NASA and free overnight parking

We didn't plan another long stop before San Antonio area, but we wanted to see Johnson NASA Space Center in Houston on our way. Knowing that it'll take us all day we've decided that we didn't want to pay for camping, we just wanted to stay overnight in a safe place with no additional conveniances and take off as soon as we wake up in the morning. That's how our adventure with a new kind of camping started - overnight parking.

In States there are a few places where usually yuo can park your rv overnight and nobody should bother you. Among them there is Cracker Barrell restaurants, or to be more specific, their parking lots. At least in some states. At the one we called in advance to ask whether they would mind we heard: "I can't tell you whether you can park here or not but I won't mind". 

Cosmic toilet

We got to Sulphur, LA late in the evening, we parked in the back in trucks/rv lot and not bothered by anyone we went to sleep. Cracker Barrell is open from 6 am to 10 pm. We got up at 8 and we went for breakfast. We thought at this time of day restaurant by the highway would be empty. To our surprise there was crowd of people. We waited 10 miniutes to be seated, when we were leaving the wait was already half an hour. Not bad as for a place with more or less 50 tables...

After breakfest we went to Johnson NASA Space Center. We decided to skip Houston itself, we didn't feel like going to a big city. For the entrance to cosmic center (after discount with coupons from Welcome Center) we paid 35 USD. Cheaper than Kennedy Space Center but from the first sight it's obvious that there is less to see. It's also more kid-oriented place. In the very center there is a huge playground and different activities for school and pre-school kids (like a pile of Lego blocks, not really related to space). 

Luckily adults can find something for themselves too. Slideshow of pictures of Earth from space stopped us for good 15 minutes. Movie about history of space flights is interesting even for Maciek. IMAX movie though, about international space station is a dissapointment. As a sweetener we can go inside space shuttle. There is also a hangar with Saturn V, just like the one we saw in Florida and a training center for astronauts. Maciek being Maciek is maybe fascinated by rockets and space but the only thing we really have to pull him away from are Lego and a slide. He did not go down the 3-stories-high, but the 2-stories-high he did twice.

Actuall training sites for ISS

Luckily we're in Space Center on weekend, when it's open until 7pm instead of 5pm like on weekdays, but still as usually we're the last visitors. This time guards didn't kick us out only because thery were too busy taking care of a group of girl scouts who came to cosmic pijama party. We kick us out ourselves and the guard locking the door behind our back reassured us it was no problem, even though it was almost half an hour after closing time.

Maciek and a moonrock

Exhausted we go on exploring free parkings. The biggest chain of free overnight parking for RV is provided by...Wal-mart. Most of those supermarkets allows overnight parking, but it's better to ask, just in case, not to have to deal with a policeman knocking on your door in the middle of the night. It's because even though Wal-mart usually doesn't mind, local authorities sometimes do. In Katy, TX we parked on the very edge of parking, just by another chain restaurant - Denny's - this way we not only we have a place to stay but we also have free wi-fi.

Inside a space shuttle

In the morning we try their breakfast. Menu in Denny's is quite similar to the one in Cracker Barrel, although their target is a bit different. The difference is mostly visible in lower prices. There was no line in Denny’s there were lots of people, mostly families with kids. After quick shopping in Wal-mart we head west to explore Texas.