Spike

Very nice indeed.

We took that drive (Million Dollar Highway) with our Ollie about three weeks ago--going North to South (Ouray to Silverton). Have done it before in a single vehicle. It was not all that intimidating with Stan (our Tundra) and Ollie. One of the hairiest drives I've ever taken, however, was a few years ago over Engineer Pass--unpaved between Ouray and Lake City--with a two-wheel-drive Tacoma in late spring. The apex of the pass was pure ice and snow. Don't think I would try to take Ollie over that one at anytime--although pulling Ollie with four-wheel-drive Stan so far has been a pleasure and piece of cake. We are looking forward to more Colorado adventures for sure.

We are neophytes to both Ollie ownership and RVing itself. I don't know if this is the place to post this question. If it is not, I apologize, but I have tried searching this topic and have found little advice on the forums. What I'd like to read is a description of the processes and products Oliver owners use to clean and protect the exterior of their trailers. We live in SE Arizona where the sun is intense and our Ollie will be exposed to the elements for quite sometime, even if we eventually get a protective cover for it, so I know we need to wax it well with a good product. I have considered paying to have the work of washing and waxing it done, but would like to know how you do-it-yourselfers go about it. Could I get some Oliver owners to explain what products (from ladders, to soaps, to brushes, to wax, etc.) you use and what process (from washing, to drying, to waxing, etc.) you undergo to clean and protect the gel coat of your Ollie?

John-- The photos were all taken with my iPhone 6. Hank is a Great Pyrenees mix--mixed with Blue Tick Coonhound and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The way I know his pedigree is through genetic testing. Here is a bit of Hank's story. We had lost a beloved Border Collie-Australian Shepherd to cancer, and after a while, my wife, Liz, would periodically show me photos from the pound of different dogs needing adoption. I'd glance at them and just say, something like "I'm not ready to adopt another one now." That was, until she showed me the face of 8-week-old Hank, who was advertised by the local pound as a Border Collie mix who needed a foster home because he was too young to stay in the pound. Seeing his face, I immediately said, "Yes!" However, upon picking him up, we realized that Hank (we named him this later) was going to be a giant. We told one another that we couldn't raise such a large dog (we were pretty sure we would soon be RVing) and that we would just give him foster care until he was adopted. You can guess what happened: As soon as someone called to see if he was still available, we answered that "No," we were keeping him. We have not regretted that decision. The genetic test was well worth the $70. We can understand a lot of his behaviors by learning about those displayed by the different breeds that contributed to our Hank. He is loyal, lovable, laughable, and all ours. He is well trained but sometimes can just not seem to overcome some of his inbred impulses. While he has never bitten another person or dog, he has great guarding instincts (from the Pyrenees line), and humans and canines respect his girth, height, and deep bark. He sleeps on the floor in Ollie. (We thought at first that we would bed him in the convertible dinette section, but soon realized that that idea was not very practical.) It is a bit of a challenge living in the Ollie with him, but he does not mind our feet as they maneuver around him. So far, we have avoided injuring ourselves or Hank. We always have two conversation starters when we meet folks on the road: our unusual small trailer and unusual big dog.

Here are some photos of our trip back to Arizona after Stan (our Tundra) finally got hitched with Ollie. As RV newbies, we had much to learn along our way back home. We picked up our Ollie (Hull #222) over a month ago and have finally been able to post these pics. Looking forward to many more adventures.

nothing to see here

We just did just that. We picked up our Ollie in Hohenwald and brought it home to Arizona via Rocky Mountain NP and the Gunnison area. We must have crossed the Great Divide three times. No problem towing with our 2012 Tundra. Camped at Timber Creek campground in the RM park. Interesting that only small RVs could be allowed in this beautiful area at the headwaters of the Colorado River where elk were wandering through the camp. Highly recommend this play. We boondocked along the Arkansas River north of the town of Buena Vista--a lovely area were kayakers told us it was the primo spot for kayaking in CO. (Look for camping icons along the highway in this area. There is a narrow dirt road winding along the east side of the river north of Buena Vista where you might find some good places to boondock if you are interested. We parked for three nights at the Cedar Creek RV Park in Montrose, where we took side trips to Telluride and Ouray. (We recommend this nice park. If you stay there, mention us as the EarthPicks. We played some music for the managers, who are very cool folks.) We also stayed one night in a nice RV park in Cortez called the Sundance. We wish we had spent more time in CO but were mostly just making our maiden voyage home with our Ollie. One thing I can say is that just about every turn in the road in CO brings new charming if not stunningly gorgeous vistas into view. Have a great trip!

Since we will be picking up our new Ollie a week from tomorrow, and since this is the first travel trailer we will have ever owned, it was great to read this article. We are even more excited now to head out in a few days to Tennessee in Stan (our Toyota Tundra) to meet, greet, and hook up with Ollie and take him back to Arizona.

So glad to have these resources. Thank you!

Thanks for asking this question, John. I too have requested that the Natures Head be installed in our Ollie, which we plan to pick up early June. Please let us know what you discover. It would be good to know that the black tank was completely sealed off. I understand that one reason, at least, that the black tank is installed, even if one orders the NH, is to be able to install a flush toilet if one decides to remove the NH toilet.

My wife and I are complete newbies to the Oliver but also, more importantly, to RVing in general. We will be traveling from Arizona to pick up our Ollie Elite II in early June of this year. Here are most of the upgrades to our Oliver that are perhaps relevant to the question I want to ask: 320 watt solar, Large-Xantrex Power inverter, AGM Trojan 6v batteries, composting toilet, phone amplifier, Omni HD antenna, Dexter EZ Flex, WiFi Ranger, phone amplifier, rear view camera, 30 lb propane tanks. After picking up our Ollie, we will take our time getting back to Arizona, doing some unpaved-road boondocking, so I know that we need to bring with us some essential stuff, including tools. I plan on bringing a basic tool box containing things like hammer, screw drivers, ratchet set, wrenches, etc. I also plan to bring an ax and small shovel. My question is this: What tools have you found indispensable when traveling with your Ollie? Any advice will be appreciated, including advice about non-tool items that we may not have considered hauling with us when we pick up Ollie. Thanks!

Thanks! Bookmarked your Amazon link and put the water regulator in my shopping basket. Since we have already ordered our Ollie, we have many of the features you recommended--mattresses, etc.

Very cool that you know our area. Not a lot of folks know how great is is here in the SE corner of AZ. Yes, there are a lot of places around here we plan to spend a few nights or so once we bring our Ollie back from TN. Thanks for the tips.

Greetings! My wife, Liz, and I are excited to be picking up our new Elite II in early June. This will be are first RV. We are musicians and song writers, hoping to connect on the road with other musicians on our way back to Arizona, where we will be performing at the Flagstaff Folk Festival before heading back down to our home in Southeastern Arizona. We'll be towing our Ollie, twin-bed model, with our 2012 Tundra. Since we are new, not only to the Oliver, but to RVing itself, we have had to do a lot of research and ask for much advice, and have found this forum quite helpful. Any advice for new owners, as well as for new RVers would be greatly appreciated. Right now I have one question to which I haven't quite found the best answer: I am supposing that most Ollie owners travel with some kind of collapsible ladder to enable them to do things like check and clean the roof (especially the solar panels, which our Ollie will have). I would be interested to learn of what kind of ladders other owners may have used and what they recommend. I have found this ladder on the Internet, and it looks like it might do well. Any thoughts? Recommendations? https://bestchoiceproducts.com/products/multi-purpose-aluminum-ladder-folding-step-ladder-extendable-heavy-duty?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=21288037763&gclid=CjwKEAjwqZ7GBRC1srKSv9TV_iwSJADKTjaDvTqg4M25l2IvxzWuXIZBJzlH5TX5VRopHGK3s8AnHRoCRjjw_wcB