When I tell people I often stay overnight in the parking lots of truck stops, they either look appalled or concerned.
I’ve stayed in a couple that seemed sketchy (meaning truckers watching me through the windows of their rigs), but generally I haven’t had a problem. And having Sam the Wonder Pup/Best Protector Ever helps.
So truck stops are great for a few reasons – they’re a free place to sleep if you’re moving on in the morning, they usually have free, decent coffee with fill-up, and at my favorite truck stop, the Little America in Flagstaff, they have morning views like this:
See? Not so bad.
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6 Comments
I definitely think the wonder pup helps and not any more sketchy most of the time than many of the campgrounds let’s be honest. You cannot beat a truck stop view like that tho!
Sherry in MT recently posted…Goats
Sherry – Yes, Sam is a big deterrent to creeps. I haven’t had any weird campground experiences, though there was the time a guy in his house brandished a rifle at me. Ah, Tennessee. Ha.
On more than a few of our trips I’ve thought seriously about whether I would ever return on my own to some campgrounds. I never have but I have stayed with a girlfriend at some places that had creepy people but that could have been the product of our heightened sensitivity. Maybe they thought we were creepy with our suspicious gazes. The only time I’ve been confronted by the presence of a gun was from someone who was in our group. Needless to say he was never invited to join us camping again. So I guess the case could be made that I’ve brought the creepy with me. Dang. Wasn’t expecting that realization….oh wait, I DO remember one really creepy campground that one was in Sedona. If I remember right we left at dawn. Behind all my rambling is the thought that I love that view in your photo!
Manisha recently posted…Still Summer
Manisha – Interesting realization for you! I’ve walked into a few dicey situations on city streets, in backwoods Tennessee, on a Bay Area hiking trail, in a couple truck stops. But always I’ve paid attention to my intuition and gotten out of it, so I’m never afraid to try something out. Traveling as a solo female has its challenges, but really it’s all about awareness. 🙂 I’m so glad you like the photo!
Lots of campgrounds don’t have views like that!
Emilie Vardaman recently posted…Apple Annie’s
Emilie – good point!