Sleeping rough on the road?

[Yellow1inRapid]

Secrets or tips for sleeping when rallying or pushing a timed ride? I have issues around 2-3AM, if I can pull off and sleep for a couple of hours until daylight I'm good to go after. Seems a waste to buy a hotel for a night when I'm only there 3-4 hours, plus I have found quite a few don't like to let me in that late (early?) - I suspect I am cutting into their sleep!

When pushing distance in my van I usually climb in the back to sleep in rest areas for a few hours. Not sure how I feel about doing this on a bike, it seems it could be an "attractive nuisance" to someone who might not normally be criminally inclined. I suppose I could unload the bike at a stop although I don't carry much (some clothes, tools, whatnot) and I have hard bags and the bike locks and has an alarm (GL1800). The electronics (GPS, phone) are probably the only items of real value.

What sleep strategies do you folks use?

 

[EricV]

The classic "Iron Butt Motel" is a picnic table. I prefer wood ones, if available. They don't conduct heat away from the body as much as metal and sometimes have a little sag in them that makes them more comfortable. The 8' ones at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley are wonderful for that.

In more general terms, rest areas can be good or bad, just depends on traffic levels. If I'm in the middle of no where and it's dead, I can sleep at a rest area at night/pre-dawn for 20 minutes to a few hours. If it's busy, no way. I have used the back lots of truck stops, but you need to find some structure to get up against so you avoid the risk of being driven over by a tired trucker too. Graveyards or Church parking lots also work well for me, but be wary of sprinkler systems which often come on in the pre-dawn hours. If you're out of sight in the back of the parking lot, you're usually ok and won't have any encounters. Kids don't like to party on church property, for example. Out on a lonely hwy in the West I may look for a side road and pull off the road enough to be far enough away from the hwy that my reflectors won't lite off from hwy traffic, then just toss out my bike cover and use that as a ground tarp to minimize any bugs, lay down in full gear, helmet included and get some rest.

Chain hotels are better odds for a room at odd hours. I've checked in at 7am and been gone by 11am with "late check out" too. If you're tired on the clock, in a multi-day rally, it doesn't matter what time it is or what it costs, quality sleep is worth the price. Sometimes that shower before getting back in the gear on day 9 is worth as much as the sleep for improving your mindset too.

City park campgrounds are often very, very nice and clean, with bathrooms and no fees in the East. I've stayed in a bunch of them in the I states with positive results and a quiet night's sleep when camping. I wouldn't hesitate to pull into one of those and crash for a couple hours. On the table, under the table if it's wet, wrapped in the bike cover. I always carry my half cover too, fwiw. If I'm in a hotel, out of sight, out of mind. It's easier for a thief to find something else than get caught peeking under a cover. I never take the GPS off the bike unless it's uber sketchy, just cover the bike and lock the steering. Of course, my bikes are usually dirty and covered in bugs too.