

We got that promise of 7/24 security quite often when we stop in Texas at a rest area or welcome center. Good story about "plain view" boondocking. You just never know where you'll be welcome or where you'll be chased.....

Rok · 08-11-2013, 07:33 AM

Thanks everyone for all the tips and the stories of days of old.

I couldn't reply because we were camping at a place without wi-fi.

..........Rocky

Davydd · 08-11-2013, 03:06 PM

Oddly one of the best sleeping places I frequent is right out on a busy street in La Crosse, Wisconsin in front of my son's house. We do this several times a year. Cars zoom by at 30+ mph and it doesn't bother me at all.

Mike · 08-11-2013, 06:02 PM

I think you get used to the ambient noise if you boondock at places like Walmart and truck stops, particularly the latter, with big rigs idling their engines all night long sometimes. We've found we've gotten pretty good at sleeping just about anywhere, either boondocked or campsited. Driving all day when in touring mode, can sure act like a sedative at day's end, too.

Rok · 08-12-2013, 12:32 AM

On our way to Detroit Lake this last week, we stopped by a couple of friends' house in Portland, OR and camped in their driveway. It was fairly hot and we didn't have power for the A/C (nor did we want to run it in the first place because of the noise). So, we opened the back doors and zipped up the screen (that came with our GW Legend SE). That cooled it off enough for us to sleep. Interestingly, when the screen is zipped, there is less room to sleep, so we were a little cramped, but it was better than sweltering.

My wife will wake up at the slightest provocation at home, but there were all kinds of noises and light the following morning and she slept right through it all. There is a difference in sleep when you expect flashes of light and noise. Some of the best sleep I got as a kid was sleeping in a car while traveling. The white noise of a car or van is wonderful.

...........Rocky

Davydd · 08-12-2013, 03:41 AM

We open up our Legend back doors with screen and the sliding side door with screen when in the campground so rarely ever run the air conditioner. We haven't reached the comfort level to have them open when sleeping but usually by bed time the temps have cooled down enough.

Rok · 08-12-2013, 04:00 AM

Same with us Davydd, we hardly ever use the A/C or leave the back doors open, but this time it was quite hot out even at 10 p.m. We didn't even bring out the blanket, opting instead to sleep on top of the comforter. Sometime around 3-4 a.m. it got cool enough that Maggie (my wife) asked me to get the sleeping bag we use as a blanket down, but it was toasty again before we got up.

We prefer it cooler.

.........Rocky

hornetv6 · 01-08-2014, 10:12 PM

We found small towns in Wyoming that allow overnight camping in the City Parks. Stayed at on last summer that actually had electrical and water hookups. The cost was free. We found them online searching for a place to stay.

Mike · 01-08-2014, 10:21 PM

Add 'em to this website, if you can remember where they were. Help thy fellow travelers? (you have to register first, but it's free, too)

http://freecampsites.net/

Davydd · 01-08-2014, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davydd

We open up our Legend back doors with screen and the sliding side door with screen when in the campground so rarely ever run the air conditioner. We haven't reached the comfort level to have them open when sleeping but usually by bed time the temps have cooled down enough.

Since I posted this we did camp with our back doors wide open along with our side door open in Council Grove, KS at our BEE Social. That was September 11, 2013. If you can remember there was a heat wave. I believe the temperature hit 100 degrees that day. It is kind of funny. We tent camped for 40 years in lots of wilderness areas yet we feel exposed with doors open in our B.

Mike · 01-08-2014, 11:26 PM

"The world is a different place, now" is how I see it now. We may not be as agile, nimble, or able to defend ourselves from danger as we get older (and wiser?

). When you're young, you're invincible, and you probably did things that might have been more than a little "risky".
I know I did.

mlts22 · 01-09-2014, 04:00 PM

Times have changed too. Even five years ago, there wasn't the "knockout game", where it was considered a gain to "street cred" by videotaping someone getting beaten to a pulp at random.

Texas is a funny state. Get 100 miles away from Houston, and 50 miles away from Austin, and you see the "real" Texas. There are churches to park at, town squares, a ton of nooks/crannies, etc. However, as you get closer to Austin, the you see "Texas Friendly" vanishing real quickly. I was at a small town near Austin visiting a friend. I parked in front of their home, and it took about less than a minute before the neighbors started coming up to ask why I was there.

(edited -- grammar errors.)

Mike · 01-10-2014, 01:44 PM

That KO game thing is a bit annoying, in that you now have to watch where you walk no matter where you are, not just in "bad areas". As I understand it, there doesn't seem to be a "target area" in that sense. It's largely unpredictable, with the warning signs being clusters of kids just hanging around, or walking past you in groups. I suppose you could argue that you should always be aware of your surroundings, and this definitely emphasizes that.

Is Fredericksburg really as yuppie as it looks? Do you know if there are any good camping sites there (read as "free" or "boondock")? We drove through there a few years ago, and it looked pretty interesting, but we were on our way to Area 51 at the time and didn't stop. I made a mental note to head back next time we're in the area for a longer stay.

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