On a trip like this I tend to select what I will politely call frugal accommodations. So I often end up in 'fringe' neighborhoods where it seems each parking lot has its own lot lizard.
Lot lizards are usually harmless, but they gravitate toward anything stationary.
I always attract one when I am unpacking the bike. Look, I'm not a mark, so you're not gonna get anything, but if you want to sit and talk, that's ok. The one thing this guy probably never gets is attention. He told me he is half Navajo, half Hopi, and Mormon. He told me where the best medicine men are, and how he went to Florida with his Aunt to sell Navajo Tacos at an international food festival.