Service station bathrooms are my first choice. I'll clean up and do laundry. Hang my clothes on my bike to sun dry. I solo tour and generally don't seek out campgrounds. Rivers in Missouri are dirtier than I am after a week riding so I'll pass on dipping in the river! I also carry a few baby wipes. The only thing I don't like about them is the sticky film they leave behind.

Lol. The 'happy but ragged' person you met on the road could easily have been me! If I'm traveling solo, that' how I role...happy but ragged.

Jerry H