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Early this morning I set the spotting scope up on the back porch and was delighted to find 9 mountain goats browsing high in the Elkhorn Mountains. There were 5 adults, 2 smaller that appeared to be yearlings, and two very small kids. That was followed by 2 nice mule deer bucks in the sagebrush south of the house. Both will be at least 4 points, and I suspect one may be the big guy from last year. Here’s a shot of several that hung around last year.

Bob came to visit a few weeks ago along with his buddy - Brian the bruin.

Bison in Custer State Park, SD last May (photos taken safely from our TV on the side of the road with a 120-600mm zoom lens) They were so much fun to watch it was difficult to move on...

Our cat was always an optimist...

Walking back to our trailer one evening in Grand Canyon we stumbled across some cow elk and their calves. I turned a blind corner around a rock formation in Arches one evening and came face to face with a mule deer heading the opposite direction on the trail. Maybe 4 feet away. She looked as surprised as I felt. No chance to grab my phone before she turned and ran.

We are huge dog lovers having previously owned a Flatcoated Retriever for 16 yrs. We don’t have a dog presently as we find traveling with one is just way too restrictive since we like to fish, hike and bike, and enjoy other out door activities. Leaving a dog inside our Ollie all day is just not something we are comfortable with. And don’t think it’s fair to the dog. Just us. Something that we have seen all to often in CG’s is dog owners failing to control their dogs constant nuisance barking. Most would agree that while you’re kicking back and relaxing at your campsite, a dog barking at every person that walks by is just down right annoying. Fortunately most CG’s and SP parks will give a fair warning upon the first nuisance barking offense. The second offense you’re likely going to be asked to leave. Many CG’s and parks we have stayed at have pretty strict dog control rules which benefit everyone. If you wanna travel with your dog which I think is great if you can make it work, please be considerate of other campers and use a bark collar if your dog is a nuisance barker. It sure makes for nicer neighbors! 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

A mule deer and faun grazing outside the TT. Pic taken near Taos, NM.

These are pics from our back yard at the home we sold a year ago. For being just a short distance east of Indianapolis, we got a variety of large and small visitors. We now live about 20 miles further from Indy and in a more secluded setting. Time will tell what we discover to be our wildlife neighbors in this area. This buck must of felt safe wandering the back yards along our road. He let me get a few fuzzy pics through the back door but when I slid the door open he promptly bounded to the yard next door. Mr. Pileated woodpecker loved the suet blocks I kept in the feeder off our patio. He was a daily regular This little green tree frog was enjoying the shade of our patio umbrella while we ate lunch at the same table.

Thanks for starting the thread. On our acreage in WNC, we see a lot of birds, especially turkey, and occasionally deer, very occasionally black bear. I more often see bear sign (scat, scratches on tree trunks, prints etc.,) than bear, as all neighbors are careful to not feed them. Neighbors down mountain installed an electric fence to keep from inadvertently feeding them from their big organic garden. Usually when I see one, I either don't have my phone, or I'm too startled to use it to get a shot. Got this photo a few years back. I kind of think the black bear was more startled than I was.

@Hokieman, you two are wonderful dog trainers. My dog is often intimidated by big dogs, but she took to Koda right away. What a sweet and well behaved dog he was. I'll look forward to meeting the new family member one of these days... Our little dog travels with us pretty much everywhere she's allowed, even flies with us. She stays with our daughter when we go to most foreign countries, but she's spent a lot of time in Canada. Many people buy campers so their dogs (and cats) can travel with them. Well-trained pets with responsible owners are welcome in at least some part of most campgrounds. If Liv isn't welcome, well, we don't feel welcome, either.

Magnus (3 most) and Willa (old) chill'n back in 2020... He really loved his big sista (well, we did too!) WOOF!

Be sure to pack a doggy first aid kit. https://wearwagrepeat.com/diy-dog-first-aid-kit/

We picked up our Elite II 2 1/2 weeks ago and have about 2500 miles towing it so far with our Q7. We have air shocks so we aren’t using any load levelers (which Audi says not to use). I’m very pleased with towing our Oliver behind the Q7. We have averaged 14 miles per gallon and it has completely adequate power and braking capabilities. We have been on a wide variety of roads from TN to Newfoundland with some gusty wind conditions. I have never felt like I needed more car at anytime. I do plan on getting some mud flaps for the rear wheels on the Q7, hopefully that will keep the trailer a little cleaner. Hopefully this will help a little if considering using a Q7 to pull your trailer.

Thanks for all the great wildlife photos! Sometimes we get lucky, and other times we'll go an entire trip without either seeing anything, or not being prepared to take a photo in a hurry... Mountain Goats seen from the Needles Highway in SD

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ewe and Lamb), Badlands NP, SD

Here are a couple of pics of the glasses organizer. I would have liked the tall ones in the back but with the slope they wouldn't fit. It will still work great and stay put during travel. Matt thinks it takes up too much space but with the closet reno, now we have plenty! 😀

I came back to this thread today, 'cause we've been smoking a 10 lb pork butt all day, and, I'm thinking about how we miss it (sometimes) while camping. No way we could carry our huge kamodo Joe. Dubious about a little akorn. Is Traeger or similar the best bet for portability? Btw, @Patriot, the jerky Looks amazing.

I got my copy in the mail the day we left for the rally. Pete and Bosker came by our campsite to see our radio setup and chat about radios. Bosker told Pete when it was time to go, he had heard enough about radios and wanted to finish his walk. Brian

This is "Willa", she's Magnus' big sister, mentor, and why he's turned out to be such a good Husky. This pic was taken at an Oktoberfest in Red River, NM a few years back - she's waiting patently for her cold Heineken. We'll see her someday on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge!

Concur, 100%! Magnus is part of the family and has learned that he can go where ever we go (we haven't informed him yet that we plan everything around his hairy butt!) Ha!

Front to back is 26.5” - so I am 2.5” over. That said to date we have 8000 miles on the 1 Up and zero issues with how it is mounted on our Oliver. A brief discussion with Oliver Service prior to ordering the 1Up Super Duty rack we learned there have been no reported or known issues with this present configuration. You are welcome! Pedal On! 🚴 Patriot🇺🇸

We camp with our female Labrador retriever. She is not a typical pet in that she is an ADA certified guide dog in training, legal to take in public places, airlines, public transportation, restaurants, etc. She is well behaved and does not bark. We never leave her unattended inside the trailer, she goes everywhere with us. We take her on extended hikes on dog friendly trails (she can go a lot farther than most humans), she carries her own water in a dog pack. She swims when and where we allow her, and chills out when needed. One limitation is that my wife and I cannot go on bike rides together. One of us stays behind with the dog and reads or putters around, not a bad compromise. Outdoors, we have a long nylon tether to the steps, and a large mat to keep her out of the dirt and away from pine cones, acorns, sticks, and fire pits. Caution should be used when tethering to keep camp chairs and tables out of their zone. If they get their tether wrapped around a chair or table and see a squirrel or another distraction, a lot of damage and injuries can occur, especially with outdoor stoves or grills. We keep her out from under the trailer for same reason, and they can get grease on them from the suspension. We have an outdoor water bowl within reach. Indoors we keep the indoor water bowl in the bare shower pan because she is a sloppy drinker. We mop up after with quick drying microfiber “dog” towels. We feed her the same way, in the shower. When we take a shower, we just set the bowl near the closet door temporarily. First we clean her bowl to get the water hot to the spray nozzle. Our dog is not allowed on beds or dinette seats. We have a thick fuzzy microfiber dog bed that stays in between the twin beds. At bedtime, I can reach down easily and pet and talk to her. The rug goes to the coin laundry with us about once/week when we wash our clothes. When we get out of our bunks, we have to be very cautious we don’t step on her. She has come to trust us and does not move. We don’t wear shoes inside our trailer, so it’s easier to not step on the dogs paws and tail. We sweep the floor several times/day, and if we have shore power, we have a small Shark vac. When walking her, I always carry a can of potent pepper spray to protect her from negligent dog owners that don’t keep their dogs on leashes, or if they do, cannot control them. I have had some close encounters with aggressive breeds. It would be a lot less hassle to not have a dog with us camping, but she’s part of the family, so leaving her home is not an option for us.

That’s exactly the way our 2017 LE2 was originally wired, except both female spade connectors on both switches were insulated. Mossey

The E2 tire size is a alternate size for Toyota FJ62 (e.g. 1989). If it were me I would order the tires from Discount online for a 1989 FJ62 and take them to the local store to have them mounted and balanced. From my experience, the tire technicians are young kids who won't inspect your rim backspacing or even care. The technicians did not even know how to pull my standard transmission Dodge into the bay, they are certainly not full of vast car knowledge,

9MM wrench works on the zerk fitting with 1/4” threads.

Works great for reducing drywall dust too!

Welcome to the forum! Glad to hear your Q7 is doing the job. We’ve owned a bunch of Audi’s since our first new one in 1976! Keep us updated on your travels. Mike

Trying to keep everything as original as I can. Luckily just found some cabin lights to replace all of the originals which also had the chrome peeling off of them. Actually, an Oliver FB group member who's a better Googler than I found these for me. Had the part number but could only find them in bronze and black..

Has anyone tried using a remote control switch for the rear curbside jack (away from the switches)?. I think it would be doable to install a remote control winch switch, so you could see the jack and dial- in the right lift without guessing from the opposite side of the trailer.

Actully - This Oliver belongs to Bosker! He only allows Pete to stay in it, pay for it, and get it from place to place!😁

I stumbled on this today! Superb cover! …and perhaps the best cover band I’ve ever heard. One more F&F…

A hobby- We have owned our Traeger pellet smoker for over 5 yrs and have smoked baby back ribs, a few 9# briskets, chicken, trout, wings, plenty of wild game. Venison, wild turkey and bacon wrapped pecan smoked wild dove pictured, my wife’s favorite. We have been extremely happy with our Traeger and would not hesitate to replace it with another Traeger. I use apple, pecan, hickory and mesquite pellets depending on what I meat or game I am going to smoke. Ours is the Little Texas model, not for travel. We may consider a smaller Traeger scout grill or the Traeger ranger for travel. We really have enjoyed our Traeger. I also pecan smoke our own 12 hr marinated jerky. I need to determine if the scout or ranger is compact enough to carry in our TV- https://www.traegergrills.com/pellet-grills/portable/scout Edit 06/11/23 - we have owned our Traeger 8 yrs now. 👨🏼‍🍳

I can remember the days when these "tax & fee prices" were the full cost for an entire gallon of fuel... just say'n

Thanks I will keep an eye on that.

Tow rating: You need to subtract the weight of any passengers or cargo in the tow vehicle from the tow rating, which is calculated with the weight of a driver only. Also subtract any fluids or cargo in the trailer. Ex.: 5000# tow rating - 3700# dry weight - 150# passenger - 50# cargo in the vehicle - 266# fresh water - 200# food/clothes/etc. in the trailer = 634# capacity left. Gross vehicle weight is the curb weight of the vehicle, plus whatever you put in the vehicle, plus the tongue weight of the trailer.

Back to that engineer's perspective: JD: Love it! All: We have safety chains/cables up front on Ollie to keep it with the TV during an OOPs. Might be a good idea to have a safety strap on the bikes themselves that is tied to Ollie's frame. At least should there be an OOPs, it will stay with you. GJ

Would likely take some of the range anxiety out of towing with an ev, as well. Have you seen airstream concept estream trailer videos? Only a concept trailer for now, but it is built on an ev type automotive platform, automotive batteries , two motors, remote control parking, 900 watts of solar. Pretty cool. I imagine if they ever build it that the price tag will be waaay out of my range...

https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/product/tow-stow-adjustable-ball-mount Hello - F-250 Platinum (non-Tremor) but I do have the 10,000 pound GVW package. I picked up on 3/8 and was worried my lowest setting was going to be too high but actually had to raise it one notch. See the link above for the hitch I have. I chose the 2.5” shank so that there is no need for an adapter and I also chose the 5” drop with the dual-ball 2” and 2 5/16” inches. I chose the Bulldog 2 5/16” hitch on our Oliver. Tows like a dream (no Anderson) and very happy with the setup. Welcome! Brian

bbrault, If you have questions about capability and hitch set up, I suggest calling the folks at CanAm RV Centre in London, Ontario Canada. The owner is one of the foremost experts on towing in North America and they are more than willing to answer any questions you may have. They will also be able to provide firsthand experience regarding your vehicle, as they set up a 100+ vehicles every month. I found them to be a great resource. Andrew

Ford finally launched their VIN specific towing calculator. After inputting your VIN it allows you to input values for Passenger wt, box payload, and choose between Goosneck, 5th wheel or conventional bumper trailers. it calculates remaining available tongue weight and total max trailer weight. link below: https://t.m.email-ford.com/r/?id=h74cb0e7e,8d77749d,7c1fa34e&e=Y2lkPVBST0RETTk4MTk5MyZiaWQ9MTk1OTQ2NDU3NCZwMT13d3cuZm9yZC5jb20vc3VwcG9ydD9lbWFpbGlkPUZEXyBUUlVDSyBUT1dJTkcgRVhQRVJJRU5DRSBFTV9GLTM1MCBPV04&s=5Ij45wNQTUXCV4HKKrOWf8DmysLGRqmuRHqVkfPBOSs The towing support you need. Towing just got a whole lot easier with the new Towing Calculator. Follow these steps to help make sure you’re within your vehicle’s towing capacity: Log into www.ford.com/‍support/ using your existing account information. Once logged in, click on the Towing Calculator tile in your owner’s dashboard. The calculator will automatically pull in your vehicle’s towing capacity based on your VIN number. Add your occupant, cargo, and accessory weight. Determine whether or not you’re within your vehicle’s towing capacity and make adjustments accordingly. It’s that easy!

Some beautiful music from Wynton Marsalis. I don't care for his jazz nor do I like jazz in general but his classical pieces are incredibly beautiful. I'm especially fond of Baroque music both from Wynton and from Yo Yo Ma.

Bill, I am very happy with these “Rock Stoppers” they are made by Livelymachine.com and are designed Super Duty specific. I don’t know if they fabricate Rock Stoppers for other trucks. I can report they work excellent and protect the front of our Ollie and keep it clean. If anyone has questions PM me.

Well, IMHO I wouldn't do that routinely, rather be aware that if your pit ever extinguishes itself with a "POP", you should realize that the gas valve was triggered, and from that point you should shut down the furnace when cooking outside. But in reality it may never happen at all. Cross that bridge when you come to it.... John Davies Spokane WA

Given the necessary 90-degree relationship between the two tank valve outlets and the two regulator inlets, I wonder why Oliver doesn't use 90-degree hoses for factory installations, instead of installing straight hoses with a severe S-bend? The cost differential can't be more than a few $$ per hose, and installation should be easier, saving some labor time. Has anyone suggested this to Oliver?

Had a stainless steel box insert made for the oven and used the supplied frame from the original equipment.

Below is the finished project. GREAT oven and very versatile, if you done need a microwave!

Thanks to JD's well documented post's I finished my mud flap install. I used similar sized aluminum square support, however, I used solid, rather than "tubing", mainly because my local supplier had a highly discounted 10' piece in the remnant pile. In addition to the lock washers I also used red lock tight on the nuts. (couldn't find any nylock nuts, when I do, I'll replace.) Similar SS nuts, bolts, washers, little different install overall. The cost of material was less than $60, and took about 3 hours total to fab and install. A drill press would have made the process a little quicker. I also reversed the flap, just personal preference [attachment file=152850] I have yet to figure out how to keep the pic orientation correct, or how to fix it in the posts.

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

The fossils were younger or the Landrum’s were younger? Both! ?

We were there both before and after leading the Southern Utah Tour for Don Taylor last Spring and summer. It was on my bucket list of placed to go. We came up from Durango and Silverton across Red Mountain Pass. This is a very pretty area and has long been one of our favorites. We did drive down to the river on the East Portal Road. We did not visit Dinosaur NM on this trip but I did visit there back in September of 1997 when the fossils were younger.