Camping on the side of the road.

[Ko]

Originally Posted by 243Win

You'll be fine. Have a nice trip. Lotsa nice people to meet. I'm serious. The quality of folks you meet on the road is wonderful.

+1

I've travelled in US quite a bit, and never felt to be in danger, although it took some practice to get over the idea that guns are more prevalent there than elsewhere. Being on a bike seems to connect at some level with people...

As far as camping goes, when in doubt ask, very rarely I received an abrupt answer- that happened in cities. In remote places people are friendlier, more willing to help.

[aquadog]

Sorry, it's not that GS riders are more adventurous. I'm with Truckin' Thumper on that one. We see all kinds up here - Harley guys are pretty gregarious, ST1300 guys are by the book...different bikes certainly have different personalities on them. Back to causing trouble, GS riders certainly like to THINK they're more adventurous, but hey, who really wants to crash that much money? Of course, I have a beat up old KLR (among others).

But back to the thread, anywhere north of about mid-province in Canada is fine camping, and it's not stealth, either. When I go south I'm always reminded that it is a) busy enough, b) fenced enough, c) populated enough, and d) policed enough that you can't happily have a pee by the side of the road, let alone camp anywhere. We're spoiled up here. No need for camo tarps, folks.

[aquadog]

And for anyone coming north, think gravel pit camping, especially along roads like the Dempster Highway. Often at higher elevation above the road, so a good view and a bit breezy which keeps the bugs at bay. You do NOT want to camp at official campsites like Rock Creek on the Dempster, or you'll get eaten alive. A lot of gravel pits along the Alaska Highway - Yukon portion have gates now because RVs were dumping sewage, but a bike can usually get around. Go up to the tree line of the pit (if there is one) and enjoy!

[TwoShots]

Originally Posted by aquadog

why is it usually GS riders that act like this?

Simple arrogance. Often brought out by the marquee. Seriously: those guys toured your property then ignored you?

Dirt bike riders did something similar to me when I owned remote property in upstate NY. A 12 gauge round in the air got their attention. After some discussion, mostly mine, they were certainly not going to return. More important they were much less likely to be so disrespectful to someone else.

You were too kind not to take an action. Or at least make them piss themselves.

[H96669]

Originally Posted by aquadog

Politeness still counts if you're stealth camping. Living on the Alaska Highway, I get people - despite the fact it's obviously a private driveway - coming into my place. Tonight was a good example, two fellows on GS, stickers all over. Cruised the house, cruised the back yard, checked out my (private) lake, stopped in the front yard to chat with each other, ignored me when I came out on the deck to ask if they needed help or directions. This is a good way to get moved on. Otherwise they might have been told they could camp here. Not to cause trouble (heh, heh) but why is it usually GS riders that act like this?

You know, I often found free campsites up there just by asking the locals. But did meet quite a few pretentious GS riders up there and.....was riding a GS myself! Probably why I hung around with the Harley guys, had enough of snotty Europeans on their great adventure seemingly not giving much of a s....t about other riders or the locals.And that was 20 years ago, before the big GS invasion.

But.....I still fixed their bikes, twice going as far as taking parts off mine to diagnose their problems.....! My way of teaching them some roadside Karma.

Now for that Swiss guy on a DR who invaded my house/shop/bedroom when I was away at sea......just from me giving him my phone number in Whitehorse.......but I guess I can partly blame my roommate for that !

Here is my American sign.......in Canada, that one is for the ATVs, not ADVers.......!

[haithabu]

Originally Posted by RunningBare

Shit! I was thinking of coming and doing a tour of the US but it sounds way too dangerous for me.

Connect with locals when you can and use common sense. The crime rate outside of the inner cities in the US is not much higher than in Canada. Never had any problems there.

[RunningBare]

Originally Posted by haithabu

Connect with locals when you can and use common sense. The crime rate outside of the inner cities in the US is not much higher than in Canada. Never had any problems there.

Guess I'll have to reconsider, might have been watching too many TV shows like The Wire.

[eakins]

i've found that with nf & blm, it's ok to camp as long as there is not a sign that says no camping.

Originally Posted by AKA HAL

OK... don't quote me on this, 'cause I'm not certain of the rules (and I'm not looking them up... easier to ask forgiveness than permission, you know?).... And, the general concept of young and stupid/ didn't know any better/ didn't get caught has worked for me so far.

That all being said, I think BLM land is like NF land-- camping is OK as long as you don't hurt anything. Like no litter, no fire-rings, etc. There's a ton of BML land out west. A buddy of mine used to have maps we used, but I'm pretty sure I had recently seen it online.

If I'm wrong, just don't tell me.

[MikeS]

Interesting thread. I've hobo camped all night, and napped for 15 minutes to three hours in various spots. I've camped in the back of smaller truck stops, in a tent. Also, rode the motorcycle up a hiking path, another fond memory. Boat access areas on smaller lakes or rivers work too, in very rural areas. Re-evaluate your options in areas with lots of beer cans on the ground. Once, I camped in a city park that was closed, I flagged down a cop near the park and explained my situation. I was told to be out by dawn, but I'd be fine because this cop would tell the other cop on the night shift that I was there. Generally, my rule is to camp in a spot where I won't be seen. I only got kicked out once at o'clock thirty, and that was because I was younger and learning, and camped in a dumb spot. Never had any other bad experiences. My suggestion is to just be smart about choosing your spot. Choose a spot where you are unlikely to be found and in a rural area where folks are not criminals. Even if someone comes around, I've been left alone.

My comment for those who think they need protection, you're too paranoid and probably haven't stealth camped much.

I like the gravel pit idea, one I haven't tried. The wooded highway median is another good idea, although covering the reflectors on the motorcycle is important in that case. I suspect not every State Patrol officer looks kindly at median camping in the trees.

I do hear that sleeping at interstate rest areas (like on a picnic table or next to the bike) is enforced in more states now.

[MTNView]

I am not sure about your planned route, but assuming it is relatively direct you are going to be passing though a whole lot of very unpopulated area. If you end up going thought MT,ID UT,NV there is lots and lots of Forrest Service and BLM land. Just stay on the two-lane roads and there are endless places to camp. No one will bother you if you keep it low key and follow the leave no trace ethic. Have fun.

[spidennis]

Originally Posted by MTNView

I am not sure about your planned route, but assuming it is relatively direct you are going to be passing though a whole lot of very unpopulated area. If you end up going thought MT,ID UT,NV there is lots and lots of Forrest Service and BLM land. Just stay on the two-lane roads and there are endless places to camp. No one will bother you if you keep it low key and follow the leave no trace ethic. Have fun.

and don't use a bright red tent!

[Ceri JC]

Originally Posted by MikeS

My comment for those who think they need protection, you're too paranoid and probably haven't stealth camped much.

+1. Cultural differences aside, I'm comparatively in favour of guns in general. Despite being a Brit (gun ownership is very low here) I shoot occassionally and will probably get a gun in the next few years. I really don't understand the need to carry a gun in most of Northern America when motorcycling, even in the deep south (yes, I have ridden off the beaten track there).

Carrying a gun when stealth camping, however, is absolutely mental. You are the one behaving illegally/suspiciously: Can you imagine how the courts will view it when they hear how the old farm owner whose land you were camping on illegally came down to see what you were doing, threatened you with his (unloaded, as it turned out) gun and you shot him?

[Rottweiler]

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

I really don't understand the need to carry a gun in most of Northern America when motorcycling, even in the deep south (yes, I have ridden off the beaten track there).

"Need" is irrelevant. I never "need" to carry a gun. I do so because I want to or think it is wise to do so.

Carrying a gun when stealth camping, however, is absolutely mental. You are the one behaving illegally/suspiciously: Can you imagine how the courts will view it when they hear how the old farm owner whose land you were camping on illegally came down to see what you were doing, threatened you with his (unloaded, as it turned out) gun and you shot him?

You're being silly! The purpose of carrying a gun is not so you can shoot the farmer upon whose land you are trespassing. (Farmers don't act that way anyhow.) Most courts would lock both of you up (him for terroristic threatening, you for returning the favor).

The purpose of carrying a gun is so you have an advantage when you are unexpectedly confronted with a violent, predatory criminal.

Please note the use of "unexectedly" - it means you didn't go looking for it.

[Ceri JC]

Originally Posted by Rottweiler

You're being silly! The purpose of carrying a gun is not so you can shoot the farmer upon whose land you are trespassing. (Farmers don't act that way anyhow.) Most courts would lock both of you up (him for terroristic threatening, you for returning the favor).

The purpose of carrying a gun is so you have an advantage when you are unexpectedly confronted with a violent, predatory criminal.

Please note the use of "unexectedly" - it means you didn't go looking for it.

My question would be (and this is genuine, I'm not trolling) how can you distinguish between the two, in the dark, when you're panicked and feel in danger? Even in the UK I've very occassionally come across farmers toting shotguns, although addmitedly more in a "I've got this, don't try anything", rather than a directly threatening/confrontational manner. If you're stealth camping and someone appears on the edge of your camp with a gun, how can you tell if it's a landowner who is a bit brassed off at you camping there, or a criminal looking to rob you? If you try to talk to them without reaching for your gun, don't you loose any advantage you might have (if they're a criminal, they probably already have a gun pointed your way). If you reach for your gun, they might see you reaching for it and shoot you (even if it turns out they're just a farmer).

I agree there are extremes at both end of the criminal/farming scale that you'd never confuse with the other, even at first glance, but there is also a lot of "grey" in the middle that would be a hard judgement call to make.

If you're talking about a gun conferring an advantage over an unarmed criminal, I agree a gun would help, but camping, surely you'd at least have a knife already, right?

I'm not anti-gun by any stretch of the imagination, just genuinely interested in the rationale for carrying one when stealth camping in north America.

[BgDadddy]

The gun is more for the animals, homeless guys and tweakers than the landowners... And it shouldn't be too hard to tell the difference.

Having said that, the animals are the only thing I really worry about. The rest of them probably wouldn't be wandering around in the woods at night.