YouTuber stealth camps in the middle of the Bourne Rotary

For many visitors, the Cape Cod experience begins as they cross the Bourne Bridge. In the middle of the ensuing Bourne Rotary, they are welcomed by the meticulously groomed hedges that spell out “Cape Cod,” offering a picturesque introduction to the region—even if lots of traffic accompanies it. 

When YouTuber Wes Wherever traveled over the bridge for the first time, he saw something else — an opportunity to camp in the middle of an iconic rotary. 

Wes, who wanted to keep his last name anonymous, thought, “That’s the one. I totally want to camp there,” he said. 

Wes is on a cross-country trip with his mom and his mom’s dog. Beginning in Pennsylvania, he has been documenting his journey through YouTube. His channel went from about 1,000 subscribers at the trip’s start a few months ago to now close to 30,000. 

Other stops have included an abandoned railroad bridge in Pennsylvania, an about-to-be-demolished secluded mansion in Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, and a tiny island in the Hudson River that overlooks New York City. 

Traveling by camper van, Wes and his mom knew they had to stop by Cape Cod through New England. 

The idea to do this particular video first formed when he watched a video of a stealth camper from Canada, Steve Wallis, camping out in a busy roundabout. It was one of his favorite episodes, and ever since starting this journey, he has been keeping an eye out for what he calls “roundabouts” and what we call “rotaries” to camp in. 

When he saw the Bourne Rotary, he knew he spotted the perfect place. 

“It wasn’t planned,” he said. But he knew it had to happen. 

So, Wes returned one late afternoon. Almost immediately, he was spotted by the State Police, who typically have a trooper stationed outside their barracks located off the rotary. During the video, the trooper stops him and asks if he is OK. A police officer from the town of Bourne is also seen patrolling the area. 

He was poised with another problem: crossing the heavily trafficked roadway. At one point, he had to wait five minutes for an opening. 

In the end, Wes decided to wait till nightfall to make the move. 

“As soon as I got into the rotary, it was really chill,” he said. “It was cool.”

He settled down at the base of a tiny pine forest. Despite being dark out, Wes heated some cajun fries and cooked himself a lobster roll. He then tucked in for the night in a sleeping bag as cars whizzed around him. 

“As it got later, it quieted down, and I got some pretty good sleep,” he said. 

The only problem was that his camping gear was covered in pine sap when he woke up. 

But that didn’t deter him from crossing back over the rotary to have a very New England breakfast at Dunkin’. 

“It was a really cool experience,” said Wes, who is now in Maine on his next adventure. 

The video has gotten attention from both visitors and residents of the area, many of whom will never look at the rotary the same again.

Wes hopes the videos inspire others to find creative ways to get outdoors.

Even though he is slowly returning to his hometown in San Francisco, he plans to continue making these videos of him camping in unexpected places.

Looking back at the experience, Wes said, “Once I pulled it off, it was something I can look back on and have a good laugh about.”