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Final Travel Summary -- Day-18, Monday, 01JUL24: 2,424.4 Odometer miles, 12.7MPG (from Tundra computer). But actual consumed gallons from re-fueling receipts was 163.8 gallons or 14.8MPG. Not sure of the reason for the discrepancy. Anyhow: Moab, UT: We linked-up with our friends from NM last Thursday here at Spanish Trails campground for a weekend of sightseeing, hiking, and general frivolity... Our original plan was to tour Arches Nat'l Park on Friday, then hit Dead Horse SP and Canyonlands NP Saturday. But... there weren't any "timed entry reservations" available for us on Friday for Arches so we switched the plan for those two days. NOTE: For those of you planning to visit Arches - the NP Service is requiring visitors to obtain a $2 timed entry reservation online that assigns a 60-minute window for entry in addition to the park entry fee (or Senior/Military Lifetime NP Pass). Our timed reservation was for 9-10AM on Saturday. This keeps the traffic flow through the park manageable in both directions. It actually worked out real well - just we wish we knew about it in advance. So, onward to Deadhorse SP... Magnus wants mom to let him out so he can get out and go exploring - Oscar wanted to stay back at Casablanca: Magnus in his "explorer" mode: Deadhorse entry gate - beautiful weather for sightseeing with our friends: Very cool vistas here at Deadhorse: Twisty Colorado River below: Back at the Campground, the Knuckleheads and their buddy, Heinrich are re-united - do we plan around our puppies? Ah, YES! 2-legged and 4-legged friends loving to camp out together... Getting ready for dad to throw together some evening kibble for everyone: Noth'n wrong with a little "surf and turf": Fast forward to Arches NP: For our style of sightseeing - Arches was the favorite: Notice a puppy head out the window and a tail out the back: Just having a great time: Arches everywhere: Walking up to the Big Window: Under the arch: Just amazing sights here: Back in the Tundra and headed to Red Cliffs Lodge near Moab on the CO River, Knuckleheads sharing the cool AC from their puppy hammock in the back seat: Very cool place where dozens of westerns were produced - with an interesting museum capturing pix of many of the movies made there: Red cliffs above the CO River: We've driven by the "Hole in the Wall" dozens of times over the years on US-191, but on the way home, we took a few minutes and actually walked through the "Tour of the 5,000 sqft House" inside the rock! Got home safe and sound around 5pm - unpacked Casablanca and realized how nice it is to "come home." Cheers, All! A & D

All of you were lots of help! I disappeared for awhile because, honestly, I needed to back up and learn some basics to even understand some of the terms y’all used. @Steve and MA, that was exactly the info I needed for our rooftop panels; I copied that to Renogy. @mossemi, I wasn’t able to easily access the specs for the rooftop panels without removing the panels - and I didn’t want to do that! @rich.dev, I, too, don’t know why Renogy thought they needed the specs of the rooftop panels.🤔 Their website did reveal, however, that it is no problem connecting two 100 watt suitcases and having the controller on only one. As @SeaDawg and many others have stated, yep, the polarity on our Zamp port was reversed, and we used an adapter. @jd1923, figuring all this out was quite a challenge, so thanks for the encouragement saying we have a GREAT setup. In the end, we have the option of using either one or both of our Renogy 100 watt suitcases. I am grateful to @Geronimo John who originally (on a different thread) suggested we purchase two 100w suitcases rather than one heavy and bulky 200w suitcase. Time to go boondock!

Got everything done today on the air fryer installation. I put quarter-round along the base and 3M 3350 to seal all the edges and seams. Found a decent piece of angle aluminum as a trim piece to make the bottom opening look better and remounted the faceplate.

Thanks to our salesman (Colton Laidlaw) & the folks at Southland RV, Norcross, GA for making the purchase of our new trailer a seamless transaction. I’d also like to thank our neighbors Steve & Tallie (hull #50) for stopping by to say hello. 😊 IMG_3726.mov

Two years ago I installed the "Gas Stop" devices on both my propane tanks. Given that my Oliver was 7 years old at the time I thought that it would also be prudent to install new "pig tail" propane hoses at the same time. At the end of the camping season last year I suspected that I had a small propane leak but since I was placing the Ollie into storage for the winter I didn't investigate the possible leak any further. However, I did purchase a propane leak detector - exactly like the one that Rivernerd mention in THIS THREAD. While attending the Annual Owner's Rally this year, my suspicion of the leak returned. So, today was the day to get serious about finding it. After getting the propane tanks in place and attaching the pig tails I opened the valve on what I thought was the offending tank. Sure enough, I not only smelled it but I even heard it! Obviously, the main brass fitting at the end of the pig tail was the problem (i.e. the fitting that screws directly into the regulator). So, I took that apart, cleaned it up, wrapped yellow Teflon gas specific tape on it and reinstalled. That solved the main smell and certainly the "hissing" issues, but, I still thought that I could smell a leak. Out comes the "bubble test" (i.e. a little dish soap in water sprayed onto the offending area and look for bubbles). Well, sure enough, there was a small leak in the brass reducer between the end of the pig tail and the main brass fitting that I had just repaired. OK, take it apart again, new tape all around, reinstall and using the "bubble test" I thought I had this issue nailed. Sure enough - no bubbles! Great, but maybe my nose was just getting to used to that wonderful propane smell. Maybe I was just imagining it - surely I had fixed everything that there was to be fixed AND there were no bubbles. Just to be sure I used the "test" feature on the Gas Stop devices. Yep - the needle in the little gauge was slowly dropping. I bubble tested again but had the same test result - no bubbles. Being a bit slow witted it was only at this point that I remember my purchase of the propane leak detector (thanks again Rivernerd). I got it out, read the directions and proceeded to "sniff". My repaired connections didn't set off any alarms. But, the connection from the pig tail to the large knob that screws onto the propane tank gave off a "faint" reading (actually a beeping noise on the detector). Sure enough - even though this was a "factory" installed item and I've never had one of these leak in over 25 years of dealing with propane tanks and pig tails, this was the final source of the leaking. I'm still surprised that the "bubble test" didn't show this leak but the "Smart Sensor" picked it up right away. There are a number of these types of sensors available currently on Amazon - both models that are priced higher and lower than the Smart Sensor (HERE). But, as Rivernerd said, "Not only is it worth the peace of mind, but even if only used once, it is less expensive than a motel stay!". Bill

For anyone interested in purchasing one, Home Depot has the Maxxfan with LED on sale for $73 at the moment. MaxxFan Dome Plus with 12-Volt Fan and LED Light

John, We did not take the Oliver down Indian RTE 6 to the Colorado River. We left the trailer at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. The Indian RTE 6 was not paved but very rocky and had a lot of washboard. Trip was 20 miles down to the River, taken One Hour to make the trip with Truck only. Also you need a permit from Hualapai Game & Fish locate in Peach Springs, AZ . The permit cost $16.27 per person. When we made to the river, an Hualapai Game official check if I had the permit. I just made it home last Thursday. Trip duration 04-10-24 to 06-27-24. Best Regards, Allen

Finally got around to upgrading the 12v sockets to USB-C 65W for charging iPads and MacBook. This socket also has an On/OFF button so you don't have to stare at blue lights with the cap off. Cap also closes securely much easier. It is the little things. Amazon link: https://a.co/d/01MrDdX7

So, we've decided to do this one way or another. Don't need a microwave, as I can reheat my coffee on the stovetop and save the carcinogens of microwaves! Chris says they kill the nutrients in all foods, so she doesn't use one ever in all of her amazing cooking. Measured our small model Emeril Air Fryer and it is the exact same dimensions, all measurements of length, width and height. Yeah, there is a heat issue that I mean to overcome. Yanked the microwave out of our hull in about 20 minutes today. Connected the Emeril and ran the air fryer at 375 for 16 minutes today. It got hot in the end, but there is 4 1/2" above the oven and 2 1/2" left and right (thermostat wiring to the right). I will need to raise it about 3/4" to fit the surround, but otherwise fits like a glove. I will cut some plastic off each side for the heat. I plan to fit the opening top and side with ceramic insulation made for woodburning stoves which comes in many thicknesses. I am wondering re OTT installed convection ovens. Anybody have one? Is there any exterior venting? Hey @bugeyedriver, you wrote on Dec 19, 2023 "The Wonder Egg - Hull #14, has extra vents in the side walls behind the oven, so I have gone to the micro/conv. option." Can you show pics of this venting. This will be a fun mod for me, and Chris will love it when she gets back from her sisters visit! Check out this pic after an hour of work today!

The GX550 is a beautiful vehicle. I would be hesitant to buy one right now as it's the same V35A engine (although slightly de-tuned) as the ones listed in the recall. 2024 Tundras aren't being recalled (yet), even though there are reports of engine failures in them as well. I'm sure there will be a fix, but I would wait until that fix is implemented at the factory. Really don't want a service tech at the dealer pulling and rebuilding a very complex twin-turbo V6. But maybe that's just me. I'm a huge Toyota/Lexus fan and a former Boeing employee. Both companies that I have (had) tremendous respect for have really let a lot of people down...

Thank you. I will follow up with Oliver - Jay

Cool! They are excellent quality products. Mine is about 12 years old and I’ve replaced the rope a couple of times. Mossey

I got it from MMH, but looks like the same bits and pieces, except I have a blank instead of the 2-3 to fill the last opening.

That’s the exact one we have. We purchased it for the Tri-Fuel fridge and moved it to the LE II Isotherm compressor fridge. It helped greatly in the tri-Fuel.

Thank you for the trip report, very well done! Do I spy a WalkyDog on your bike? Mossey

I bought the same propane detector base on Rivernerd’s experience but haven’t used it yet. I had a leak a couple of years ago, I could smell it. I took the cover off of the tanks and did the bubble test and found it right away. I ended up ordering and replacing the original 2016 hoses and regulator. I cleaned up and kept the good hose and regulator for back up. Glad to hear the propane detector worked so well! Mike

Always trying to help, never meaning to offend, regardless the passion of my wordings. 😟 I guess I made my point though. The truck installation was actually a bit more complex than the obvious attic location, where you have ample room and pre-wired 12VDC. I just got mine done in two days after thinking it through for a few weeks and waiting on parts. It's far superior for me, since we use the truck all year and the Oliver some 30-40 days. I offered my example as an idea for others on our Forum. It made no sense to me to spend $1600 in parts and $50 monthly for a 5G business plan, to use it only 10% of the year. It's OK we have our own reasons and go different directions. I'm not interested in remote monitoring of our Oliver, since when we're not traveling, it's parked safely on my property. I learned here that is an important consideration to others. I hope another suggestion I made here re the closet installation will help other Oliver Owners too, for better reception in the TV. Thanks for reading.

Painted Cowboy is who I used both times I had my trailer delivered to me from Tennessee they were prompt and very accomodating to my ever changing schedule and their rate is pretty much the industry standard. The staff at oliver have their contact info if you need it as I believe they've referred several others to them over the years.

Well, before I had a chance to attempt a fix of the broken hinge, the other side broke shortly into a week’s trip. I did take a quick look prior to departure, but determined glue would likely not hold and besides, I misplaced the tiny spring. There was no urgency when heading out, since the single functional hinge had enough spring action to hold the freezer door closed. However, once it broke I had a troublesome floppy door to contend with. No bueno! Thankfully, I carry some Velcro strips and was able to rectify the problem temporarily. In fact now that I know the replacement hinges are fairly pricey, I may extend use of this fix for awhile longer. Double trouble: Short ‘hook’ section on each side of right door end: Back-to-back ‘hook’ and ‘loop’ strap for the door closure: Mas bueno!

Thank for the additional information and pictures. I think you’re right, a good first project to build a little confidence.

When the mosquito meter is in the 5-6 range, you can resort to a: Mosquito head net

Is it just me or is there something extremely satisfying about that sound of yet another mosquito being fried when hit with the "tennis racquet"?

Another mosquito magnet here. The campground at Watson Lake, Yukon Territory was the worse for mosquitoes. This was my setup. The older, dark green Thermacell I set on the right side of the steps going into the Oliver and never had a mosquito get inside. The Repel spray works great if you have to leave the Thermacell shield of protection to go for a walk or otherwise leave the campsite. The severity of the mosquitoes depends on the weather. When we went to Alaska in 2016 they weren’t that bad except in wet, rainy heavily wooded campgrounds, but it pays to be prepared.

Each year prior to heading out to the Rockies to fish for a couple of months, I treat several changes of cloths with THIS STUFF. It lasts through washings and helps keep the bugs off for about 6 weeks. Have a great trip! Bill

They replace the existing socket. Check under your dinette seat and you can easily see what to do. I have a picture of mine (have not upgraded yet). You only need to pull two spade terminals (blue wire +) and then there is a threaded ring. To get to the one over the bed, you will have to pull the rubber liner in the cabinet. The picture shows the ones in our older hull have screws left and right. The ones Mike shows above do not have these. I may have to patch the screw holes or perhaps there is a trim ring on mine that could just stay. There are many models of these depending on your needs. The one @rideadeuce linked above has a 65W USB-C required for iPads. If you are only charging phones, 65W may be overkill (I do not know if extra wattage can hurt a phone). This one has two 20W USB-C posts and a USB3: Amazon.com: USB C Car Charger Socket – Newest 58W Lengthened RV USB Outlet 12V Socket Dual 20W PD3.0 USB-C and 18W QC3.0 Car USB Port with Button Power Switch for Boat Marine Motorcycle : Cell Phones & Accessories This is a most simple install. A good way to get started and soon you will do more complicated tasks!

We’re in Clear Lake near Galveston, I ‘m a mosquito magnet! We carry Thermacells, one handheld and three latern style. The handheld is kept near me and the laterns are positioned around the immediate camp. I have a dropper bottle containing Pyrethrin to recharge the scent pads, very cost efficient and very effective! I really don’t like to spray down with harsh insect repellant, but find the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus (Deet-Free) product pleasent for skin and clothing applications and effective. Inside the Oliver I hang a couple of bug zappers for the occasional pesty invaders. If anywhere for a length of time, the screened Clam is deployed. Although I don’t like using, sometimes there’s a need to sweep camp with Cutter Backyard Bug Control.

Like a taxi way at the airport, blue and green 🤣

Nice mod for sure! I would keep the rubber cover/caps for sure, as the Oliver has plenty of night lights already 😄. Just me. 😎

Apparently my installation offends some people’s sense of aesthetics but I had solid reasons for choosing the components that I did. After 2 years and many thousands of miles, I’m still very happy with the results. We continue to have very usable internet access in places where other people struggle to find one bar on their phones. In fact, when we’re at home, I run an Ethernet cable from the Oliver into the house and use the Pepwave router to supplement the marginal DSL service available in our area. (The 5G is much faster, especially on upload speeds than the DSL, I just have to be mindful of the data limits of the two cellular plans that we have). Oh, and no leaks despite NOT using two tubes of dicor… 😉

Speek fer yerself. 🤓

Keep the stories and pics coming Buddy.

Hey, JD - We pulled into a USFS campground here in Alpine, WY. FYI, Yesterday in YNP temps ranged from low-mid 60's at 10AM to high 70's by 4PM. Today, driving, temps ranged from mid-60s to low 80s - very pleasant in the high country of ID and WY. We haven't fired up the Zone-5 Afterburner Penguin once during our trip. Mornings have been between 35F and 50F. Right now, we're sitting at the dinette with a couple citronella candles staying away from the mosquitos outside - our MaxxAir fan is blowing "in" with 3 windows fully open. The Victron is calling the space under my seat cushion 77F: It's definitely a lot warmer than we imagined, so much for the down sweaters and heavy socks we loaded up! HA! But not warm enough for the crazy loud Z-5 Penguin, IOO. Here's some snaps of the beautiful run we made today over Targhee Pass through Island Park, ID then down to Rigby, ID and over to Alpine, WY: (not a good time to upload - will follow-up tomorrow) New pix edited into the post: Road-stop lunch east of Rigby on US 26: Definitely a little room with a view: Boondocking at Alpine, WY USFS CG ($10/night) right along Palisades Reservoir: It was hard keeping the Knuckleheads from swimming then getting muddy and romping through Casablanca... Palisades Reservoir... Enjoying a glass of wine, campfire, and the sunset on the Summer Solstice... Cheers! A & D

Travel Summary #3 -- Day-8: Yesterday, Thursday 20JUN, Casablanca got a rest at the campground near West Yellowstone, and D, the Knuckleheads, and I hit the northern high-country of YNP. Absolutely spectacular in all regards - first it actually topped our tour of Yellowstone Lake and Old Faithful areas from the day prior (Wednesday), next the WX was phenomenal (no wind, blue skies, low-mid 60's), and tons of wildlife! (FYI: We crossed over the Continental Divide three times from the park's south entrance on Wednesday, the highest was 8,300+ feet MSL.) Following the Madison River into the park from West Yellowstone, we took the Norris cut-off at the 14-mile mark. D captured this snap of a nice 5x5 in velvet at a turn-out enroute: We stopped uncountable times as we made our way to Canyon Village, managing to get several interesting shots: The Knuckleheads liked their "pee/poop-walk" near Canyon Village and saw several new furry pals. From a safe distance, we observed a black bear and her cubs - then later a griz... Going further north into the high-country alpine area the views were spectacular. Roads were very well maintained in this region and traffic was light even though its high/peak season. We suspect most sightseers like the southern region for the lake, geysers, and Old F. We pressed-on driving on Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road (again, stopping countless times) for about another 36 miles over Dunraven Pass (8,859') past Tower Falls to Mammoth Hot Springs for another break for the boys. Enroute, we were able to grab this shot of D pointing at a massive bull buff about 150 yards away: All in all, this 137-mile loop was one of the best sightseeing excursions we've made in the Tundra. Yesterday, we topped just north of 1,150 so far since leaving home. Our lifetime-military National Park pass really came in handy so far on this adventure as we'll have visited 5 NPs before returning to NM. Today, we head off for Bear Lake which straddles eastern-most border of both ID and UT - making way for Moab (again!) by Thursday next week... More later, folks! Cheers! A & D

Travel Summary #2 - DAY-7 We enjoyed a wonderful ride yesterday driving northbound on US-191 from Jackson, WY to West Yellowstone. Decided to spend most of the day in the Teton's before entering YNP from the south along the J.D. Rockefeller Memorial Hwy. We stopped at a lookout point near the Jenny Lake Lodge for brunch in Casablanca -- fantastic! Room with a view: The marina at Jenny Lake: We managed to get in a nice 5+ mile hike in with the Knuckleheads along the lake before heading out to West Yellowstone for the night. We hit Old Faithful in time to view an eruption which has been happening roughly every 90 minutes for centuries. Checked into a campground near and just south of West Yellowstone for a couple nights. Had a wonderful dinner here last night with the "boys"... We plan to Explor ( @Patriot take note!) the northern sector of the NP today... More to come for those interested... Cheers! A & D (Magnus and Oscar, too! WOOF!)

So... just returned from engine oil change, rear diff oil change, brake inspection, and (drum roll, please...) engine recall exam. Toyota's position (at the local dealership, that is) is that the engine recall last week was a preliminary "notification" of an impending engine recall after they determine what the scope of the recall will be, this includes service tech training as needed, parts, logistics, recall procedures (for the fix), etc. I ordered an engine oil analysis from a third party vendor as part of my service ticket this morning. Should take a few weeks for the results. Wish I could report more. ...FYI