Redefining the Routine: And Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...But Where?

One of the main questions and I noticed van life folks are asked is where do they sleep every night? I’ve watched plenty of YouTube videos and read blog posts from travelers to answer that same question so that when it came time for me and Jay to hit the road, we’d have some idea of what to do.

The iOverlander app seems to be the Bible of overnight sleep findings, along with useful information like where to find water fill up spots, dump stations (if you’re in an RV and have those hook ups), laundry facilities/showers, Boondocking sites and fee campsites and we’ve used it religiously for the past two months. We’ve found our own spots along the way as well.

Here’s the rundown of where we posted up for the night during our first 30 days of travel, complete with pictures below of more memorable spots.

June 18 - Cracker Barrel (I didn’t indicate in my notes where the heck we were but we started our journey from northern New Jersey and stayed in Iowa the next night so somewhere in between those two spots.)
June 19 - Boat loading parking lot on the banks of the Mississippi River, LeClaire, Iowa*
June 20 - Cracker Barrel (Again, no idea where we were but somewhere between Iowa and Badlands National Park.
June 21 - Badlands National Park, Sage Creek Campground*
June 22 - Cabela's, Rapid City, South Dakota
June 23 - Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota - off a service forest road
June 24 - Cabela's, Rapid City, South Dakota
June 25 - Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming*
June 26 - Castle Gardens, Wyoming* We had just passed through a small town called Ten Sleep, Wyoming and stopped at a brewery outside of town which allowed campers to stay overnight and also offered showers, but then I saw Castle Gardens on iOverlander and knew we needed to check it out. It's located on BLM land and was about 7 miles from the brewery. It was magical and we absolutely loved it. There were maybe 4 or 5 campsites but we were the only people there. It was magical. Did I say that already?
June 27 - Castle Gardens, Wyoming* Liked it so much, we stayed an extra day.
June 28 - Shadow Mountain, Wyoming (across the street from the Grand Tetons National Park and up an 8 mile dirt, rocky, shitty road)
June 29 - Downtown Jackson, Wyoming (Screw driving back up Shadow Mountain - we stealth parked on the street on the same block as a brewery and I had a lovely jog the next morning through downtown)
June 30 - Sage Creek Trailhead, Montana* (a random find along a beautiful stretch of road)
July 1 - Walmart, Bozeman, Montana (Beautiful mountains surrounded the Walmart and the sunsets were incredible. It was also nice to have access to grocery shopping, rug shopping for the van and bathrooms)
July 2 - Walmart, Bozeman, Montana
July 3 - Cabela's, Post Falls, Idaho (This is just across the border from Spokane, Washington and we stayed in this spot during our time in Spokane because it was closest to the mountain bike trails we were riding)
July 4 - Cabela's, Post Falls, Idaho (Happy 4th of July! There was a truck stop/bar establishment just down the hillside from the Cabela's and they shot off fireworks for hours.
July 5 - Cabela's, Post Falls, Idaho (Much quieter night than 4th of July, thank god)
July 6 - Taneum Canyon, Washington
July 7 - Snoqualmie Casino, Washington (We were treated to the sold out musical stylings of international superstar sensation Karen Tong who was in concert at the casino and we could hear it (unfortunately) from the parking lot. My ears aren’t developed enough to appreciate her rendition of music. Sorry Karen.
July 8 - 13 - Staying with family in Seattle, Washington who have a baller 3 story house with decks on each level overlooking Puget Sound. Showers every day and accessible laundry. This was pretty stellar but we actually missed sleeping in the van.
July 14 - Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC* (Stayed in the parking lot near the tennis courts and “chip and something” golf course - kind of like mini golf and golf golf but not really. The parking lot in and of itself was nothing special but the park and gardens in the park were absolutely gorgeous. I enjoyed a morning jog through the park and discovered all of the hidden gems it held. Also, there was a bathroom nearby.
July 15 - Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC
July 16 - Deep Cove, BC* (Beautiful spot near the marina. Such a quaint town. Loved it.)
July 17 - Deep Cove, BC
July 18 - Mamquam River Forest Road, Squamish, BC (There was nothing remarkable about this spot and we ended up moving to town for the rest of our stay in BC)

A few observations about that first month - I had some of my best sleeps in Cracker Barrel restaurant parking lots. Go figure. Maybe it’s the knowledge that if you desire, I could have a warm, delicious breakfast in the morning just steps from what is now my new home on wheels. Cabela's is a nice store with nice bathrooms. We purchased things we didn’t really need but really, who doesn’t need another flannel shirt, Croc sandals and licorice? Some Cabela's have free water fills, dump stations, and horse corrals (yup) which is awesome.

It’s weird accepting on a personal level the first night you’re sleeping in a Walmart parking lot (for those stores that allow overnight camping), but there are usually lots of other camper vans, RVs and just people living out of their cars who utilize that accommodation. I really appreciate the stores that allow travelers to stay in their parking lots. It’s also nice to stop in and pick up some groceries and give the Natureshead toilet a break.

It’s also been eye opening to realize how many people live in their vehicles. Not a camper van or an RV but in their car. This may be by choice but it may not and staying in Walmart parking lots and moving around every few days may not be the choice these folks want to have to make. Maybe they don’t want to travel the US; maybe they want the same house to come back to and sleep in every night. I respect where people are in their lives. Life is difficult and you do what you need to in order to survive. I hope those that find themselves with no choice but to live in a tent under an underpass or in their car or broken down RV pull through this challenging time and find themselves in a better place soon. I know that I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and to sleep in a big box store parking lot by choice and I don’t take that for granted.

Also of note is that not all Walmarts, Cabela's (or Bass Pros) or Cracker Barrel's allow overnight parking, or they may have at one point but have since cracked down on this privilege. I see both sides of the coin on their decisions but it's a shame when the stores have had to cease allowing overnight parking because some folks have abused the store's graciousness.

Here are some of the overnight highlights: