George's Autobiography: Part 2 (Part 1, Part 3)

In this section I'll talk a little bit about what it's like to live in an RV. There are disadvantages, but many advantages too. In a van you can always get the best parking space. Just come early, and take care of some household responsibility while you wait: make breakfast, whatever. In a van your possessions are always handy. Imaging going for a swim, painting a picture, helping a stranded motorist, preparing a meal, showering, or changing clothes all at a moments notice anywhere across town.

I'm not trying to convince you that you should take to the road. There are some real problems with it. Where would you sleep if your van needed a repair that lasted over night? Or, if you could do the repair, where would you do it? That's the hard part. What about cost? It turns out that the original cost of the van, the insurance, maintenance, gas, altogether ran about the same as sharing an inexpensive apartment with a roommate.

With that, many thanks must go to the many people I found who were kind and trusting enough to let me park on their property overnight, here in San Diego, and when I was traveling. They saved me the considerable frustration, time, and gas of driving across town each evening for a place to sleep.

The owner of Los Olas (a restaurant across the street from the Chart House in Cardiff-by-the-Sea) gave me the okay to use his lot. It's on the San Elijo Lagoon so there were a variety of ducks outside my door. It's 8 feet lower than Highway 101, so it's quieter; and in the morning, just accross the street, is an excellent (surf) break too. Los Olas does mean the waves, after all.

Northern Mississippi
This is where I spent Christmas 1993. My RV is between a levee and a beautiful lake. A huge black man brought me "The Best" Cajun meal I've ever tasted. There was a lot of food and the bottle of Coca-Cola was a nice touch. Thanks fella.

Washing the Clothes
People would ask me, "If you live in a van, how do you wash your clothes?" Well at this campground there was bleach added to the water tank: the spring had been contaminated with a bacteria, so carpe diem. North Eastern Nevada.

Old Water Tank

Even traveling accross the country there are surprisingly few places to park and sleep in an RV. It's against the law within city limits and you can expect to meet the police over a suspicious character complaint even in the daytime, especially in the small towns (xenophobia). Countless times I was told to "move-on" because someone was suspicious in the middle of the afternoon. Which means move-on or work it out in court even though I wasn't doing anything illegal.

There are basically two places to park, the wilderness and Wal-Mart... Yes, Wal-Mart. They have huge parking lots and a reputation for being cordial to travelers. In one town a security guard told me I was allowed to stay only one night, though that was the exception not the rule. Normally, at Wal-Mart the space is free as long you care to stay. It's true! In Florida, and Arizona I saw over 20 (big) RVs and most didn't move for the time I was there. In all fairness though, most shopping centers and grocery stores have no complaints.

But, who wants to stay in a parking lot? From just about any city a secluded spot can be found following power lines away from the town. If there are mountains they will follow the easy pass. They come with (access) roads, and periodically trees are removed to make turnarounds. Still... transmission lines can make a lot of noise, even if you don't mind the wires overhead.

The United States is huge but trees and uncontrolled growth prevent most of the wilderness from being accessed. In some states abandoned logging roads are the ticket but they can go for miles without a turnout. In other areas state or private camp sites are the only option, but that is expensive.

The best place to stay is the U.S. National Forest (see Oregon above and New Hampshire below). Those wilderness areas have roads, well water and most are totally free. My favorite spots are near lake Taho, Mt. Shasta, Oregon, New York, and New Hampshire.

Beaver Creek, New Hampshire: one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The creek is dammed to make a reservoir and the water is crystal clear, it's delicious. Those mountains are steep and huge, a wide-angle lens was used to take this photograph.