First and Only Attempt Sleeping in an RV Park

We arrived in Casper around dinner time after sunset making it difficult to find a campground or RV park. Sure they are listed on the map, but daylight really helps find them better. Many signs are not lighted, roads are harder to see, and campsites are not lighted. Ten years ago when my sister and I made this trip, it was May and we had an easier time finding campgrounds. We were tent camping then, at this time, Ken and I are trying to sleep in our trailer in order to save money. Searching for campgrounds on the GPS is difficult as RV parks tend to call themselves campgrounds. A misnomer if you ask me as the RVer has brought their whole home with them! RVing is NOT camping! Ken and I were prepared to sleep in the trailer or pitch a tent if we needed to. (Above, typical driving view in eastern Wyoming. Below, sunset approaching Casper)

Since Ken and I are now traveling in November, many of the RV parks/campgrounds are closed for the season. This is one thing the GPS cannot tell us. The GPS can in some cases provide a number. However, when I called at this time of evening, some places did not answer, or had answering machines. In those two cases, I could mark that location off the list. There was one place that answered the phone, a combination RV and tent camping site. There are a few that offer both spaces. 

And now another segment of, your GPS doesn’t know %$#&! With the address for the Casper East RV Park programmed in the Magellan, we sailed down the road. And sailed, and sailed. There was no obvious sign for the RV park yet the Magellan said we had arrived. We did not see the location so kept driving. Casper is not a big town, so soon we were way too far gone. We turned around heading back to Casper and again passed the location the GPS thought was our destination. No sign, no nothing. We took what we thought was the nearest exit and looped back on a side road. Sure enough, we finally saw a sign. It was on a road perpendicular to what might be considered a feeder to the freeway. Not very obvious. 

At this time of night, the office was closed and as such in a place like this, payment is self service. I filled out a form and tried to figure out their pricing for tent camping. I took advantage of Ken’s veteran status and dropped payment of $18.47 into the night box for a tent camping site. Though not a KOA (which was closed for the season believe it or not) it was very similar. There are many of these independent RV parks that accommodate RVs with and without hook ups, tent sites with or without electricity, and separate shower and toilet facilities for tenters. All-in-all, not too bad a deal for road trippers if the location is well maintained. 

Ken wasn’t too impressed. The first thing that turned him (and me) off was the location right by the railroad track. Cargo trains run at night folks. So any of you out there planning on the same money saving situation, be warned. And the memories all came back to me. On many a road trip in my past, in many different states, I have found the same thing. I guess people who operated RV/campgrounds find cheap land-located near utilities, railroad tracks and the like that no one else wants. The next morning we went to the showers to clean up as it had been a few days. They were so-so. Ken might have rather had a motel shower, but at this price, it would do. We cleaned up, packed up the trailer and headed into Casper to see if we could find a metal gas can. On the drive in, we enjoyed our delicious danishes we had purchased the day before at the Bread Basket Bakery, yum!