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Here are some photos of our trip back to Arizona after Stan (our Tundra) finally got hitched with Ollie. As RV newbies, we had much to learn along our way back home. We picked up our Ollie (Hull #222) over a month ago and have finally been able to post these pics. Looking forward to many more adventures.

My water heater quit working on gas a couple of days after delivery. I did some basic troubleshooting and determined after ten minutes that the ignitor was not firing. The system would cycle on and off three times, then lock out with a solid red light. The overtemp switches were not tripped, and there was gas, which I proved by carefully sticking a long camp stove lighter in the burner hole. I clicked the lighter and the flame POPPED and whooshed out and burned all the hair off the back of my hand. Check, there is gas! Note to self: do not do this again... I called Jason at Oliver Service and asked if he could send me a replacement board so I could install it myself. He told me that they do not warranty the appliances and I would have to take it to an RV dealer for repair. Fine.... I found a new OEM module on Amazon for $79, and also a much better aftermarket one for about the same price, but it would require a new plastic cover. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0002MG2IK/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IY2Y0Y0X7RVZF&colid=1X5H11EH41351 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B007HRVXY6/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3LZPCEN833TPC&colid=1X5H11EH41351 Since it was going to be a warranty repair, and I am a confirmed cheapskate, I scheduled an appointment at a local shop in Spokane. They told me it would be three weeks before they could see me, and that they stocked a lot of boards for the Suburban heaters, so most likely they could fix it while I waited. I told them that I would be surprised if the job took more than fifteen minutes, and access to it was great. Three weeks later I showed up, checked in, watched with concern as they took Mouse away, and then I waited. Half an hour later I was called into the office. "The board is bad." ME: "Right, I knew that and I told your tech." "In order to do this under warranty we have to order a replacement board from Suburban, and it will take two to six weeks to get here, do you need the water heater to work before then?" ME: silence, counting to ten very slowly. "Sir?" ME: "I do need it to work on propane. Is there an alternative?" "We can install an aftermarket Dinosaur Electronics board, it is a much better part and has a five year warranty, and we have plenty of those in stock since the Suburban boards fail so often." ME: Sinking heart. "How much would that cost?" "The board is $129 and the cover is $10, and it will be $279 total with labor." ME: "I wish this was mentioned when I talked three weeks ago. Just put it back together and I'll order the part from Amazon and fix the heater in two days." "OK, fine, that will be $50 plus tax for the diagnosis." As I left, the tech who did the work told me quietly, "I left your old board on the floor at the entry, and I also left a used one that was in our junk box. We strip stuff like that off old water heaters when we scrap them. It will probably work fine for years. They sure did build your trailer nice!" I was floored and relieved, and my faith in mankind got a very small boost. I thanked him and left with Mouse, feeling a lot better. I got home, plugged in the board and the heater fired right up. Woohoo! My old (brand new) board that failed (water pump is to the left): The underside, showing the bottom of the fried resistor. The white foam strip goes on the PC board and keeps it off the mounting surface (the water pump and manifold assembly plate). If I had the notion, I could have replaced that resistor for less than a buck.... I don't know how I should feel about the dealer, their parts prices are _over_ MSRP and they sure try to screw you, but then the tech went way out of his way to make things right. He could have got into trouble with his boss, too. Moral of story: unless it is an expensive repair or you can live without a part for a long time, just fix it yourself or have a buddy do it for you. I hope to never go back to a dealer, ever. There is no way I was going to leave Mouse there, and then have everybody start crawling around inside, looking. John Davies Spokane WA

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/coffee-camping-staple-larry-mountainborn-harmon/

Great pics! I agree that the night shot with the sunset is gorgeous. Are those from a cell phone or something fancier like a DSLR? I used to carry a Nikon D40 on all our trips, but my iPhone SE takes such darned nice pics that lately I don't bother, but it would be better for landscapes, definitely. Tell us about your bear .... uhm, dog, please. He's a big guy. Does he sleep in the trailer or the truck? John Davies Spokane WA

I have a Reese hitch ball, and I occasionally put some multi-purpose lithium all over the ball, and slather the bulldog coupler nice..not only is it good for smooth operation, it might just help with that spring mechanism in the compression arm of the bulldog from oxidizing and rusting/corroding a bit. I personally think it is good maintenance, but I was raised by a helicopter mechanic and, later, corrosion technician...so good ole Dad would prefer that I slap some MP Lithium on there...so I do. My Nissan Titan XD Diesel has that sway control element, so says the brochure. All I know is that I've got it up to 78 on the interstate (must have been some good Dwight Yoakum on the radio) and the Oliver pulled smooth and true. I did slow down when he broke into a ballad. Vector

Great photos. Congrats on a wonderful first trip. I love this photo, particularly.. Safe travels, Sherry [attachment file=2017-06-17_19-42-50_326.jpeg]

Great pics! Glad you are enjoying it! Mike

twdavid - unlock and lower the hot water heater panel on the curbside exterior of your Ollie. The board should be in there. Bill

Looks like it was a great trip home! That sure is one hefty puppy you've got there. The picture along the Arkansas is certainly my favorite. Bill

Recently finished a 7,000 mile trip over three-plus weeks, and we were well taken care of by Ollie. No issues whatsoever, running the gamut from boondocking to overnights at KOA in all kinds of weather. Started in NW Florida, up to Utah through TX & NM, over to Yellowstone, Tetons, explored Wyoming, headed east through Montana, ND, and across to Canada at Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Quebec and ended in Downeast Maine. Will explore some of the Canadian Maritimes as best we can this summer. As a heads-up, the only thing that went unnoticed the whole trip- the nut that holds the spare tire cover on loosened up about 1/3 of the way over 7,000 miles. Worth checking now and then to make sure it's tight. (TV averaged 18.9 mpg for the trip)

Maybe I'm missing something, but that is 100%. When the batteries get to 100% charge at about 14.2 volts, the charger goes to "float" mode, which, if they are flooded batteries, is about 13.2 volts. Your reading is normal for full charged batteries that are just being maintained.