Beware! I have only stayed in 1 Walmart-Elko NV on the way to BOR one
year, & now we have Carl, The Wonder Dog, which we bought from the
breeder while having coffee the next am in the westy, & observing the
different dynamics going on in the lot-also spent a bunch of $$ in
Wally World to allow us to take the puppy w/ us on the trip. Beware
or this could happen to you!

Pax,

Tom- 1 of these reasons I never go to WM if possible

On Jun 5, 2007, at 1:27 PM, Bryant Baecht wrote:

> I like to stay over at the Walmarts for the same reasons you noted.
> Although, I was camping out in the Scranton, PA Walmart ( on the NE
> side of
> town, new strip mall ), and had an interesting situation arise.  In
> addition
> to me, there were 2-3 other groups of cars / people and a pickup /
> camping
> trailer.  One of the groups was a guy hollering at his kids and I
> didn't pay
> much attention other than just stay away from them.  So after about 30
> minutes or so, I notice a wrecker truck pulled up at the parking lot
> entrance.  It shuts down and just sits there.  Slowly the 2-3 other
> groups
> of cars eventually leave.  Still the wrecker is there.  So after
> waiting
> another 20 minutes or so, I leave, and sure enough, the wrecker
> follows me
> out.  The pickup / camping trailer didn't leave.  So I don't know
> if that
> Walmart didn't allow overnighters, or what, but I wound up going to
> a state
> camp ground and having another adventure there.  I survived and
> enjoyed the
> rest of my vacation which included a trip to Steamtown.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Don Hanson
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 10:15 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Sleepiing/Rest stops.
>
>
> I've done the California trip down Interstate 5 and 99 a bunch of
> times.  I
> go via 395 if I have a little extra time this time of the year..But
> the
> "rest  stop" sleeping method does work ok on the interstate, too.
> I prefer
> 'informal' rest stops..there are many truck stops, cafes, gas
> stations and
> Wal Mart parking lots that are usually a bit less "transient" than
> the
> actual interstate stops.  Wal Mart seems to allow RVs to park
> overnight
> everywhere and they are ubiquitous.  They also often have a coffee
> shop
> inside.  I try to purchase some forgotten items from them after
> spending a
> night there..
>
>   When I travel into urban areas, or overnight in 'iffy' suburban
> settings,
> I am glad I have along (usually) my large male Chesepeake Bay
> retriever and
> my 357magnum.  Only once in 40 years of roadside camping have I
> ever needed
> the pistol.  One time, when on the way through Texas to windsurf at
> Corpus
> Christy, some idiot climbed up onto the top of my van  while I was
> overnighting at a highway rest stop..probably looking to take a
> bicycle or a
> sailboard..Dunno what he was thinking..climbing onto a van in a
> rest  stop
> out of town..Had to know someone was probably sleeping inside there...
>   I simply hollared out from my bed, "Get the ---- off my roof, or
> I will
> blow you off!  Listen carefully and you will hear my Dan Wesson
> 44magnum
> (Dirty Harry was being shown at the time) being cocked"..which I
> did, he
> did, and the next sound was "feet beating" as he ran off...
>   There is a nice campground near Grants Pass, right on the Rogue
> River
> just off I-5..My favorite Wal Mart is in Willows, Ca..just north of
> Sacramento.
>   Don Hanson