Trouble Finding Overnight RV Spot Did You Try This? Part 2
View from our window at the RV Naval Weapons Station Earle campgrounds in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
So we needed to drive to New Jersey from Michigan for our daughter’s wedding. We needed to find a place to spend the night on the way out there because we did not want to try to go out there all in one day although we know it is possible of course to do that. We needed a quick overnight spot to stop and we had no trouble finding those spots going to and from New Jersey.
We had a great level spot at our campsite at the Naval base with full hook ups.
To recap: as newbies to the RV world it was with much trepidation we embarked on our first few RV trips because of all the negative warnings that seemed to be all over the internet with regard to finding a place to stay in campgrounds and even just overnight with your RV.
What my husband and I found out, while it’s not a breeze, it isn’t at all hopeless, and while I will admit, I have not been all over the U.S., we have gone from Michigan to New Jersey and back not following the same routes. We have traveled to a few places in Michigan and we have traveled to and from Iowa, from Michigan, not going the exact same route to and from.
This is another view of our spot at the Naval Weapons Station Earle RV Campground. We loved our stay there and plan to go back.
Having said that, I have written about why we have found spots to stay overnight while you’re trying to get to your camping spot following some simple guidelines. Check out my previous blogs for that info.
Here are some easy Cliff Notes:
1) get a really early start. We were always on the road the latest 6 am. We stopped the latest 3-3:30 pm because that’s when the truck stops that were RV friendly said they never filled up by those times.
Our daughter’s wedding in New Jersey.
2) We always pre-planned our trips. Not while we were on the road, we always pre-planned the previous day.
3) Have a plan B and C just in case. Pre-plan that as well.
Our beautiful daughter Amber and our new son-in-law Greg.
Here is another tip I found out while watching one of my favorite video’s I subscribe to that she had posted awhile ago and I somehow missed.
I told our daughter there is no such thing as a perfect wedding but hers was the closest thing to one I have ever seen or heard of!
She was the original Nomad and she doesn’t have a sob story. Her name is Robin Barrett of Creativity RV. She was in the corporate world a number of years ago, and decided is this all there is? So she sold everything and went on the road as a solo female. She is a warrior! I began watching her when the germ of an idea of owning an RV popped into my head and I have to tell you, she is a rock star. I have learned so much from her. The movie about being an RV nomad is fictional. She is the the real deal and no sad sack. As an Army wife who has had her share of experiences of rolling up my sleeves and doing things on my own often in a MacGyver sort of way, my hat is off to this woman. Check her out!
It truly was a God blessed day in every way!
It was upon her advice watching one of her informative videos that I discovered the app “Trucker Path.” What I did not know that she opened my eyes to was, when you do a search in most all of your searches or even in many of the camping or RV apps for truck stops or rest areas, they will not always turn up all of the available rest areas. I did find this out while we were doing our research, however thought it was due to my poor investigative skills.
The Bride’s sister Allie with my two granddaughter’s Rebecca (r) and Marilyn.
Au contraire~ Robin found out that we’re not getting a comprehensive search result because all rest stops/truck stops etc. are not labeled the same. Some are called rest areas, or truck stops or service stations or whatever! So therefore, we are missing a whole bunch of places to stop overnight when doing our search!
That’s where this app comes in. Trucker Path is comprehensive, updated in real time by truckers, and it tells you and shows you what is and is not available, the facilities they do and do not have (i.e. slots full or not full, dump stations, overnight, how long for overnight etc.) and you can actually get a good birds eye view of the place itself with the satellite view of the spot to see if it is easy in and out.
My husband, Colonel (Ret) Mark - my son Alex who is was in the Army and is currently in the Michigan National Guard, our new son-in-law Greg who is in advertising, and our son-in-law Erik who also served in Afghanistan in the Army as an Explosives Ordnance Specialist Officer.
Did not know this existed!
My other reason for writing this blog is to mention military options. Now this is not an option for everyone, however there are countless, and I mean, countless military bases in the U.S. if you are a veteran, in the Reserves, National Guard or of course Active Duty. I bought just one book, “Corps of Engineers Parks” that boasts 644 Campgrounds in 34 states. This is one book and I found it to be helpful, with many maps and places for any military member to take advantage of for a planned military trip. This is just for a listing of Army bases. There are Airforce and Naval Bases to explore as well that you can of course research on the internet.
Which brings me to our more recent trip to the Naval Weapons Base in Colts Neck, New Jersey. It was a lovely base, had full hook ups, the grounds were spotless and you really can’t get too much more secure. The club house was centrally located with access to plenty of washer and dryers and showers. Not much by way of a BX or Commissary however, but otherwise it was a great tiny military option for those of us with a military I.D.
Our eldest daughter got married right near-by. It was such a joyous occasion and the base was a terrific place to stay. Our extended family stayed in the guest housing nearby the RV campgrounds. Due to my husband’s work constraints, we were unable to stay longer or we would have extended our stay.
Prices vary according to status of service and rank.
Our daughter’s photographer happens to be her friend Jana. She also happens to be a photographer to the stars. Literally. She gifted these photos to Amber as her wedding gift. With love. Jana is beyond professional and never was it more evident than by these shots. She truly is an artist!
I’d go back in a minute because frankly, my daughter and now new husband live in the city and staying in hotels in New Jersey or New York City makes me cringe just thinking of it…
Hope this helped and gave a bit of a glass being half full for those of you wanting to get on the road in your RV!
Until next time: Duty, Honor and Seeing the Country RV Style!
