Going to be embarking on a low budget road trip for the next couple weeks (by car, not bike).  Plan on heading out I-90 and hitting the major attractions in South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, parts of California and Colorado.  Heading back to Baltimore via I-70.  Anybody in those areas care to let a fellow GS-er bum a shower??   

-Jessie

I Am not on your route, but do wish you well.
I can say that if you are close to Iowa just stay away. Iowa sucks and there is nothing here to see or do that is memorable just skip on past it.
Make sure you post up pics.

I think the key word here is "Bum".

If you have an "any club" 24 hour fitness membership... you can take a shower at almost any location

What: Going I-90 and not taking it all the way to its end in Seattle? The take I-5 down to Portland and keep going south to California wine country. Don't miss the adidas stores - exit 31 on I-90. Then there are about 3 in Portland and an outlet store south of Portland in Woodburn. 3 stores in Las Vegas.

What do you mean "Iowa sucks"? I'm from Iowa and grew up there and... oh.... wait... its all coming back to me now....
YES - Iowa DOES suck! There's nothing to do there and its almost as flat as Nebraska.

Quote from: tb0lt on July 15, 2011, 10:36:33 PM
If you have an "any club" 24 hour fitness membership... you can take a shower at almost any location

+ on that!

if you do the trip on ya gs then yes lol 

car trips 

Hit a truck stop,park behind the trucks so they can't see you getting out of your vehicle.Make it a point to walk up between the trucks.Get a company name and truck number off the door.Go in and ask the attendant how much for a shower,make sure to have your shower bag in hand.It's usually free with fill up and usually no more than $3 without.Choice is yours,but if you say filling up,you will need a company name and truck number.That's why I suggested getting the info off the truck,preferably one that you feel has sat there overnight.I use to use this trick all the time when I would travel for companies I worked for.Sleep in my vehicle,shower at a truck stop,and keep the money given to me by the company for a hotel/motel room.They got the same quality work and I got to keep a little money in my pocket.

I'm glad the OP asked about showers. Can't offer one myself 'cause I'm renting a room in a house (maybe if you were doing the trip on your bike though  ). But it would be useful to know about different ways of getting free/cheap showers while on the road. I'm planning a road trip soon so I'm curious about this. I like the gym and truckstop ideas (Ben, how are those truckstop showers?). Any other ideas out there? Public swimming pools? A lot of beaches have showers if you're travelling along the coast.

campgrounds? just stop in super early or after dark for showers. wear flip flops.  free.

You can try this http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Are you kinda beginning to get the message brother?

Where to have free showers...

The truckie stops with showers here are too busy to bother with "did you fill up" questions. They have a truckies lounge and showers and leave them alone to relax in front of the tube or wash themselves as they see fit.

So far we have...

Gym Membership
Truck stops
Camp grounds

I'll also add, public swimming pools down here also have hot showers in their amenities block.
Sport clubs - all kinds of sports not just football including lawn bowls, gold, etc. - often but not always have showers.
Motels should offer a "shower only" deal - some do, some don't.
YMCA?
Airport? Ok, parking may be a bit pricey but it is a shower.
University basketball/squash/tennis/etc. blocks.
Many resort buildings/complexes have showers near their pool/gym area. Got to walk in like you're a guest so noone will question you
Knock on a church door?
In Australia, we also have caravan parks - walk in like you live there even for the holiday season and head to the amenities block. A lot of these are "put coin on auto slot for hot water" type showers.
Pubs/Hotels often have rooms available with communal shower - ask to use shower-only with your counter lunch.
Squash courts usually have shower fascilities

Michael

Wake up gang, this guy doesn't want your advice, he wants to stay at your place for free----up to and including the Use of Your Shower.


Can it really get any simpler than that.

Quote from: ojstinson on July 16, 2011, 08:48:41 PM
Wake up gang, this guy doesn't want your advice, he wants to stay at your place for free----up to and including the Use of Your Shower.


Can it really get any simpler than that.

How about you stop being a d.o.u.c.h.e? Do you know him? No, so f.u.c.k. off.  I know the guy and he's one of my best friends.  He's going on a cross country trip and he wants to shower and not be dirty.  He plans on sleeping in either his car, campground, or designated area.  He's definitely not looking to stay and mooch at someone's residence.

In case you haven't noticed, this is a GS500 ( motorcycle ) forum not a free sleepover service for guys that decide to take road  trips they can't afford ---in cars!    I can't believe this is not in the "Tard Farm" by now.

You may have also noticed he hasn't managed to snag any suckers yet.

Quote from: ojstinson on July 16, 2011, 09:41:25 PM
In case you haven't noticed, this is a GS500 ( motorcycle ) forum not a free sleepover service for guys that decide to take road  trips they can't afford ---in cars!    I can't believe this is not in the Tard Farm" already.

You may have also noticed he hasn't managed to snag any suckers yet.

Who said he couldn't afford it?  Did he type that?  You don't know anything about the guy, so stop making assumptions.  He's a GS owner and is looking for assistance during his trip.  I'm sure if he can't find someone down the road willing to lend a hand he will find a shower on his own.

No wonder people leave this site to never return.  It's because of people like you.

Serious question to you:  Why are you so mad?  You seem to be doing a lot of complaining/degrading of late.

I'm pretty sure that this forum has specific areas designated for topics unrelated to the GS, and there is probably a good reason for it. The only two times in recent memory that I recall saying anything negative were 1. a stupid youtube video of a girl crying about cats, and 2. this guy, driving a CAR around the country looking to get something for nothing. Is it just me, or do neither of these things have anything to do with bikes.

The only difference between me and everyone else on here, that doesn't want this guy anywhere near their shower, is they say so through alternate suggestions---I just don't happen to have any of those.

Quote from: ojstinson on July 16, 2011, 10:19:37 PM
I'm pretty sure that this forum has specific areas designated for topics unrelated to the GS, and there is probably a good reason for it. The only two times in recent memory that I recall saying anything negative were 1. a stupid youtube video of a girl crying about cats, and 2. this guy, driving a CAR around the country looking to get something for nothing. Is it just me, or do neither of these things have anything to do with bikes.

The only difference between me and everyone else on here that doesn't want this guy anywhere near their shower is they say so through alternate suggestions---I just don't happen to have any of those.

Haha.  You're upset because someone didn't post in the correct sub-topic.  You, sir, need to grow up.
And since you didn't have any suggestions, you decided to troll this topic? It's pretty easy to not click on the topic and respond to it.  I know I do it all the time.

Starting to look a bit foolish so you fall back on the old "you're a Troll" routine. Face facts little buddy, there is not a person on this forum that's about to let some freeloading car driving will work for shower stranger off the internet into their home, let alone use their shower. Show me where anything I have said doesn't make sense, show me where anything you have said does.