Parking lot Sleeping vs.Campgrounds

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Just Lou said:
I prefer using Cracker Barrel for overnight parking to the Wal-Mart type stops.  We generally will have dinner, and most likely breakfast, in their restaurant where we ask permission to park there.  We have never been refused, and usually the manager will suggest which side of the building to park on for a quiet nights rest.

Cracker Barrel does provide RV parking, but the spaces are usually not long enough to accommodate an RV with a toad.  However, their back lots are seldom over utilized, so they offer the quietest and less obtrusive parking.  I never use slides and/or levelers unless absolutely necessary. 

I don't think I would even consider deploying slides/levelers in a Wal-mart parking lot.  JMHO

CB is certainly my preferred choice, there just aren't enough of them.  I sleep better at a CB as well, it's quieter than a WM, and just knowing I'm going to get up in the morning to the Pecan Pancakes with real maple syrup, and hot coffee, now that's a breakfast worth camping out for.

But if I'm stopping in a parking lot anywhere, it's not going to exceed 10 hours, and seldom even 8.  Using my unit completely without the slides was one of the things I liked about my floor plan.  I only use the levelers at the CG or at my farm.  I get what I need, sleep, get something else, then "on the road again."  I like to drive until midnight then get up at first light.  Once I'm at the CG, that's when I see the real MH vacation begin.  That's how I'm wired right now.  Maybe after I've been at this a while I'll calm down, but I enjoy the drive as much as the stop.  Especially in the class A, talk about an unobstructed view.  I sit up high, have a great view of everything, and even have two fans if I want to feel the wind in my face.  Although I enjoy the journey, my focus is on the destination. 
 
Irover said:
  It has gotten so expensive just to stay over-nite in a commercial campground and even some of the Federal, State and County campgrounds had to raise their rates. 

When I first go into RVing one of the reasons was to eliminate or reduce my accommodation expenses. While motel and hoteling it that was my biggest expense.

While travelling through Maine last month I saw campgrounds advertising rates of $60.00 per night!!!! I don't need water or electricity or sewer. If I was going to use all their services I don't mind paying a reasonable rate ... but just to park for the night?? It is ridiculous!! I absolutely refuse to pay those kinds of rates. Fortunately there was a Walmart nearby. Conversely when travelling through Kentucky last December I came across a motel/campground that offered RV parking for $5.00 per night. This included 15AMP electric service. I would have paid double for that service.

If the campgrounds want to capitalize on the transient travellers then they really need to offer some reasonable rates for those looking for just a place to park overnight.
 
Exactly.  IMHO, why would anyone want to stay in a parking lot if there was a reasonable rate campground nearby?  We do a few of the Walmart's each year, however found a neat place that's on the way to our Myrtle Beach vacation travel route, it's a mile or so away from the Walmart that we normally stop at.  They have a nice convenient row of extra long spots that sure look like they were installed with transient stoppers in mind.  Emporia, VA

2940 Sussex Drive
Emporia, VA 23847
GPS: Lat: 36.747746
        Lng: -77.490013
Dates Open: All Year
Phone: (434) 634-3115
Toll Free: (800) 545-4248

Also, we never put the slides out in the middle of a parking lot, unless we can perimeter park so the slide is over a grass area they stay in.  Campgrounds near major interstates that do not offer reasonable rate 'over night' spots are short sighted in my opinion, if they were smart, they would visit the local Walmarts or where ever and gauge how many over nighters they could pull-in, then make a plan!
 
Karsty said:
When I first go into RVing one of the reasons was to eliminate or reduce my accommodation expenses. While motel and hoteling it that was my biggest expense.

While travelling through Maine last month I saw campgrounds advertising rates of $60.00 per night!!!! I don't need water or electricity or sewer. If I was going to use all their services I don't mind paying a reasonable rate ... but just to park for the night?? It is ridiculous!! I absolutely refuse to pay those kinds of rates. Fortunately there was a Walmart nearby. Conversely when travelling through Kentucky last December I came across a motel/campground that offered RV parking for $5.00 per night. This included 15AMP electric service. I would have paid double for that service.

If the campgrounds want to capitalize on the transient travellers then they really need to offer some reasonable rates for those looking for just a place to park overnight.

I certainly agree that an overnight, parking only rate would be nice for a long pull though. 

I had prepared an evaluation of turning my farm into an RV park.  Expenses to do that were over $25,000 per site!  And that's not counting the amenities, club house, pool, etc., not to mention that once developed, my property taxes would go up exponentially. 
Liability insurance alone would've exceeded $1,000 a month!  Insurance and taxes are some of the reasons for the increased rates.  There is so much more that goes into an RV park than I ever thought, and then to see them at less than 50% capacity, you know the owner is in need of extra sources of revenue.  It's a tough business, so I'm trying to stay at the independents whenever possible. 

I stayed at an independent park in Paris, TX, near where I store my MH, just to learn how to hook everything up.  The owner of the place came out to help me set things up, and we had a nice talk about the expenses involved.  When I needed some things for my unit, that's where I wanted to buy them.  I don't mind paying a little more if I know it's a locally owned, one CG owner.  Usually, as in his case, the whole family is involved in the operation. 
 
Thanks for sharing some of the costs of turning the farm into a campground; Quite enlightening.

[quote author=Heglmeier]I certainly agree that an overnight, parking only rate would be nice ....[/quote]

When the Olympics were held in LA in the 60's, California put a number of overnight sites in their state parks. No hookups, but fine for a stop en route from the north. These 'dry camping' sites were thereafter known as "Olympic sites".

When we first started towing a boat behind an SUV for a weekend of fishing on the CA Delta, we'd rent a slip in a marina at a state park for $5/night. When we switched to towing the boat behind a motorhome, we thought we'd rent an Olympic site for $5/night. The park rangers told us that, if we paid $5 for a slip, an Olympic site was free.

Last time I checked, those fees are many times what we paid, and I believe the Olympic sites have been converted to hookup sites.
 
Tin man said:
EMPORIA!!!!!!!


Have you driven around Emporia?
Hows Jellystone Park Camp Resort.  That was the address he referred us to.  $35 to 41 a night depending on the season.
 
parmm said:
Hows Jellystone Park Camp Resort.  That was the address he referred us to.  $35 to 41 a night depending on the season.

When I was a kid, my parents had a tent and always took us to Jellystone CG's.  As kids we always loved it. But Yogi bear was always on tv every Saturday morning, so we thought we were going to where Yogi lives. 

I remember my mom cooking breakfast on that green Coleman stove.  We had lots of fun and made great memories in our tent.  But that was the late 60's, I didn't know they were still around.  I've not seen one in my travels. Just seeing the name brought back some great memories, Thanks.
 
Again, this was the first year we used the Emporia Jellystone (Both down and back up from Myrtle Beach) however not the last.  It was well worth the $30 that they charged (to us anyway) it was quiet, we did not need to unhook the 5Ver and wife unit even enjoyed the pool.  I did not need to run the genset for the aircon (almost $8) so again, it was worth it.  We were not/not in Emporia to take in the arts or anything, this is basically stopping half way to / from Myrtle beach so I did not have to drive to exhaustion.
 
I understand that the costs of running an RV park are high and the returns can be quite small.  But 50-80 dollars per night for litterally 400 Sq Ft of gravel and zero services drives me nuts.  I just need somplace flat to climb into my own bed for 6-8 hours before finishing my trip. 

I'm still a full time worker, and in this economy my time is less valuble and more prectious at the same time.  I make less money than I did 5 years ago and I have 1/4th the vacation time.  So my goal is to reach the destination so that the scheduled activities can begin.  The places we enjoy vacationing in are more than a thousand miles from our home.  They year was A LOT of driving!

My standard method, flawed as it might be, is to drive my butt off to the farthest location on the itenerary, then slowly work my way home stopping for a couple of nights at parks along the route home.  I ussually leave on Friday night and I have what I call "Jumping off" points in both directions that are only a few hours from home.  It makes it easier on Saturday morning to get moving becuse we are already moving!  We go to Independance to the north or Laughlin to the east.  (Where I live you dont go on a long trip west or south!  In two hours time you would either be in the ocean, Mexico or both!) 

In Laughlin we pay 5 bucks to park in the Tropicana parking lot, because it is easier to move around and A LOT quieter than the Riverside or Aquarious lots.  As for Independance about 10 miles north of town there is just about the prettiest rest area I've ever seen.  Seriously it has hiking trails and lovely creek running through it.  We sleep there, or the one just north of Mammoth lakes if we are running really really early!  (Hasn't actually happened yet but that is the backup plan.)

The next stays are dependant on our final desination but going east we ussually arrive on day 2, while going north generally requires a second night somewhere.  The free to cheap jumping off point works well for us, I thought I would share.

Jeff
 

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