Leaderboard

Thanks everyone. We arrived in Carlsbad this afternoon after leaving Fort Worth this morning at 4:30. We left our campground early as we didn't want to be in the Dallas area during the storm. The weather here was going to be comparable to Dallas and we do have reservations here and going forward. Going back south wasn't in the cards. Oddly enough our next, longer stop, in Benson, AZ wasn't going to be much warmer. We knew when we planned this trip we would face some cold temps and some below freezing. We don't mind that. We knew there was a chance we might face single digits this far south but were hoping to avoid it. 20s and high teens at night yes. We drove 475 miles today to get here. Our temps tonight are above freezing and during the day tomorrow will allow us to winterize if we can find antifreeze, the local Wal-Mart doesn't have any. I hopfully we will be able to keep the trailer and our selves warm. We bought our Ollie to travel like this and see parts of the country we had not seen yet. This is part of the challenge and learning we are experiencing. Because we are traveling in the off season we are able to get into lots of sites with fewer crowds. The Stampede in Fort Worth was cool and even the gunfight was fun. We are seeing different scenery. The Silos in Waco and Austin nightlife. The drive across west Texas was cool. Oil and gas fields, wind farms in Sweetwater, solar fields and some incredible wide open sky scenery. Once the snow and ends we are going to Carlsbad Caverns and up to Roswell. We will hopefully stop st White Sands on the way to Deming and Benson. Our pup Baxter goes with is most everywhere.

I'm out in the eastern Sierra Nevada high desert for three days. I wanted to see how the Oliver does in these conditions. Cold temps and windy! I'm dry camping, running everything on propane. I put the fridge down to #1 and it's fine. I've set the furnace to run at 58 degrees or so, which keeps it comfy enough inside. When I got the site on Monday afternoon the lithiums were at about 85% SOC. Now on Wednesday morning they're at about 62%. I can feel some cold air coming in from the windows, but not too much. Benton Hot Springs is definitely off the beaten path. There are 11 campsites, each with it's own hot tub. Hot mineral water is piped in from a nearby spring. If I'm outside, I'm in the tub to stay warm.

A dry bath in a small camper is comprised of some "expensive" real-estate given how much actual time is spent in that shower versus that same space's other possible uses. Yes, I know of a number of people that use the shower as a storage closet, but, of course that means cleaning out the closet/shower each time you would like to use it for wet purposes. The Oliver is my first camper with a wet bath and I didn't think that I would actually be happy with it - but - I am now. The fiberglass is very easy to clean/wipe dry and the space used for the closet is much more practicable. Bill

Thanks to all who responded. I did jack the wheels on the curb side off the ground today to unload the suspension where two zerks weren't accepting grease. One zerk took grease, but one did not, so I will replace it to see if that solves the problem.

Just a real surprise to us. When we bought our first Airstream, Cousin to Oliver, in 2006 we began at a RV Park in Boulder City, Nevada. The RV Park in Boulder City was NOT the big surprise. What we FOUND to be a quirk in International Travel Trailer rentals and having this RV Park as their last stop, was a surprise. When the content travelers returned,from their USA Adventure... with the Rental RV needed to be left clean and empty... they had, also, purchased all the other necessary supplies and hardware for their time spent camping. So far, so good? Good for us. The surprise was made when I was taking a bag of Trailer Trash to the dumpster.... there was all this 'good stuff' siting around the dumpster. Left as the foreign traveler's could not haul it TO the USA, nor haul it OUT of the USA on an Airplane. I am never embarrassed. My wife, maybe... but I am sly and often the trash hauler to the dumpster, anyways. Even a Tent. Propane Grill. Cylinders for the Grill. If you liked Easter Egg Hunts... you and I are among company. As I am an opportunist when it comes to finding "one man's trash is another man's Treasure"

You'll be in our neck of the woods, Cochise County. If you haven't already been there, Bisbee is about 1/2 hour south and well worth a visit. Tombstone is about 1/2 the way to Bisbee.

Over the decades, we've rented or delivered rental rvs to many locations. Many rv rental places used to have "sharing" areas. People left food, grills, propane canisters,, etc. If we found something there, like a nice grill, we'd return it at the end if our trip. (Our friend who has a rental rv company in Alaska eliminated the sharing table, at the suggestion of his insurance company.) We've benefited from grills, spices, etc., in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Like @Steph and Dud B, we've given a lot of things away at last or next to last night. Usually to tent or van campers close by, or that we've met in the common area. In Alaska, on our multiple delivery trips, we stop at my cousin's cabin near Denali for a few nights, to help her with projects and catch up. We offload chairs, grill, blankets, extra groceries, etc. What's open, she uses. The other stuff, she takes to her church, where it get distributed to those in need. We keep just enough to keep us going for a final night at Lake Matanuska, where we have a picnic table, so no chairs necessary. A side story. We camped one time with friends from Minnesota. One of their chairs broke, we had three, so we gave them one of ours. It became the "traveling chair," and we got photos from fun places of "the traveling chair." A few years later, we met them on a trip to Alaska. They returned the chair. It went on several thousand miles to my cousin in Alaska, went home to them in Wyoming at the end of season, and the saga continues. Some things are just plain fun. This well traveled chair is one.

Never underestimate the utility of the first crock pot - my trusty cast iron Dutch oven's. I enjoy the journey and the process. My triumph - wonderful sourdough bread and a great gumbo. All in the back of beyond. Oliver just sat and watched - voltage be darned. RB

As a professional tent camper - semi retired - we continually refined our process. The Oliver simply made it much easier to leave at a moment's notice and was so much more home like. Having parted ways with Ollie - I remain comfortable in the tent/backpacker mode. My SO, not so much. As I usually cannot/don't desire to leave home without her --- the answer is obvious............ Oliver camping is like home - but with different views

Although it's certainly not a prerequisite, I do think tent camping experience helps you to avoid carrying extra stuff, manage power and water, and, truly appreciate the extra comfort of a trailer. We treat our Ollie Elite like a,warm, dry tent on wheels, and it has served us well for 14 seasons. The smaller Elite is snug, but I can cook, use the bathroom, and shower inside when I want to. And, oh, so much more comfy than a tent in cooler temps. I remember frost inside my tent in the 20s and 30s and wishing I didn't have to get out of my sleeping bag, in a tent. Now in shoulder season, I just reach over, kick up the furnace, and life is really good! At my age, my arms are "too short" to push off the ground and an airmattress, easily. There are still times i wouldn't mind enjoying the simplicity of tent camping, though. Still our daughter's camping mode of choice.

I still like the old Boy Scout meals we made at camp outs. Can green beans, carrots, sliced potatoes. Butter gound beef made into a patty. Wrap it up in heavy duty aluminum foil. Throw it into the hot coal’s wait 20mins eat right out of the foil wrap. 👍🏼

Tent camping…. I took my camping partner tent camping once right after we got married. We laugh about it now, but didn’t then. After that trip it took 40 years to talk her into looking at a trailer, initially aluminum but ultimately fiberglass. Now she’s an experienced, enthusiastic camper. Mike

We haven’t lost anything and we haven’t had anything taken. Neither do we carry anything of value. We feel pretty safe in a campground with leaving chairs, table and grill outside. When isolated I put the grill away at night in the truck to prevent curious wildlife. A thief isn’t going to drive around BLM land looking for an isolated camper for something to steal. They are interested in higher density targets with an easy get away. Memory is a different subject….. Mike

Campsite favorites... Simple, just a few ingredients... often involve the campfire or grill... or maybe something you bring partially prepared from home... What's cooking at your campsite? Paul's Awesome Flank Steak... His claim to fame... Easy & delicious. 1. Go to Sam's club or your favorite meat market. Buy a nice flank steak (or two, as they usually come packaged at Sam's) 2. Lay out each steak on the cutting board and poke with a fork about thirty or forty times on each side. (Two reasons... tenderizes, and accepts more marinade.) Trim any excess tallow. 3. Get out your favorite marinading container... flatter the better, with a tight seal... Or a gallon Ziploc bag. Grab a bottle of your favorite marinade... Ours is Lawry's Teryiaki with Pineapple. Layer a little marinade on the bottom of the dish. Add a flank steak. Cover the top with a thin layer of marinade. Repeat if you're marinading more. Put the lid on, or zip it up. Swirl around, gently. Put in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, turning the steaks every 12 hours. The longer you marinade, the stronger the flavor. Three days is about max. 4.Fire up the grill. Grill for about 5-7 minutes each side... They're thin... not a lot longer unless you're a well done fan. 5. Put the cutting board in a rimmed cookie sheet to keep the juices off the counter or table. Slice thin, on the diagonal, with a sharp knife and enjoy. Great with pasta, baked potatoes, or roasted red bliss & veggies. Figure about 1/3 pound per person... or a half pound if you're really hungry!. Leftovers are great on a salad the next day with croutons, onions, and bleu cheese. We grilled this tonite, and really enjoyed it. Hence, the post. What's your favorite campsite recipe? Sherry

We found inexpensive Costco $99 100 watt panels an easy upgrade to Solar Power when Boondocking. When purchasing our last Airstream, a cousin to the Oliver, we had two 80watt panels installed on the roof and a pair a AGM Interstate batteries that have worked perfectly since 2016. Five years is nothing. We had factory Solar on a 2006 and the AGM Batteries were fine when we sold it in 2014. The Solar Panel sold at Costco cost $99 and come with the Controller and Wiring directly to my AGM Batteries. I wire the + on one battery positive terminal and the - on the negative battery terminal. I am not an Electrician, but it works and made sense to run the wiring among both batteries. It worked in 2019 and still working when the portable panel is brought out, plugged into the, already set up connection from Airstream with connecting plug on the external Battery Box. The controller is wired within the battery compartment. I put the controller into a plastic bag, and seal it from water, dust and vibration against the batteries. We did this in our 2014 Airstream that had NO Solar. It was expensive to add by the Dealer. For $99, wired up the 100 Watt panel and... never had any 12 volt problems and kept fully charged with plugging in the Solar Panel once parked. The panel I would move with the Sun when sitting around the trailer. When hiking... set it with some idea of the direction of the Sun. (Yes... we are not City Slickers lost without Common Sense.) Two Panels.... 200 watts for $200. The Costco Panels are heavy duty standard panels... and the included Controller makes it all... WORK. I show some examples of how a Milk Crate with some rocks in it works. You can also make a portable stand. I use the milk crates to store a five gallon water jug in the back of the tow vehicle. The Solar Panel has a + and a -. You have to keep that in mind when wiring onto the Controller. It has a Green Light diode glowing for fully charged and a Yellow when charging. The wires seem thin, but obviously work from the Controller to each battery terminal. I can have the trailer in the RV Garage and have a long cord for the Solar Panel, lean it into the Sun... and Presto... charging. Also charging using the electrical outlet. Write your name in Magic Marker on ALL SIDES and the BACK of the panel. The panel is of no value, without the Controller for a Thief. We often park Off the Grid and hike from the campsite. The tow vehicle is attached... only for convenience. This works. Your inside monitoring system will show the charge and the Controller will be glowing yellow when the batteries need... some.... Zap. This is not for those using AC, Television and 110 volt appliances. Boondocking. We have not used our AC's. Our televisions. Works great for 12v radio. Spend $100 or $1200 for a roof panel setup... and if you double your panels... $200 for saving $1000 and more? I may be old... but even anyone older than 14 years old can figure this one out. I used an orange extension cord the first time for the older Airstream. Used the Male and Female plug for wiring and fifteen feet of orange cord attached to the panel. It worked. Someone may have more to add. I am not complaining. It is my hard saved money... and you may feel the same. Cousin Airstream may be different... but we all share a common thread. Using our trailers to the best of our ability.

An Oliver is 100% capable to Tent Camp. An Airstream is 100% capable to Tent Camp. A Tent is NOT 100% capable to Oliver or Airstream Boondocking. Everything your trailer has... a tent camper... has NOT. We have never used our microwave with Power access or without Power. We remove the microwave always and use the empty space to store loaves of Bread and Doughnuts. Ahhhhh. Apple fritters, blueberry doughnuts... you know. Camping "Health Foods". We added a sliding curtain over the opening and webbing to keep things from bouncing out onto the floor. Works. If you do not need the space, leave the microwave where it is. Store things inside of it. Much easier. If you can manage to Tent Camp just one season or five years... you will be able to OllieDock. You have a home on wheels. Your tow vehicle is independent, once the trailer is detached from the trailer. Find a convenient camping site, detach and explore with your Tow Vehicle. Secure the hitch with a locking unit is your important 'protection'. We never LOCK the front door of our trailer(s). If someone wants to steal the... microwave... OK. Just do not mess up the front door or break window to gain entry. A thief may discover your clothes do not fit. The microwave is too small. The hats support the wrong sport... What do you think a Thief wants to take from your Trailer, anyways. Probably tools. Most likely the... doughnuts and Apple Fritters. The damage on your thief entering... will exceed the value of your hats and screwdrivers. So many trailer owners are nervous about camping all... alone. You live and leave your HOME every day, don't you? How often is your Home Missing Anything? Rarely. It is even safer isolated Off the Grid Boondocking at remote locations. Why? Because people who are also camping or live in the area... wonder what YOU are doing there. Everyone is watching the other... by choice. The 'bad guy' is even more nervous as anyone who is camped in the 'Boonies' may be armed, have a dog or two... or has a bad attitude when a person is wandering around the area. We have never had our Tent broken into by a human. Field mice, yes. They will eat into your tent if they sense edible food within. Yep... don't leave food in your TENT. We have never had our Trailer broken into by a human... or Bear... or Field Mouse... or Snake... or a Human Being. This is overblown expectations made by those at Commercial Campsites and having a bicycle sitting outside overnight. Big problem... but not where you Boondock. Our bicycles are worth about $25, heavy and a bit beat. Good tires, though. What CAN You Live Without... when away from civilization? Are you a bit nervous being out in strange places? Do you imagine furry animals wanting you as a quick meal? Afraid of a Rattlesnake climbing the front steps to curl up with you... in bed... to keep warm at night? The 'Boogieman' was what we imagined was in the closet when young... waiting to... GET You. Have a Walking Stick... made from a Beaver Dam Lodge that is about five feet long and large enough diameter to hold comfortably in your hand. Carve you name onto the top, in case you forget your first name. Everything in the Forest or Desert is more afraid of YOU, than you are of THEM. Heck... I am keeping my distance from YOU. That is how it works in No Place, No Where. It is safer than parked on a City Street, anytime. Anyone who Boondocks is assumed to have experience, afraid of nothing, chases Brown and Black Bear away with a pot and pan banging together... while eating a Blueberry Doughnut. ...and no one messes with a woman with a five foot club... Makes camping with your trailer wonderful. My sweetheart can take care of herself and I know who is Boss. You will too.

I see some Threads about where to store or hide your 'VALUABLES" when OliverDocking. Worried about losing your Tow Vehicle? Your Trailer? What are you considering... valuable. Your... clothing, shoes, sheets on the bed, Dometic Refer, Cook Top, Microwave, Tires and Wheels... the $1,000,000 in Cash kept in a coffee can in the Pantry? Your sweat pants? Even crooks have standards... clothing is not among their choices. Ask your Insurance Agent what issues has he had reported about Trailers and Losses. Probably: Portable propane cooking outdoor unit. Bicycles. Ice Chest. Weight lifting set? Credit Cards are cash. Cash is optional, but some needed according to YOUR experience. Worried about a thief taking your loose Rolex watch? Gucci Purse? Gold coins laying around on the kitchen table? Stacks of cash left on the couch? What are you concerned about losing when camped in Remote Locations? This is a City Problem... not a Rural Problem. A City Newspaper content is not like the Kemmerer, Wyoming newspaper content. Don't confuse the two or three... or the National Forest Service warnings about leaving trash outside for Bear and Coyotes to leave scattered across the field. We have never had a single item missing, taken, evaporated, beamed up into a Spacecraft, had visitors drop in for Dinner uninvited or anything else when camped Off the Grid. Newbies... have an imagination that Alfred Hitchcock can manipulate... on the home television. Those programs are made up to get your attention. They are fake stories, not real. They are intended to get your attention, so you will watch the long series of Commercials selling makeup and loose fitting underwear and better razor blades. A Honda Generator sitting outside, under a tree... is a "TAKE THIS HOME" invitation to the one Thief driving by on the 'main road'. When not in use... put it into your tow vehicle. If you need a Generator, you probably should not be OliverDocking, anyways. We figured that out the first year. A SOLAR SYSTEM is far superior... and harder to steal, since thieves do not carry tall ladders around in their junker mini pickup. Think like a... Thief. If you are driving around the Forest or Prairie in the Rocky Mountains and see an isolated Trailer sitting in the trees... what would you want to... steal? Really. Are you looking at the tires and wheels, which would not fit their compact car. How about the mattress... yuck. Used. What then? Leave the door unlocked in the forest. Are you going to break into the trailer and then look for... bacon and bean soup cans? Ice cubes. Valuable gold jewelry? A television worth about $25 fenced in town to an undercover policeman? What? There is nothing in our trailer I would want to steal, break into or worry about being taken. I may not even notice it missing after two or three trips. TOOLS are hot items. Chainsaws. Honda generator. Overpriced Ice Chests, Propane cooking units... sitting outside. Can't hide them... so when leaving a campsite, put them in the back of your tow vehicle OR on the side of the trailer where they cannot be seen by someone driving by... which could be YOU... if the mythical thief is browsing visually. If at a campground... after Sunset... now you have something to consider. During the day at a campground... some risk, but your neighbors are watching for unusual activity... like YOUR walking around with your Dog, looking harmless and not browsing the wildlife eating off the picnic table of cold hot dogs and buns. Just relax. We could afford to lose some junk. Better yet... leave that stuff at home. Stuff has weight and your tow vehicle is already at MAX. Camping and having stuff laying around like a Garage Sale is not a good idea. Have Fun. Do not Worry about what will probably never happen to you. If it does... let us know. What have you lost? Me... my memory.

I know there has been discussion on the forum about Space X Starlink and how it is tied to a location. According to the attached article, there will now be a new premium service that allows mobility of their service….if you have the cash. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/spacex-starlink-premium-satellite-internet-tier-at-500-per-month.html

Thanks Mike. We are at the KOA north of Carlsbad and staying at Karchner Caverns after a Harvest Host stop at a winery in Deming on the way to Kartchner. The folks at this KOA are terrific and the park is well maintained and clean. Too bad they are remodeling their kitchen as we have heard the bbq smoked on site is terrific. We were planning on some. Thanks for the info, we are hoping to stop at White Sands Park on our way to Deming. We may check out that middle range!!! We were told about Karchner by a camp host at a State Park in Destin FL. Thanks again!

Carlsbad Caverns is fun. We stayed at the KOA there for a couple nights several years ago. If you have time, there are some good sites to see at Guadalupe Mountains National Park not far away. If you are staying overnight in Roswell, we like the Red Barn RV Park. Small, owner is very friendly (Leigh). Just outside of White Sands Missile Range is Aguirre Spring BLM campground. You drive up from about 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet in just a mile or two. The views are tremendous, you can see White Sands National Park from there. We were just camping in Benson a couple weeks ago, at Kartchner Caverns State park. If you don’t have a place yet it’s worth a look. If you like wineries, there are several good ones in Sonoita, AZ about 35 or 40 minutes from Benson. Callaghan Winery is our favorite. Mike

Or, if you don't mind it dark inside - you can buy some Reflextic (See Here) and cut it to fit for each window. No drafts (if you cut it correctly) and even a slight increase in insulation. When you don't need the Reflextic you simply store it under the mattress. Bill

OK - all you Boy Scouts out there! Which one of you put that can of Dinty Moore in the fire without opening the can first?😇

Spam. Meat in a can. Tuna and Sardines, too. When I was working, part of my job was tent camping. OD Green canvas tents in Germany, Netherlands, and west Texas mostly. Sometimes I attached my OD Green canvas to someone else’s and we had a proper tent. Sometimes I just attached it to the side of the small trailer being towed behind my Jeep. Sometimes the tents were big enough for more than a couple of people and there are memories of sitting around on the ground or the side of a cot eating Spam, tuna, sardines on saltines, maybe some baked beans. The little C-ration can opener shared the chain with your dog tags. Some of those camping trips were pure misery but the Spam memories are all good. Mike

Apparently Spam has been popular in Hawaii for a long time. I crave and eat crispy fried Spam every once in awhile in spite of facing ridicule and abuse from certain family members. I have a case stuck in a corner of my closet for emergency rations.

I had my wife pickup two cans on Spam and we took it on our last camping trip. I cooked it as a snack on the grill before dinner and all the guys thought it was great with their beer and drinks. All being said, it has been some 30 years ago since I had eaten Spam, tasted just like I thought it would taste, the guys said we should do it again as a pre dinner snack. trainman

I have the biggest shower, it is located in the campground restrooms, why would you want to shower in a 3x3 area. Ok, I know many would not use the campground shower because they have "Cooties". trainman

For those possessing a bit of 'Trust' and a bit of 'Skepticism / Scepticism' of fellow man... is why insurance companies exist. The Insurance Industry covers that Middle Ground of making one whole and the other, the premium payer, more whole. Spelling differs depending on what kind of Skeptic or Sceptic hemisphere you are from. So can you... Insurance using a Magic Marker. A Camp Thief will avoid any item(s) with a NAME, permanently printed onto an object of some value... if the name is not the same as his. You cannot sell a lot of items at a Garage Sale in town, if everything has different names. You can not identify your folding chair without positive identification. Even if you are sitting on the chair and recognize the big dent on the side from a strong wind tossing it onto the side of a large rock. Spell your last name correctly. Print so anyone can read the letters. The Greek Alphabet and Roman may not agree in North America. Make it so the name you apply is visible. You can use DINGO as long as you can remember that everything was marked DINGO and have at least one photograph as an example. It can be your last name, like Smith...? Or Jones? Maybe Ford? We had a gift when we purchased our First Travel Trailer. Two pink Flamingos. When our friends were going to meet us later in the day at an Off the Grid campsite in NW Colorado, we planted one Pink Flamingo just off the road, for the turn to the campsite. A car slowed down, plucked our Flamingo out of the ground and drove off. We saw the dust and the departure of the vehicle and Flamingo. The second Flamingo had our NAME on both sides... written in black magic marker. Problem Solved. We do not wear Jewelry when Off the Grid or camping or fishing or rock climbing or rock hunting or.... you are catching on. DON'T or avoid wearing jewelry Off the Grid. I have a metal detector. I find what you will lose. An old Tent Camping site with some rusted tin cans was the first sign. I looked to see where I would place a tent for afternoon shade and morning Sun. Took out my metal detector. Something detected at aluminum. It was a 14k gold woman's size wedding band in Nowhere Utah. That was 12 years ago. Still have the ring... in a small carton in a drawer at home. Do not swim with rings or a necklace in a lake or swimming beach. As metal detectors can be put onto a FLOAT of styrofoam and lost objects are easily discovered under one to five feet of water. Ignore these thoughts if you will. If you lose something.... valuable that should have been stowed away safely... bring a metal detector. I do. I have even found Paper Currency while metal detecting... it is interesting what you can find when looking. Safe and Wise are four letters. So is Lost. Important letters. Stolen... five letters. Be SMART... another five letters. ...and Happy Campers you will be.

Fargoman - Another thing you could try on that "plugged" zerk is to take a small punch or nail set and gently tap on the little ball at the end of the zerk. Perhaps a little spray WD-40 or Liquid Wrench in that area would also help. On the other hand - zerks really aren't very expensive and are easy to replace. Certainly not worth going to too much trouble in trying to repair one. Good luck! Bill

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2758-how-to-wire-cable-clothes-line-full-cabin-length/ FYI All of my modification threads can be found by clicking the link in my signature, which appears after every post. John Davies Spokane WA

@Landrover, I know! I still love "hobo" dinners, made that way. (That's what we called them, back in the day. ) Great memories. Once in awhile,, when we have a group, I'll slice and dice, put stuff out, let folks pick a mix, help the newbies fold and seal, and away we go. It's also a great way to heat leftovers, when you don't have a microwave. A bit of leftover chicken or steak, sliced, with veggies and seasonings becomes campfire fajitas. Or, a fun facsimile thereof. I, too, love playing/cooking with fire.

I thought about this thread today. A bit of my camping cooking sometimes starts at home . Chicken tenderloins were on sale last week at the market, so I picked up a big package . I froze a few packets (vac packed, flat on a cookie sheet) of raw, for campfire or grill. I seasoned and cooked a few, for quick salads, or protein for tacos, burritos, jambalaya, etc on rainy days. I'll vacpack and freeze those, 2 up. 1 each is more than enough protein. I chopped all the veggies while those cooked, and I'll make gumbo and freeze a quart or two, tomorrow, and use up the rest of the chicken. My vac pac machine was pretty inexpensive, on Amazon, but it keeps my bulk purchases from freezer burning pretty well. I also use it to make up seasoned burger patties, seasoned steaks and chops, sometimes marinated meats. The advantage is, I know exactly what's in everything, and no unknown seasonings to mess with my allergies, less sodium, no added chemicals. Our tiny freezer in the Truckfridge only allows for so much frozen food, so I freeze flat, for stacking. You folks with the bigger freezers can hold more.

It has been three hours and nobody has spoken up. I have never camped in those temperatures. I will say this: if your plumbing actually freezes hard, you are WAY past the point where you can do anything about it, except to hope for the best. You can’t drain your tanks and you can’t get anitifreeze to flow through jammed check valves and plugged lines. In your shoes, I would do a complete winterize now, and then don't stress. Otherwise you might be OK, or you might not be OK, but regardless, you are going to really worry about it. Once your rig is safely winterized, if the weather turns extremely nasty, you can find a Motel 6 for a couple of days, and turn off all the systems in the Ollie. (be sure to bring in any freezable liquids.) There is the saying - there are bold pilots and old pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. Now is the time to do this, while you have full hookups. Later, en route in worsening weather, it will be much harder. Read this: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5185-extreme-weather/ Stay safe, stay warm. John Davies Spokane WA

There is NO substitute for having the proper tools to do the job. Get the 4WD, even though you "plan" to stay on pavement. You'll thank us someday.

This may or may not help you as our awning is a manual awning on our Ollie. Our awning would close all the way on the front of the trailer but would not close all the way at the rear of the trailer. The rear end of the awning would stick out about about 2". I spent days making various adjustments to the retracting arms as directed by the manufacture. That did not solve my problem. Finally I noticed that the awning material edge, when being closed, would not track back onto itself and instead would wind up to the side of the previous rotated layer. At the end of the closure the material would be a couple inches to the side of the first rotation. I solved my issue by opening the awning all the way and pulling the awning material, at the roller, to the side. After doing that I notice the awning material would wind in exactly onto the previous rotation of the material and both ends of the awning would be closed as they should be. Good luck in solving your issue.

Thanks all for the feed back. I am considering all points made here. Given the outrageous asking prices and lack of availability of new trucks maybe I should just get my current F250 6.7L (that I already own that easily pulls the trailer without an Anderson hitch) own cleaned and detailed so its like a new truck. I am going to think on this some more. Imelda

Dewdev, Any state parks in Florida especially those on the coasts need to be booked well in advance. I made reservations in March and April and had very limited choices and in some instances needed to move sites within some of the campgrounds. I believe Florida State Parks allow reservations at 11 months for out of state residents. You might want to check on this as I am not 100% sure. The State Parks have been very full. I believe Florida residents can reserve 12 months in advance. We are at Fort Pickens National Seashore tonight and tomorrow night. This is a National Park by Pensacola Beach. This is a really cool area. The dunes and scenery in this park is just so different from Maine. The campground is nothing special but the park and fort is very cool and worth the visit. We have a good site, A 30. This park is not great for big rigs due to over hanging trees and short sites. Perfect for the Ollie. I wish we had a few more days here. Florida parks fill up early. Also a lot of Canadians winter in Florida. We purchased the National Park Senior lifetime pass. This is well worth it. Free admission to the National Parks and 50% off camping at the National Parks. They also provide 50% off at Core of Engineer Parks. Our COE stays have run between $10 and $14 a night so far. Generally they have been terrific parks. We have another COE coming up in Waco at the end of the month. Our next 2 are at private campgrounds. 4 nights at Dauphin Island, Alabama and a week at French Quarter RV park in New Orleans. Then McKinney Falls State Park in Austin TX. There are a lot of websites or apps for camping. We have been using RV Parky. We try to say in parks rated 4 stars or better. I read the reviews and focus on the recent feedback. This may not be the best app but it is free. We are currently have sites booked through early February. I am concerned about the ability to get sites as we get near southern AZ, Grand Canyon, and the National Parks in Southern Utah. We will also look for some BLM sites in those areas. I just haven't figured out our literary yet. Today a park host mentioned a cool site east of Tucson where there are some caves etc. We probably wouldn't have known to check this out. I want to have some flexibility to check out some of these spots. We recently had a good night at a Harvest Host in Tallahassee. A classic car and collectables museum. The museum was awesome. The parking facility was good, 7 total RVs that night. It was a bit noisy on a busy street right near I 10. We knew about the noise when we booked it. It was a good stop and are glad we stopped there. Harvest Host require reservations but I have been making these just a few days in advance. The Oliver brings lots of interest. Lots of positive comments. 1 or 2 folks have been a little over zealous. One guy just had to stop us as we were backing into our site. We asked him to wait but the second we got the Ollie backed in he was all over us. No chance to unhook or set up. He had no clue and asked if his compact station wagon could tow the Ollie. Most have been very cool and we are handing out brochures. 2 of our neighbors here are very nice and cool. We are meeting some nice people and most have interesting stories and experiences to share.

We've been sharing ideas and recipes here for over a decade. Tonight, in the rain , I did a jambalaya . I prefer campfire cooking,, but, well, if it's raining all day.....

B&M baked beans were the original. Last month they stopped making the beans in Portland, Maine (right on the ocean) after more than 150 years. The building was sold to a developer and the property wll be a hotel, restaurant, high rise apartments and an extension of Northeastern University (grad school).

I can attest to this. It took several months of hard searching to find a truck that was "scheduled" for build. I put refundable money down to hold it in my name, due to the crazy market and lack of availability. My truck was built (thankfully) and is not missing any parts (thankfully), but I still don't have a truck because shipping is a nightmare after our logistics bogged down from various circumstances (covid measures, loss of jobs during lockdowns, etc). My truck has been 'ready' for delivery since Christmas. Just waiting for it to be loaded on a train or a truck; some people have been waiting for a finished vehicle for six months.