Overview - the 2023 Pacific Northwest Tour

I have just returned from my most ambitious travel of 2023, a tour of the Pacific Northwest which took four weeks.  Never been there before, everyone said You Must Go, so I went and it was everything everyone promised.  In the coming days I will be describing the registry rules for visiting states I have never written about before, hoping to provide insights into how you can travel too and stay within those rules.

First I want to point out that yes, you can travel for extended trips across this great country and unless your local sheriff is a total creep there should be no problem provided you properly report this travel before you leave.  In fact this wasn’t even the longest travel I have ever done from my summer home in Iowa.  That record belongs - so far - to a six week trip to Florida last spring which I reported not as a seasonal move to my winter homes there with no return date, but as travel from my Iowa principal residence to Florida and back.  I provided my local sheriff’s department here with two destinations in the Sunshine State (two of my residences there) and a return date.  When I arrived in Florida I checked in as usual, traveled wherever I wanted and checked out when I left.

In fact, about one month from now I plan to report my entire five month seasonal travel to my winter homes in Florida as travel from Iowa to Florida and back.  I don’t anticipate any difficulty doing that – but I’ll definitely report how it goes here.

In the past I have found that even in the peak summer travel season it’s not necessary to make campground or motel reservations for weekdays, but it is important to have the weekends all squared away.  That still leaves my travel plans flexible most days.  You may say – Oh wait!  Won’t my local sheriff’s department want a complete itinerary that accounts for all my movements on every freaking day of my trip?  My answer is, again, that unless your local sheriff is a total creep the answer should be no.  I am unaware of any state law that requires such a detailed itinerary for domestic travel, so if you run into trouble you should not be afraid to tell the person behind the bulletproof glass that state law doesn’t authorize that much detail.  As far as I know that stuff only applies to international travel.

On the other hand, if you have made reservations for any night of your trip you have at least one destination you can report to make them happy.  In my case there were three weekends included and one of them was Labor Day.  I did not feel compelled to report every one of those reserved destinations; instead I told the lady who usually takes down my information, “Here’s what I’m doing, these are my departure and return dates.  Now I’d like to give you three destinations, one for each weekend, and I want to tell you the states I will be traveling through and ask you to list those states in ‘The Notes’ section at the bottom of my sheet.”  Which she was happy to do.

Now you may ask why would I want to provide any more information than the minimum required?  Because if you think about it you will realize that my registry sheet showing at least a few destinations and all the states I’m traveling through is my protection against police harassment and false arrest while traveling.  I keep it in my glove compartment at all times, and clearly, if I were ever pulled over by some moron I would have to hand them my registry sheets anyway (Iowa and Florida) and right there is all the proof I need that I properly reported my travel and that I am where I said I’d be when I said I’d be there.  Case closed.

So off I went on my big adventure.

Establishing a temporary regional base camp

I must admit that by the time I was about halfway through my four week trip I was already feeling a little road weary.  I began to think that if I do this again it would be nice to establish a temporary base somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, break my travel into a few shorter excursions and spend the time in between at a comfortable base camp.

Naturally I would want to do this in a way that won’t require me to register in the state where the base camp is located.  That means I’ll need a location that will allow me to come and go 3-4 times over, let’s say, a two month period, staying put for up to a week each time, all without triggering an obligation to register in that state.  Then when I report travel at my local sheriff’s department in either Iowa or Florida, I can give them just that one location as my “destination” for the entire trip, while listing in “The Notes” section at the bottom of my sheet all the states I’m planning to visit in my excursions from that destination.  With that in my glove compartment I’ll be all set.

In the Pacific Northwest only one state meets all these requirements and that is Oregon, where State law does not specifically address visitors (see my 50 State Visitors Guide). Per an Oregon SOR office letter responding to questions by the Florida Action Committee (2020), visitors are not required to register, unique among states.  Registration is required within 10 days for a move into the state, so in my Visitors Guide I recommend not staying any longer than that for any single visit.  However there is no limit on return visits, so Oregon law allows me to follow my plan as described above.

Later in my 2023 Pacific Northwest Tour I passed through the sleepy little town of Ontario OR on the Idaho border and decided, for reasons I will explain in more detail when I write about Oregon, that it would be a good base camp for me.  I found an RV Park there with low weekly rates and all the amenities I might need for my future base camp, and left with their business card and price list.

What about other regions of the U.S.?

By now you may be asking yourself, suppose you want to pursue this kind of extended travel using a base camp, but in a different region of the U.S.?  Are there states in other regions that could serve as a base for regional travel?  The answer is, sometimes yes, sometimes maybe.

Let’s start with the Southwest, just to show you how tricky this can be.  Most states in this region have pretty short registration deadlines, but two states present themselves as possibilities.  First is Nevada, and presumably Las Vegas if one of your excursions will be to the Grand Canyon or the great national parks of Utah.  

However, staying in Nevada means putting your trust in that state’s Visitor’s Registry which claims to let you stay up to 30 consecutive days per visit without landing on their permanent registry, and with no limit on number of return visits per year.  That’s the claim, and I have visited the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. to confirm that this Visitors Registry really exists (see my Nevada blogs), but I haven’t actually tested this system out although I plan to in the future.  If you try it first I’d be very interested to know how that worked out.

The other possibility is Colorado, which allows 14 business days per visit but not more than 30 days total per calendar year.  That means you need to be mindful of the total number of days you will spend at your base camp (you might try Durango, see my Colorado Train Rides blog).

In the Upper Midwest allow me to suggest either Wisconsin (10 days per visit, no limit on return visits per year) or Minnesota (14 days per visit but not more than 30 days total per calendar year).  As a resident of Iowa I don’t need to worry about this but I definitely would not suggest my state (five business days) as a base camp location.

As for the South Central U.S. allow me to suggest, believe it or not, Texas.  There it’s not more than six days per locality (because the 7th day triggers your obligation to register) but with no limit on return visits per year.  Just don’t stay at your base camp more than six consecutive days before taking off on your next excursion, and when your return you can restart the clock at the same location you were before.

Turning to the Northeast U.S. I find myself surprised to recommend the state of my birth, New Jersey.  Their registry sucks but visitors can stay up to nine days (because the 10th day triggers) and there is no limit on return visits per year.  I have a place to stay any time I want at my sister-in-law’s house but you’re on your own.  

Another Northeast possibility is Pennsylvania where the law is silent about visitors but does say that your presence in the state for more than 30 days per calendar year establishes you as a resident.  That means you need to be mindful of the total number of days you will spend at your PA base camp.

Lastly there is the Southeast, where all the registries suck and you don’t want to land on any of them.  As I have said elsewhere, DO NOT COME TO FLORIDA.  However, Georgia or North Carolina suggest themselves as possible locations for a seasonal base camp.  Georgia is 14 consecutive days or 30 days total per calendar year.  Like Pennsylvania, just be mindful of the total number of days you will spend at your GA base camp.  

North Carolina’s law says that you establish residency if you are in their state for 15 days.  The law sets no limit per month or year, but I worry that if I were to make repeated visits to a base camp there some local sheriff might take exception to that.  At least with Georgia you know what you’re getting into and you can plan to stay within their limits.

 Nebraska - an update

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

N.S. 2019 Article 40, §§29-4001 through 29-4014.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 working days for initial reg. and updates before changes.

Visitors: Presence in the state for 3 working days triggers an obligation to register. §29-4001.01(6). Per Nebraska SOR office, partial days count & 3rd day triggers! Temporary employment lasting 14 days or an aggregate of 30 days in a calendar year. §§29-4001.01, 4004.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None, and Nebraska has a statute preempting local residency restrictions except in certain narrow circumstances (e.g., 500 ft. exclusion zones applicable to SVPs).  §29-4017.

Duration & updates:

Fifteen years to life. Updates: Tier 1 – annual; Tier 2 – 6 mo; Tier 3 – 4 mo. Homeless – 30 days. §§29-4004, 29-4006.

Just a few of the exhibits at the Harold Warp Pioneer Village, 

as seen from the back porch of the main museum building

Most recent visit: August 2023

Nebraska wasn’t my destination in August 2023, I was just passing though on my way home to Iowa from my Colorado scenic train rides trip.  However, I had a few hours of extra time on my hands and intended to stay over one night there, so Nebraska’s very short three business day registration trigger was a consideration.

As in many states, partial days also count in Nebraska.  However, there appears to be no limit on return trips per month or year.  I would be out before noon on the second business day which was well within the allowable limit.  Plus I will be able to make more brief visits to Nebraska if need be any time this calendar year.

On this trip I used some of my extra time to visit what turned out to be the largest and most extravagant “Pioneer Village” I’ve seen yet, in the little town of Minden.  Apparently a local businessman named Harold Warp (no, the Warp Drive is not named after him) took over an old furniture store and surrounding property and created a truly remarkable private museum and pioneer village, moving literally dozens of historic structures to the site.  When he died his children deeded this incredible collection to the town to run.

I now consider it to be a Nebraska must-see! 

Buffalo Bill's Home & Ranch in North Platte

Previous visit: May and June 2022

In Spring 2022 I embarked on a one week adventure to see two states – Nebraska and Kansas – which I had driven through before but never slowed down enough to really see any of.  When I did slow down I was pleasantly surprised.

My plan was to allocate three days for each state.  However, both of these states’ laws trigger their registration requirements on the third business day in-state, which is a very short time period, and as in many states partial days also count.  In Nebraska, however, there appears to be no limit on return trips per month or year.  

To get around the time problem I planned my trip to include Memorial Day weekend, which meant I’d have three non-business days to split between the two states to lengthen my stay in each.  I entered Nebraska from Iowa early on Friday morning, so that was my only business day in-state.  Saturday and Sunday wouldn’t count. 

There is some good news for registered travelers in both of these states – neither has state-wide presence or residency restrictions, and both have statutes preempting local residency restrictions (except in certain narrow circumstances in Nebraska only).  That means you can visit these states without fear of tripping over any state or local laws.

Thus began a long day’s journey across northern Nebraska.  It really was beautiful but there weren’t many stops to make other than Neligh Mills, a historic site turned into a museum. Like much of the Great Plains, the climate in Nebraska gets more arid and remote as you travel from east to west.  Once you leave the Missouri River basin it’s very flat with corn and wheat fields, but about halfway across the state you enter the Sandhill Region, which consists of sandy grassy hills that seem to go on forever.

I was therefore surprised to arrive in far northwestern Nebraska and find that it’s forested and hilly.  The Museum of the Fur Trade paints a rosy and, I thought, white-washed picture of the relationship between fur traders and native peoples.  I stayed my first night at Charon State Park which was crowded on a holiday weekend but I snagged a campsite.  Nice shower house.

Carhenge - Yes it's in Nebraska!

My second day: Toadstool Geologic Park, Fort Robinson State Park (where Crazy Horse was murdered), then on to Carhenge! – a must-see near the town of Alliance.  Made it to Scottsbluff National Monument (very impressive) and even Legacy of the Plains Museum before everything closed up for the afternoon.  The closest state park campground was completely full but they were allowing “overflow camping” in a big open field next door.  No facilities, however, other than an outhouse.  Thank goodness for that!

BTW, the North Platte River runs across Nebraska from Scottsbluff all the way to Omaha, and the Oregon Trail followed the river the entire distance, so you’ll see lots of Oregon Trail sites and lore the whole way.

Third day: Chimney Rock, Nebraska’s most famous Oregon Trail landmark.  What a disappointment!  It’s on private property so you can’t get anywhere close to it, and the visitor center was closed (well, it was early Sunday on a holiday weekend …).  Courthouse and Jail Rocks turned out to be way more accessible and impressive.  

From there I zoomed across I-80 to North Platte, home of Scout’s Rest, Buffalo Bill’s home and ranch which was open on Sunday afternoon and well worth the stop.  Also in North Platte is Golden Spike Tower, but don’t get any ideas about this being where the actual Golden Spike was placed – that was in Utah.  This is an eight story tower overlooking “the largest railyard west of the Mississippi.” You can sit and watch the trains coming and going and loading and unloading as long as you like.  That evening I snagged the very last open campsite at Red Willow State Recreation Area and counted myself lucky.  Another nice clean shower house.

The next morning, Memorial Day, I set off mad early to spend as much of the day in Kansas as possible.  Still, even as a partial day it was my forth in Nebraska – but only one of them had been a business day that counted toward any registration requirement.

But that wasn’t the end of my time in Nebraska on this road trip.  When I left Kansas three days later I had to pass through the southeast corner of Nebraska on my way back to I-80 and my home state of Iowa.  That was on a Wednesday afternoon, a business day that counted toward their registration requirement.  However, because I’d been out of state for 2 1/2 days Nebraska’s clock restarted and I was only in-state for one partial day.  

I spent part of an evening in Omaha.  The Old Market really is great, and a redevelopment project is underway that will connect it to a new riverfront park and add hundreds of new residential units to pump new life into downtown.  Got to return next year and see that! 

  Colorado

 

Rocky Mountain National Park

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

C.R.S. 2019  §§16-13-901 through 16-13-906

C.R.S. §§16-22-101 through 16-22-115

C.R.S. §§18-3-412.5 through 18-3-412.6; 8 C.R.R. 1507-24

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Initial registration and updates within 5 business days.  “Residence” means 14 consecutive days in any 30 day period. §16-22-105.

“Temporary Resident” includes present in Colorado more than 14 consecutive business days or 30 days per calendar year. §16-22-102(8)(c).

Transient registrants subject to annual registration must report every 3 mo. Transient registrants subject to quarterly registration must report monthly. §§16-22-105 through 16-22-108.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

No statewide restrictions.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition: 5 years. Quarterly registration for SVPs & out-of-state who register quarterly in state of convictions. Others register annually. §16-22-108

Colorado scenic train rides: July 2023

 

Durango & Silverton Scenic RR

Enjoy your Colorado vacation but don’t get the idea that it’s a state where you might want to live permanently.  Registration is lifetime no matter your tier or equivalent. The only good news is that for Tier 1 or equivalent you can petition for removal after five years.  But as with most other states, there’s never any guarantee of approval.

But for visitors, Colorado has some of the least punitive requirements of any state. Yes, it’s 14 consecutive business days (or 30 per year) to establish a temporary residence. With 2 weekends included that means at least 18 days total; more if there’s a holiday.

Colorado also has no statewide presence or residency restrictions, although you should still be careful because local restrictions are allowed under state law.

If you have been reading my blogs you may know I’m a sucker for a scenic train ride.  The problem is that each one takes most of a day, so if I encounter one while traveling I have to decide between the train ride and anything else I may have intended to do that day.  So the entire purpose of this trip was to go on five Colorado scenic train rides in seven days and get it all out of my system (at least for this year).  Naturally I had to do advance research and make train reservations ahead of time.

I should also say here that when I showed up to report travel at my local sheriff’s department with all my reservations in hand they let me get away with using those train dates and locations as my travel destinations instead of motels and campgrounds.  Of course, whether your local sheriff would be that accommodating is a separate question.

So here are a few comments on the scenic train rides:

Georgetown Loop Scenic Railroad

++ Lots of scenery packed into shortest least expensive ride. Get the mine tour (costs extra).

-- Too “family friendly” – themed playground, toy-heavy gift shop etc. made me paranoid.

Leadville Scenic Railroad

++ Lots of scenery packed into a “relatively inexpensive” ride.

-- Goes through a crappy part of Leadville going and returning; ride is “one-sided” i.e. all the scenery is on the left (downhill) side as your facing the front of the train.

Durango & Silverton Scenic Railroad

++ Most scenic, and the entire train turns around so anything you didn't see on the way up from your assigned seat you will see on the way back.

-- Expensive, box lunch was extra, tracks run alongside US 550 for about an hour each way, tracks poorly maintained so the train rocks a lot.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

++ Very scenic and you are allowed to move around so you can see out of both sides of the train, price includes buffet lunch, tracks well-maintained.

-- Expensive, not as close to the scenery as others, goes through flat scrub for an hour after leaving town.

Pikes Peak Cog Railroad

++ Unique attraction and technology that takes you to the top of Pikes Peak.

-- Less scenery except from the top of Pikes Peak, assigned seating means you only get one view, buffet lunch at the top costs extra.

In between the train rides I also visited a few other places, including: Rocky Mountain National Park (spectacular and one day only just scratched the surface); Mesa Verde National Park (lots of ancient pueblos, cliff dwellings and petroglyphs – a real hidden gem of the National Park system); Great Sand Dunes National Park (a disappointment); Garden of the Gods (wow you’ve got to go!).

Cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

Previous visit: October 2021

In October 2021 I entered Colorado from Utah on I-70 in mid-afternoon.  My first destination was Colorado National Monument. I had been there once before but it was a decades ago.  I remembered that it was beautiful, not far from the interstate, and has a scenic drive that only takes an hour or two depending on how much time you want to devote to it.  On all these counts, Colorado National Monument did not disappoint. On the minus side, it was pretty darned cold that day in late October.

My plan was to go south from the interstate and sort of slow-walk my way through Colorado mainly following U.S. 50.  On that route the next national park was Black Canyon of the Gunnison which, like most of you I’m sure, I’d never even heard of.  It was late enough in the season that I worried whether the campgrounds there would be closed. They weren’t, but wow, that was the coldest night of camping on my entire trip!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Here’s the good news:  When I explored Black Canyon a bit the next morning, in spite of the freezing temperatures I could see this is really one of the hidden jewels of the national park system. Very impressive!  When I come back that way in better weather and with more time, this is a definite stop.

 Kansas

 

Mushroom Rock State Park

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

K.S.A. 2019 §§22-4901 through 22-4913.

AWA Compliant

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 business days for initial reg., visitors and updates. §22-4905.  “Reside” defined as 3 “consecutive days or parts of days” in one location, or 10 days in a period of 30 consecutive days.  §22-4902(j). Transients must register every 30 days. §22-4905.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

None, and local residence restrictions are expressly prohibited by K.S.A. §22-4913.

Duration & updates:

15 years to life.  Updates are required quarterly in specific months per. K.S.A. §22-4905.

One of two well-preserved 19th Century houses at the Mennonite Heritage Museum

Most recent visit: June 2023

Kansas and Nebraska’s laws both trigger their registration requirements on the third business day in-state, which is a very short time period, and as in many states partial days also count.  In Kansas, however, the law also specifies not more than 10 days in a period of 30 consecutive days.  

There is some good news for registered travelers in both of these states – neither has statewide presence or residency restrictions, and both have statutes preempting local residency restrictions (except in certain narrow circumstances in Nebraska only).  That means you can visit these states without fear of tripping over any state or local laws.

In June 2023 I passed through Kansas on the return leg of my trip to Houston, TX where I attended the annual NARSOL conference.  Entering the state from the south on I-35 late in the afternoon my first priority was to find an off-brand motel to stay overnight, but in doing so I knew that partial day would be counted against me in Kansas, leaving me with just the following day to see whatever I could and get out of Dodge (so to speak) without triggering an obligation to register.

The next morning I noticed a place called “Mennonite Heritage Museum” in the little town of Goessel, KS.  The museum itself wasn’t much – but! – surrounding the museum is the best collection of relocated local historic buildings I think I’ve ever seen. Two barns full of antique farm equipment, two houses filled with period late 19th and early 20th Century furnishings, a bank building in much better shape than the one I’d seen at the Chisholm Trail Museum the day before, and two schools(!).  All meticulously maintained.  I now consider this to be a Must See stop for any Kansas traveler, registered or not.

From Goessel I moseyed across rural Kansas until I came to Mushroom Rock State Park, where I ate lunch at a picnic table among the strange rock formations.  Then it was an afternoon of roadside attractions – World’s Largest Czech Egg in Wilson, Garden of Eden house in Lucas, and World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City (very close to the Geographic Center of the Coterminous U.S. in Lebanon).

Before heading northeast into Nebraska on U.S. 81 I made one last stop at the Pawnee Indian Museum.  I arrived just as the one employee there was locking up at 5 pm but he very kindly re-opened for a few minutes so I could walk through the museum, then trusted me to walk the outdoor educational trail by myself while he went home.  Not the best Native American museum I’ve seen.

Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, KS

In 2022 I embarked on a one week adventure to see two states – Nebraska and Kansas – which I had driven through before but never slowed down enough to really see any of.  When I did slow down I was pleasantly surprised.

To get around the three day limit (with 3rd day trigger) discussed above, I planned my trip to include Memorial Day weekend, which meant I’d have three non-business days to split between the two states to lengthen my stay in each.  I entered Kansas near its remote northwest corner from Nebraska early on the Memorial Day holiday, so that day didn’t count.  Tuesday and Wednesday would count, and Thursday would trigger my obligation to register so I needed to be gone by then.

The first point of interest I came to was the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center in the town of Oakley, but unfortunately it was closed on Memorial Day. Continuing south I came to Monument Rocks, an interesting outcrop out in the middle of nowhere.  

One of Kansas’ more famous Wild West towns is Dodge City, which has done everything possible to play up its notoriety for tourists.  I visited the “historic downtown” and the Boot Hill Museum, which includes a reconstructed Old West Main Street, church and blacksmith shop and a small part of what they claim is the original Boot Hill Cemetery. Turning north on Us 283 I eventually found a campground with bathroom and shower facilities at Cedar Bluff State Park.

Massive barbed wire exhibit at the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum

On Day 2 (business day #1) my first stop was in the small town of LaCrosse, where they have four little museums all next door to each other – most notably the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum(!).  Strange but interesting.  Also a Post Rock Museum, where I picked up a brochure that offered a guided tour of Kansas’s “post rock country.”  This tour took me northeast through tiny towns until I arrived at Rock City, a geologic curiosity just outside the town of Minneapolis (KS).  Worth the stop!

From there I traveled to Abilene, where a brochure promised a train ride on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad … but unfortunately this train only runs on weekends and it was a Tuesday.  Right across the rail line, however, sits the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home.  It was late and closed for the day, the boyhood home was fenced off for renovations, and this wasn’t the type of site I’d normally be interested in, but I walked around the grounds and took some photos.

Day 3 (business day#2) began with a stop at Alcove Spring Park, just outside the town of Blue Rapids. The spring was an Oregon Trail watering hole.  Then on to Marysville and the Pony Express Barn & Museum, home of “the only remaining Pony Express station building.”  Then on to Topeka, and north again on my way to Omaha.  I was out of the state as planned by about 2:00 pm.

  Arkansas

The "Grand Canyon of Arkansas" near the town of Jasper

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

A.C.A. 2019 §§ 5-14-128 through 5-14-134, §9-27-356, §§ 12-12-901 through

12-12-926, §12-12-1513, 004 00 C.A.R.R. 002, 172 00 C.A.R.R. 014.

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Residency” includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.  §12-12-903(10) & state policy. SOR office says 6th day triggers obligation to register. Updated Aug. 2024.  If relocating within state, register 10 days before or 3 business days after an eviction or natural disaster.  Homeless registrants report every 30 days. §§12-12-904, 12-12-909.

Sexually Violent Offenders report every 3 mo. All others report every 6 mo. §§12-12-909, 12-12-919.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of elementary or secondary school, public park, day care center, youth center, also 2,000 ft. of victim.

L4 offenders: 2,000 ft. of a church.

Presence restriction:  L3 & L4 offenders: may not knowingly enter a swimming area, water park, or playground in a state park. §15-14-134.  May not enter schools in certain circumstances. §§5-14-132 through 5-14-134.

NOTE: Per Arkansas SOR office, visitors aren’t bound by these restrictions until required to register – because that’s when they will assign an offense level.

NOTE: Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED. (per Rolfe Survey and confirmed by state SOR office). $250 one time registry fee.

Duration & updates:

Life. Petition after 15 yrs. except SVP

Most recent visit: June 2023

Arkansas, home of the Ozarks, Hot Springs and many historic sites, has much to recommend it as a travel and vacation destination. However, as a registered person you’ll need to be careful about planning your trip there because you only get five days aggregate per calendar year before you have to register. Furthermore, if you re-read the language above you’ll see that it says “‘residency’ includes 5 or more aggregate days in a calendar year.” In other words, the 5th day triggers the registration requirement, so you really only get four days. And as always, one should always assume that partial days will count toward the total.

Last but certainly not least, Arkansas is one of about 15 U.S. states where, according to the Rolfe survey and confirmed for me by the very friendly lady at the state SOR office, if you screw up and wind up on their registry, YOU ARE NEVER REMOVED when you leave. And like most of those 15 states, Arkansas is a LIFETIME registry state no matter your offense or tier level. So please plan your trip to Arkansas very carefully.

The silver lining is that, because Arkansas’ onerous presence and residency requirements apply only to “Level 3 & 4” registrants, and because these tier levels are only assigned after registration, they can’t very well apply them to you as a short term (four days or less) visitor, now can they? This was also confirmed for me by the nice lady at the SOR office.

I passed through Arkansas most recently in June 2023 on my way to the NARSOL Conference in Houston.  Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas are cave and cavern country, so I left I-49 while still in Missouri looking for a candidate cavern from among those in a brochure called “Explore the Caves of the Ozarks” available at the Visitor Centers of both states.

Hot Springs National Park

I decided on Cosmic Cavern, which is on the Arkansas side.  Sadly, if you want to see how stupid people have been with our natural treasures Cosmic Cavern could be Exhibit #1.  Discovered by Europeans in 1835, their first impulse wasn’t to preserve it but to mine it (for Onyx, so Henry Ford could make cool-looking gear shift knobs), so most of the formations have been destroyed.  Early souvenir hunters broke off most of the stalactites.  They chased the bats away by throwing flaming barrels of oil down into the cavern, barbequing what was left of it.

However, at the far end of cavern you will see what they call “the OMG room,” only discovered in the 1990’s.  It really is stunningly beautiful.  But then you realize that’s what the entire cavern must’ve looked like before we humans got our hands on it.  I wanted to cry.

The following morning I took scenic byways through the national forests on my way to Hot Springs and it was amazing.  Hot Springs is a Late Victorian Era resort town based around the idea that bathing in hot mineral spas was healthy for you.  Now it’s a national park and many of the buildings, walkways and mineral pools have been restored for your enjoyment.  It’s great! but then it was time to hop on I-30 and head for Texas.

In late March 2022 I spent most of two days in Arkansas.  Entering from Mississippi I stopped at a Welcome Center on US 65 and picked up a bunch of brochures as I always do.  The first thing that caught my eye was the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff.  Yes, if you’ve been reading my blogs you already know I’m a big historic train ride and railroad history buff. . This museum is real stand-out, housed in an enormous railhead warehouse.  Lots to see, but no train ride.  Be careful though – it’s only open Thurs-Sat 10:00-2:00.  I showed up at 1:20 pm!

Next stop was the Arkansas River Trail in Downtown Little Rock.  Here I ran into a problem – it’s very long.  The Main Loop is 16 miles all together.  I’m sure it’s beautiful, and I’m sure there must be somewhere to rent a bike for the day, but it was late afternoon so I was out of options.  Note to self: If you want to try that again, get there in the morning!  Once I left Little Rock I camped at Lake Sylvia in Quachita National Forest.  Beautiful, close to the city and has hot showers! Yey!

My second day on that trip I was lured up to Witt Springs, home of the Richland Waterfalls Welcome Center.  Supposedly they have 35 beautiful waterfalls in close proximity, but the problem is not one of them has a trail going to it nor any sign telling you where they are.  Instead the brochure gives you GPS coordinates and you are expected to bushwhack!  Well I didn’t have time for that so I had to bail. 

Mammoth Spring State Park

Instead I proceeded to the Ozark Folk Center, which is a state park in the town of Mountain View.  It includes an educational Craft Village, or at least it must be educational except that it was not scheduled to open for the season until April 15.  Oh well.

Time to go find a campground out of state.  But in the last town in Arkansas I found Mammoth Spring State Park, home of its namesake spring which flows 10 million gallons per hour into Spring Lake, and the Spring River.  I spent a waning hour of daylight on that second day walking the interpretive trail which includes a historic train depot museum (but it was closed). 

Then POOF!  I was in Missouri.

  Indiana

The Old Washington St. Bridge at White River State Park.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Indiana Code 2019  I. C. §11-8-2-12.4  I.C. §§11-8-8-1 thru 11-8-8-22  I.C. §11-13-3-4  I.C. §36-2-13-5.5 & 5.6

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

3 days for Initial registration and updates. 

Visitors: SO must register if in state for period of 7 days “(including part of a day)” w/in 180-day period, or work in the state for 7 consecutive days or 14 aggregate days/yr. §11-8-8-7(a)(1)(A) & (g). SVP must register within 3 days. §11-8-8-7(h).

Transients or “temporary residents” in transitional housing must register every 7 days.  §11-8-8-12.

Per Rolfe Survey, Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Paroled registrants face certain residence restrictions.  §11-13-3-4.

Otherwise no statewide restrictions, but local restrictions are permitted.

Duration & updates:

10 yrs to life. “Violent” offenders update every 90 days.  Others annually. §11-8-8-14.

RV & MH Hall of Fame Museum, Elkhart, IN

Most recent visit: May 2023

There is good news and bad news about Indiana.  You can visit for seven days in any 180 day period, which doesn’t sound too bad depending on what your business is there, but Indiana is also one of a handful of states for which state law explicitly says that partial days count for visiting registrants.  Therefore when I passed thru Indiana in June 2022 on the eastbound leg of my trip from Iowa to the 2022 NARSOL National Conference and staying overnight at a state park campground, that counted as two days.  This also started the clock on a 180 day time period that would end most of the way thru the following December.  

Here’s another thing to consider.  Suppose I need to pass through Indiana any time during the next six months.  Even without stopping, each pass through will count as a partial day.  In order to avoid overstaying my seven full or partial days per 180 days, I would in theory have to continually keep track of every possible 180 day window throughout every calendar year and the number of full or partial days I have been in Indiana during every one of those possible 180 day periods as I travel back and forth from the east coast where I have family to the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.  I need to do that, in theory, because if I were to ever get caught exceeding those seven days I would have to register as an Indiana sex offender, and I don’t want that to happen because Indiana is one of about 15 US states which never remove you after you return to your home state (per the “Rolfe Survey”).  There is no procedure for removal.

I have said “in theory” several times, because as you think about this complicated calendar math it will inevitably occur to you that if you just occasionally pass thru Indiana, and leave little or no electronic or paper trail, and have no interaction with law enforcement while doing so, you will in reality never be confronted with having to add it all up for every conceivable 180 day period.  It’s only if you actually stay in-state for a few days (including partial days) that you’ll need to pay some attention to this math.

There is some other good news.  Indiana has no statewide residency or presence restrictions once you’re off probation, although local restrictions are permitted.  Therefore at least in theory you can go anywhere and visit any point of interest, including staying overnight at any motel as I did in May 2023 or at a state park as I did in June 2022.

To make something of my second partial day in Indiana in June 2022 I decided to make a brief stop in Indianapolis.  Long ago in my previous life I had visited Eitlejorg Museum, so this time I thought I’d go to the Arboretum nearby.  However it turned out to be (a) outrageously expensive and (b) closed for renovations, so I settled on the Riverwalk in White River State Park.  

Unlike in Chicago where I had been on the previous day of that trip, registered visitors in Indiana are allowed to take a walk in the park.  I found it to be one of the nicer riverwalks I have visited while traveling around the country.  The Old Washington Street Bridge is very picturesque.

My most recent trip through Indiana was in mid-May 2023 on my way back to Iowa from my 2023 Northeast tour.  Since this was 11 months after the last time I’d set foot in the state I was re-starting the seven-days-per-six-months clock at zero.  I was staying overnight, so that leaves me five days (including partial days) of potential Indiana travel through mid-November 2023 when these two days can be erased. I entered from Ohio on I-80.

Now I’m going to tell you a story about Indiana’s Amish Country.  If you have read my blog about Pennsylvania you already know just how much I dislike Pennsylvania Dutch Country because it’s so over-commercialized.  Years ago I visited a SW Indiana Amish Country in Daviess County that was as untouristy as you can get and I really liked it.  This time I happened to pick up a brochure about an Amish Country auto tour in NE Indiana so I gave it a try.

Uggh – This one was horrible!  Every little town I drove through (Bristol, Middlebury, Goshen, Nappanee …) was overrun with fake Amish quilt shops, furniture stores, smorgasbord restaurants with attached gift shops and even conference hotels.  And of course, not an authentic Amish person to be seen in any of these places. 

However, I soon noticed that once you get out of the towns, there really are a lot of Amish people in this part of Indiana, going about their business and hiding behind this caricature of themselves that has been put in place to attract tourists.  Maybe for their sake it’s better that way.

Amish buggies packing the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant outside Middlebury, IN

Late in the day, as I was driving through one of the less touristy rural areas, I saw ahead of me a sign for a Mexican restaurant.  My first reaction was, what’s a Mexican restaurant like you doing in a place like this?  But taking a second look I saw that the parking lot was packed with Amish buggies!  Wow!! What’s wrong with this picture?!

Turning around to get another look, I noticed that in addition to all the buggies, there were, well, also a few cars in the parking lot. My curiosity soon got the best of me and I decided I had to stop and see what was going on here.

Here’s what was going on – a whole lot of Amish people, “off the clock,” dressed in what I can only describe as “Amish casual” were having a great night out eating and socializing at a Mexican Restaurant (“Burritos our specialty”).  The women and girls all wore bonnets of course, and modestly-colored but casual dresses.  The men and boys were also dressed Amish casual, the hats and suspenders were gone but of course the men had their bushy beards and the boys their bowl haircuts.

It looked to me like everybody knew each other, including the few non-Amish families, and all these neighbors were coming and going, chatting across the tables and enjoying life.  When my server brought my food (the whole staff were, if not Mexican, some kind of Latino and looking the part), I asked as quietly as I could, “So … is this some kind of special event …? or just the usual Saturday night crowd …?”

“The usual Saturday night crowd,” he said.  “In fact it’s a little slow tonight.  We usually have a waiting line going right out the door!”  So I sat back, ate my “Mexican Haystack” (glorified nachos) and decided this was the most authentic Amish experience I’d ever had!

 Maine

Yes, of course I visited Portland Head Light

From the 50 State Visitor Guide:

M.R.S. 2019

Offenses committed before Jan. 1, 2013: M.R.S. 34A §§ 11201 through 11256

Offenses committed on or after Jan. 1, 2013: M.R.S. 34A §§ 11271 through 11304

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Convictions before Jan. 1, 2013:  Registrants have 5 days to register with the state Bureau of Identification (generally in writing) and 24 hours to register with local law enforcement using a form provided by the Bureau.  §§11222-11223.

Employees and students (and probably visitors) in the state must register with the bureau w/in 5 days and with local law enforcement w/in 24 hours of working for either (1) more than 14 consecutive days in the state, or (2) for an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year.  §11224.

Convictions on or after Jan. 1, 2013: Registrants have 3 days to register with the state Bureau of Identification (generally in writing) and 24 hours to register with local law enforcement upon establishing a residence, using a form provided by the Bureau.  §§11282-11284.  “Residence” means 14 consecutive days in the state, or 30 days in one year.  §11273(12).

Procedure available for removal from registry after departure.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Restriction on Contact with Minors:  For registrants convicted after June 30, 1992 of an offense against a person younger than 14, Maine prohibits the knowing initiation of contact with a person younger than 14 in a “sex offender restricted zone,” unless the parent consents or the contact is for employment purposes.  “Sex offender restricted zones” include schools other than high schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, and other places “where children are the primary users.” M.R.S. § 17-A:261. 

Duration & updates:

10 years to life.  Duration of reg. requirement and frequency of updates are determined by date convicted and tier.  §§11222, 11285.

 

Whale-watching tours in three consecutive years - 4;  Whales seen - 0

Most recent visit: May 2023

Maine’s rules for visiting registrants shouldn’t be too difficult to follow.  Registration Triggers and Deadlines for convictions before January 1, 2013 are confusing to read, but the bottom line is they’re about the same as for on or after January 1, 2013.  Fourteen consecutive days or 30 days per calendar year establishes a “residence,” so just don’t stay that long.

As for presence restrictions, if your offense was against a person younger than 14 (and I would always assume that includes a pornography offense), Maine prohibits the knowing initiation of contact with a person younger than 14 in a “sex offender restricted zone,” unless the parent consents or the contact is for employment purposes.  “Sex offender restricted zones” are the usual places.

As I read over these restrictions before entering Maine in July 2022, my reaction was, no problem.  I only planned to be in Maine for four days (including partial days) while my family was staying with my ex-wife’s cousins on Long Island, and of course, like any of you I had absolutely no intention of initiating contact with any person younger than 14 years, or much of anybody else for that matter.  I was there with just one purpose in mind – to go whale watching.

As I had the year before I overnighted at state park campgrounds, which are a little on the expensive side ($28-$38 per night for out-of-staters depending on the park) but quite well equipped, including nice clean hot water showers.

On my trip to Maine the previous year (May 2021) I had snagged a seat on a whale watching tour boat, only to see no whales.  The silver lining was that the tour boat company issued “standby tickets” to all passengers, good through the end of the 2022 season.  So now I was back to try to use my standby ticket and maybe see whales this time.  

Although it was peak season when you would expect it to be pretty difficult to use a standby ticket, the tour boat company was also running more frequent tours in July than they had been in May and I showed up for a mid-week (Thursday) morning tour on which there are often a few unfilled seats – in this case 20 (out of 125).

Tadahh! Off we went – but unfortunately, no whales!  

The tour boat company issued more standby tickets to all passengers.  Before returning to my campsite I asked the nice lady at the ticket booth how things were looking for the next morning’s (Friday) tour and she said, “Not good. Right now there’s 16 seats available.  If I put you on the list now you’ll be Standby #2.”  I said “Please do that and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Next morning, 15 minutes before boarding, the nice lady at the ticket booth announced, “There are three standby seats available.”  I was #2.  Tadahh! Off we went – but again, no whales!  I told the tour guide lady. “I must be jinxing your tour!” but she replied “No, this just happens sometimes.” 

“Well there’s a limit to how much disappointment I can take in one vacation,” I said.  Besides, my final (partial) day in Maine would be a weekend day and the tours were already booked up.  The tour boat company issued yet more standby tickets to all passengers, good until the end of the 2023 season.

Which brings me to May 2023.  After leaving New Jersey where I had attended my brother’s interment and celebration of life, I figured, well, this is probably the only time this year that I’ll be in the Northeast and so my only opportunity to head up to Maine and use my standby ticket.  Checking online I noticed that this third week of May was also the very first week of the whale watching season, so off I went.

What’s the worst that can happen, right?  If I don’t see any whales I leave with yet another standby ticket.

Of course, that’s exactly what happened.  Oh well – we’ll see what happens next year when I try this for the fourth time!