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Our first 3 nights were at Grand Codroy campground, 30 minutes north of the Channel-Port aux Basques ferry terminal. The campground overlooks a large meandering river. We found it to be very peaceful and well maintained. A short drive from the campground is the most westerly point on the island. The next 3 nights we are at Sandbanks Provincial Park on the southern shore of Newfoundland. It’s a four hour drive from our previous campsite, where you perfect your pothole avoidance techniques. There are beautiful sandy beaches a fairly short walk from the campground. We are heading north from here, to Blow Me Down Provincial Park.

This is making me sad. I've followed all your posts, read all of your How To instructions and have been amazed at your mods as well as your sage advice to us newcomers. I'd hoped to meet you someday on the road or at a rally to thank you in person for your contributions. You have had a bigger impact on Oliver owners than you'll ever know. I can only wish you well in whatever comes your way in the future.

Just finished up adding some curbside LED lighting to our Ollie and we're more than happy with the results. To begin this project I painted two 8' sections of 3/8 x 1/2 aluminum C-Channel in white epoxy paint, and then once dry, used 1/2" 3M VXB tape to attach the channel to just below the rain guard weather stripping under the awning. Once that set, I installed 2 IP65 weatherproof LED silicon neon strips into the channel. We decided on one white and one blue but these strips are also available in several other colors if desired. Tried to talk the wife out of blue since I'm afraid it will attract too many insects, but she put her foot down and said she wanted blue and only blue 😄.. I fully expect to be replacing that blue strip with yellow at some point down the road, though. It's a decent friction fit once both strips are installed in the channel but I put a dab of silicon in the channel every couple of feet just for piece of mind. From there I ran the wires down through a new penetration just under the awning bracket above the porch light, sealed it with Dicor and connected them to a SPDT rocker switch. I will most likely be adding a dimmer to the circuit since the lights are much brighter than expected. All in all, very happy and I think it came out better and cleaner looking than the off-the-shelf options I was looking at. These strips emit a nice neon-like glow instead of the individual "dot" look most other LED strips have . Hope this helps anyone else looking to do something similar. I'll add more pics and parts links once I'm happy with the final switch/dimmer setup. C-Channel LED light strip 3M 1/2" VXB tape

Very sorry to see this. Your projects and knowledge were always very helpful to the Oliver owner community. I wish you well in the future, prayers for the health issues, and I hope you will continue to contribute to the forum.

Airborne

Davy Crockett SP TN:

John: Thank you for all the great thoughts, ideas, and patience you have provided to so many other Oliver owners. God bless you Sir. GJ

The first photo is a fawn relaxing in the shade at South Higgins Lake State park, Michigan. Second one the squirrel decided “It’s 5 O’Clock somewhere!”

Dear @John E Davies John: This news comes by way of making D's and my heart heavy. We have learned so much from your posts and PMs and were looking forward to possibly meeting you and Mouse down the road at some point. We wish you and yours the very best in the pursuit of your dreams and happiness in future endeavors. Know that our prayers kind thoughts are with you both and hope you can remain engaged with the forums as the true "Oliver Sage" that you have been for many years. From one aviation professional to another, "Fair winds and following seas!". Cheers!

Here’s a link to some drone video from the waterfront area of beautiful Shore Hills Campground, and views of some of the Olivers there. Huge “Thank You” to Richard Weare for organizing the event.

Looks like a great rally! I think regional rallies are a great way to get “neighbors” together. Mike

For the entomologists out there.

The New England Mini-Rally was held from June 5 through June 11, 2023 at a 125 campsite campground in Boothbay Maine. 28 Oliver Owner's from all over New England were in attendence. Wednesday was a Oliver Trailer Open House and 8 couples visited the CG and were escorted to see the Olivers on site by Phil Anderson, OTT Sales Associate. There was scattered showers on 3 of the days but the other 4 days were generally partly cloudy. The campground was located on a river inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. Cast Iron Cooking Demostration - June Leslie, OTT Owner # 258 Pot Luck Supper Shore Line Hike at Porters Preserve - Walk Leader Jamie Rines, OTT Owner # 610 Bird Walk Leaders - William and Nancy Cormier, OTT Owner # 1265 PRESENTATIONS: Boondocking 101 - Presenter - Phil Andrews, OTT Sales and Daughter Charlie Cermanic Coating Presenters - Colin Rafferty & Galvin Luthringer, CGI Restoration of Fish Ladder at Damariscotta Miles Dam - Presenters Mark Becker & Deb Wilson, OTT Owners # 685 Optimizing the use of the WiFi Ranger & SkyPro - Presenter David Caswell - OTT Owner # 509 What's New at OTT and Questions and Answers - Presenter Phil Andrews, OTT Sales Presentation Audience: CornHole Tournament & Campers around the fire pit Lunch at Robinson Wharf Boothbay Craft Brewery Tap House Tour & Happy Hour New England Lobster Bake at the Campground More Olivers A Porsche can pull Elite II's

John, You have helped so many (Yours truly included) with your thoughtful and thorough assessments and mods. Thank you! May your journey forward be a healing and healthy one.

The Honda EU2200I for sure will fire off and run long duration the Dometic Penguin II OEM OTT OE2 A/C (2018 Model Year). I am of the understanding that the slightly smaller I know of at least one Inverter 2000 W generator that will not pull the load. But from what understand, the Honda EU 2000i has done so for several owners. I suspect you may have problem with the (most likely) your A/C (Start/run capacitor), or your Honda (especially if converted to Propane) or your EZ Start if it is not "pulling the load". OWNERS WITH HONDA EU 2000i generators: Will your pull the Dometic Penguin A/C? The three "killer of a deal" questions were poised to other owners to ask when they are considering upgrading their A/C. Good to know in advance if their generator will "pull the load" or not. Could be a costly "Oh Crud" moment. 🙂 GJ

Oliver trailer Owners

Yes it feels at least 10 degrees cooler under the tarp and in the Ollie. The flag is only out when parked. We just finished it so it hasn't rained yet so we will see. It needs to come forward about a foot and a half and I would like to hang another tarp off the back to shade the end. We have 4 weeks before we leave for out West but because of all the changes we are soooo ready to go!!

John - so sorry circumstances require you to sell your Oliver! I hope whatever health issues are contributing aren’t serious and improve. You should have a quick sale! Take care - Mike

Yes, I'll post more pics soon once I have all the wiring and switches complete. I made the penetration just underneath the awning bracket directly above the porch light near the door.

That is where I got my idea. Ran across a video of the "Casita Closets"

Wonderful times...glad to see everyone in jackets and sweaters. It's a little different here in Las Vegas, but we'll be headed to the mountains tomorrow. Good to see CGI make it :) Hope to crash a regional rally soon. John

"Well Done" Richard. He spent many hours and mikes putting this all together. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Because of you many new and old Oliver owners have become lifelong friends... Matt Duncan joined us last year. This is actually our third year. The first year we did Maine owners by invitation. The second year was Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Again by invitation via email. The primary reason for this was the campground is small, and has limited resourses. This year the thought process was to include all if New England. But to do this we had to search out for a larger venue. The primary reason was there are now 75 ± registered with Oliver and we didn't have a clue how many might even be interested in coming to the sea coast of Maine. Even so it wasn't widely published on social media, so as not to overwhelm the CG. What oh what will transpire next year? As most of this years attendees have already made reservations

@chiwald Love the Flag, cool front graphics and the sun shade! I am guessing that flag is flown only when you’re parked? Have you had any issues with rain water pooling on the sun shade? You will be so glad you are keeping your Ollie out of the sun while not in use. The sun’s UV is brutal on the gelcoat. Patriot🇺🇸

All Lithionics Batteries have their own On/Off switch for changing cables or putting your trailer into storage. I still like some ideas shared here. Having an aircraft operations and maintenance background and a love for boats, battery disconnects are very familiar. Brian

Thanks Richard and Bob for making these mini rallies happen.. they’ve been lots of fun for sure.

Nicely done. Glad to see Oliver represented and the guys from CGI were there too. Not too big and not too small - this size rally is just about right - at least for me. Congrats and I sure do hope that this becomes an annual affair. Bill

I have an abundance of toys at home. I want to RV to see the US. I see no problem putting my toys aside while RVing. I see the Ollie as a way to travel light and move along at the drop of a hat.

I mentioned that I was an aircraft electrician in an earlier life. I too prefer a master switch on the negative side. Here’s why… In my first squadron, right out of AE A school, I was sent out my very first job, to change a torn terminal cover on a battery bus bar (24VDC). I removed the rubber terminal cover and proceeded to apply wrench to nut so I could slip the cover over the cable. Suddenly… there was a bright flash of light, accompanied by the sound of a stick welder. The wrench touched the airframe and became a wonderful conductor of 24VDC straight to ground. Luckily, the wrench didn’t stick to that rib, but it did leave a very small divot, and I needed a change of skivie drawers. I don’t remember if we were taught to always disconnect the power source before working on power systems, but we probably were, and common sense should have made me do so. I suspect I was just an excited 19 year old LCpl who was elated to get his first solo job, and didn’t stop to think. To this day, I always pull the negative lead before turning a wrench on a DC system. The chances of grounding a wrench are real.

We've been subscribing to their monthly coffee club since early '16 - absolutely our favorite coffee company on several levels. We like supporting veteran-owned companies, especially when we love drinking their Joe. Our favorites are Blackbeard's Delight, Just Black, and CAF. Their range of roasts is broad and deep. Most folks can find a blend that suits their tastes, for sure. Great "swag", too. The company went public last year, I believe. They're getting big - kinda like that they've "made it". But you're correct, @SeaDawg; its life blood. I'm enjoying a cup ATM!

Really nice work on the glass organizer. We opt to roll with the space saver solo disposable red cups mainly with cabinet space being a premium. They stack easy, less dishwashing, light weight and no glass breakage. Our last night at LGSP Oliver Rally we grilled and had a fun meal with 9 or 10 friends. The solo cups worked great for our guests. Just another option. 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

Good afternoon, I wanted to post some pictures of my closet renovation (thanks to coach and jojo.) I have been getting our Ollie ready for a big trip out West this July. Going to the Rally was awesome and really gave us some great ideas! Matt and I loved meeting all of you. the drinking glass holder is going in the left overhead cabinet above the table.

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.

When that happens it usually means that you've been blocked from the page.

@rich.dev I guess you need to be a member of that Facebook group to view the post. She says: ” Hull #1216 “Ollie Belle” I just completed the Elfa closet project and wanted to share because I’m relieved to be done with it LOL! I went with the X-Narrow because I tried the Narrow and it gave me less room for hanging coats. I’m a coat/sweatshirt hoarder so I wanted to split the space. If you go with the X-Narrow, you have 10” +/- wide of a container and 10” +/- wide of hanging space or “other” space. If you decide on Elfa, you have a handful of configurations for drawer combinations. You’ll absolutely want a 3-runner drawer in the bottom for long term storage because you can’t pull it out, you have to remove drawers above to get to the items, no biggie. I duct taped a piece of styrofoam to create a “shim” at the bottom so it’ll stay in place. I also cut a pool noodle and added it to the clothes rod just for a “shim”. The telescopic ladder is beside it. You also have space for an additional container below the clothes if needed but there’s lots you can do with the space split in half. Others have the Narrow collection which is 14” wide.”

That must be the max inrush current. Key questions I would require answers for if I were interested are: What 120V breaker does it require? What size electrical service wire does it require? Will a 2,000 watt Honda EU 2000i generator reliably start and run the unit with or without EZ Start? If the answers are: Greater than 20 amp #12 AWG No It would for sure be a deal breaker. GJ

I agree. How about three 100 amp hour Battleborns, 3000 w inverter, 200 watt solar suit case (I wish I had gotten two each 100 watt ones though), Victron DC to DC charging and 712 Smart all for under $4,600 in 2021/22? Plus of course about 5 days labor by my self. 2021 SOLAR INSTALLATION INVOICE SUMMARY.xlsx The only really hard parts were the below and cutting a hole in the dog house for the #4 charging cables to the TV battery. If I were doing it again, I would have made the cutting board "pan handle" just a bit wider. The switch mounting bolt could have used another 1/4" of meat.

How fun! Love all the pictures.

Ours has been just that.

We haven't gone anywhere yet with the new changes but I also hadn't really used that cabinet before either, just had some plastic food containers in it. I moved the containers to a better spot so I feel like it will be a great place for the glasses. And now the cabinets and closet don't feel as cramped and no items are just shoved in to holes. Looks nice! 😉

We were driving out of Many Glacier National Park MT when we saw Mama Bear eating berries while JR was climbing a tree. The photo of Mama Bear did not turn out to well through the windshield. We did not stop because we were too close.

I didn’t drill any holes. The switch sits on top of the middle battery inside the battery box. Not fancy but functional and easy, Mike

A pair of local Great Horned Owls stopping by for a peek in our back patio piñon tree...

Ours, too. Then, just to show off, he brought his harem! Turn about is fair play. This one wanted in. We only saw this one once, but hear them frequently. Little Green Herons have been nesting in the trees in our yard the past few years. Four fledglings lines up nicely for me. And Screech Owls keep coming to check out the nesting box, but never stick around long enough to build a nest.

Of course I didn't mean that I actually burn "garbage" - I only burn the paper stuff. But, this really does greatly reduce the overall amount of "stuff", "refuse", "garbage", etc. that I need to get rid of while on the road. Bill

We always try to recycle the red cups along with any empty 1 gallon water bottles when possible. Burning any trash is something we just try to avoid. Our thoughts are simply: If we pack it in, we pack it out. Paper cups are a good option! Patriot🇺🇸

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

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.

Very nicely done! That closet is hard to figure out and this is a great solution, and well-crafted.