The Perfect Fit

[SeaDawg]

One of our great pleasure in towing an Oliver is that it fits... almost anywhere.

 

On our last trip, we had a few family obligations near the end, so a few dates and destinations were commitments. The rest of the four weeks, we were free to wander. Heading off in a general direction, enjoying the sights and stopping as we pleased, we made no reservations, but kept an eye on the guides and maps for state and national parks. Sometimes, late arrivals and no reservations left us with, well.... leftovers. The amazing offset was that many times the spots left behind by the larger trailers and motorhomes were the best... if you could fit. We were often rewarded with better views, more privacy, or engaging conversatins with other outdoor-minded travelers in smaller rigs around us.... sometimes, all three.

 

Following the little road to this small campground in the Catskills, Woodland Valley SP, and the narrow park roads as well, might have been more challenging for some larger rigs. The Oliver followed happily along. I wondered at times if I'd missed one of those tiny brown signs, but we finally arrived, and found a lovely little leftover spot next to a stony brook. The music of the water on stones was wonderful, as was the conversation with our neighbor in a conversion van camper. Over a shared dinner of Buffalo's famous hotdogs from our grill, and his salad and watermelon, we discovered that he'd been camping at Woodland Valley for over fifty years... and that it hadn't changed a whole lot.

 

At this popular campground on the Blue Ridge, we chose a shorter, extra wide spot, probably set up for backing in the trailer, unhitching, and parking the tow vehicle along side. Parking at a little bit of an angle, we fit nicely, still hitched up, with room for a little patio under the awning. Our site's fire ring was up the hill, half hidden in the laurel. We enjoyed dinner on our own grill, and the paved and level patio.... The "pull thru" across the way was basically a parking spot on the side of the camp road.... We certainly felt we had the better deal!

 

At Alleghany SP in NY, we found the big campground at Quaker Lake full and sold out when we arrived around four. After a twenty minute or so drive to the other side of the park, we were rewarded with a selection of three spots. The one we chose looked like a tent site to me... the narrow back-in was pretty steep, and muddy in the potholes and along the sides. However, at the top, there was a fairly level spot , not too wet, of about a dozen feet or so... just enough to level the Oliver and set up a narrow patio on the rug. We discovered we were camped beside a little stream that was hidden from view till you got on the site. Another bonus... a lot of trees around us, providing a bit of space between us and the young tent campers around us on a summer Friday night. Another perfect fit.

 

Sherry

[mountainborn]

Sherry, our experience has been quite similar. Because we have such great manuverability and ground clearance, we tend to explore more, in search of the very type of campsites that you describe.

Because we are still in America's workforce and our time off is somewhat limited, we tend to push a little harder, traveling later in the day, and leaving out as the sun is coming up.

We find ourselves sacrificing gas mileage for speed, in order to fit our destination into a weekend, or a "extended" weekend if we can arrange it.

We long for those days that are looming on the horizon, when we retire and can switch gears , so we don't have to push as hard. Starting to look for a campsite earlier in the afternoon. Visiting with nearby neighbors. Regaining some gas mileage. Traveling lesser roads at a more leisurely pace, because we don't have a work schedule to return to.

Our Oliver has allowed us to maximize our Rv experience, even in these times of high gas prices.

We are so glad that we aren't still in our class A motorhome getting 5 mpg !

Great report and the photos were wonderful !

Oh, yeah, who is that distinguished looking gentelman, sitting there, chillin' by the brook ?

[dougi]

Mountainborn, do you and Butcherknife miss the room you had in your motorhome? Do you live in your Oliver virtually full time?

[mountainborn]

It has taken a bit of adjustment, mostly in sorting what we think we may need, versus what we know we will actually use. Our gas mileage has more than trippled and our jeep when not towing, gets 22.5 to 23.5 mpg for "lookin' aroun' " ! We never would have been able to go over those very cool Colorado Jeep trail passes before, yep, wer'e happier in our Oliver.

From our old outfitter days when we provided wilderness trips on mules, we carried many heavy items such as a full set of cast iron dutch ovens.

We plan more carefuly now, and we pack more carefully. We are having more fun and seeing places that we would never even consider in the 34' MOHO.

We do not live in our Oliver full time. We think we could, though. This coming Spring we will likely become part timers. Geeze ! I wonder if we qualify as part timers right now. We are getting to use it often, lately.

[technomadia]

This is wonderful to read Sherry! It's been our hope that upgrading in size to an Oliver would not diminish the benefits of having an ultra small trailer. We really enjoyed setting up camp where most couldn't fit

 

- Cherie

[SeaDawg]

Thanks to all of you for reading my rambles.... Paul (the "distinguished gentleman" as Mountainborn described him) and I have so enjoyed the freedom our Oliver has afforded us. We've had a great time traveling with our Oliver in tow, and the more loosely planned journeys have been the most interesting... sometimes backtracking..... sometimes just to the right or left...

So often, the detours and the small roads have been the best.....

 

Sherry

[earthdancer]

Now all you need is a 4 wheel drive ! ! ! We'll be using Geris 4wd TrailBlazer more than my 2wd truck to get into those "off the beaten path" areas! A lot of parks will see the size of your Oliver and sometimes you have to remind them that you're paying as much for the sites and not stick you in a crummy corner the "SunBlockers" won't fit but check 'em 1st, sometimes they're the BEST!

Chuck, still using Geris computer!

[SeaDawg]

Again this week, we were reminded of how happy we are to own a trailer that not only fits us, but fits almost anywhere we want to go.

 

Coming home from Missouri, we traveled through parts of Illinois and Kentucky. Paul had always wanted to camp in Land Between the Lakes, a long, narrow park running about forty miles north from Kentucky (near Paducah) south into Tennessee.

 

We arrived on the tail of Hurrican Ike, and found most facilities, including all three welcome centers, closed. All campers had been diverted to the southernmost campground, Piney, in Tennessee. Since this week in September is also the Camping Festival at Piney CG (a 35 year tradition), Piney was packed in the loops with hookups. When we asked the host about lakefront campsites, he looked at our trailer, and asked us if a spot in the tenting area (Sweetgum Loop) would work for us... Gave us a site on the lake with no hookups, and offered to exchange it if we found something else we liked better.

 

Once again, we were rewarded with a charming "leftover" spot. No hookups, but a great site with privacy, lovely views of the lake, and wonderful tenting neighbors from central Illinois. We "shared" the entire loop with one tent. Wow.

 

We enjoyed the sunset views, the open space, and the quiet in our loop. We watched squirrels and hummingbirds in the morning, and the kids walking down to fish on the shore. We'll definitely go back to Land between the Lakes, and this spot will be our first pick...

 

Sherry