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Two summers ago my wife and I took a trip back into the Green River Lakes area of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. This is the headwaters of the Green River that connects with the Colorado River further south. Had a great time, gorgeous place comparable to anything else in North America so we just had to endure the trip again a couple of weeks ago. When I say endure, its the road into this place, calling it a rough ride would be an understatement and this year was no different considerably worse in fact. Literally took us just over two hours from where the paved road ends and the dirt begins to arrive at the USFS campground. Figure about 10-12 mph the entire way in. As one local puts it, "what isn't tied and strapped down will break". Knowing what we were getting into this time we came better prepared. At the end of the paved road we deflated the tires by some 15 PSI on the Ollie, took the window shades off and laid them on the bed and made sure everything else was secured and shut. Yes the shades came off the windows on the previous trip among other things. I purchased a portable battery powered inflator for the return trip out to inflate the tires back up to their normal highway pressures. Money well spent, but one wouldn't confuse one of these devices with a real air compressor by any means but it works just takes extra time. Posting a few photos below, hope everyone can at least vicariously enjoy the trip, even if you never decide to embark on this journey. We took our kayaks this time, those lakes are just too irresistible not to paddle them. Thanks for looking. Paddling the lower Green River Lake, fortunate this morning to have glass smooth conditions, such a treat. My wife Trudi, cutting a path to the beach on the south end of the lake As we approached the south end of the lower lake a view to the east at Clear Creek Canyon comes into view Incoming, low flying clouds once we hit the beach on the south end of the lower lake, time for a quick lunch before hiking down to the upper lake further south Once we beached our kayaks on the lower lake we hiked up to the head or south end of the upper lake. This lake is much different in color due to the glacial silt and yes it really is this color but maintains a somewhat milky appearance. From the head of the lake you can attempt to summit Square Top Mountain seen in the upper left corner. Maybe someday but not this time around for us. On the return trip back to camp on the lower lake there are some dramatic cliffs on the west shore that come right into the lake. The boats were disrupting the reflections though. All images (except the upper lake) from an iPhone 13 Pro, using RAW capture mode for those interested in hobby, upper lake from a Nikon Z7 & 24-70 F4 lens.

Forgot to include one image of our Ollie in the campground, so it's attached below with Osborn Mountain providing the backdrop. BTW the campground is actually fairly nice about 35 or so campsites, each one spaced far apart and some of them quite huge by comparison to many other public USFS or BLM campgrounds. In two different years of being in there I am fairly certain we have not seen it fill up and this in mid July. Suffice it to say the road in is a deterrent but make no mistake RV's are in there everything from 5th wheels to tents.

Ouch! 😳 That is expensive! Lessons I’ve learned from our recent purchase of new home and shop are keep the doors as wide and tall as you can. The truck camper clears the 12’ tall door with about an inch to spare, and the old trailer had about 6” clearance on each side. Both had my pucker factor at high alert due to uneven terrain. It’s so much easier with the Ollie!

Gonna add just a few more photos from this recent trip. These from a hike on the Continental Divide Trail, heading north toward Gunsight Pass. Wildflowers were abundant in the area.

I also ordered the Southco locking compression latches, 7L279, from Great Lakes Skipper. Just installed them with no issues. Just had to get new screws etc., as all you get is the locks and keys when you order. Sale price is still on. I'd say the big advantage is the key. No longer afraid that I might snap it off in the lock.

Hello to the brand new LEII at Applebees in Union City TN on August 12, 2023. I’m the one that left the note on your TV. Good looking rig. Safe Travels.

Our youngest daughter is touring the NE States, and sent a text to say she saw Hull #641 in New Hampshire.

@Wandering Sagebrush I have a Slime unit, can’t remember the model # but it was one with the highest specs on the shelf at our local Auto Zone. Thanks

Quite true. Wood/lumber goes up and down. Steel, aluminum, gypsum and cement are all so much higher than several years ago, when we built a barn in NC. One of my brothers sells pole barns. It's a battle keeping "current " with pricing. Prices locally are all over the place. One lumber yard a couple days ago quoted me $18.50 a stick for 2 x 6 x 12 southern yellow pine. I wound up paying $12 a stick, for nice, prime grade, syp, at a different yard. (We picked up.) With the Canadian fires, I think all builders are questioning what the prices will do in a few months. It's a roll of the dice.

It would seem that you taught her well, congratulations! Mossey

Nice trip report! We have friends that just came out of that area a few weeks ago, it’s beautiful! I’m not sure what compressor you’re using, but I’ve found the Viair 400P to do a great/quick job filling large tires.

Back to the RV antifreeze issue - When you do finally get your hands on this stuff, and it is at a reasonable price (should be under $4.00 per gallon) be sure to buy 4 to 6 gallons. If you have the standard water heater, be sure to use the by-pass valve before you start to winterize - if you don't , you will simply be filling the 6 gallon water heater for no real purpose. Then when you winterize it should only take about 2 gallons of antifreeze to do the job (including pumping some into the outside ports, a bit into each drain ((kitchen, bath sink and bath shower pan)) and some into the toilet as I mentioned above. After winterization you will then still have 2 to 4 gallons left over (assuming that you bought the 4 to 6 I recommend). This extra allows you to not worry about getting some for next year, allows you to de-winterize on short notice if you want to take a quick trip somewhere and allows you to replenish your antifreeze stock when you find it at a good price. Bill

When I first bought my Oliver Used (which was winterized), I followed the Oliver University direction on de-winterizing the lines and tanks and disinfecting the fresh water system and tanks. When I went to drain the fresh water tank, no water came out. I check the level gauge and the tank was full. I then used my crawler board to easily get under the Ollie to where the drain line came out. By pushing air up into the drain pipe, it will disloge anything plugging the pipe. Apparently there was material in the tank blocking the outlet hose. Once I did that, the water drained out of the tank. I did that 3 years ago and have not had to repeat it.

Well, all that shows you is that you've got the drain valve open. I assume that your gauge inside the Ollie still shows that you have at least some water left in that fresh water tank? When I know that I'll be wanting to drain the fresh water tank I use an old ScubaRx trick - open that drain valve BEFORE leaving your last site. That way the water drains out of that tank while you drive down the road. This means that any water in the tank will go back and forth and from side to side thus making sure that more of it drains out. If you are now at your normal storage place - another thing that you can try besides lifting the nose of the Ollie is to use the rear stabilizers to tilt your Ollie from side to side. Of course, you could also use blocks under your tires but that would mean that you would have to move the Oliver onto those blocks and then back off the blocks again. Bill

Yes. LP was shut off at tanks from 7/15 to 8/3, and now from 8/3 to present. I did not smell propane the third time, but the space was definitely feeling 'close' and stuffy. I'll check around everything, from the front at tanks all the way to the back. What do you mean by 'clamshell fittings'? After the Truma replacement, I had to ask several times whether they actually did another pressure test, and they finally did confirm that they did and it passed. They didn't give me anything in writing. Should I have asked to see the test results?

I'll do that. No pet. A friend's pet sets her alarm off all the time. :0 I'll check the toilet with the sniffer. :-D Will be interesting!

And, that was a wise thing to do.

If your propane tanks were truly turned off, and no use for several days, I would assume an addtional issue with a faulty lp alarm system. If I were camping in ND , through October, I'd definitely want my propane, and heat. Propane alarms are supposed to be good for five years, max, but many don't make it that long. I'd replace it. Did you smell any propane, this time?

that fish bites

Microfiber cloths and pads. By hand. Wax on/wax off. Really good for upper arm exercise. Lol.

25% -- and it hasn't moved a bit, and no water coming out. I'll try adding to it, and let you know what happens. Okay, I added water to the tank to 31% AND I lifted front of the trailer a bit more, and it worked. THANKS!

In most places WalMart will deliver. I've been told by a friend that gets deer corn delivered that WalMart now automatically adds on a gratuity for the driver to your bill but it will save you a round trip of over 160 miles. The stuff I showed above should NOT be diluted. I doubt that you will ever get your fresh water tank totally empty. What does your gauge inside the Oliver tell you as to how empty it is? Even if there is a little water left in there and it freezes there will be no harm done. Perhaps just to make sure that you have the valve in the "open/drain" position, you might want to try putting more water into the fresh water tank while keeping that valve open. The water you are adding should simply (almost immediately) start to flow out from that drain tube under the Ollie. Bill

I feel that rinsing and gently wiping with clear water before I begin helps a lot to get the grit off before I rub it with anything (sponge, rag or brush). What are you using to apply, and to buff the wax?

@dewdev, and others, we use the west marine pink soap because it's economical (in proper concentration), it doesn't strip wax (in proper concentration), it's biodegradable and safe to use for boats in the water, and it has worked for us for a very long time. Any quality boat soap, labeled to not strip the wax you worked so darned hard to apply, is fine, imo. Don't be a bad bartender/boat tender and "overpour." The best soaps become harsh in high concentration. And, don't use anything labeled "degreaser" like dawn, awesome, etc., unless you plan to rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse again... maybe even neutralize with a mild base solution, and then spend hours applying layers of wax to replace what you've lost. Washing frequently, with a clean soft bristle brush, like @dewdev stated, is the key. You can't expect perfect results if you wash once a year, with any product. (Use an extra bucket with just water to rinse the brush, as you go. You'll be amazed at the grime released. That grime would otherwise scrub your wax and gelcoat.) Any good wax, with uv protection built in is good. Liquid waxes tend to leave a thinner layer of protection, requiring more frequent application, or multiple layers to build up. Paste waxes are more work. Higher carnuba content sinks more "into the tiny pores" of gelcoat, for a better seal, imo. The hybrid waxes with high carnuba,,and polywhatevers, are a win win. The marvels of modern chemistry. Routine cleaning, and waxing, is really the key. Imo.

Try THIS stuff from WalMart. Either order and have it shipped to a store near you or shipped to your home. Its good to 50 below! Bill p.s. another hint - in order to keep your toilet seal from drying out (assuming that you have the standard toilet) pour a couple of cups of this stuff in the bowl and then use "plastic cling" material (Saran Wrap) over the top of the ceramic bowl to keep it from evaporating.

Imo, any good -50 pink rv antifreeze is fine. Concentrate may be convenient to carry, but, whoah, that price? Autozone, camping world, even walmart should have it soon. September is winterizing time, in many parts of the country. Autozone often has it year round, near us.

I must be living under a rock! On the drive back to North Carolina from Wyoming I heard the song below and had never heard of this lady.

Where do you live, and how far a drive? That price is crazy cheap compared to major cities. That looks like a really nice facility. I assume it has security cameras? One reason we added an RV bay when we built our house seven years ago was the cost of secure INSIDE storage. It is $350+ here. I figured the bay paid for itself already, it was a $30k option, but that charge included fully sheet rocked walls there (and in the garage at no extra cost.) Add the cost of fuel and lost time in traffic for going to a storage place, those factors can really hurt. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Instructions have the info. Basically the transfer switch comes with a super duty plug and that line plugs into the inverter. You disconnet the 20 amp wire at the breaker that serves the ac and replace it with a longer wire that goes back from the rear dinette seat to the back of the rear bunk. This line goes to the switch input labeled for the utility company supply. The other switch connection is used to reconnect the ac power supply. I mounted my second switch aft of the OEM one under the street side bunk. This required me to replace the super duty switch cord that was too short. Some owners elect to mount the switch on the wheel well to avoid this. Personally I like bolting the add on equipment through the fiber glass to a cutting board JB welded and bolted in place. I use small SS fender washers and bolts and it does not detract from the appearance under the bed overhang. GJ

The key is definitely much better than the stamped one. I was always afraid of bending the stamped key or breaking it off. Not so with these. I'll keep them on there and see how it goes. The biggest advantage is a larger more solid key. As mentioned though, nothing to keep someone from prying the door open and tearing up the fiberglass but, it least it keeps out the opportunist thieves.

Here's some pics of the installed locks. They're pretty close to identical and require no modifications whatsoever on my 2021 LE2. I had to get some 1" stainless 8-32 screws and locking nuts but that's about it. I like the keys as they feel much better than the old stamped ones. The locking mechanism on the inside is a little different engineering wise but, no lock will keep out a determined thief anyhow. We'll see how they hold up over time but they look just fine.

Construction is just starting on our detached garage for the Ollie and truck. We were shocked at how much construction costs have risen. So much so that we had to downsize our plan from 3 bays to 2 and a half and cut the footprint by 6 feet in both dimensions. Even with those changes it's still going to cost us $80-90,000. For a garage! 😕

Thank goodness! Did you get wet that first time?