can you stop and sleep at highway rest stops?

[panheaddale]

Originally Posted by m.hony

... And I take offense to people peeing on the ground and having to walk in it or smell it...when the building is fairly close by...it is one of those things that should not be...it is one of those annoying things that no one should have to experience...and I still don't want to spend the night at a truck stop or rest area...besides the trucks coming and going, doors closing, headlights shining in...can't get any rest that way...

Then DON"T stop at any of THOSE places and you won't have to experience it. I travel cross country delivering camper and frequently stay in THOSE place and have never experienced what you say is there.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by panheaddale

I travel cross country delivering camper and frequently stay in THOSE place and have never experienced what you say is there.

Nor have I. I have been stopping and sometimes sleeping at rest areas and truck stops for near 20 years and I have never smelled urine.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by panheaddale

Then DON"T stop at any of THOSE places and you won't have to experience it. I travel cross country delivering camper and frequently stay in THOSE place and have never experienced what you say is there.

Nor have I experienced it. Some of the drivers "look" sort of seedy, but that's just because of how they work, and live. I've never had a bad experience with a truck driver, and if you talk with them, you'll find out they are just like most other working people, just do different work.

[polarlyse]

" Seedy is as Seedy does". THESE are the same drivers we appreciate while traveling. These are the ones we tag along with when the weather is BAD and the ones most likely to stop to offer a hand when you are in need. Sorry to go off on a tangent. I have never had to overnight in a rest area but would do it in a minute if I thought it was what I needed to do. I have Walmarted it a few times and the only thing I have an issue with is the early morning vacuum service. We can put a man on the moon but can't make a quiet vacuum. Go figure. And they do come early to clean the parking lots. These days I try not to do too many marathon driving trips. Most of our travels are planned out to avoid those loooooong drives, but not always.

[drew05]

As we have travelled, we have looked at various rest stops and some initially seem ok and others don't rate a second look. I think the condition of the rest stops is dependent upon the state and their DOT priorities. Some rest stops seem to be in close proximity to Highway Patrol/State Police stations.

We have found KOA's in close proximity to most interstates. I would not plan on a long stay at KOA, we prefer State, COE, etc., they are a good safe place to sleep off the road. Plus as others have mentioned, a nice dinner and cocktail outside is an added benefit...

[drew05]

I'm not taking sides, but I have seen some RV'ers look pretty seedy, with driving skills and rigs to match... just sayin

[HowieE]

Years ago, before NC redesigned their rest areas, I would stop at the first one going south, on 95, after 11 pm. I was always sure I could get a spot because no one else would park next to the sigh that said "No Over Night Parking". Every other square foot of space would be used by the time I would pull in. It was almost a like having a Reservation.

The use of the Flying J at Carmel Church Va. has gotten so popular that you have to be in early to be sure you will get a spot. Most Flying Js have a separate area for campers. Unfortunately after Pilot bought Flying J they jacket the fuel prices so high I no longer fuel there and thus don't often stop there.

[paiceman]

We don't use rest areas as we feel those areas should be reserved for working over the road truckers who must stop for certain rest periods. As noted earlier we budget for overnights in campgrounds and may not travel quite as much as we want.

[Becky B.]

My daughter, grandson & I went on an 850 mile trek two weeks ago. On the way there, we drove 10 hours & stopped to sleep at a rest stop. Rest was not really the word of the night, because it was VERY noisy with idling trucks. I probably slept 1-2 hours. On the way home, it was very cold outside. We needed an electric hook-up for the heater (I'm a bit nervous of running the catalytic heater all night with my precious cargo), so we opted to go to a KOA. Talk about seedy----the neighborhood we had to drive through to get there was way more seedy than the rest area. However, it was quiet & I slept like a baby -- after we heated the Bambi up!!

[dkrug]

We have stayed at rest stops and truck stops. Just to get a little sleep when we were pressed for time. We have also stayed overnight at casinos. Many are free. Several we gone to have had electric or electric and water available. One even had a dump station. The cost for the ones with hookups have been between $5 and $15 a night.

[3 Dog Nite]

We stay at a rest area and truck stops.
the key to the noise is to park with the rear of the AS at the back of the parking space. This way the rear bed is at the opposite end of the idling trucks. It also lets incoming trucks see that someone is parked there. That way you won't see headlights coming at you throughout the night as the driver thinks it's an empty spot. The urine smell is hit or miss. I found it more often if you park further away from the building and in dryer areas where it doesn't rain as much.