[petar]

Everybody has preferences for overnight parking. When we go down our list trying to figure where to spend the night one of the places we have found to be pretty good is at Cracker Barrel.

We never stay without letting the manager know we will be staying and getting his (her) OK. We always have dinner or breakfast there.

We have never been refused, but once a manager said she would not OK our staying overnight, nor would she ask us to leave. She did not want responsibility if anything happened. That was about 12 years ago and someone had just sued Cracker Barrel because they were robbed while parked for the night in their RV.

[Archived]

Im with Jon, my location of choice when on a long trip is Cracker Barrel. My wife has seldom been able to travel and I’m not going to cook. If only they had a diesel pump !

[Ed]

Wrong thinking John. I usually back up to their grease tank at O’dark thirty and fill up with waste vegetable oil. I give up a little horsepower but you cannot beat the price.

[Archived]

Speaking of places to park…anyone (besides me) gotten into an app on the Iphone Allstays Camp & RV?

Just used it while on this last trip and it is absolutley great. In just a moment,you have all the available (well,almost all) RV spots with mapping and Info as well as site phone # to use…really handy if at the last moment driving plans change (or fail) and changes are necessary…a paltry $0.99 …..try it.

[Archived]

Jon,

I’ve always
admired all of the polished pipes and coiled tubing in your bay. I had just
assumed you were exercising your Tennessee resident training and making
moonshine.

[Archived]

I don’t make moonshine…………I drink it.

[Ed]

The last time we stayed at CB in Flagstaff, they informed us that the city council had passed an ord. banning all overnight camping at local biz. This is because of some kind of local flap that developed at WallyWorld in their parking lot.

We spent the night there however (after getting permission from the manager) and did not have any problems. The one in San Antone is really skinny on the entering and exit, be careful there, it is a curb climber for sure. We eat there once a month (CB in OKC not in San Antone), I like their coffee and always buy some for the house.

Here is another tip you can try on DI. I make the wife clap her hands when she is in the store portion, that way she cannot pick anything up. Lighten Up …..

Best watch the moonshine Jon, I understand that if you drink enough of it, your babies will be born naked! And then there is also the matter of “Coffee Table Surfing” at social functions, I almost forgot about that.

BCO

[Archived]

BCO brings up a point that does not get enough concern or discussion. Some communities (Pigeon Forge TN for example) have outlawed overnight parking for RVs except at RV parks. Since we supplied the RV park industry with products we were very much aware the owners of RV parks were working hard to get such legislation passed because they saw Walmart parking as eroding their business. But they weren’t the bad guys.

The reality is communities that have a significant interest in the success of their tourism business, such as Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood, don’t want to do anything to discourage visitors. But the Rvers are to blame for the current laws which forbid them to park anywhere but in RV parks. Those that parked at Walmart were not shy about letting the world know they were “camping” there. The awnings and slides were out and the lawn chairs were set up. They not only took advantage of Walmart’s hospitality, but they rubbed their nose in it. The final straw that got the legislation passed with little discussion was the jerks were dumping their tanks in the Walmart storm sewers.

So if a community forbids overnight parking it is usually because some RV owner abused the right and ruined it for all of us.

[Archived]

Here’s another great app, My DAT Truckers Service. FWIW, I have not considered overnighting in a
truck stop given most fill in the early evening. I believe I shouldn’t take a spot that should
go to the commercial guys and gals.

Inconsiderate RV’ers and overzealous city councils just tick
me off! IMHO, the city council has no
authority to regulate how long a vehicle of any sort can be parked on private
property. If they think they can they
should have to establish those regulations without discrimination. If you can’t park at Wal*Mart, then you
shouldn’t be able to park at a truck stop or rest stop. Of course, that’s ridiculous! At some point you need to put safety above
all else. Are these cities suggesting a
tired RV driver just continue to drive or pay to overnight?

We’ve been on the road now since late May and there are two
Wal*Marts that RVers really are abusing; the one in Whitehorse, Yukon and
Fairbanks, Alaska. Both of these had
RVers that were there for several days.
The RVers in Whitehorse didn’t even park in the far reaches of the parking
lot! Walmart should really limit
overnight parking to some reasonable hours to stop the multi-day camping. It’s great that most Wal*Marts allow
overnight parking for RVs and commercial operators. It’s just a shame some choose to take
advantage of their informal policy.

Although we fully intended on the possibility of
overnighting at a Wal*Mart or Rest Stop, we haven’t done so yet. While in the lower 48 it was just too
hot. If you need to run the generator it
doesn’t take too many hours of generator operation to equal or come close to the
cost of overnighting in a campground. I
never thought about overnighting in a Cracker Barrel. We eat there often, but it’s almost always
breakfast. I guess if we arrive near or
after closing that might be a good place.

[Robert]

Slow day here on the old Goat Farm so I will add to the mix.

Every pole in the parking lot of WallyWorld in Kingman Az has a “no overnight parking” sign attached to it. This is because to RV’ers decided they did not like each other, so they had a gunfight in the parking lot, one died and the other went to prison.

We were accosted by the local Police there in 2004 when he rudely informed me there would be no overnight parking. I in turn told him I was resting, he of course did not buy it. Then he said I should move on, and I showed him a receipt that said I had spent $63 and some change in the store, and when i was ready to move on, I would do so.

He came back and checked on us three times. Needless to say, we did not spend the night.

A fifth wheel in Colorado parked next to us and spent the night, the next morning they dumped all their trash on the ground and drove off. I got a trash-bag and cleaned it up, wife thought I was nuts, but it was that or face what comes down the line afterwords.

If you can not lock up your dump valves you cannot spend the night in Harrah’s Casino at Lake Tahoe. Sore losers dumped their tanks right into the parking lot and then drove off. California is about the most restrictive no parking zone in the country. We were told to get off the street in Pasadena Tx by the local police, and I showed him the parking restrictions downloaded from the Internet that said we could legally park on the street for 48 hours. I showed him we had been there for only five (fuel receipt, dated with time) and he said …. “I don’t care, move it or I will call a wrecker.”

Texas, it’s like a whole nuther country y’all.

Some Okie nitwit parked 6 weeks at the WallyWorld in OKC before moving on. We were asked to leave the mall parking lot in Amarillo, Tx by security. They want your money, but they don’t want you. We use church parking lots, hospitals, 45‘ of level ground, but it getting harder to find a suitable spot to rest.

If all this wasn’t enough, we have the added disadvantage of driving an old bus (29 years old) and now they are starting to heat up on that too. All of a sudden the treehouse in Belize and eating bananas is starting to look better and better each day.

BCO

[Archived]

Inconsiderate RV’ers and overzealous city councils just tick me off! IMHO, the city council has no authority to regulate how long a vehicle of any sort can be parked on private property. If they think they can they should have to establish those regulations without discrimination. If you can’t park at Wal*Mart, then you shouldn’t be able to park at a truck stop or rest stop. Of course, that’s ridiculous! At some point you need to put safety above all else. Are these cities suggesting a tired RV driver just continue to drive or pay to overnight?

Almost always a law or regulation was enacted because someone or some group abused a right. Despite how we feel about whether laws can restict what happens on private property the fact is many Prevost owners cannot even park their bus on their own property. Whether the restriction is related to zoning, local laws, homeowner’s associations, or someother means our options for parking are being reduced. We have so far been able to find suitable parking, but on occasion we have had to get creative. I’m not sure I want to go in attack mode as it appears BCO has done on occasion, but we have had cops and security people knock on the door and so far, so good.

On several occasions when we planned to do some serious shopping at outlets and large malls I have gone to the manager’s office, showed them our coach, said we couldn’t possibly get our shopping done in the available time that day and asked permission to spend the night. We have never been turned down and on almost every occasion we have been directed to a spot easily observed by security and safe. It would have been cheaper to go to a KOA.

[Archived]

“I’m not sure I want to go in attack mode as it appears BCO has done on occasion, but we have had cops and security people knock on the door and so far, so good.”

Normally, I stay pretty cool and don’t let it get to me. But I will not be pushed around.

The cop in Kingman was badge happy and wanted to lean on us, that dog didn’t hunt. The security in Amarillo at the mall, sought us out, and flat out told us, no parking overnight, come back in the morning. We didn’t stay at Harrah’s because we could not lock up our dump valves. The cop in Pasadena was clearly out of line, and when politely shown authority to park granted by his own city, he told me which way the cow ate the cabbage and he wasn’t listening to any of it.

All of what was related over a period of several years on the road Jon, it wasn’t like I was out having a bad day for a week or two.

I figure you pay good money for items in a store or whatever that gives you “the right” to use their facility all you want (within reasonable limits) and private property or not, city employee’s (cops) do not or should not have the right to move you off that spot.

One more … Durango, Co., add them to the list of RV haters. Campground or nothing there too. I seldom go into attack mode anymore, I growl a lot, but most of the time, I am harmless.

Like I told the wife when I first met her … I can be a real sweet man … Or an awful mean baby.

Aren’t we all something like that?

BCO

[Archived]

True story.

My wife’s sister had just gone through a nasty divorce so we decided to treat her to a weekend in Nashville and got her a hotel room at the Opryland Hotel. They assured us we could park the bus and stay in it when we made reservations for Di’s sister’s room. Her last name is Williams. Coincidently we learned Serena and Venus Williams were in Nashivlle also. I don’t know if they were at the hotel or not.

After we checked her in we asked where we were to park the bus during her stay. We went to the lot but it was blocked and no parking was allowed so we went to a remote area.

Just after dark we saw amber flashing lights outside and a then a knock on the door. I told Di to go back in the bedroom and then I answered the door. The security guy told me I couldn’t stay. All the time our dog was barking at him. I told the guy I was Ms Williams driver and responsible for her dog, and if he wanted to check she was in room XXX. I added we expected to stay in lot number XX but it was blocked. His attitude went from surly to sorry. He actually backed away from the door aplogizing and told me to enjoy my stay.

I don’t think my sister in law plays tennis. We stayed the entire weekend, had a great time and everytime the security drove by they waved.

We had a similar experience when we went to see a Wayne Newton show in Melody Fair in Tonawanda NY. We got there early and we went to see if there was RV parking. Nobody was around except the crew and the buses they were in. They told us to park right next to them and if anybody asked to tell them we were “with the band”. Sure enough later just before the show security knocked on the door and this time Di answered. She told him we were with the band and he also apologized and backed away. Nothing quite like being 10 paces from the entrance and having the band members knock on the door to tell us it was time to get our seats.

[Archived]

Hey Jon, check out Trash Talk.

BCO

[Archived]

Why go through all the hassle. I stay at campgrounds, use their
water, electric and sewer and if it cost 35 bucks, what’s the big
deal. They’re safe, no one hassling you in the middle of the night,
quiet, comfortable and gives you a chance to walk around the place
after sitting in the seat all day.

Truckstops – Lot lizards beating on my door (you know, entertainer
inside), the truck next to me turning too short while on the cell
phone, the refer that has to run all night, traffic coming and going
all hours and finally my all time favorite, the cattle truck with the
delightful aroma and sounds of terrified animals.

Rest Area’s – Same as above except for the addition of the quick
stop folks who have to pee in the parking lot.

Whatever your preference, be vigilant and well armed.