WHERE YA BEEN SLEEPING?

KODGER KING ANSWERS THE QUESTION: I SLEEP IN THE SAME PLACE EVERY NIGHT----BUT NOT THE SAME SPACE---- changing that-- very often as you will see. Here's a months' worth of my sleeping places from 9/1/10 to 10/3/10. I hope to illustrate the relative ease of finding free boondocking sites in cities and in the countryside. The big secret to city boondocking is to slip into a spot later at night--get a full nights sleep and move the next morning. --- Only the hours 11pm to 7pm are problematic--the rest of the time RVers may be anywhere they can park. AS I HAVE POETIZED-------"BOONDOCKING IN THE CITY"

Let us travel more boldly,
Range into urban locals,
Dare to camp in the city
Outside campground corrals.

Enjoy the city splendors
And when comes time for dreams,
Slip away from No, No land
Into city seams.


Seams are iffy zones
where oversight is rare.
Sleep a full eight hours,
then move away from there.


Doing the boondocker shuffle.
Moving twice a day.
Living free and easy
In Phoenix or San Jose!



The nights of 9/1-3/10 I slept in the Eugene /Springfield Industrial district. This spot is is a classic "seam" because it borders a string of rent-it garages. I Considered staying at the Nearby Moose Lodge but they raised their rates to $10----too much for boondocking!

The night of 9/4/10 I slept here in a park and ride zone of Springfield, Or.

Posted this note. The trick of deflector notes is to give a plausible explanation why you are parked there---if anyone should object.

For the next two nights 9/5-6/10 I'm cloaked with permission. This is the wonderful Valley River Mall in Eugene, Or. where RVers are generously given 2 nights to enjoy the amenities nearby. The photo does not do justice to this terrific spot---Americas' finest free parking spot.

I always have my mail sent to a small town (getting general delivery at big city post offices is a pain) This time it was Creswell, Oregon. Settled here beside this closed up business for the night. No one disturbed me. Enjoyed a rain in the night.

Spent the day and night of 9/8/10 in the lovely little town of Winchester. A quarter nile away is an RV park asking $20 to boondock. Wouldn't think of paying that.

The night of 9/9 slept at Walmart in Grants Pass, Or. 9/10 at Walmart in Medford, Or. The next two nights I stayed here--A nice quiet spot on the edge of Yreka, Ca. Stayed 2 days (9/11-12/10)exploring the old mining town. Truckers love little niches like this--several came and went during my visit.

Got sleepy and pulled off the Interstate to rest---enjoyed the area and my view so well that I stayed the night of 9/13--will show you--

View from my back window---recognize it---New Agers think it's the most spiritual spot in America----Mt Shasta---once drove nearly to the top--found a cluster of believers camped at road's end. I joined them---heard lots of wonder tales.

Night of 9/14 beside these old railroad coaches in the interesting old sawmill town of McCloud.

9/15 and 16 I stayed right here---near a brake check area for trucks. Was hesitant to go down the hill---too hot down there in Susanville. Got lots of work done just sitting there. Are you persuaded yet that millions of nice free camping places are available---if you're self contained.

My first night in Reno, Nv--- jangled by city clatter---Got off the Interstate and settled in this strip mall---9/17. I have things to do here so I did the Boondocker Shuffle for 3 nights---then was given a spot at the VFW by my friends Jim and Mary--who just happened to be passing through. Stayed through 9/22

Bridgeport, Ca---An interesting and historic town---parked here for the night of 9/23.

Then here--in Bishop, Ca. in the parking lot of K-mart the night of 9/24. Great spot--great view. Bicycled the town.

Then on to the lovely town of Lone Pine, Ca---scenic setting of 500 Western Movies---this is a favorite spot on a quiet street. Engaged the family behind those gates---the heirs of the guy who invented the EKG and other medical devices. Note the view of the mountains. (Night of 9/25.10

And then---and then--I took a disasterous route down into death valley and got trapped in the same way as the unfortunate pioneers who named it. I simply could not climb out the other side--so had to turn south on an obscure back road, barely managing to reach Ridgecrest, Ca for the night of 9/26 and this very hot night in the desert near Ludlow, Ca 9/27---Have learned my lesson--don't come south till late oct. At this point I decided to go get cool---the nearest high ground is Flagstaff, Az---So I went there!

AAAAAhhhhhh-----this is where the cool is----A-1 Mountain Rd outside town---elevation 7,500 ft. That's Humphrey's peak back there--12, 633 ft---highest point in Az. Stayed here a week--9/27--10/3. Hurried south just ahead of that terrible storm you may have read about. Now I'm on the fringe of Buckeye, Az and the weather is fine.

Randy Comments: Where I sleep is of little interest to me and mostly accidental. My business is engaging my environment, whatever and whoever it may be---asking ever better questions of it and reporting any insights to you. This simple list of my nocturnal roosting sites is not the story I wish to tell. I share it because many of you ask--and I hope to persuade the hesitant-- that houseless is not homeless. That it is indeed possible to do as Thoreau instructed: "let the night overtake you everywhere at home." I will back-track and reveal the real story later.