Learning to Ollie Around

[HDRider]

Last year we did a 4,000 mile trip to Lake Ontario and down the eastern seaboard.  Hit about 8 or 10 spots, some stays were 3 or 4 nights, a couple were just overnight stops.

 

We are on 6,000 mile trip right now, going from NM to MT to WA, OR and back through NM to home.  We are hitting more spots this trip, with a 7 day stay, some 4 day stays and some overnighters.

 

These have been our wanderings so far in our two years with Ollie.

 

I think I am not going to do these meandering trips any more.  I think I pick a spot, how ever so far, overnight how ever so many night stays to get there, and then stay 7 to 14 days in that spot, overnight stays back home to Arkansas.  Our other trips during the year will be shorties within Arkansas, Missouri and maybe southern LA and MS.

 

These short stays don't really allow me to set up a proper camp.

[bugeyedriver]

There are many different ways to experience the outdoors and see the nation.  Do whatever works for you.  Sounds like you have a good plan.  Enjoy Ollie'n!

[Mike and Carol]

We’ve done the long meandering trips and also the destination specific trips.  Plus’s and minus’s for both.  We’ve found that many overnight stops in a row can get tiring, so when we’re headed somewhere specific we try to find a spot where we can stay two nights and a day to rest up.  Plus, we do enjoy staying at a target destination for a week or more.  We’re getting ready to go to the PNW in August and September, 7 National Parks and the OR and WA coast.  I’m sure we’ll be tired when we get home, but we’ll fill in OR and WA on our map!  Mike

[John and Debbie]

15 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

We’ve done the long meandering trips and also the destination specific trips.  Plus’s and minus’s for both.  We’ve found that many overnight stops in a row can get tiring, so when we’re headed somewhere specific we try to find a spot where we can stay two nights and a day to rest up.  Plus, we do enjoy staying at a target destination for a week or more.  We’re getting ready to go to the PNW in August and September, 7 National Parks and the OR and WA coast.  I’m sure we’ll be tired when we get home, but we’ll fill in OR and WA on our map!  Mike

We live in Beaverton, Oregon.  Your timeframe for visiting the PNW will show you our best weather.  The Olympic Peninsula in Washington has the rain forest with lots of moss hanging from the trees.  They get about 140 inches of rain yearly, but the summers are dry.  Enjoy your trip.

John

[jd1923]

19 hours ago, HDRider said:

I think I am not going to do these meandering trips any more.

Jeff & Cindy, we're on one of those "meandering trips" right now, so we certainly understand. One thing is for sure, 5 weeks is not nearly enough time to leave AZ, see family in MN and have much time for multi-day stays in between!

I like how Mike said it:

16 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Plus’s and minus’s for both.  We’ve found that many overnight stops in a row can get tiring, so when we’re headed somewhere specific we try to find a spot where we can stay two nights and a day to rest up.

I much prefer short drives each day and taking each day as it comes. Then as Mike wrote, staying a couple nights to "rest up" which we tend to do when we find a spot we like! I thought we would have some 3-day stays on the way back. That's not going to happen. We have 2860 miles so far and a good 1600 miles to get back home. 

19 hours ago, HDRider said:

These short stays don't really allow me to set up a proper camp.

We setup camp as needed on a daily basis. On one-nighters I prefer to stay hitched and even on some 2-night stays if we are just going the rest up and enjoy the campsite. Sometimes I'll decouple to get the tongue up high enough to level, but just keep the truck in place for quick coupling when leaving. I'll ask Chris about what's for dinner and sometimes we need the grill or not. If it's cold out I'll pull the fire ring out of the front basket. We cook over the fire ring too using skillets on a grate or the Lodge Dutch Oven. We've had more rain, certainly than we're used to, so I'm often partially breaking camp the night before to be prepared for a Midwest storm. Several nights I put our lawn chairs inside the pickup so they would be dry in the morning for coffee outdoors. When we leave, Chris works inside and I do the outside, it only takes us 20 minutes to break camp ready to leave. No checklists but we have it down now.

Got to see all we can on our large travel loop. I remember the map of your large loop which is at least as big. I'm not pulling the Oliver, not likely to Minnesota again in my lifetime, so we want to make the most of it on our way to and from! Enjoy your trip and best wishes, JD

[Dennis and Melissa]

On our recent trek from FL to the UT parks, we stayed in some places for one night, others for 10 (most for 5 or more).

Sometimes the next campsite was only 50 miles down the road.  One day it was 1,600. (OK, that was 36 hours over 2 days with sleep at a truck stop.)

But, for me, the freedom is the point.  I can adventure till exhausted and chill till bored.  Perfect. 🙂

Edited Tuesday at 04:55 PM by Dennis and Melissa

[bugeyedriver]

On 6/16/2025 at 5:49 PM, Mike and Carol said:

 . . .   I’m sure we’ll be tired when we get home . . .

If you're too tired upon returning home, it means you're getting up to early every day.