How to plan those stops/activities while hitched?

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by 2Travelers

I would add to this discussion: Be sure to also look up.

Look high….look low….look everywhere you go.

A buddy crunched his pickup tailgate on a stump, backing up, whilst camping. We had to pound it out with a hammer so it would close again.

My brother in law was working for a TV station and pulled into a gas station with the van satellite antenna up. Crash. Fired from the job. He claims he pushed the button to retract it.

Look high, look low, look everywhere you go.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Retirement sucks. No days off. No stat holidays. No vacation.

My retired friend complains all the time about not working for past 2000 days in a row. I think he's trying to figure out how to qualify for some sort of unemployment benefits.

[CE Vogel]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

Sort of. I'm not going to just head down a tiny alley or something, but I don't sweat it too much. You can get out of anything you can drive into, one way or another.

I'd kind of a dude-trucker in my job, because I'm an engineer that designs trucks and I drive them sometimes to evaluate the product. When I was first driving, I was on a 700 mile loop with three trucks in Oregon. We stopped for lunch at a truck stop, everyone was very hungry and needed the facilities.

We realized to park at this place, you had to swing right and block all access to the diesel pumps. Then you had to back up across those lanes into narrow, nose out parking. It was super nerve wracking for me to back up a semi into a narrow slot while blocking traffic and being watched by about 20 real truckers.

But I really needed lunch, so I did it.

That sounds like the truck stop on I-84 at Biggs Junction in the Columbia River Gorge. Beautiful location, terrible parking.

[MyronL]

We were in Durango and looking for a campground for the night. Off Main street I saw a small sign for a public campground and turned onto that street. Must have gone 5 hitched miles out of town on it when the road got narrow and ran right up along a ravine. Or was that the top of a gulch? On the driver’s side that was one steep drop.

That’s about when we came to a big gate across the road, and it was chained shut. Campground closed. We were now in towing trouble big time. The 19 was just about short enough, after much backing up, jackknifing, and much sweat, for me to get us turned around and out of there. Lesson learned? When you assume something, you… well, you know the rest.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by CE Vogel

That sounds like the truck stop on I-84 at Biggs Junction in the Columbia River Gorge. Beautiful location, terrible parking.

That's the place.

[Jill]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Retirement sucks. No days off. No stat holidays. No vacation.

And the pay is miserable! Not to mention the fact that every day is wide open. You have to fill your day all on your own.

[Iowa Dave]

Today I had to schedule a doctors appointment. We started with august 5th as the first opening and finally settled on September 30. And I really don’t do much at all I thought.

I used to tell my volunteers when they did a fine job for us, “I’m going to double your pay.” I never seemed to get old.

I had a friends of the greenhouse volunteer group that started with about 6 people, it’s grown to 95 volunteers, fundraising, building things for sale as a revenue stream and the best potlucks once a month. I mention this because most all of the volunteers had busy schedules too and it took a volunteer coordinator to schedule them.
Iowa Dave

[Rockhead]

Originally Posted by Jill

And the pay is miserable! Not to mention the fact that every day is wide open. You have to fill your day all on your own.

I wish. When I retired I was immediately given a new full time job called “Honey Do This n Honey Do that.” If I had known this job was waiting for me I’d never of retired

[M C Lott]

There is no loss of honor in making a block as you look over the lay of the land. The satellite view in google maps is a big help. You’ll get in more steps parking away from the building where the spaces are empty. With the 19 you can pull through to nose-facing parking spaces. Breathe easy. You’ll find your groove.

[ransohm]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

see, my wife is retired too. she finds far more things to keep her busy than I would if I were her, but hey, we're two different people, I wouldn't have it any other way.

another live DrakhaBrakha piece, this is like what they opened tonights show with

You lucky dog...we love these performers!

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by CE Vogel

That sounds like the truck stop on I-84 at Biggs Junction in the Columbia River Gorge. Beautiful location, terrible parking.

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

That's the place.

I see random strangers making connections like this all the time, and it happens to me too, but it still amazes me.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by MichaelS78

Do you just pull in and hope for the best? Or do you only plan ahead and go to large parking lots etc? I would love to think that I can just freely pull into those interesting roadside attractions without worrying about not being able to get back out easily.

My rule of thumb is that fuel stations are generally fairly accommodating. However, I will slow waaay down and give them a close squint from the street before commiting if I have any concerns at all. It's just so much easier on everyone to not have to back into traffic, so I just take my time before committing if anything looks suspect.

And, yeah, as a general rule, big stores and malls have bigger parking lots. One time with our Casita I mistakenly turned off the street one-driveway-early while trying to get into a large grocery store in Gig Harbor. Fortunately, the little shopping center had not one but two rows of parking. I made the 180-degree turn from Aisle 1 to Aisle 2 like a pinball and got out of there immediately, hopefully never to return.

Other than that, you may have to pass on some things when towing, like the little viewpoint just north of the Deception Pass Bridge, or come back later when not encumbered by a tow. Other times, you find your parking first, and then hoof it to your final destination.

When I do park in a shopping center, I try to park as far from the entry as possible, and park in a manner that discourages some unwitting shopper from snuggling up and making it difficult or impossible to get out of there. Sometimes people who don't tow don't know...

Originally Posted by MichaelS78

Our Kid #1 is researching stop signs and yelling STOP very loudly at every one he sees. We are not worried about getting his eyes checked, he sees stop signs very far off in the distance Our Kid #2 is working at waddling across uneven terrain without falling. Then giggling uncontrollably when we pick her up.

Maybe you can capitalize on the young fellow's astute observational skills and train him to recognize situations with dodgy access?! Then he can give "the signal"!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by ransohm

You lucky dog...we love these performers!

Next on our calendar is the Strawberry Music Festival, with around 22 main stage performances over a 4 day weekend, camping with our Escape, performers include Allison Russell....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eovUiXuaM1k

and Samantha Fish,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcbb_1NYWhM

my June excursion is the amateur astronomy star party known as GSSP...

Then, we're seeing Esperanza Spalding at the Frost Ampitheatre at Stanford in July...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLaegfsK2w4

August, its Robert Plant with Alison Krauss at the Oxbow Riverstage in Napa...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPZ575AC3wQ

and we'll be camping with our Escape at Sugarloaf Ridge SP.

[WillyB]

Allison Russell!!!!!!!!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by WillyB

Allison Russell!!!!!!!!

been watching her since Po' Girl first came on the scene about 20 years ago, with Allison and Trish Klein of the Be Good Tanyas, when they appeared on stage at a Strawberry Music Festival and blew us all away..