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the reality of traveling...??


mtkadan

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travelers...

looking for insight to life in an ollie...

are people friendly..?.

small towns welcoming...?.

are there bugs everywhere..?.

do you have to lock your doors..?.

too many pets..?....you get the idea.

please advise w/ thoughts.

10-q

mtkadan

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Mtkadan, camping is, for us, a great way to travel. We bring our own kitchen, bath, and bed. And outdoor living room. 

We often meet new people, and have made lifelong friends, camping. 

Pets, rules, etc., vary from place to place. Most organized campgrounds have a host.

Small towns usually are very welcoming. Many of them, especially in rural areas, have town and county campgrounds that are pleasant stopovers, or sometimes, a really nice place to stay awhile. For example,, there's one outside Lanesboro,  MN, that I really love. Cute, artsy town, lots of bike riders, etc. The county campground has been mostly empty when we've been there. Lake Mitchell Campground, owned by the city in SD, is really nice, though a bit rustic. I could go on, but, too many to mention. 

Here's a screenshot of city and county campgrounds in Iowa, for example. Small towns often create a campground to bring business into the town that the interstate has bypassed. It's our personal policy to spend what we can in these welcoming towns. Buy a few groceries,  get gas, visit a gift shop or art gallery,  maybe. 

Life on the road is often very fun. If you can stop a bit, and enjoy.

 

 

 

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Generally, people are nice to a fault and the Ollie provides good insulation against the few who aren't.  We'd have a much greater chance of encountering annoyances in a hotel than in our Ollie.

But we only go where the mosquitos do not.  Deserts and high altitude.  No people, no towns, no bugs, and no pets unless you bring your own or adopt a ground squirrel.  We still lock our doors - keeps alien abductions to a minimum.

 

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Our daughter, who had an RV before we did, told me that people in campgrounds are “salt of the earth people”, very friendly.  We’ve found that friendliness is everywhere we’ve camped, whether it’s in a formal campground or out boondocking in the middle of nowhere.  Small towns are great.  We also try to avoid areas with bugs, just returned from Colorado and Northern Arizona and had few bugs, low humidity and cool nights.  We do lock doors just because we lock doors.  Our Oliver is truly a second home, it just travels where we do.  Mike

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Lock doors? Yes, I guess we do sometimes, depends on where we are, not all ways. We have found one Interstate looks and sounds pretty much like all the others, we avoid them. In these small towns we can usually find a parking lot that we fit in. Farmers markets and small grocery stores provide all our needs. We did find you can get some of the best meals at the local diner. You know the diner, the one with the sparkly purple vinyl seats that has duct tape on it. The biscuits are the best. And the locals you talk to can tell you about some of the prettiest places to visit or stay. Bugs? Really haven't had too much problems except maybe blood sucking, dive bombing salt water mosquitoes in the early spring...

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thank you for you replies... am planning to take the backroads...boondock mostly..

new mexico will be 1st on the list and head uphill from there through the summer...take a left in sept

heading south for the winter... seems like a plan that may work.?

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2 hours ago, mtkadan said:

thank you for you replies... am planning to take the backroads...boondock mostly..

new mexico will be 1st on the list and head uphill from there through the summer...take a left in sept

heading south for the winter... seems like a plan that may work.?

The advantage to camping is you can pick and choose what you enjoy . . . . . RV parks with amenities and social interaction or wilderness, out in nature camping, with few amenities but solitude and serenity. . . . . . . . Interstates or scenic backroads  . . . . . . .  The choice is yours.  

If you plan to " take a left in sept" , don't miss out on Oregon 😎

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Ray and Susan Huff

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The very best feature of our EII is the ability to stay just about anywhere.  Boondocking isn't for everyone, but it sure does work for us - some of the coolest spots to spend the day/night are not in a "park". 

In the many, many, years we have been "camping", I can't think of a time people were offensive or not friendly.  Sure, some places just had too many people for our tastes, but generally the experiences have been great. I'll admit, these days I don't go unarmed, not because I'm wary, or worried, but it is not prudent to believe there will be "authorities" near by to deal with a situation. I have insurance on the Ollie, the house, and the auto's, and , in the back ground, out of sight, on us. 

Bugs, snakes, and animals in general - well that is called nature. We try to control the bugs access to us, we don't worry about snakes - they don't worry about us, and as for the other of natures creations, well its a pleasure to see them.

The weather- well - heck, it is the weather. Best thing I can tell you - don't leave your awning out. If in doubt, roll it in. Otherwise, it is the weather. 

There is a lot of America out there, not seen on a TV, or monitor, or found on a computer screen, or an app, and certainly must be experienced to be fully appreciated. To do a good RV trip, to experience reality, one must jump in with both feet, get a little dirty, squash a bug or two, swat at flying bandits, run from a crawly slinky creature,  and  let go - just enjoy the chance of it all.  It works for us, and our Ollie makes it all a little more enjoyable.

When you have a full fuel  tank, and plenty of provisions, always take the road less traveled, go where you haven't been. 

It is all simply my opinion, yours may vary.

Enjoy your freedom.

RB

 

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My plan next summer after I get my Ollie is to head to cooler weather when I can. If I can sneak 4-6 weeks away from Texas summer I will be thrilled ! In the fall and winter I hope to do shorter extended weekend trips in Texas and OK.

I generally find folks at campsites more considerate vs a hotel.  Can’t recall a time really being bothered by fellow campers but have countless examples of kids and  adults screaming down hotel hallways at all hours. 

I am good with nature and long as I have screened in place like TT to sleep.  
 

 

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