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With "Roamy" home and in his storage place, I thought back to our first week of camping as we headed back to Florida from Hohenwald. We had wonderful times gazing out the windows at nature with morning coffee, dinners under the awning with fireflies and really peaceful nights of sleep. Being newly retired, I am still learning to slow down and relax so, this morning I decide to head out to the shop and build our first upgrade. So much for relaxing! Space being a premium, I want to give us some extra kitchen counter room by making a cutting board that would fit over the sink. In fitting out our Oliver we selected a flooring which emulates the deck of a sailboat. I wanted the cutting board to match that look. So with some quick measurements 2 5/16" for the darker strips and 1/4" for the lighter strips, I turned to the sink to get the overall dimensions inside of the raised aluminum band around the sink - 15" by 17". Looking over my wood supplies, I knew rock maple would be a great match for the narrow strips but the darker wood would be a challenge. I decide on American cherry knowing it would darken with age. Couple hours of milling, cutting, gluing, sanding and a few coats of mineral oil, my first upgrade was ready to use. Pictures below.

We spent last week visiting Big Bend National Park. It's one of the least visited National Parks and is somewhat off the beaten path. From Fort Stockton on I-10 you head south for about 3 hours. It is on the Rio Grande with Mexico in sight all the time. Even with the hot weather (low 70's at night, high 90's during the day) we had a great time. Lots of hiking, great views and no crowds! At times we felt like we were the only ones there. It's a fairly large park, bigger than the state of Rhode Island. This is at the end of the Boquillas Canyon hike. The bluff is in Mexico. This is where the Rio Grande enters a huge canyon that's been carved out of the mountain. After a hike to the top of the second highest peak (7550') this is the view down. It's called the Lost Mine Trail. Views are great all the way up and it's a nice little workout! We sat at the top and had some snacks and water while enjoying the view. At the other end of the park (western end) is the Santa Helena Canyon. Mexico on the left, US on the right. The upper water flow is the Rio Grande, the lower (muddy) is the Terlingua Creek emptying into the Rio Grande. You can wade through the Terlingua to the bluffs on the right and then climb up about a quarter of the way to a lookout platform. Another nice hike was Grapevine Hill. It's not too far, a couple of miles through the desert then some light rock climbing up to this balanced rock. Carol is enjoying the shade! It was right at 100 degrees when we made this trek. This is the view from the balanced rock looking back down at where the path goes back to the start through the canyon. We stayed in Lajitas, TX at a very nice, full hookup campground. There are three RV parking areas in the park, one has full hook ups. No reservations, first come, first served. If we do it again we will look at staying inside the park. None of the park RV areas were full. Peak season is November through April, so it may be more crowded. We think the Chisos Basin has the most scenic camping areas. It is surrounded by the highest peaks and is close to the start of the Lost Mine Trail. Most importantly, bacon was consumed!

When I ordered my Elite II in the fall of 2015, Oliver had just added the bike rack mount option. I ordered it and discovered later that most bike racks, mine included, are not intended to be used on the back of a travel trailer. In fact, such use voids the warranty. I discovered this after transporting my bike about 90 miles on my Saris bike rack on the back of the Ollie. I was a bit alarmed as I watched the movement of the rack and bike through my rear camera. I understand now why bike rack manufacturers say this is a "no-no". I usually take my Bike Friday folding bike on camping trips so I can fold it and put the bike in a bag that travels in the back of my tow vehicle. However, I'd still like to use a rack if I can find something that works. I would also like to consider taking my Felt Bruhaul, an electric cargo bike on some camping trips. It has a long wheelbase and weighs 52 lbs. It obviously won't fit in the tow vehicle and I don't think I could maneuver it through the door of the Ollie even if I would want to try to transport it inside (and I don't). I found this rack: https://store.lci1.com/jack-it-bike-carrier-retail-boxed. It looks intriguing. I could easily lift my Bike Friday and my wife's to use this rack, but not the Bruhaul. Any ideas?

Hello all. Like many I have been lurking here for some time but figured now was a good time to introduce myself. My name is Rodney, my wife is René. We currently live in the Southern Pines area of North Carolina. Our plan is to buy our Ollie in the next 12-18 months. We have never owned a trailer but I have spent a lot of time living outdoors and René has embraced camping these last few years which has been great for me. I will be retiring from the military next spring after 26 years. René is a retail pharmacy manager and to say we are both ready for a change in pace would be an understatement. Our long term plan is to move back to Michigan, seriously downsize our life and spend a lot of time touring this great country of ours. I have truly appreciated all the information shared on this forum. While buying an Ollie is a serious investment, I have always believed in making an investment in quality products once. The open dialog here has more than convinced me that Oliver will deliver quality. I look forward to learning more and hope that I can contribute along the line as well.

That's beautiful. It's very impressive. Will it stay in place in the sink recess during towing? Where do you plan to store it? That is half the challenge when you are building stuff for a small RV... John Davies Spokane WA

Foy & Mirna - Be careful, this is a slippery slope. But, what a beautiful and satisfying ride. Now you have the time to dream something up AND make it happen. You can complete projects and do them the correct way because "work" no longer gets in the way. You can spend time thinking of things like this and then literally make it happen. Nice job! Bill

Nice job!

The Ed half of our team found these stick on brackets and used 1/4 inch wood for the dividers. Customizable and pretty easy. The can be purshased here http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=74182&cat=3,43722,43743

Welcome Rodney & René :) You've made the right choice.

I was watching a blog where there was a pressuized outdoor solar shower, this guy puts the tank up on his roof rack and pressurizes it pneumatically or with a cycle pump. I'd never heard of that, but it makes perfect sense. And since he's getting a lot of pressure, i presume he must require less water...nice. https://www.amazon.com/Nemo-Equipment-Helio-Pressure-Shower/dp/B00ARHKLWS http://www.roadshower.com/ Kind of cool concept.

Randy, Maybe this sketch will make it more clear: The dip tube is the water pickup for the fresh water to the trailer. It is 5/8" OD and is currently what I have in my Ollie to pick up the tank water. The suggested modification to this would be to add a tank fill through the same tank port. This would be done by adding a 1" Tee around the dip tube with a 1' pipe that screws into the top of the tank. Then the dip tube would reach down through the 1" pipe Tee and on down into the tank to pick up the water, as before. The side of the Tee is connected to a fill pipe that goes outside and gets water poured into it. The incoming water enters the tank through the space between the dip tube and the inside of the 1" pipe. It's just a way of using one fitting for two purposes and I'm not sure we'll ever do it, but it's a nice idea if space is limited. Tank venting is still done with the stock vent.

Sounds like you are headed for some great adventures!! Enjoy!! Smiles....Kathy