The Glory of the Rest Stop

Ok when you are on the road for long periods of time you really begin to appreciate the 'sometimes' illusion of the rest stop. These little points of interest can be heaven or hell depending on the care given by the state. In AZ unfortunately about half of the rest stops in the state have been closed due to budget, they will be switched out with the open ones probably next year. It is a shame because after miles of desert, rock, and one too many cokes you are often in dire need of a rest stop. There are gas stations and truck stops but it is never a sure thing that you will actually want to stop there. On the whole our rest stop experiences have been very good. There have always been the essentials of tp, soap, and clean stalls (musts in my book). They sometimes come equipped with helpful tourist info people, or at the very least a map in the bathroom. They are also (often) safe places to stop if you need to grab a couple hours of sleep because truckers can be found stopping for the night as well. A trucker once told me that sleeping at a truck stop or rest stop is a pretty safe place to be because almost all of them have something in their cab to protect their load. I am not sure how true this is but I have never had a problem. Just a thought.