We just ordered an Elite ll for pick up in April 2023

[KetchikanKid]

Hi Owners,

We are Wendy and Steven from NW Oregon.  We are both recently retired, Steven from Commercial Fishing in Alaska and most of my career I was a Hotel Reservations Manager.  We have had several various RV's, a Camper, an adorable Teardrop Trailer, a class B, and a small class C.  The Oliver fits our needs and finally our search appears to be over.

We like to Boondock, love the mountains and the variety of terrains in this country. We look forward to the trip from Oregon to Tennessee and back....sort of.  I am nervous about the trip.  I haven't pulled a trailer and want to learn.  My husband has pulled several types of trailers but I want to help drive on the way home.  

Has anyone driven between the Oregon/Washington area to pick up their Oliver?  Any advice?

Thanks all!

[Steve Morris]

Welcome, and congratulations!! We just order ours on Friday for a late March delivery. We want to come out and explore eastern Oregon as well as revisit the Washington and Oregon coast. What a diverse area!!

[John E Davies]

Welcome, I picked up my LE2 in early April 2017, you will need to do some serious trip planning due to weather issues in the higher parts of the west, the mountain passes especially. It’s a long haul, but as long as you give yourself lots of time, say a month in total, it will be fun rather than a chore. Don’t try to do 500 mile days back to back, you can  get away with that when traveling solo, but with the trailer it will be too stressful.

You should not learn how to tow with a brand new $75,000 Ollie, it will be horribly nerve wracking. Borrow or rent a small utility trailer, U-Haul for example, and drive it around over a long weekend. Learn to maneuver, back up and deal with traffic, to get used to the changed driving dynamics. Then it won’t be so much of an adjustment with the new Ollie.

Please add some info to a Signature that appears after every post (your tow vehicle and Ollie model at least) so we know what you have. It helps when you ask questions or have a problem. My sister is in Portland, where are you?

John Davies

Spokane WA

[KetchikanKid]

John, We are near Oregon City.  I am actually thinking of taking a hands-on class on towing an RV.  We are planning on taking our time on the way home. Neither one of us have been to most of the states will will go through on the trip.  We will avoid the mountains, we had snow on Mt Hood in Oregon quite late this year.

I'll update our info soon, just can't remember exact info on our truck!

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, KetchikanKid said:

John, We are near Oregon City.  I am actually thinking of taking a hands-on class on towing an RV.

That sounds like a great approach. Do you have a link to the course or instructor? My sister bought a 10 foot teardrop two years ago, she is now into her third camping season, and neither she nor her husband can back it. They just threw their hands up and quit trying to learn. They disconnect and maneuver it by hand. Fortunately it weighs just 1200 pounds, but one day they will get into trouble that they can’t walk it out of 😳

If you do take the class, please post a thread in the Towing forum, it could be helpful to others in your situation. Like my sis…

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Katjo]

Welcome and congratulations!!🎉😃

[Mike and Carol]

Welcome and congratulations on your future Oliver!  It sounds like it will meet your camping needs in fine fashion.  If you have any questions, ask away!  Mike

[LCTraveler]

Hello!  We are in Vancouver WA and picked up our trailer in June 2021.   The trip home was the “shortest” route  - 2400miles 😉. After leaving Tennessee, we made stops in Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and finally Eastern Oregon.  It was a fun adventure- just determine how long you want to drive each day and then see if there are any campgrounds in the area.  
Pam

 

edit 2020 to correct year 2021

[AZ Wonderer]

Congrats!  I pick my LEII up in the middle of winter--January 3rd.  But, I'll take the southern route home to AZ and hope Texas doesn't get the ice storm it did in 2020!  

[Ollietime]

We picked up our LE2 yesterday, so far so good. 😁

[Mike and Carol]

11 hours ago, AZ Wonderer said:

Congrats!  I pick my LEII up in the middle of winter--January 3rd.  But, I'll take the southern route home to AZ and hope Texas doesn't get the ice storm it did in 2020!  

We usually go to Arizona for the month of January.  We’ve got reservations at Catalina State Park starting January 2, then more around the state.  If there’s ice in southern Texas it usually doesn’t last long.  Mike

[AZ Wonderer]

24 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

We usually go to Arizona for the month of January.  We’ve got reservations at Catalina State Park starting January 2, then more around the state.  If there’s ice in southern Texas it usually doesn’t last long.  Mike

Catalina's a great park.  Also, have you tried Gilbert Ray?

[Mike and Carol]

1 hour ago, AZ Wonderer said:

Catalina's a great park.  Also, have you tried Gilbert Ray?

We’ve been to Catalina a bunch of times.  Gilbert Ray and the other Maricopa County Parks are great as well.  We also like Lost Dutchman, Dead Horse, Kartchner and others.  Mike

[Chukarhunter]

Welcome to the Oliver family Wendy and Steven.  My wife Lornie and I (also a Steve) are also retired and live just a few miles north of you in close in SE PDX.  We picked up our LEII in Hohenwald two years ago in August 2020 and came back via Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho then Oregon.  We had planned to take our time returning home like you are planning to do but right after picking up the trailer we got word that Lornie's brother who had MS had gone into intensive care.  We accelerated our trip home.  I drove 400 miles the first day as a  shakedown and and then another 1450 miles total on days 2 and 3.  The LEII has such good towing manners that honestly I didn't find the long miles any more tiring than driving the interstate without the trailer. I also found the LEII to be much easier to back up than my 8 foot utility trailer or 14 foot popup.  I never realized before how much nicer a well designed twin axle trailer tows compared to a single axle trailer.

I don't know what tow vehicle you will be using but if you are at all apprehensive about the trip or towing, then I recommend that you order the Andersen hitch even if it is not really required for your tow vehicle.  It really works well and they do everything to set it up for you when you pick up the trailer.  I had a big scare the first day on a two lane road in Missouri when I launched off of a unmarked elevated railroad crossing at 55 miles an hour.  It felt like the tow vehicle left the road and flew into the air (I probablly did not) and I braced for the porpoising and possible loss of control.  There was no porpoising at all and the Andersen hitch dampened all movement after one bounce.  I am sold on the Andersen mated with the LEII.  The price of many of Oliver's options are approaching obscene, but the Andersen is worth every penny in my opinion.  I have never had any issues hitching or unhitching with the Andersen and it only adds 2-3 minutes to the time it takes to hitch up and even less when unhitching.

Lornie and I would be happy to meet you some time over food or beverage to share our Oliver experiences with you.   Send a PM if you are interested. 

Congratulations on your Oliver purchase!