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One of our camping stops when we were touring Colorado and Utah last fall was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It’s not a large park but was well worth the stop. It’s called Black Canyon because the canyon formed by the Gunnison River is so narrow and so deep the canyon walls can appear very dark. The closest town is Montrose, about 15 miles away. We camped at the South Rim Campground which is just inside the park entrance and is at about 8,300 feet and easy hiking distance to the canyon. There are 3 loops in the campground, A and B for RV’s and Loop C for tent campers. Loop B does have 30 amp electric hookups at each site, no water or sewer. Picnic table at each site. Each Loop has a set of vault toilets and drinking water. Since they truck water in there is no filling of RV tanks and no dump station. Reservations are accepted for Loops A and B from the middle of May to the middle of September. We were outside the reservations window, so it was first come first served. We arrived mid afternoon and had no problem getting a site in Loop B (B15) with electricity which allowed us to run our little Vornado space heater since the nights got quite cool. We would have been fine with the furnace. $22/night or half with the senior pass. Both Loops A and B were full before dark. There are plenty of hiking opportunities and you can also drive the road along the canyon stopping at various pull offs to hike to the rim of the canyon. Maps, reservations and more information are on the park website. Mike

Here is some music you might like to go along with dinner. Stan

Paul's favorite holiday, and this year it's a Saturday! Hope all of you, wherever you are, have a fun and safe day. Time for me to get back to work on the Irish dinner for tonight...?????? Sherry

Happy anniversary and happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I remember going to a Dire Straits concert in Mannheim, Germany in 1979. Small venue. Their second album just released. Have been a Mark Knopfler fan ever since. Mike

There are over 36 miles of hiking/biking trails at Lake Guntersville State Park. If you'd like to go Biking or Hiking? Let us know which you'd like to do and what day/time you'd like to go. For more information on the trails, visit: http://www.alapark.com/lake-guntersville-state-park-hiking-trails

I had the opportunity to attend the FMCA ( Family Motor Coach Association) which is now opened to owners of travel trailers like the Oliver. If you haven’t join, I strongly suggest that you go to their website and see the advantages and benefits of being a member. I attended numerous seminars and was pleased learning of all the “issues”that are out there in the RV world and how Oliver seems to have managed to overcome most of them. Makes me happy I made the choice to buy the Oliver. I want to share some of the things I picked up which I think a lot of us can use Most of these tips came from Gary Bunzer also known as the RV Doctor. I am not promoting any product, just giving you what I learned. Tip 1 Tires: those products used on the tires in showrooms to make them look glossy are really not good to use in the long run. Suggest that instead use a product called 303 Protectant. Tip 2 Tires: on the wall of your tires is a DOT with 4 numbers. The first 2 are the week the tires were manufactured and the last 2 the year.. if you are buying new tires make sure they are “new”. You might think they are new because they might have never been used but they could be 3 or 4 years old and those tires have therefore deteriorated just sitting at the store. Tip 3 Propane system. Carry a spare regulator especially if you do a lot of boondocking.. a faulty regulator will not allow you to use your furnace, stove, refrigerator, hot water heater, and therefore ruining your trip. If one of your propane systems is not working but the others are, then it’s not the regulator. Tip 4 Battery service Three key words: clean dry and tight.. Recomend that use a product called Deoxit to put on all you connections..comes in spray and liquid form can be used on all your electrical connections Tip 5 Septic odors Helpful add ons for odor control A Install a 360 Siphon Vent Cap (from Lippert Components ) on the roof vent There is one already installed on the Oliver but don’t know what brand it is B Pure Power Blue ( made by Valterra) There are hundreds of products out there but this is the one he recommends after testing many C Eliminate the PTraps in the kitchen and sink and instead install a HepvO Waterless Sanitary Valve ( made by HepvO) this product will never fail and it also eliminates the ASTVD valve that allows air in the system to allow water to drain smoothly from you sink Tip 6 Sewer hose: Having test many sewer hoses the Wastemaster Sewer hose with Cam locks ( made by Lippert Components)is the best. You will never buy another hose again, It eliminates the bayonet style lock which is really old and should not be used. All commercial users who move any kind of liquids use the cam locks. this hose has a fully sealed shut off nozzle on the sewer side and a positive camloc attachment at the dump outlet on the RV ‘Tis is a solid , secure, leak free hose connection especially how the Oliver has the hose permanently hooked up . Suggest you see the video on how to install it a http://goo.gl/V2LWQ Hope it helps

Commamche, loved the song and the video. Thanks. Ridenfly, congratulations on your anniversary! St Patrick's is and always has,,/will be a big day in our house. We celebrated with a few dozen of our friends and family. It was a wonderful, fun afternoon and evening. Another camping season is upon us. I'm almost ready... Eirrin go braugh... Sherry

Easy on that cabbage - remember the bovine flatulence effect on the environment! Add a nice Harp's or Bass and what a meal it makes. Be safe though. Bill

Here's one you don't experience every day. We set up camp at Lake Griffin State Park near the Villages in Florida so we can visit with friends who live there. After getting everything settled we meet them about one mile from the park at a local restaurant/bar to enjoy some drinks, food and good company. While there, another friend of theirs also comes in and says "hey, there is a fire at the state park and they are evacuating the campground - all people and their campers". In a panic we set out to see if we can pull the Ollie out to guaranteed safety.....as we drive in that direction we see the billowing smoke and helicopters in the air. When we arrive we are stopped by a police office who declares no one can enter. Now we are left to wait and watch for another couple hours. In the end it turned out okay - no damage and no real evidence (other than smell of smoke in the air) that the fire got close to our campsite. We both laughed and said that in our previous camper we would have moved it to the site closest to the flames and hoped for the best :-) but not the Oliver!

I watched a stickie burn to the frame in Acadia NP a couple of years ago. It took about ten minutes. I am thankful that your Oliver made it out unscathed.

Don't worry about it! That is the real reason that Oliver put that insulation between the hulls! Just kidding - glad that all is OK. At least with the smell of smoke already in the air you will not have to have a campfire this evening. Bill