Meaher State Park, AL

[routlaw]

We are two weeks today on the road with Casa Ollie as Trudi likes to refer to it. Until the last few days the weather had been about as bad as anyone could hope for on an initial shakedown cruise but Hull # 70 came through for us without a hitch. We have been warm when we needed in low to mid teens, cool now that it is quite warm on the gulf coast, and it tows beautifully much better than I would have ever guessed. Yes one does notice the weight but its ability to stay with the TV and not sway or bounce is exceptional. In fact I will go so far as to say I find it more pleasurable than our T@b which the Oliver replaced.

 

I must say however one of the nicest features is the optional solar power and 4 wet cell Trojan batteries we added. It has been worth every single red cent we paid for it. While we are currently plugged in at Meaher St Park throughout the last couple of weeks it has not been needed nor have we used one single watt of shore energy, even in the coldest, rainiest, and heavily overcast conditions. Generally at night the batteries will deplete to around 97% and thats running lots of lights, pumps etc but during the heavy overcast rainy and cold conditions the batteries would drop to around 84-87% overnight but be fully charged by around mid day. With the sunny weather its taking only a couple of hours max. Suffice it to say this aspect alone has totally blown us away and addressed ever single concern we had for our type of camping.

 

As you might guess we have had many visitors inquiring about the Oliver from seasoned on the road full timers with large 5th Wheels, to folks with Casitas, and a variety of other rigs. In fact as Dave and Carol were visiting us during our stay out at the Gulf Islands National Seashore yet another very nice lady came by to inquire about our camper. We all broke into immediate laughter.

 

Fairhope and Daphne, AL are two of our favorite towns anywhere so we decided to move over to Meaher St Park for a few days which is BTW a very nice campground, seemingly well maintained and very spacious. Not nearly as crowded as Gulf Islands. It does have one drawback which I would be remiss if not mentioning however, that being it is within sight and earshot distance of I-10 as it crosses Mobile Bay to Mobile from the east short. If you are a light sleeper this may be a problem with the drone of overnight traffic. And if you've never visited Fairhope its highly recommended.

 

We're off to Bellingrath Gardens today but thought I should post at least a few photos of our Oliver and the area. Its very dirty from days of driving and towing in torrential downpours however.

 

Thanks for looking. Let me know if you have any questions.

[bugeyedriver]

Rob,

 

That's the cleanest looking dirty trailer I've ever seen! How long will you guys be hanging around the south? I'll be eastbound from Texas to Florida next week, along I-10. If you guys aren't too far off the pathway as I pass by, I might be able to bring The Wonder Egg to your campground for a stopover. I've sent you a PM with my contact info. Feel free to call and perhaps it could work out.

 

Pete

[routlaw]

Pete, thanks for the note and will send contact info as well shortly. Would love to meet up with you if it can happen. We will be heading west either tomorrow or the next day. Wife has a sister in Weatherford and I have a buddy in Ft Worth we would like to visit. But we don't have a hard and fast schedule.

 

For some reason I was only allowed to post 3 photos, is this normal?

 

rob

[bugeyedriver]

Rob,

 

Not exactly sure about the photo number problem . . . Perhaps they were not downsized from a high megapixel format and used up all the space for a post.

 

YO MOUNTAINBORN! Can Ya contact central command and get a hack on this here problem?

 

I'm just about 30 miles NW of San Antonio and will be here until about next Monday or Tuesday before hitting the road. Give me a call when you can.

 

Pete

[trumpetguy]

Rob,

 

The weather here on the Gulf Coast has finally improved to our normal clear warm days so you should enjoy your trip to Bellingrath Gardens. Thr Azaleas should be in full bloom. We also love Fairhope AL. So artsy and village like.

 

It was good to visit while you were at Fort Pickens. Let's keep talking up an Oliver gathering someday.

 

Have a safe journey as you wend your way back to Montana.

 

David Kemp

[mountainborn]

Note sent to the IT dept with links to the thread, re: three photos ?

[routlaw]

Bellingrath was great indeed though it appeared to be a bit behind schedule due to the late season start, taking on a rather bare and brown look vs green and full foliage. Perhaps another 2-3 weeks for prime time. Azaleas were certainly blooming but perhaps not at their peak quiet yet either, Camellias were on their way out but still looking very good.

 

Thanks for the well wishes, great visit.

 

rob

 

Rob,

 

The weather here on the Gulf Coast has finally improved to our normal clear warm days so you should enjoy your trip to Bellingrath Gardens. Thr Azaleas should be in full bloom. We also love Fairhope AL. So artsy and village like.

 

It was good to visit while you were at Fort Pickens. Let's keep talking up an Oliver gathering someday.

 

Have a safe journey as you wend your way back to Montana.

 

David Kemp