Residency, Plates, Cops, Trouble?

[mikEXpat]

Hi all. Thanks always for your fantastic advice.

I will be spending a good deal of my time in California and the west. If I have out of state plates (like from South Dakota, Texas, Nevada, or Florida), are officers more likely to question, run plates, or stop and question me?

What do LEOs think when they see a white, indescript cargo van with solar panels (empty roof rack), parked at the beach, a small town park, or the middle of the forest?

PS: For those who were confused like me LEO = Law Enforcement Officer

 

[highdesertranger]

stay out of trouble and you will be fine. your are on vacation, right. act like it. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

There are nearly 60 million residents of California (about one out of every eight Americans), and a crap-ton of tourists and other people passing through. There are about 29 million vehicles registered in California. (I think Jay Leno owns 20 million of them.) There are probably more plain white cargo vans in California than the next 25 largest states combined. You will not stick out. And even if you did, cops have more important things to worry about -- unless you're in a ritzy town where people with vehicles older than three years are suspect. I've spent a lot of time in California since I hit the road. Beaches, parks, boonies... I have never been hassled there. Just keep your van presentable and professional looking. The general public doesn't like seeing poor looking people. If your rig looks like something from the Dust Bowl, with stuff strapped all over the outside, the citizenry will complain to authorities.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've traveled through 35 states in an 03 Chevy Express Cargo Van and had been stopped, questioned and pulled over exactly zero times.

 

[TrainChaser]

I'm like ERLH: I've traveled from CA to ME, zigzagged over the Rockies, and have been in most of the states north of the Mason-Dixon line, and got pulled over exactly ONCE. The officer asked me if I knew that both of my brake lights were out (I didn't), and suggested that a fuse might have gone out, and to visit a repair facility as soon as I reasonably could.

If you DO get pulled over several times, take a good look at what you're doing and how you're driving, and STOP DOING IT. If you wave a red flag at a bull, what do you think is going to happen?

 

[GotSmart]

The more you want to talk, the sooner LEO wants to get rid of you.  Ask about Amway, local tourist destinations, their car, the weather, ~~~

I have one knock at night for sleeping in a closed park.  LEO was pleasant and told me to not do it again.  I could stay the night as I was obviously tired.

 

[BlackNBlue]

A nondescript white van is one thing. A van with solar panels is another, especially in the state where the climate and various sub/counter-cultures (from the 60's on) have long been ideal for vehicle dwellers, so the general public including LEOS are more aware of that lifestyle and its nuances, compared to other locales. The flipside of them being more aware of you is being less afraid of you, on average.

Back when I car-dwelled, mostly in CA, the only time I got hassled was when I parked overnight next to a reservoir, there having been clear signs that the road is open at night for through-traffic only. Got sternly warned and nothing more. However, I was in a very nondescript car, and clearly remember one night parked outside a library, woken up by several sheriff deputies yelling at a guy two stalls down in a tie-dye green VW Bus with swirly curtains and... you get the idea.

Also, California takes a particularly hard stance against residents - defined by somebody being there more than 90 days, I believe - keeping their vehicles registered elsewhere. There's even a hotline to report your neighbors, right on the DMV's homepage. That said, getting in trouble is almost exclusively a matter of saying the wrong thing. As someone above said, you're on vacation, so act like it.

 

[GotSmart]

Solar panels installed right.

 

[mikEXpat]

Thanks. I've learned some good lessons here. I should act like I'm on vacation and that I should not have a vehicle which makes me look like I'm freeloading. It also shouldn't be obvious that I am living in it for longer than a month or so (ie. the solar panels shouldn't be excessive or completely obvious, tons of things stored on top and in the back, a cargo trailer.) Talking to the police officers is good advice, however I don't want to waste their time. I'd prefer to give them the information they need and then ask them information about local rules and thoughts on those of us who take "longer" vacations who prefer to be close to the city and alone, rather than in campgrounds arounds screaming kids, barking dogs, and late night partiers.

Happy traveling

 

[VanGrrl57]

Well, 

I had an interesting experience while parked overnight at a supposed free camping spot in Humboldt, SD.

I decided to go back to this particular spot after I stayed there one night with no problems. 

However, for some reason, I get a knock on my van door from the local LEOs there. It seems someone called in a report about a suspicious van being parked which, of course, was me. The LEOs were polite and asked what I was doing so I told them that I had went to a website called freecampsites.org and was under the impression that I was allowed to park there overnight. Of course, they had not heard of it but they believed me when I pulled up the website and showed them. The one cop was very interested because he told me he did a lot of camping and hunting and had never heard of the website before. LOL! In any case, they believed me and allowed me to stay which was pretty cool. My impression is that this particular spot is okay if you just spend a night there. I am sure they would not allow anyone to stay for an extended length of time. 

VanGrrl57

 

[TrainChaser]

I just looked up Humbolt, SD in my new Wright Guide to Free & Low-Cost Campgrounds, and if it was called the Larry Pressler City Park, here's what it says after it tells you how to get there:

FREE.  Spring to fall. Primitive undesignated sites at outer perimeter of park, flush toilets, tables, fire rings, pavilion, drinking water. Basketball hoop, tennis courts, playground, horseshoes.

This guide usually lists the limit of days if the info is available, but there's no info on that.  And if you happened to park in the day-use area instead of the "outer perimeter", you may have attracted attention because they don't usually see cars there during off-hours. Or not.

 

[TrainChaser]

p.s. I just looked in my book for Sioux Falls, and other than Humbolt, I can't find a single town within a 25-mile radius that has free camping. Is there any chance that one of your coworkers would have a little patch on their property where you could park?

 

[VanGrrl57]

p.s. I just looked in my book for Sioux Falls, and other than Humbolt, I can't find a single town within a 25-mile radius that has free camping. Is there any chance that one of your coworkers would have a little patch on their property where you could park?

Hi.
Yeah, I have a coworker who is letting me do that so it's all good. What happened was I was on my way to ND and I got tired so I decided to pull off there at Humboldt. In any case, the local LEOs were nice about it and understood about me being tired.[emoji3]

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[GotSmart]

This is what I have been saying for the past two years.  

Local LEO would much rather do a "Wellness Check" than clean up an accident.

You eventually learn were to park to avoid the knock.

 

[wagoneer]

Keeping a clean rig goes a long way first impression wise. Attitude wise just short and to the point. Very few camping areas here land is so expensive
but we do have a rv park in the Candlestick Park area across the tracks .

 

[MrNoodly]

It seems someone called in a report about a suspicious van being parked...

Yeah, snoopy, cranky, paranoid civilians can sometimes be more of a problem than LEOs.

 

[VanGrrl57]

Yeah, I can relate but at least the local LEOs were cool with me being there when I told them what was going on. In fact, I slept well because they knew I was there which is reassuring to me as a single woman.

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