mountainborn

Welcome to the Oliver forums ! Betty & I host a campground in South Central Colorado, so if you get nearby we will be able to put you up. Trujillo Meadows campground in the Rio Grande National Forest.

Aubrey said: Looking forward to Jugfest! Very cool ! We are going to have some fun on the Lake ! We look forward to seeing you and the boys. With one side done so far, it is going very well. After cleaning, inspecting and repacking, I went back togather. I noted no excessive wear or scoring, but the castle nut did tighten one notch further, I think. I'll have pix soon.

Update on our axle status. We now have the 5200 pound rated axle and are doing our bearing and brake checks now, just before starting another year of travels. We check our bearings "slack" without removing the wheel or tire, on a regular basis. We also add grease on or about the regularly reccommended check period of time. Thus forcing the old grease out where we can check it for magnetic particulants,and grease discoloration, a good barometer of bearing wear and heat build up. Using this system we have handily exceded the reccommended check up times. We are "opening up" this axle's hubs for the first time to take a look. Since this is the third axle under our Ollie ( all upgrades, no malfunction ), and I havn't kept any kind of records, I arrive at miles towed by aproximate mileage of the various trips added togather. Which were: 1 x Tn to Ar 800 2 X Ar to AZ= 4,000 1 X Ar to Co= 1800 1 x Ar to ND= 2,300 1 x Ar to Mx= 1,600 3 x home to lake 360 ------------------------------ Total 10 ,860 Here is a link to photos & videos: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/03/bearings.html > Is this a system I would reccommend to someone else ? Works for me, you will have to decide if it's for you.

Got it on yer' mind yet ? http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/03/jugfest2009.html

Shortly after Jugfest 09' broke up, our buddy Al went back to the lake with his grandkids. A lot of you will remember Al and His Wife Fran. He had left jugfest early to meet a couple of obligations and he just wasn't through fishing yet. One morning they found two jugs tangled up in a brush top. One jug was theirs. They had to hoist the brush top in order to get to the fish. It was a good one. It weighed a little over 50 pounds. Here is a look at it: As the grandson took the photo, the fish bent the grabber/scales, got loose and flopped around on the deck smearing catfish slime everywhere. They released the fish but the saga wasn't over yet. Look at the blue noodle type jug that is still in the water. You can see ripples around it from the fish on it. It also is tangled up in a top and has yet another very large catfish on it. I'll bet we can get Al to tell us the rest of the story around the campfire one night at the Jugfest 2010. He, he, 100 pounds of catfish on two jugs all tangled up on the same brush top. Yeh, it will be a good story alright.

After a bit over two weeks paused in Orlando, we got back on the road today... Only to discover something troubling when we stopped for the night at Manatee Springs State Park. While settling into our trailer, I realized I could hear a faint ping repeating every regularly every few seconds coming from underneath the trailer. At first I thought it might be the jacks settling (we have heard that before), but sticking my head into the space under the seat, and then crawling under the trailer outside - I ruled the jacks out. As best as I can tell, the noise was coming from inside the trailer breaks. Potentially on both sides - it is really hard to tell exactly where the source direction is. This is a sound we have not heard before. We had left our truck plugged in to the trailer. The truck at this time was off an locked. But interestingly, when we unplugged the cable between the truck and trailer, the pinging stopped. Hmmmm.... Grounding issue?!? Something else? This is a total mystery to me. > My guess is that your brake controller is sending it's periodic system check signal to the trailer's brakes to make sure they are connected and not shorted or anything. Our Tekonsha gives a readout on the controller's digital display to show that the trailer is connected and the system has been checked and is normal. It also reads ".C." each time the key is turned on. > Likely unrelated, but potentially even more unfortunate.... While crawling under our Oliver looking for the pinging noise, I discovered that the bottom attachment bolts of the rear right trailer shock was gone, and the shock itself had come lose from the attachment location and was wedged tight not in the hole, but against the spring. *ugh* > If the shaft in the shock isn't bent and the threads are ok, then the rubber bushings, washers and nut can be replaced. They are readily available at most garages. > It looks like a the shock is a Monroe 555001. Can I just replace the attachment bolts, or should I get a new shock? How hard is this going to be to fix? Advice on handling this, and preventing this from happening again, are much appreciated. > Routine checking of the tightness without a torque wrench can be done by giving a sharp rap to the nut, to see if it "sounds tight or loose". *ugh* Thanks for the collective wisdom, - Chris

We aren't always lucky when it comes to locating a place to get a few hours rest when making a run to or from a destination. This time we hit the motherlode ! Far enough away from highway noise, and paved, even in the picnic area's loop road, it is a genuine keeper ! Here is a sunup photo, the link gives coordinates and map photos should someone want them.

One marcher in a large band can't contain his excitement. Here's the link: http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14096

Videos & Photos http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/ffa.html

Here is the link with photos and video: While geocaching down in Katy Texas we came across this cool K-9 park. Here's a link to the photos and video link: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/geodogs.html

We are at Camping World in Katy texas, taking in the local sights. Photos and web link info: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/katy.html

Though we all, as RV'ers, have them, some don't call them anchor days. Some don't call them anything, I suppose. But it is usually a busy, exciting time, and we think, worthy of a name. So, for us, it is anchor day. We had one more fun time culling through all of the beach treasures that we had gathered up. The cull pile seemed to keep getting bigger and bigger. Here is a few photos of our "Beverly Hillbillies" loaded Jeep and the campground dumpster with the cull pile by it. And, don't you know it, people were instantly looking the culls over to see if they needed any of it. Here is the link to the photos: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/anchor.html >

A short blog entry with three short videos of a Buck Deer on Padre Island that has a broken antler from fighting. He is grazing on the beach ! [urlhttp://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/halfhorn.html]

Very cool ! Thanks !

I am constantly amazed at the number of hits that the you tube video of our Oliver overniting on the Sam's Club parking lot in Jackson Tennessee is getting. And, also amazed at how many comments that it is getting. So, I wrote a blog entry that gives some background to the video. The video was shot back in Novenber of 2007. Here is the link: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/02/sixteen.html

Blog update and graffiti alert at: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/01/graffiti.html

Welcome to the Oliver Forums jetstar !!

You know, when stuff goes to a' messin' up, it jest' seems ta' get wussa' n' mo' wussa ! See all of the food times we missed out on ! Dang it ! Maybe next time. . . . .

bLOG UPDATED AT: http://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2010/01/salvaged.html

Since the only thing that we have on our schedule is to open up the Trujillo Meadows Campground late in June, we will be able to make those dates and any on either side of them. How about it Chuck & Geri which dates work best for you ? Tom, karen ? Others that would like to attend please feel free to chime in about which dates would suit you best.

Happy birthday Chuck !

Welcome to the Oliver Forums, NoRVyet !!

New Year's day is here at last and as Betty and I think back on what a good year this has been, we remember in particular, last years JUGFEST 2009 and those good times with fantastic friends. One night around the campfire Thomas ( Spiffy T ) & Katie broke out their notes and guitar to sing: Mountainborn's NO MORE WORKIN' MAN'S BLUES > It goes like this: > Mountainborn's NO MORE WORKIN' MAN'S BLUES He's up early in the mornin' Tho' his work days are done He fires up his boat a' fishin' he has gone CHORUS: He's a' retired man no more workin' man blues Now he's crusin' across the lake leavin' life's worries in his wake you better watch out don't you get in HARM'S WEIGH CHORUS: Now he's pullin' into the dock Betty, cut up what he's caught Holey Cow, Man ! Is that a Butcherknife in her hand ? CHORUS: The campfire is a blazin A' sizzlin' and a' poppin Betty where's my phone ? I'm too busy a' nappin ! CHORUS: > SCUBARX's were there and Steve videoed the campfire pickin' and grinnin' session. He says he's going to post the video on here soon. > I guess that since we aren't in Florida at the wedding, dang fridge, and Rv shops in general, we will have our traditional Mountain folks meal of black eyed peas, collards, hog jowell, ect..

HERE'S THE LINK: http://www.hulu.com/live/times_square_2010

Well, it just keeps getting worse and worse. The wrong board arrived and after calls, and calls the right one will be on the way, arriving here on Monday. The holliday will effect the shipping time. Sherry had the thing about the Holidays figgured right.