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  1. #1
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    Need advice re. hammocking along I-20 from NC to NM

    Hi y'all, I hope I'm posting this in the right place. Senior woman here, need to drive solo on I-20 from NC to NM with 2 cats on an emergency trip. I may be there for a few months so they have to go, too/ Airlines won't let me take 2 pets. Pet-friendly motels I've tried in the past smell like dog (no offense to dogs!), poorly tolerated by my cats, and I abhor ANY hotels! It probably will take me 4 days to get there because I have poor night vision. I'll mainly take I-20 instead of faster I-40 to avoid ice & snow. Can anyone please advise me how I can find safe places to set up my hammock overnight near I-20? Maybe state rest areas that are staffed overnight? I've done this before on I-40 all the way across the country but I've never traveled on I-20 and don't know how solo-female safe or hammock-friendly the overnight rest areas are on that route.

    Four driving days (allowing for traffic through cities, short daylight, & gas stops) probably will put me near Birmingham AL (first night?), Shreveport LA (2nd night?), Odessa TX(3rd night?), then north from El Paso to Albuquerque & Santa Fe (destination). Most of my gear will stay in the car overnight except winter hammock & tarp on a stand. I can clean up & change clothes where I stop for gas. I'm prepared not to need a fire for cooking or warmth. OK if not allowed to hang on trees. Cats kept safe & warm in extra-spacious travel crates with their blankets, either in car or next to hammock under the tarp. I don't have the time (this trip) to go far off the freeway because I'd lose too much daylight driving time. Or should I just plan to sleep in the seat of my (very full) car instead? Going to ground isn't an option due to bad back after years of fun and a few big misadventures, and I no longer have ground gear anyway.

    I'll be thankful for any advice to make this trip safely and with hammocky comfort along the way!

  2. #2
    OlTrailDog's Avatar
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    I have a setup that I call my "WalMart" mode. It involves hitching the hammock suspension, and tarp, from the ladder rack on my Toy Tacoma to a single tree. I have also envisioned using it on road trips hitched to a pole in WalMart parking lots (I don't do motels unless absolutely an emergency: border collie who hates bed bugs). You might be able to do something similar from the roof or closed door of your car or truck? Walmart is conducive to road trip camping if you are willing to put up with the lights, noise, and traffic. I have used it in a pinch when I couldn't find a camp ground or wild spot to hang while traveling in what I consider the true wilderness areas, aka cities. The prevalence of other homeless roadies that I have seen should tend to keep the ner'dowells at bay. Or toss a cat at them from out of the depths of your sleeping bag. That should deter the most intoxicated fellow traveler.

    Alternately, you might consider trading the two cats in on an very old, three legged, blind in one eye border collie with hip dysplasia and arthritis.

  3. #3

    Join Date
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    Tannehill State Park is very close to I20/59 between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. That might be a good stop.

    Charlotte

  4. #4

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    There’s a state park just north of the interstate in Tyler, Tx, about a six and a half hour drive from Tuscaloosa, if you can go a little further than Shreveport the second night.

    Charlotte

  5. #5
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    Hey, OlTrailDog, thanks for the suggestions! I'm not quite ready to trade the cats in for an old half blind arthritic border collie, although we'd be a perfect match and I have a fondness for the breed. The cats in question were abandoned, found me years ago and never left. They couldn't scare anybody; they're old and creaky and sleep most of the time, no trade-in value except maybe for a goldfish or two. But they're mine, and I'm theirs. We understand each other and get along. Caring for them DOES make traveling a challenge, though, especially in the winter and for long distances. This is a plan of necessity!

    I live out in the sticks about 10 miles from the nearest small town and a correspondingly small Walmart, so I had forgotten about the big-city ones being traveler-friendly for overnight stays. My car is an old Subaru Outback, not really big or tall enough for a proper camping set-up, but I like the idea and I may be able to make it work. The next vehicle I get should be a plain van I can hang my hammock in for true "stealth" camping. What I have should be OK for this trip if I can clear enough space to sleep in it with shades in the windows to dim the lights. I'm not sure about setting up a complete hammocking camp site in a WM concrete jungle with its own kind of wildlife, but I've heard about small gatherings of like-minded folks sitting in lawn chairs around a Coleman lantern "camp fire" in the outer regions of a WM parking lot. Those huge light poles & cart return racks are quite the odd species of trees & bushes! Maybe they grow that way in the cities.

    Thanks for the WM idea! They also have makings for easy meals, rest rooms, and many sell gas, so this could be a one-stop way to finish a long day of driving day and settle down. I'll look into it.

  6. #6
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    Thanks, xMagnolia! I'll definitely look into both of those! I guessed at those cities for night stops because of approximate times between them and the amount of daylight available for driving. I'd like to go a little further before stopping each night if weather is good & driving through major cities doesn't slow me down too much.
    I just love how helpful folks are here. (Ideally it would be fun if somebody wanted to come at least part way and do a few hours driving after dark when I can't, and get there in a lot less time. The car will be pretty crammed as it is, and no time this "emergency" trip for day hikes, so I don't anticipate any takers on such an "offer" ... and I won't be returning to NC for maybe a couple of months!)

  7. #7

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    There’s another state park just past Odessa in Monahans. I started looking and it became a game. Could I drive from Home to California and stay in parks or campgrounds the whole way? I think it can be done!

    Charlotte

  8. #8
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    For WM overnight be sure to ask the store manager before you set up. Some will let you, some won't. Some will allow tent, some won't.
    Deb
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    "The older I get, the more I appreciate my rural childhood. I spent a lot of time outdoors, unsupervised, which is a blessing." Barbara Kingsolver

  9. #9
    Senior Member old4hats's Avatar
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    WalMart in our area posted signs about a year ago, no overnight parking. This does get enforced. I myself was wondering if this is a company wide policy.
    If you prepare for failure you will probably succeed.

  10. #10
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    No advice here but good luck on your journey

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