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Open Carry is now legal in Texas (as of Jan 1, 2016) but you must have a License to Carry issued by Texas or a permit/license Texas honors. If open carrying the firearm must be either be in a shoulder holster or a belt holster. These are the only two accepted ways to open carry under Texas law. I don't personally have any inclination to open carry so this info is for those that do. The most accurate site for handgun information is the one Topgun2 mentioned: handgunlaw.us. The two guys that own it are constantly updating it and it always contains very up to date info. Regarding the transportation of firearms across state lines and through heavily regulated states (think Illinois, California, New York) you should be aware of the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, or FOPA. The NRA has an explanation that is easily understandable by the lay public. We spent a couple of months this fall up in the Northeast, a week in Massachusetts, a week in Connecticut, a week in Maine and time passing through the other states in that region. A close examination of a map will show you that it is virtually impossible to get there without passing through New York state.

Some states have agricultural inspection stations and will confiscate some live plants and animals. Be careful about hitchhikers. I once picked up a lady and her small child walking on the interstate. It was VERY HOT Arizona day and and they needed water. I thought I would take her to the next town and get her help. In the middle of nowhere was an immigration blockade. I was able to convince the Border Patrol that I was merely concerned, but I was detained until they throughly checked me out. The point is, not all inspections are done at the state lines or international borders.

Hey Gang! It's that time of year again. I plan to winterize with compressed air after our November trip south. I made this checklist up from several sources including the RV Geeks video on winterizing with the Viair compressor. It does need refining. I did not consult the manual as it is in the trailer in storage and a bit too far to drive. I was NOT able to find the Oliver Video. The link is broken. Does anyone know where it is? Comments, Advice, Suggestions, Winterizing Flame Wars.... all appreciated Travel Safe, Scotty Flying Sea Turtle - Hull # 145 Winterize-Oliver-LE2-with-AIR.docx

Bill, very nicely done...Well documented and explained.

I just wanted to add that firearms laws are so darned different and confusing across the USA that you have to be extremely careful about transporting handguns. If you want to have protection while living in your Ollie, consider a conventional (non tactical) shotgun carried in a locking rack. Santa Cruz makes excellent ones that can be activated with the push of a hidden button. ... http://santacruzgunlocks.com/by-weapon/pump-shotguns/ If we get national reciprocity passed under the new administration, then you will be able to legally carry a concealed handgun anywhere in the USA if you have a carry license in your home state. Until then, I only plan to travel in gun friendly states. The restrictions are not worth the hassles for me. With my WA resident permit and my UT non-resident permit, I am legal to carry concealed in 33 states. If you plan to cross into Canada, a shotgun is your best choice since many handguns are verboten. Just keep in mind that you legally can't have a loaded gun in your camp unless you are hunting and have a Canadian guide and hunting permit. Certainly, you can't have a loaded one in any Provincial park. If you are roughing it in the woods and are rightly concerned about brown bears, load it up with bear ammo and just don't tell anybody ;) Importing any firearm into Canada absolutely REQUIRES a fee and the proper paperwork presented at the border crossing, and the gun(s) must not be on the lists of restricted or illegal models. Open carry is perfectly legal in a bunch of US states... just be aware that you might not be wise to do so in urban areas. Around a wooded campsite in the National Forest it is not a problem. In a city KOA, it might get some startled looks from visitors from a red state.... If you do want to open carry, a stainless revolver in a tooled leather holster looks completely unthreatening to most people. Avoid tactical guns and gear completely if you want to pass unnoticed. John Davies Spokane WA

GOOD NEWS Natchez Trace Campground has agreed to offer us a 20% discount on campsites again this year. ?To receive the discount, you need to mention you are attending the Oliver Travel Trailer Rally, give your name and the number in your party (needed for planning purposes). There are lakeside sites available but for convenience you may want to request a campsite in the area nearest the Town Hall. This campground is quite large. GREAT NEWS Oliver Travel Trailer Company will graciously and generously pick up a number of expenses for the rally. Most of our meal costs that includes a BBQ cookout ??Friday evening and a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta ?Saturday evening will be sponsored by Oliver Travel Trailers. In addition, Oliver will pay the cost of the rental of the "Town Hall" where most of our meetings will be held. A Big "SHOUT OUT" to Oliver Travel Trailers ! THANKS Hardrock

Decided to go camping at South Mountains State Park NC when we moved all of the furniture out of our home for interior work at the end of October. Moved the furniture back in during the first part of November. We enjoy hiking at South Mountains and turns out the leaves had very nice colors during the trip! Our site was next to a mountain stream. This area is great for motorcycle riding, too.

Water heater rinse education

I talked to Tommy Staggs at Oliver on Friday about winterization. I sent the following email to him after our conversation and asked him to respond. When I receive his response, I'll share the update. I'm pretty sure I'll add the step regarding the "cup/filter" for the water pump. Tommy, Thanks for taking the time to talk to me about winterization. I’ve prepared this short check-list. Let me know if I missed anything or got something wrong. Winterization: 9/14/2016 Conversation with Tommy Empty black and grey tanks Drain freshwater tank Remove anode from water heater to drain Release water pressure in water heater Bypass water heater (access from inside under bed—on bottom of water heater) Use air compressor set at 35 psi to blow air through fresh water fill, city water and the one in back of the trailer for at least 1 minute each. Do this with faucets open. Should expel all water Replace anode in water heater Reverse step to bypass water heater Pour small amount of RV antifreeze in kitchen/bathroom sinks and shower drain to protect the traps Pour a small amount of RV antifreeze in toilet to keep toilet thing lubricated. To use the trailer when ready in the spring, you don’t need to do anything because you don’t have antifreeze in anything other than the drains.

Thanks for the list Buzzy. I've been thinking about this for a while now. Questions, if the lines are well blown out with compressed air (awesome tip about blowing out the toilet with the peddle down btw), is it still necessary to add anti freeze to the system? For sure all the traps and toilet need to be treated, but I am leery to add the stuff to my fresh water tank as it is near impossible to completely drain as far as I can tell. This would make it hard to get all the chemical out in the future. Also wondering about the final winterized state of the black/gray tanks. Should they be left dry, or should maybe some antifreeze be put in there to keep things from drying out? I can see an argument either way, but I'm new to this game. How about interior heat? I'm thinking of getting a small electric heater of some sort (radiant, forced air, heat lamp like for reptiles??), along with a small fan to keep the air moving inside. I'll probably pull up the fabric seat covers for our dinette and rear table, then remove the fiberglass seat covers underneath to expose the plumbing and tanks below to some of the conditioned cabin air. Oliver really needs to get their winterizing video back up. But thanks again for your tips. Dave