Originally Posted by
staehpj1
I may be an easterner, but most of my touring is in the west.
Most of the lean-tos I camped under were when backpacking in the east, but the picnic pavilions and so on I used when touring were almost all west of the Mississippi. I am pretty sure that includes a few in every state I rode in the west on the TransAmerica. Off the top of my head I don't recall using any in the east, but I am sure I must have here and there, just much less frequently. Additionally I used some in other western states on other tours.
Your experiences probably have more to do with the routes than what is usually found throughout the west. I don’t often travel on routes like those of Adventure Cycling. I also seldom end up in towns at the end of the day. Most of my camping in the west has been in USFS or BLM campgrounds, state park campgrounds, or commercial campgrounds. With the exception of commercial campgrounds, the amenities are minimal. Often you are lucky if you have a pit toilet.
And, to be honest, I’ve been to a single campground in the east that had a place to set up under shelter. I set up under a pavilion in Menominee, MI just last year after a long day in the rain and hoped that I could beg forgiveness in the morning. My assigned campsite was a pond. The next morning the camp host said that they had meant to tell me I could set up there.