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13 minutes ago I'm sorry. I just don't get this aversion to the midwest. I grew up in New England, wentbto school in Colorado, worked fro Wyoming Game and Fish in the Tetons, grew oysters on the coast of central California, worked in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 2 year, run a pan-Caribbean ngo, and have worked for Florida Fish and Wildlife doing marine research in the Florida Keys for the last 35 years...all beautiful places...and I think the plain states are absolutely gorgeous. Have you seen the buffalo grazing in the tall grass prairie? Or watched a thunderstorm rumbling across the horizon? The thousands of cranes on the Platte? With all due respect, perhaps you could stop along the way from somewhere to somewhere else. You may just be surprised.

You probably know this, but it's not a good plan to skip the chains based on planning to simply sit out any snow events. There are some roadways where they're required to be in the vehicle all season long whether they're required to be on the tires at the moment or not, and you never know when you might get caught in an unexpected snow squall. You sound like a cautious and well informed individual so this is likely not necessary input 🙂 but it seems worth mentioning in any thread like this for folks who may not have spent much time in western states...

Thanks everyone! Very much appreciate all of the thoughtful replies. I change my mental list of options hourly at this point but I’m leaning toward keeping it simple - probably just solar and batteries. Subject to change by laying my eyes on shiny stuff and deciding I need it. All of it. After reading my eyes out on all the forums it occurs to me that the community of owners is possible the greatest feature. My wife and I have an old farmhouse with an exhaustingly busy Airbnb business (and full-time jobs) and it’s a ton of work fixing all the stuff that inevitably breaks around here. In that I’m mostly on my own. Might be nice for a change to have some experts to lean on for advice and guidance.

Every state has something to be proud of, surely. I do have a least favorite, but I won’t say which one so as not to offend Oklahomans.

Gosh - my place is better than yours. Ha. Perhaps I am unique - I grew up in Cali, NJ, Del, TX, LA.(The Bayou), and GA, and as an adult, employed in TN, MI, MO, MS, KY, NY, and LA. I have my own preferences, but honestly find joyous places everywhere we go - Although the slog across Kansas can be hard - I do love the straight- almost perfect Interstate.... I had a great time biking down the thump thump thump Route 66 in OK, and had a great beer n pizza in the HH stay in MO, and, and, and - well - not to mention all the other - from here to there, and back again. Honestly - the crowds this year put a big damper on the summer trips. If it weren't for the Oliver's great boondocking features, it would have been much harder to enjoy many of the places we like to frequent. The US is great from coast to coast- border to border. When the C-19 is behind us - I plan to spend more time exploring all of it - some twice, Bilbo won't have anything on us. If I'm lucky, I Might even stumble across Mr. Bah-humbug - somewhere in the west - as I would love to see some of the improvements JD has made on his Oliver. The Seattle area is a long haul for sure, perhaps western WA. Enjoy all.

Tractor Supply sells a nice little Champion 2K that weighs 37lbs and is very quiet. $399, we got one for $349 on sale. It’s been very reliable.

JD, I appreciate your feedback. Safety is important. I will review the cable runs to insure they have the proper clearance before we head out on a 3 or 4 week trip early in October. I really appreciate the help that you and Overland provided. I used a fiberglass snake when I pulled the Solar controller negative cable back to the basement just in case I had to pull it back to the battery box and reconnect it if I had too. As soon as I hooked it to the bus bar the b01/601 disappeared. Until I cabled the bus bar to the chassis ground, the voltage measure dropped and I was alerted by the VictronConnect application. I finished the connection of the bus bar to the chassis ground screw and it immediately read correctly. When I powered on the main circuit breaker, I was so pleased to see all the draws as I cycled a few switches including the Xantrex inverter. I know we will find it so helpful to know how we are doing when we have campsites where we are relying only on Solar. Thanks again to both of you. I hope to meet you both someday.

Just 10 minutes ago I took this pic and had to share. No, I'm not in the Oliver but the pic is from the deck of the beach house.

I've got chains for my truck. I need chains for one axle on the Oliver. I'm looking at something similar (cables) to the Peerless brand Jim mentioned from Security Chain Company: Security Chain Company ZT729 Super Z LT Light Truck and SUV Tire Traction Chain - Set of 2

I've used these on my Ford E250 camper van in very slick hard snow and ice conditions and they've performed well (I also put on good "snowflake" symbol snow tires with soft rubber and siping for the winter season). I used then this past winter after not having used them for a few years and it took about 5 minutes on each end for install and removal. Keep a big trash bag or some such handy to kneel/lay on while doing the deed, and perhaps some garden gloves or similar as well. These are easier and seem to perform better than the prior chains I used, which were actual chains (rather than cables) also with a rubber tensioner. Chains are no fun - no one loves dealing with them and they're noisy and you have to drive very slowly when they're on, but when you need them you need them! https://www.peerlesschain.com/brands/traction-product-choices/super-z/

Gee I meant Eastern, I've done both, prefer less population density.

Forgot to mention this thread on Alternate Plumbing Diagrams has some good updates from various Forum Members...

Neil, Here's an updated diagram I created to augment the 2019 EII Manual. This "might work" for your 2016, but given the changes often made, you may want to use it as a reference. I can send you a version for yours marked up if you find it's different in a 2016 after inspection. I have this as both a PDF and JPG...and can edit it for you as needed. Craig Short

I will say, nothing compares to the mountains, rivers, shorelines, geology and deserts of the western states . . . . . but then I am prejudiced, having lived most of my life in California, Oregon and Washington. We did spend an awesome night camped at Chimney Rock in Nebraska last summer. Had quite a thunderstorm go through during the night . . . . . you could hear the "boomers" coming from miles away . . . . . and then there was wind. . . . . . . and trains . . . . all night long . . . . . and a rattlesnake that rared up and scared the you-know-what out of my husband as we were exploring the Pioneer Cemetery at the base of Chimney Rock. . . . . . . It truly was an amazing trip 😁

Congrats!!!! You will love it! The info from the forum is invaluable and the people are the best!

Enjoy your time at the beach; however, it's just not the same without you at Lake Guntersville. Duke & Chris

A big Congrats on your order! Welcome, and right now is a great time to get busy reading and learning, and becoming familiar and comfortable navigating through Oliver University. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gathered at Oliver U! The videos are also very helpful. Your taking delivery at a nice seasonably warm time of the year, very wise! We spent an extra few days at the campground that Oliver provides a complimentary one night stay at. I highly recommend you consider this as it will give you time for a “shake down” of your new Ollie. If you have any issues they can be addressed while you are still close to the mothership before heading home. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and a great group of owners really willing to help with questions. One other note, Oliver was spot on with our delivery date this past June. -David

I agree. Keep it as light as possible. We have a 2008 elite "shorty." We travel with some empty cupboards.

Hi Lexi, thank you to you & Oliver! As a quasi event planner in a previous life, I learned to capitalize on someone else's legwork. My suggestion is to find out where other RV groups hold their rallies & go from there. We're heading west next year & hope we can work this into our itinerary!!! Chris

I don't own a Ollie yet, but very, very interested. I would love to come see some Ollies and meet some of you great people. Larkspur, CO (Jellystone) is centrally located, with great major highway access. I have been to the renaissance festival there. Fort Stevens is also a beautiful place, with some great history around it.

A big part of my fascination with the Midwest is probably my upbringing on the Minnesota farm. Seeing and hearing the corn grow, eating tomatoes and peas fresh from the plants in the huge garden.Riding the tractor with Dad, tending chickens with Mom. The amazing smell of new cut hay. Riding my pony, and the odd calf... Fording the usually shallow creek between us and nearest neighbors, chasing butterflies, finding tiger lilies and lady slippers in the woods.. The barn dad built from lumber he cut and milled himself still stands. He always told me I helped, but all I did was paint very low boards, and pull nails for him... I was six.but I sure loved being there with Dad. Life on the farm was pretty simple, but rich. We depended on each other, our family, and our neighbors. None of us had a lot, but we all had about the same...as my childhood friend Rose says, we had no idea others had more, so no big deal Those farm years, before we moved to "town", gave me a huge appreciation for life, green, and simple. I'd love to go back to those days. Easy, no. My parents worked unbelievably hard. Satisfying, certainly. And that big prairie sky... I remember laying under the oak in the pasture, watching the clouds. Imagining the rest of the world on the cloud figures. Since then, I've been lucky enough to see a lot of the world. But, you know, those cornfields are pretty darn amazing, too. Sherry