DonnaDuane

Overland, That idea simply never occurred to me, but I love it. Is there a good camp ground nearby that you know of?

RNA, We loved our visit to Nashville. That is a possibility we'll take a look at. Thank you for the idea.

Thank you SeaDog for some very valuable tips and suggestions. I've seen the wisdom of your strategy. This is not a camping trip and was never intended to be. I'll likely sleep in the Ollie when a quiet enough place can be found, or just get a motel for convenience. Having driven up and down nearly every mountain pass West of the Mississippi in the worst storms imaginable, every Winter weekend to go skiing since I was 16 leaves me unfazed by Winter weather/road conditions. What I am afraid of are Tornadoes, having no experience with them. I'm thinking I'm missing that season though. Yes? I will not be carrying much of anything other than clothing, sleeping bag, some travel food and my coffee maker. I don't understand what you were saying about vehicle weight vs. trailer weight. Please explain again. My Audi weighs in at 4500#s with a 4400# max tow weight and the Ollie is 3400#s

Dave, Thank you. I knew the distance is 2370, but hadn't calculated the return drive time at 50mph. I'd been going off of Google Maps estimated drive time. Using 50mpg as my estimated speed, I can see 3 days would be crazy (15+ hours/day), but 4-5 days is easily doable for me (8-12 hours/day). And, although the for hire cost has come down to around $2500, I'm still seeing myself driving out for the benefit of the Orientation. I want to use it this Winter.

David, I just spoke with my Audi dealer. The manual is saying that because the Audi performs best with an OEM hitch and wiring system installed. It is not referring to something like an Anderson which is mostly attached to the trailer with a couple cables attached to the hitch. I will re-read my manual though in case you're right. My research is telling me the towing will be a breeze without the Anderson for that light and well balanced trailer behind a vehicle that handles like my Q5.

Thanks Dave. I've considered waiting till Spring, but have it that it would be great for accommodations at several ski races I'll be attending this Winter. Getting there is relatively easy and comfortable in my Audi. What I won't like is not exercising as much as usual for a week. I've been looking at how I can modify my program to maintain my current level. I actually have 5 days to get back, so can always go slower if needed. I've looked at hiring a tow company to bring it out, but the cost $2500 and the absence of the Orientation have got me thinking I'll make the drive, at least at this point. By the way, did you get the Anderson Sway system?

Thanks John. I actually did extensive research on the towing capacity and capabilities of our 2016 Q5 3.0 TDI. The actual towing capacity is listed as 4400#s in the US, and 5000 in Europe for the very same vehicle, so I'm not concerned. I've consulted Audi and Audi owners who pull trailers. They all rave about it's capability for the Oliver. You bring up my thinking on the benefits of picking up vs. paid delivery - Oliver Orientation and inspection. I realize I risk delays. One thing I have going for me is purchasing a demo rather than brand new. I will be ensuring with the folks at Oliver that everything has been tested and works prior to my arrival.

I'm loving this conversation. I do appreciate everyone's concern for us. I am looking into the service John pointed me to for having it brought to Oregon that may make that option more appealing then the $4K price I was quoted originally. However, if that doesn't pan out, I realize it will not be a walk in the park driving possibly 12 hours a day. So as to ease some minds, despite never having had an RV, I do have experience hauling boats and hay in my younger years. 7 years ago I hauled a flat bed uhaul to SLC and back with my VW Jetta TDI to pick up a 2000lbs sound booth. We brought it over the Wallowa's during a snow storm, so I'm hardly a green pea at this. I also am kind of an odd bird in these trying times. I drive the speed limit and certainly have taken into account driving slower as needed with the new trailer. Also, this is the small, single axle, 3400# version we're talking about. I'm sure the II is another ball game when towing. Also, we've never intended to find and set up camp along the route back, rather simply park somewhere, sleep and eat. We'll keep you all posted as the tow for hire possibility is sorted out. If that is more reasonably priced, I'd easily opt for that.

Thank you John. Although it’s difficult for me to imagine being worn out from 6 days of driving, I actually did look into having it shipped. I decided not to because I couldn’t justify the $3-4K I was told it would cost. However, after going to the website you posted, it looks like they’ll do it for about $1500. Have you used them? I am checking them out as a possible alternative to driving.

Thank you both for the suggestion. It's possible for me to return in 5 rather than 3 days, but I have two compelling things I want to get back to. One, Donna is participating in a high performance driving class on Saturday the 24th (I really want to see her do that), and I have a very busy hearing healthcare practice that I need to be at on Monday the 26th. I'm guessing that towing our little Ollie with our Audi Q5 3.0 TDI will be easier than the Elite II behind a truck. The engine has amazing torque (0 to 60 in 5 sec, fuel economy 33mpg highway), and it's simply a very comfortable ride. We just got the OEM tow package installed which has the engine, suspension and such adjust when towing. We'll also have some new Nokian Haakapeliitta R3 tires on it for bomb proof traction on any snow or ice we might encounter. But, we will definitely stretch it out as much as possible given our schedule.

We take possession of our Oliver November 20th. To do so, we'll be driving 3 days from Portland to Tennessee, something we've never done before, and not looking forward to. We imagine 10 hours a day of driving for 6 days total will be excruciating. However, we are clear there is no other trailer on the market we would own, so here we go on this grand adventure. We are in our mid 60's, and have never owned an RV. We decided to do this because we saw it might be more convenient when traveling to ski resorts (I compete in Masters ski races throughout the Winter), National Parks and friends around the country. We imagined it might save us some time and hassle with booking accommodations, renting cars, schlepping gear, and packing and unpacking so much. We don't know this, but we love new adventures/challenges, so here we go. Donna is an exceptional artist specializing in calligraphy, water colors and creating beautiful art books, silver jewelry that includes her work with paper, and cards for any occasion. Together, we ride a tandem bicycle and enjoy attending tandem rallies in the Summer. We've taken our bike to Europe three times for 2 week tours of the Loire, Lot, Dordogne, Rhine and Moselle river valleys. We enjoy meeting and befriending new people where ever we go. We're looking forward to meeting some of you in the near future. Donna and Duane