Any Ollies want to meet at the NW Overland Rally in central WA, 06/28/18 ?

[John E Davies]

Location is Plain, Washington, near Leavenworth, about two hours NE of Seattle, four hours west of Spokane. It’s a very pretty mountain valley (1800 ft elevation) surrounded by 6000 ft mountains, lakes, waterfalls, endless National Forest roads, and even wineries around nearby Wenatchee. There are portable toilets, but no hookups or potable water taps. The venue is located on a very large grassy field, freshly mowed. A small general store with gas and groceries is within walking distance.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/18899-18701+Chumstick+Hwy,+Leavenworth,+WA+98826/@47.7614394,-120.6567033,19z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x549baa6f13116dab:0x7a03ade9ae415230?hl=en

 

I plan to camp with my wife and Labradoodles at least two of the three nights, We have been once before to this particular event, and it was a hoot, but only if you are moderately interested in overlanding and 4wd travel. It is similar to the amazing Overland Expo West in Arizona (we visited that one twice) but on a much smaller scale, and without the desert flavor or heat.

 

http://www.nwoverlandrally.com/home.html

 

Early (discounted) registration is open through March 31, cost is $240 for a full event family pass (including all kids under 18), plus a 20x20’ camping spot, plus an extra 20x20 one for your Ollie, if you feel you need the room.... which you probably do. That includes access to all events, parties, discussions, movies, vendor displays, technical classes, and organised trail rides for drivers of all experience levels and all 4wd vehicles, stock to heavily modified. Plus they give away a bunch of cool Overland swag every evening at the communal bonfire.

 

http://www.nwoverlandrally.com/register.html

 

I will ask for a pair of tandem spots so I easily park and fit Mouse, the deployed awning, my Cruiser plus maybe a tent for my son if he decides to drive up from Seattle.

 

If any Ollie owners, both local or “passing through”, want to attend, you would be most welcome! Just be prepared to be mobbed by interested visitors. The folks who attend these events really appreciate high tech and high quality construction. I could find out from the organisers if we could reserve a single patch of the field for several Olivers. I just need to know pretty soon. Otherwise we would be spread at random in a very large field...

 

Comments? Anybody interested?

 

 

https://expeditionportal.com/the-vehicles-of-nw-overland-rally-2017/

 

For pics and videos, Google NW Overland Rally.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[Rumline]

I'd never heard of this and am definitely interested.  Won't be able to make it this year though.

 

Do many families go to this one or is it mostly bro's / DINKs?

[John E Davies]

I’d never heard of this and am definitely interested. Won’t be able to make it this year though. Do many families go to this one or is it mostly bro’s / DINKs?

The folks who buy the really high end overland rigs like the Earth Roamers are definitely rich, tho there are plenty of young DINKs - Double Income, No Kids - with lots of cash invested in accessories for their 20 year old Land Cruiser. It is very easy to sink $30k into a $10k vehicle and still not be quite “finished”.

 

Then there are the people who just want to travel and explore and a stock 4wd Vanagon or a Silverado with a camper top may suit them fine.

 

The motorcyclsts fill out the rest of the spectrum on their Dual Sport or Adventure bikes. Some travel the world, most just pretend and limit their trips to the local area.

 

You do see kids and dogs at these rallies, but mostly it is couples of all ages.

 

If you are interested, consider visiting Flagstaff at the end of May.....  this is the best event in the country, by far. It’s an easy two day trip from Colorado Springs....

 

https://www.overlandexpo.com/west

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

From the OE West website:

 

“WHY OVERLAND EXPO?

 

One word: Community. Of all the comments we get raving about the quality of classes, instructors, and vendors, one impression strikes people the hardest, and that is the people who come to learn, to teach, and to share. The Overland Expo has become a mandatory calendar event for travelers from all over the world, many of whom schedule trans-continental journeys to coincide with a West or East Expo, to see old friends and meet new ones. Those new to overlanding tell us again and again how welcomed they feel by this community whose reason for being, after all, is to explore, learn new things, and meet new people. It’s why our motto is: Overland Expo—where adventure begins and frindships last.”

 

For someone living in an area with abundant offroad recreation and minimal actual boondocking experience, it is a fantastic way to get educated, learn basic skills, and get acquainted with the overlanding community.

 

Finally, just wandering around looking at all the cool stuff is amazing and lots of fun...

 

John Davies

 

Spokane Wa

 

 

[Overland]

Too far from us, but looks like fun.  Hope you have a good time and if you spot that Ollie flatbed, be sure to talk with the owner and let us know the history behind it.

[John E Davies]

That Ollie on the FUSO Canter is strange indeed.....

 

Here is a 360 degree panorama from the Dirty Face dual sport ride in June 2007, the last time I was up high in that area. This is Sugerloaf Lookout, at 6500 ft it is one of the highest points in the relatively low mountains of this area. The Cascades are in the distance. They are way higher, up to 14,000 ft, and they never lose all their snow.

 

Open in a new tab and zoom in.

 

 

That lookout is most likely included in one of the easy trail rides of the NW Overland Expo. The main forest roads are bumpy but not a challenge like some of the secondary tracks that require high ground clearance and aggressive tires..

 

I can post some more pics if somebody asks....

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Spike]

Thanks for all of the information. We probably won't make it to the expo in WA, but we are interested in the one in Flagstaff, for we will be performing at the Flagstaff Folk Festival the following weekend. Perhaps we might be able to stay at that park for the intervening week. Also interesting is the photo and name of that lookout. I worked at a lookout in the Chiricahua Mountains for the US Forest Service for a number of years in my younger days. The nearby lookout in the nearby Chiricahua National Monument was named "Sugarloaf."

[Overland]

If you go to the Flagstaff expo, just know that they won't let you bring your Ollie into the campsite.  They've gotten persnickety about who they allow in, and Olivers aren't overlandy enough to make the cut.  Maybe if you put an Earthroamer sticker on the side you can sneak it past the guards.

[John E Davies]

If you go to the Flagstaff expo, just know that they won’t let you bring your Ollie into the campsite. They’ve gotten persnickety about who they allow in, and Olivers aren’t overlandy enough to make the cut. Maybe if you put an Earthroamer sticker on the side you can sneak it past the guards.

Is this from personal experience or anecdotal? Maybe they are trying to keep out stick and staple junk trailers, but I don’t understand the rationale behind banning an Ollie. In years past there have been plenty of non-hard-core rigs.

 

BTW I have a very nice men’s Medium EarthRoamer shirt if anyone wants to borrow it to sneak into the Flagstaff event. The NW Overland group will welcome yourOllie here in Washington if you care to drive north a little ways.... LOL.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

It's a blanket policy against trailers over some length.  They started it last year.  I asked them about it since I thought it was odd that they started that policy the same year they moved to a campground that had paved RV sites, and Jonathan told me it was mostly about the optics.  He said he didn't want the 'Good Sam' crowd there.  Seems silly to me since no one goes to the expo to see the campsite, and you'd think the crowd that does go there is sort of self-selecting anyway.  The year I went, I don't remember seeing any elkhart style trailers or RV's, outside of the vendors themselves.

[Rumline]

Ridiculous.

 

I realize that Overland Expo is a gear-oriented event, but I would hope that people would be interested in more than just equipment.  To limit access based on how "overlandy" a vehicle you have is really dumb.

 

Overland, don't you have some pictures of you "dragging a fiberglass RV places it doesn't belong" to validate your chops?

[Overland]

Yeah, I don't think I'd win that battle though.  Maybe if Oliver became a sponsor, lol.

 

But, I think their snobbery will come back to bite them.  There are a lot of those types of expos starting up, like the one John is going to, and they look like just as much fun, if not more so.

[John E Davies]

Bump to the top.

 

To get the discount I need to register before the end of this month, if anybody here wants to join me and my crew, please say so ASAP, so I can reserve adjacent sites.

 

BTW,  you don’t HAVE to bring your Ollie, you can sleep in your rental car or even tent camp if you don’t own one....

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

Bump, less than a month, we could use some company. We will be glamping at the town of Chelan WA, on Lake Chelan, in the city-run resort RV park, the nights of June 24-26, then will find a spot in the National Forest in the Entiat Valley Wednesday, arriving at NWOR Thursday lunch time, to pick a prime spot with tandem 20x20 spaces, hopefully well away from, and upwind from, the offroad winching area, entrance and main vendor area.

 

Cool things will abound!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have several brochures to display, and fifty referral card to hand out; I expect to have some interested visitors, the vast majority of whom have never laid eyes on an Ollie. I don’t plan to show the trailer all the time, maybe a couple of hours in the evenings. I think most attendees would be way more interested in the Elite, due to its compact size and lighter weight. It would sure be nice to have one of each here....

 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[topgun2]

John -

Its probably too late at this point, but, at this year's Owner's Rally we were given a bag containing about ten "promotional" handouts which included details about both Olivers and a DVD too. These are certainly much more substantial and professional than the old postcards. If you still have time before you leave, an email or phone call to Anita just might ease your burden a bit in showing the Oliver.

 

Bill

[John E Davies]

We had a great tme, boondocking for three nights. About 1800 people attended, most of those spent at least a couple of nights.

 

The Ollie did great, it attracted some attention, mostly from old folks in smaller trailers. The real Overlanders did not pay it much attention.

 

UBCO 2x2 AWD e-bike from New Zealand. Road legal, 30 mph, 400 lb capacity, $7000.I loved it, but it is too slow to ride in traffic, and too powerful to ride on bike paths. It was designed as a silent stealthy utility bike for sheep farmers. It has a huge battery that can charge power equipment like drills.

 

 

Colorado “Baby Duramax” with fully tricked out suspension, bumpers, lights, ute tray and a $35k popup camper. 18 mpg as shown. The interior is crude but the trucklet will be very popular for overlanding.

 

 

View of the front camera display on our Land Cruiser, showing the beginning of the easy off-road tech course. (They filled in the nastiest deep pits and regraded some of the berms, from the Advanced class.) The display has moving guide lines showing where your wheels are pointed and where your track will go. Very cool offroad tech!

 

 

Jac getting instructions from the Aussie “director” running the course, who was doing a great job in keeping folks’ vehicles on their wheels and unblemished.

 

 

I did not take a lot of pics, my phone is not that great and there is a huge amount of video and still images available online... Jac drove our 200 through the easy offroad tech course while I took pictures and worried. Here is a cool video. Check out her smile at the end.

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA