It's a Team's Life

Campgrounds for the weekend

By Linda Caffee
Posted Aug 3rd 2018 11:04AM

Parking is becoming more and more of an issue and we set up our truck to have options.  When we go to a campground we plug in and let the generator have the weekend off. As Expediters, we choose to stay out on the road longer so we can stay home longer.  We also do not run a lot of miles as a team and we are usually sitting on the weekends.  Over the years we have spent most weekends at a truck stop so that we can have access to the amenities of showers and a laundry mat as well as a restaurant.

Many of the trucks stops have started to charge to park and are going to fast food restaurants.  As the truck stops are changing we are also changing our operation and starting to shop around.  These past few months when we know we will have a long weekend we have started checking into RV parks.  As I have researched more I am finding that many not only like trucks they welcome them.

Our first experience recently was in Tucson, AZ at the Mission View RV Park that is for 55 and older.  What a shock to think that we fit into this category…. Oh well, the rates were good and they had lots of nice bonuses.  This park I believe has a locked area for trailers but I would call and check on the availability.  While here we used the showers, the laundry room, as well as the indoor pool and enjoyed every minute of our stay!   Now we have stayed here a couple of times.  The rates change from tourist season to off season and summer is not usually considered tourist season!  We about had the place to ourselves.

 While in southern Texas we delivered on Friday and had a load scheduled to pick up on Monday and there are no truck stops near where we were picking up.  Once again, I was back on the computer looking for a place to spend the weekend.  In Lampasas TX is a country RV Park called our Friends RV Campground and they can handle truck and trailer.  While this place did not have a pool, they had a great dog park and Texas, our German Shepherd loved it!  We were able to cook out on our disposable grill and we had a great time.  Before we left we had all of our laundry done, the truck cleaned up, and enjoyed several great showers.

 This upcoming January I have reserved a parking spot at the Lazy Days KOA Campground in Tucson and this place has a great area to park trailers. The Lazy Days has lots of amenities and very nice places to park.  Since I have booked this space right in the middle of tourist season the rates are rather high but still cheaper than a hotel room and we get to sleep in our own bed each night. We will be attending classes in Tucson and having a safe and secure place to park our truck is a great bonus!

Another nice RV park was found in Arkansas called Magnolia RV Park that has a stocking fishing pond, a dog park, washers, as well as very nice showers! This is a tighter RV Park and cannot handle a 53’ trailer. 

 Facts I have learned:

·      Can handle Big Rig’s does not usually mean Truck Big Rig’s

·      The Office usually sells quarters for the washers

·      We are asked a million questions about our truck and what we do with it

·      People are very friendly and enjoy visiting

·      Prices are all over the place

·      Some places are not as pet-friendly and are leery of big dogs

·      The laundry rooms, as well as showers, are very clean

We will continue to search out campgrounds to stay in that fit our needs as we go forward.  There is a great Facebook page called Campgrounds for Big Trucks that is very helpful when looking for a place to stay.

Bob & Linda Caffee

TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO

Expediters since January 2005

[email protected]

 

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