Where’s Ollie?

[Mike and Carol]

Looks nice!  We haven’t been to that park, will have to put it on the list!

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

Looks nice!  We haven’t been to that park, will have to put it on the list!

We enjoyed the beautiful drive up from Albuquerque, and had a great hike the next day to the edge of the park and then some into the Cibola NF. You can only see edges of the mountain range from the campground. Most of the campsites are difficult. We backed in first and found our entrance would be on the wrong side and steep downhill. Then I drove in head first, unhitched and  lifted the tongue a foot high to get level. We didn’t want to drive the truck anyway.

Tonight we’re at Hannagan Meadows south of Alpine AZ at 9130 ft. it’s cold up here, will be high if 42F by Monday! Stopped to visit with these bull elks on the way. Wow!

[MAX Burner]

On 5/3/2025 at 7:55 PM, jd1923 said:

Next stop the Manzano Mountains NM SP…

That's in our back yard!

[jd1923]

We found a great area up in the White Mountains of Arizona with the help of a couple retired cops. They were out turkey hunting and happened by us when we were deep in the woods and came to a crossroads. In both directions the signs read, "Not Suitable for RVs or Trailers." They said the road to the right was a bit rocky and the warnings are for when it rains or snows. We liked that the signs would keep most RVers away. Then they said, "Follow us and we'll take you to our marked campsite."

Check the Campendium Map and compare our blue dot to the known campsites! Miles and hours of dirt between and dozens of campsites along the way. We'll keep our high country spot a secret for now and should be meeting some Oliver friends up there in July when the weather is perfect. However, when we left on Monday it was snowing and the daytime high was to be 42F. The campsite was at 8,920 ft and on the drive home we climbed a bit more and I snapped this compass shot at exactly 9,400 on AZ Hwy 273. It's amazing you can drive down a highway at this elevation in Arizona (common in CO of course) and see mountains above and lush meadows everywhere with streams and lakes. 

Edited May 7 by jd1923

[Mike and Carol]

We’re heading east to Kentucky and stopped for our first night at Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, Texas.  Like most Texas state parks it’s well maintained but the sites are old and not very level. It took some effort and we made it work.  Bulldog is almost on the ground!  Very quiet with a good view of the lake.

[Steph and Dud B]

We just worked on completing the last 3 of our lower 48 states with a trip to the South East Central US. Stopped at some cool Harvest Hosts along the way and got a nice riverfront site at Maumelle Park in Little Rock. (Only one lower 48 left, our neighbor, RI.)

[Mike and Carol]

Continuing our drive from south Texas to Kentucky we stopped just outside of Texarkana for the night.  There are several COE campgrounds 15 minutes to the south and west of Texarkana on the Texas side.  We’ve stayed at a couple but usually come back to Clear Springs COE campground.  There are a bunch of FHU sites but the ones we like by the lake are just W/E.  This is our site for the night, a little rainy but nice.

[Jason Foster]

2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Continuing our drive from south Texas to Kentucky we stopped just outside of Texarkana for the night.  There are several COE campgrounds 15 minutes to the south and west of Texarkana on the Texas side.  We’ve stayed at a couple but usually come back to Clear Springs COE campground.  There are a bunch of FHU sites but the ones we like by the lake are just W/E.  This is our site for the night, a little rainy but nice.

That is just up the road from my house.  I may give that place a try.

[topgun2]

13 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

This is our site for the night, a little rainy but nice.

Boy - I can just taste that beer you owe me.  Cracking it open on that deck overlooking the lake would be awesome!

Bill 

[mountainoliver]

While on our way west for three months we’re volunteering at Stratford Ecological farm outside of Columbus Ohio. This is our campsite for the next week.

[topgun2]

24 minutes ago, mountainoliver said:

This is our campsite for the next week.

That's a bummer that you don't have a bigger covered picnic area! 🤣

Looks nice - any fish in that pond?

Bill

[mountainoliver]

Bill, yes there are. The farm manager said that there’s so many that you hardly need bait! 

[Zodd]

I'm not sure how you can enjoy a roomy spot with nice grass and a view. Hope you can make it through the week 😉

[Mike and Carol]

3 hours ago, mountainoliver said:

While on our way west for three months we’re volunteering at Stratford Ecological farm outside of Columbus Ohio. This is our campsite for the next week.

 

Ken, you’re headed west, we’re headed east.  Wave when you see us!  Also, since you’re near Columbus, say hi to my Junior High School classmate that I knew in Columbus. 

[Boudicca908]

On the way to Tennessee, I’m spending the night at R Shaefer Heard COE campground, in NW Georgia. It’s very nice here. Some sites have steep drives to access, and WiFi is spotty, but the lake front sites are great. My view from here. 

Edited May 13 by Boudicca908

[jd1923]

6 hours ago, Zodd said:

I'm not sure how you can enjoy a roomy spot with nice grass and...

I kinda miss grass... But then I'd need the tactor back I sold when leaving Virginia 20 years ago. Out here we mow the desert weeds with a push string trimmer and weedwacker. We need our occasional rains, but hate that it makes stuff grow... and wet grasses means bugs, we truly appreciate being without... Oh humbug!

Wow, what a beautiful spot, Ken and Mary Kay! Hope our paths cross again soon. We're heading to Minnesota and back leaving in 2 weeks. Maybe we might... Enjoy!

[MAX Burner]

Headed to Old Mexico Thursday, we'll be walking the border crossing at Columbus over to La Paloma.  Pancho Villa State Park is still having issues with their septic system so there's been no dumping allowed for almost a year now -- no biggie, as we'll only stay for 3 nights.

Pix of the knuckleheads to follow, FYI...

[Mike and Carol]

27 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:

Headed to Old Mexico Thursday, we'll be walking the border crossing at Columbus over to La Paloma.

Be safe!

[John Dorrer]

5/16/25, 7:25am, Oliver Spotted. Cape Hatteras, Northbound on Hwy. 12, just North of Frisco, NC. 

 

Our Oliver is at the KOA. Taking the ferry to Ocracoke Island for the day.

Edited May 16 by John Dorrer
Updated Comment

[MAX Burner]

16MAY25 -- 0634, Casablanca settled in at Pancho Villa SP near La Paloma, Old Mexico....   Magnus pulling the first watch:

[rideandfly]

3 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

16MAY25 -- 0634, Casablanca settled in at Pancho Villa SP near La Paloma, Old Mexico....   Magnus pulling the first watch:

What a neat looking campsite! Hope everyone has a great time!!!!!!!!!

[jd1923]

Where's Ollie? She's hitched up and rearing to go! She's usually behind our Tuff Shed getting some shade, but I backed her in further so the Ram can get some shade as I work on a last few details. Mostly all packed, brakes adjusted and tires set, new Bulldog and Anderson parts. Hitched and did a test drive yesterday.

Not a big deal for many of you, but we're leaving Thursday for a 5+ week trip, back home on the 4th of July! Our longest trip ever by far. Off to Minnesota to see Chris' sister. We'll take 10-12 days to get there and we'll have 3 weeks for a long return, camping in the northern Minnesota woods, boondocking on the Badlands with a Mt Rushmore night visit. Then we'll make our way across the Western Slope of Colorado.

Cool thing about this trip is we have not made a single reservation! We'll find our routes and camps along the way. We have all we need to be off-grid for days! Signed up for Harvest Hosts which may help in the farm country and we'll see... 🤣 

[Boudicca908]

I've been traversing the southern section of Nebraska this week, following along the Platte River, and parts of the Oregon Trail / California Trail / Mormon Trail and it's .... very different from the Sandhills or the Badlands. I stayed at Pawnee SRA (State Rec Area); Windmill SRA; a freebie (if barren) spot in Bayard City (2 nights free with power and water, additional nights for a fee; one of the power poles wasn't working); and Riverside Campground in Scotts Bluff (which turns out to be part of a fairly large city park with a lot of amenities for locals). The landscape is dramatic. 

Pawnee SRA (the prettiest of my spots in NE); Buffalo Bill's Ranch NHS; Chimney Rock; Scotts Bluff National Monument 

Edited 1 hour ago by Boudicca908