West Quest '23 Wrap-Up and Lessons Learned

West Quest '23 Days 19 and 20

Friday, 21 July 2023

Frieda, Maddie, Skipper and I arrived home Saturday evening, 15 July after 20 days, seven states and about 4,000 miles and numerous lessons learned.

Lesson 1: Do NOT set out on a camping trip when the expected temps will be well over 100 degrees. This was stupid. We were so focused on going out to see my Dad and Sandy out in Oracle, Arizona, and seeing friends Bill and Anne Hammond on the way, that we never even considered the temps. It was hot in New Mexico, but by the time we got to Tucson on 2 July, it was well over 110 degrees and it remained so until we got to Arkansas ten days later. Does an RV air conditioner work well when it’s this hot? Absolutely not. How about the refrigerator? No! An Oliver Legacy Elite II travel trailer might be a “four seasons” travel trailer, but it’s not a fun one to be in when the temps are over 100 degree. Never again. (Observant readers will note that we had intended to hit Austin and Houston on the way back home to see some other friends. We waved off on that plan due to the oppressive heat.)

Lesson 2: Drive less. Camp and relax more. Last year’s adventures were so long that we decided to tighten things up a bit this year. This was a mistake. Driving well over 300 miles a day for several days in a row wore us out on this trip. It simply wasn’t fun.

Lesson 3: A diesel Super Duty truck tows an Oliver Legacy Elite II way better than a gasoline-powered F-150 does. As we expected, our new F-350 with the high-output diesel (500 HP, 1200 ft lbs of torque) laughs at towing Ollie. It’s still taxing mentally to stay aware that you are a lot longer and less maneuverable with a trailer in tow, but having acceleration and power to keep up with traffic, pass as necessary, use engine braking on descents, etc. is quite remarkable. While you can certainly tow a Legacy Elite II with an F-150, it will feel safer and more enjoyable with a Super Duty and a diesel.

Lesson 4: Diesel fuel is a LOT less expensive with a fleet card. A friend had recommended Open Roads to us when we said we were buying a diesel truck. It’s a fleet fuel discount program. You simply sign up, link a checking account to it, get a fleet card, and begin saving. The only catch is that you have to utilize the big rig diesel pumps at a participating dealer, which you locate using an app. The only “cost” to you is that Open Roads retains 10% of whatever savings you get between the pump and Open Roads price. It ends up being a nice savings. (If you, dear reader, decide to sign up, please put Scott Gureck into the “who referred you?” field.)

Finally, I had mentioned North Trek ‘23 in this post. We have waved off on that trip due to overextending ourselves. West Quest ‘23 wore us out and we are taking a break for a bit.

Thank you for following Oliver’s Travels.

It’s always great to be back home.