Industrial complexes

[Rollin]

Would just like to pass this info along to the stealth campers out there. You can go to any large Industrial complex like a power house, chemical plant, refinery, mine, mill and blend in by parking in the construction parking lots. I have worked in a lot of plants and everyone I ever worked in had separate parking lots. One lot will require you to go through security or have a sticker on your windshield. This lot is usually for the plant employees only. The other lot is for the temporary tradesmen (iron-workers,boilermakers, millwrights,labors, electricians ). Many times during a large shutdown there could be hundreds of workers working around the clock. I have slept in these lots before with no problem. And this was with no stealth at all. The parking lots are usually well lit and there is security near by. Occasionally there are porta johns set up outside the gates. And best of all no one knows who is who and you don't have to pass through security to park in the construction lots. Now obviously this isn't going to work all the time as construction isn't always going on in that particular plant all the time. One thing about this option is that there is no shortage of these type of plants around. They are in the city's and out in the country both. All across the USA. Don't be intimidated by all the fences and security just drive around till you find the construction lot. They usually will have large signs letting you know that THEY are not responsible for theft or damage to your property or it will say park at your own risk. When you see this sign you know your in the right spot. Just park on the outskirts for a good nights rest. I imagine you could go undetected indefinitely assuming there are other cars parked there all night. Finding a plant to park at will be fairly easy just look for smoke stacks. Hopefully this puts another wrench in your toolbox of places to stealth park. 

 

[Ricekila]

And -- and --<BR><BR>If you scout out a well maintained complex's with landscaping -- where the sprinklers turn on at 3:AM or so ---- free shower's

<BR><BR>Many a night I frolicked on some business's lawn ---- in my shorts of course

<BR><BR>Now look at my avatar --- you may now go poke out your minds eye&nbsp;

<BR>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

<P>@Ricekila&nbsp;&nbsp; <IMG border=0 align=absMiddle src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">&nbsp;You made me grin!</P>

 

[Rollin]

Well I can understand your&nbsp;concern. Most of the power plants in&nbsp;the&nbsp;US&nbsp;&nbsp;are not nukes. I&nbsp;haven't personally worked at one so I cant report on the parking&nbsp;situation. But I would&nbsp;imagine the security would a little tighter. Might be a good idea to avoid any nuke plants all together IMHO.&nbsp;As you can see form the above picture with all the smoke this is a coal burning plant.<div><br></div><div>Btw. You do bring up a valid point as there is some danger&nbsp;accompanied by parking in the vicinity of these plants. Most of the time the pollution is carried by the wind miles from the plant. But many plants especially acid producing plants can and do occasionally release some very toxic and&nbsp;deadly gasses. So PARK AT YOUR OWN RISK. I personally have worked in these plants for a good many years. Very close to some of these deadly chemicals. I also work around very high voltage&nbsp;electricity and at&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;heights. So every day I go to work could be my last. I accept this and don't worry about it. We are all here today and gone tomorrow. Not that we should put our&nbsp;self's&nbsp;in harms way on&nbsp;purpose but I don't see this as any more&nbsp;dangerous as driving on the freeway or riding out a severe thunderstorm. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

 

[Ricekila]

<P>

</P><P>@Ricekila&nbsp;&nbsp; <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" align=absMiddle border=0>&nbsp;You made me grin!</P><P>

</P><br>You should see me in person -- very life like --&nbsp;almost <b>anthropomorphic

</b><br><b></b>&nbsp;<br>I've worked at a few large construction sites over the year's -- seeing a motor home's / trailer's / pick-up's w/ slide in's or not / tents is very common <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR><BR>My all time favorite -was the 90' Winnebago - astroturf lawn / bar-b-cue / little 2' tall white picket fence / 4' diameter inflatable pool with rubber duck-ies&nbsp;<IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR><BR>But I really loved the pink flamingo's <IMG src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/cool.gif" align=absMiddle border=0><BR><br>

 

[Rollin]

Yeah this&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;lifestyle is old hat to the construction community. Been doing it for thousands of years. Guess&nbsp;that's&nbsp;why they call us&nbsp;journeyman. Have tools will&nbsp;travel.

 

[akrvbob]

Hey Rollin, that is very helpful info! Would it be alright if I copied and pasted it into other pages to spread the info? If you prefer I can rewrite it in my own words.<br><br>I'm also interested in the idea that construction worker were the original vandwellers. Is that really why they were called Journeyman because they traveled? Can you elaborate on that?<br><br>Thanks for the great idea! Bob<br>

 

[Rollin]

&nbsp;Bob, You may absolutely use any and all&nbsp;information that I gave in anyway you see fit.<div><br></div><div>I&nbsp;believe in times of old that there were certain tradesmen&nbsp;that either excelled in there craft or they specialized in a certain part of there craft. Therefore not every&nbsp;village&nbsp;or town would have someone highly skilled or&nbsp;specialized&nbsp;enough for all the work that was needed.&nbsp;They&nbsp;may have been stone masons, weapon makers,&nbsp;jewelry makers, ect. Think about it this way If you build&nbsp;castles for a living I doubt you would be able to make a living in that craft to live in one&nbsp;village&nbsp;your whole life. When you were finished I would think with all the skills and knowledge you would have gained you would be in demand for the next Barron, Duke, Lord, or&nbsp;whoever&nbsp;building&nbsp;there castle.&nbsp;Nothing has changed through out the ages and this is very much the way it works today. I personally can not&nbsp;always find work at home as there is not always a demand for it. So I have to&nbsp;travel&nbsp;to find someone that needs my skills.</div><div><br></div><div>Hear is&nbsp;something&nbsp;describing&nbsp;traveling&nbsp;workers from a very old book....&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 13Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men. 14He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15Now Solomon had 70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Here is what Wikipedia has to say about journeyman...</div><div><div>The word journeyman comes from the French word journee, which means the period of one day. The title refers to the journeyman's right to charge a fee for each day's work. Journeymen would normally be employed by a master craftsman, but would live apart and might have a family of their own. A journeyman could not employ others. In contrast, an apprentice would be bound to a master, usually for a fixed term of seven years, and lived with the master as a member of the household, receiving most or all compensation in the form of food and lodging.</div><div>In parts of Europe, as in later medieval Germany, spending time as a wandering journeyman (Wandergeselle), moving from one town to another to gain experience of different workshops, was an important part of the training of an aspirant master. Carpenters in Germany have retained the tradition of traveling journeymen even today, although only a few still practice it. In France, wandering journeymen were known as compagnons.</div></div><div><br></div><div>My first&nbsp;experience with even the thought of&nbsp;traveling was from my father who also worked&nbsp;construction like his father&nbsp;before&nbsp;him had. My father&nbsp;traveled&nbsp;some as I was growing up but&nbsp;always stayed in a motel or&nbsp;hotel when he did. He did mention to me that there were co workers that were living out of&nbsp;there&nbsp;vans and some even stayed in tents. Latter as a&nbsp;apprentice I worked for a journeyman that told me that he stayed in his car often while he was waiting get out to work on the road. When I finished my apprenticeship and became a journeyman I met more and more fellow&nbsp;tradesmen&nbsp;that lived a&nbsp;mobile&nbsp;lifestyle. Many have no permanent home they are what we call Tramps. Some live in RVs some in vans and some rent rooms.&nbsp;This&nbsp;lifestyle is not looked down&nbsp;upon and is just a part of life for many people&nbsp;in construction.</div><div><br></div>

 

[leftcoastadv]

<div>WOW!</div><div><br></div>That was very&nbsp;fascinating&nbsp;Rollin.<div><br></div><div>Thanks for sharing.&nbsp;</div>

 

[william_k]

THANK YOU for the great idea.&nbsp; I love the fact that you can use the smokestacks to find the camp spot.&nbsp; Very cool!<br><br><br>