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For those of you that have made reservations, if you didn't let them know you were with the Oliver Rally or not sure, please give the campground a call back and confirm. We have the following discounted rates setup with the campground, lodge rooms and cabins. Special Rates Full Hookup RV Campsites – $20 per night Park-Side Lodge Rooms – $94 per night Bluff Side Lodge Rooms – $109 per night Lakeside Cabins – $132 per night For discounted rates, let reservations know you are with the Oliver Travel Trailers Rally (Group Code 7066) Lodge & Room Reservations (256) 571-5440 Camping Reservations (256) 571-5455 Letting them know you are with the Oliver Rally will also help us keep a headcount for meals and other accommodations. Looking forward to it!

Using 1 - 2 7/8" x 1/4" hitch pin and 1 - 9" Length of chain with links large enough to slide onto the hitch pin lock. Hitch pin slides thru pivet plate. Pictures will show details.

Also... I went down to Guntersville State Park last weekend. We did the Phase Two zip line tour. It was a ton of fun! The views were priceless! A few of the zip lines are about a half mile. This is pretty much the only one I didn't get all the way to the end and had to pull myself into.

And couple more: Quality eclipse pictures are not that easy to get, but these give you the idea.

Here are a couple of pix:

We were North of Sun Valley, Idaho, about 5 miles in, on a National Forest road. Very near totality and about a mile from the closest other camper. Ollie all tucked in at a great vantage point. Excellent trip. Totally comfortable and all the power we needed from the big batteries. We're getting used to how well Ollie works and like it more and more. Rough, steep and narrow gravel road coming in here, but we've been on this kind of trail before with Ollie and it's no problem. Four wheel low and just cruise along. We're on our way back now via Twin Falls and Ely Nevada. Just got back from visiting the old charcoal kilns near Ely and the fantastic railroad museum at Ely. Here's my report about the eclipse: We're on our way back from the forest north of Sun Valley/Ketchum, Idaho, and the eclipse. Sitting in the forest up there, pitch black except for the Milky Way and uncountable stars, a mile or more from anyone at nearly 7,000', I was reminded of how the animals live in the forest. Late at night I was sitting outside and listening to distant calls from unknown animals. Sometimes faint and sometimes closer. Echoing in the night. Was it a bird? A lion? Don't know. What was that rustling sound over there? A blush of cold air moves by. The pines hiss in the slight breeze. Very dark and unforgiving up there. Way out of my element. Sitting outside, taking it all in, with a bit of unease and catching a glimpse of how insignificant I am. Our dog Gogo is very alert in the night. She perks up and growls. Then listens and does it again. Minutes before, she was content and covered in a blanket, not a care. Now she's on duty and aware of something I can't perceive. As I come into the trailer for the night and bring Gogo in, I wonder, should I lock the door? The morning brings the eclipse. Camera and welding helmets ready. Watch the clock. What percentage is it now? Make some notes. Etc. About 20 minutes before total, the light is dimmer, but not softer. More gray instead of yellow. Less light, but not like evening with a yellowing of the color. Then it begins to get a bit cooler. Then the change accelerates. Every minute brings reduced light and cooler temps again. The insects disappear. A look through the welding helmet reveals about 7/8 coverage. Then only a sliver remains and it's time to get ready for the main event. Then the pace quickens even more and it gets dark! Not totally dark, and we were close to the center of totality, but about like a full moon night. Middle of the day and it's as dark as a full moon night. And it all comes on so fast at near total. A sunset proceeds at a linear pace. Not this. I look west. Miles and miles away I can see an orange glow. As I look west, it's the same affect as last light after sunset, but before total darkness. Dark where I am and a faint glow from the west, miles away. The sun now is just a ring. Prominences flame outward and appear beyond the moon's diameter. A black disk with an uneven ring of white. I fumble with my camera. I look around and burn in a memory of this night, err, this event. Then the diamond ring appears. As it does, the special darkness is about to end. My "extra" night is a short lived one. Then, there is more light, again, it's not a yellow light from a sunset or a sunrise, it's a dim light. A dim gray that quickly begins to brighten. Some giant in the sky has his hand on a dimmer and he's slowly rotating it to "bring up the light" in this particular theater. Soon, it's brighter still and the advancing sun reaches about 1/4 uncovered. By then the light looks nearly normal and the temperature begins to warm up. Soon after, the insects resume their work and the power of the sun becomes more apparent. The power of the sun is way beyond my comprehension. I've worked with it for years as a heat source and still marvel at it's power. My arm rests in the sun as I drive and feels too warm. I grab my hat before heading out to protect myself. And sitting in my chair I feel the temperature drop as the moon shades the earth. At 93,000,000 miles away, the sliver of light that lands on me is an incredibly small percentage of the energy projecting in all directions from that source, but it's enough to burn me and warm me and allow me to see, even at that distance! So, we got some nice pictures and had a fun trip to see this phenomenon. We truly experienced it. It's the second one I've been in. The first was way out at sea, somewhere in the Pacific in 1970 or '71. Not quite total, but memorable. We went about 300 of the 600 miles back today. Went through a rain storm south of Wells Nevada on the way to Ely. Lightening bolts striking the ground and curtains of rain. Tonight the air is fresh and we're in Ely for the night. Very quiet. Just got back from a walk marveling at the expansive desert. After dinner and a cookie, Gogo burrowed under her blanket and disappeared. I began to hear sprinkling rain and went outside to check it out. Yes, the rain caught up with us and is making things even more interesting. I love summer rain and we get a lot of it in Nevada. Bring it on! As I stood there in the darkness, after rolling up the windows, a brilliant white flash! Love it! Then seconds later the rumbling thunder talked about it. Guess I'll spend some more time out tonight, enjoying the power of the high desert in summer. It never gets old. Oh yeah, you can see some pix of the sun and the camp on Facebook. My page is John Roemer.

We just returned home from camping at Tellico Plains TN, Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground. Managed to take some eclipse shots!

Some of you have expressed interest in an attached RV storage bay. here is mine. We have only been in the house for eight months so it is still a work in progress. The house is 1850 sq ft, one floor and built on a slab. The RV bay, aka the Hanger Deck, is 16 feet wide x 16 tall x 43 long (outside wall measurements!) with 2x4 construction, so take off about 9 inches for inside measurements. The door is a commercial insulated unit with opener and it is 12 x 14 tall. It's sheet rocked (3/4 inch) and insulated, pre-plumbed for a gas heater high in back, and the three big windows up high face south, and they let in a LOT of natural light, but not enough to work the solar panels. There are four standard 110 v lights up high. I added 100 watt equivalent LED flood bulbs (with built in reflectors) for $40, and they are plenty bright for general illumination, but I am going to add extra lighting down low along the walls for working on stuff in the winter. I have plenty of room in the back part for lawn and garden equipment plus a 2 x 8 ft work/ reloading bench and industrial shelves. Plus there is a small workbench in front near the big door for extra light during the day time. The added cost was $30,000, but that included sheetrock and insulation in the other 2-car garage area, so it wasn't too bad. Around here smaller homes with attached RV storage are in very high demand as older folks get rid of the kids and downsize to homes that are easy to clean and maintain, and inexpensive to heat and cool. Commercial uninsulated indoor RV storage is $300 to $400 monthly in Spokane, so that can be figured into the cost analysis - but OTH having Mouse close at hand and out of the weather is priceless. Also I can use him as a guest bedroom and in case of a prolonged power outage. The gas heater pre-plumbing was extra, I can't recall the figure. I also paid an extra $1800 to have the walls primed and painted in white semi-gloss enamel, for reflectivity and ease of cleaning. They did not do any other prep or texturing. It really helps with the overall lighting. During the day it is brilliant and you don't need any lights. It stays reasonably warm in winter, but I will need to eventually add a heater. In summer it can get very hot. I crack the front door an inch and open up the attic access man-door (located in the rear of the ceiling) so the trapped heat naturally vents out through the roof and soffit vents. This lowers the inside temp to a comfortable level, usually. I close it and the doors in winter to trap any heat. The canoe rack and hoist works with Mouse inside, I just need to be really careful not to let it swing or have the big door open if it is windy. The main tackle is a Hobie cat 18 main sheet system, reduced to a 5:1 purchase; the outhaul which pulls the boat over so it will lie down onto the arms is cheap Home Depot rope and steel pulleys, since there is no real load on it. The canoe is a Wenonah Sundowner 18, old but it still paddles nicely on flat water. It weighs 70 pounds John Davies Spokane WA

Disk Brakes are sweet. But it's not all good. They are an expensive item and much more complicated. The electric over hydraulic control system with all new hydraulic lines run to the wheels, for instance. The installation of the hydraulic unit on the trailer somewhere. And the difficulty in getting replacement parts quickly and easily if needed. If you think you are going to recover the cost because you'll be getting better mileage, your only fooling yourself. Drum brakes, set up properly don't drag and if they dragged enough to cost mileage they would quickly burn up. Disk brakes do drag, but still not enough to cause a problem. Slight looseness in the bearings will cause much more drag with disks than with drums, so bearing maintenance is more important. In order to remove the hub to grease the bearings the caliper has to also be removed, which is an additional step, and it must be torqued properly when going back together. My drum brakes work very well now that they are broken in and I'm happy with them. Again, the simplicity, low cost, ease of getting parts and the ability for anyone to work on them are important factors for a travel trailer that could find itself anywhere. One area of improvement though is the ability to have anti-lock. If the new disk setup you choose has anti-lock, it would be a big safety improvement in bad weather, but again, even more complicated, with a computer to manage the system. Also, disks work better in reverse than electric drum brakes do, but that's not big factor in by world. I'm gonna stick with my drums even though they are an old fashioned and imperfect design.

There are many reasons Oliver wants to stick with one supplier for the running gear. I think Dexter makes an adequate product, but there are better sources for aftermarket stuff for brakes and suspension. But they cost big money and most buyers will never accept a premium suspension and brake package because, unlike in Oz, they do not see any value in it for cruising down a flat Interstate. So those that want it have to pay twice.... The fact that Dexter jumped onto the disc brake bandwagon a few years ago says that they know there is a solid market for them, at least for boat trailers where you end up replacing drums and all the innards every three or four years due to salt corrosion. I have been there and never want to deal with that hassle again. It is extremely frustrationg to know that you will have to spend so much routinely, and you constantly worry that the brakes will fail and kill you. Off topic slightly, Jason was "working with" Dexter to figure out a spring over axle swap for my trailer, for months, and then it all just faded into silence snd I gave up. This is really strange since Dexter offers the parts as a simple kit (new perches and ubolts). I think the project was killed off quietly behind the scenes. I believe that there is a lot more going on between Oliver and Dexter than we as customers will ever learn about, or need to. It can be frustrating but really, it is up to them and we should try to stay out of their business decisions. But it is so hard when some of us see how truly superior the entire Oliver trailer package could be, with better suspension, brakes and appliances.. John Davies Spokane WA

Those are incredible!

Try running a separate ground to the jack.

Drum brakes drag, costing you fuel, the more braked axles you have, the worse it drags. To test this, spin your wheels with the trailer jacked up. Properly working disc brake calipers retract the pads away from the rotors, so there is practically no drag. Some boat trailer owners have noticed significant mpg improvements. Also, you can inspect the pad and rotor wear easily, change rotors and pads without disturbing the hubs, and if a rear seal should leak, the grease does not get on the pads. A drum brake with leaking seal results in contaminated shoes ;( That's what happened to mine. Other than the high cost and the need to use an electric over hydraulic actuator and change the brake fluid every three years, there are no downsides. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, much more elegant than what I do. I have a 12" 2X6 that I set my plate on. Mike

2017 Colorado Journey - Part Two August 1st - so its time to head east and north. After visiting a nice little laundromat in Buena Vista, Twist found its way to a free creekside campsite on BLM land just to the west of Clear Lake Reservoir. Bigger fish can be found on a short stretch of creek east of Highway 24, but there are miles of Clear Creek to fish above the private land near the camp. Next up was a fairly short drive north on Highway 24 through Leadville to one of my favorite campgrounds - Gold Park. There is a very good coffee house/bakery right in the center of Leadville directly across the street from the city hall - and - they have a fairly good WiFi system for catching up on emails, weather and news. After Leadville, the remains of Camp Hale - this is where the US Army trained soldiers for alpine combat during WWII - can be seen just to the East off Highway 24 (when hiking in this area be careful in that there are still munitions here and there) . Gold Park is located about seven miles up Homestake Road. Situated on Homestake Creek all 12 sites in this camp are first come, first served. There is no potable water or electric but there is a pit toilet - all for $21 per night (half price - $10.50 for seniors). Get site 7 if you can! From this camp you can fish Homestake creek, day hike (or backpack) up to Missouri Lakes (my favorite), Fancy Lake or Holy Cross City (ghost town) and Cleveland Lake. These lakes are full of fish with Cleveland Lake holding many 20+ inchers. For serious "Jeep people" there is a jeep trail from right near camp all the way up to Holy Cross City. But - be prepared to lose you oil pan! What turned out to be the last fishing camp of the trip - Yeoman Park - was next. Yeoman is south of Eagle, CO - just head towards Sylvan State Park but take the "left" fork after the visitors center. There is a ton of hiking from here besides the fishing. Also, plenty of deer, elk and bear. Again, no potable water (if you stop at the Sylvan Lake Visitor's Center right near the end of the paved road and ask very nicely, they might let you fill your fresh water tank), no trash pickup, no electric, but they do have pit toilets and plenty of quiet for $4/night senior rate. The East Brush Creek is full of fish (and beaver) and gets relatively little fishing pressure other than very near the campground. What is usually an uneventful four day drive back to the mountains of Western North Carolina did have one pleasant surprise this year. Having left the Oliver factory fairly late in the afternoon I drove to Interstate 40 and began looking for a place to camp for the evening. North of Smithville, TN, Edgar Evans State Park is about 7 miles south of Interstate 40, 45 miles or so east of Lebanon, TN and about two hours drive west of Knoxville, TN. All sites have water and electric and most are on concrete platforms overlooking the lake. The bathhouses are clean and there is plenty of hot water. A couple of "final" thoughts - not surprisingly, the Oliver performed as expected all during the trip. This was the first time that I extensively used the furnace due to the amounts of rain and relatively low temperatures. Sure was nice to jump out of bed, hit the "heat" button, jump back into bed and get nice and toasty. Felt sorry for the "tent people". Also, another tip of the hat to everyone at Oliver. Virtually every person I've ever met in Hohenwald has been very nice. From the Office personnel to the Plant personnel they all go out of their way to make sure that things are the best that they can make them. Now to start planning next year's fishing trip in Wyoming. Bill

Extra supplies and gas! If you plan to travel to a viewing site in a more remote location, consider bringing lots of extra water, food, supplies and gas. If a small town is inundated with thousands of visitors, the market(s) and gas station(s) may run dry, and you could get stranded if your vehicle tank is low. Try to top up the fuel before entering the viewing area. I normally carry five gallons of gas for my generator. I am going to triple that for the Eclipse, in case I need to top up the truck. I also plan to return home via back roads since I suspect the main highways will be pure chaos. Happy viewing.... John Davies Spokane WA