mountainborn

Welcome to the Oliver Forums jam49 !!

EUREKA, COLORADO, ghost town, boondocking location. Nearly everyone is scattered enough that generator use doesn't cause even the raising of a single eyebrow ! Located just North of Silverton Colorado, to get there, You just continue on up Main street going out of town untill the pavement ends. The road is well maintained and wide. There is a bridge and a sign telling you that you are at Eureka. Here is what it looks like:

The snow was deep enough that we couldn't get to many of the geocaches located on the summits of the jeep trails. So , just how deep was it, you might say ? Well, here is a short video to give you a look:

Morarity New Mexico City Park. Overnight for free with electricity. With the Air conditioning going the main street traffic noise is not a problem. Located on Interstate I-40 this is quite a handy location for a quick on and off. Should you need gas or a jug of milk, all the better. Here is a quick video look at the park:

DougI, although I have used it quite a bit, I don't know what the material is. It is pretty heavy, seems waterproof and is very flexible. The website to get a look at it might the fiamma web site. http://www.fiamma.com I remember reading about it when we were researching the Oliver, but can't remember the speciffics. I think it is 10 X 10 feet. The legs and the brackets fold and roll up in the awning. There is a brace rafter that stores in the closet with the crank, untill ready to use. The legs will go either on the trailer or the ground.

This is Betty & I touring a 2007 Oliver at the River Valley Egg Rally I, it was being shown by Jared Rose. We decided that Oliver was for us after this viewing !

Tom, that's not a dumb question ! It is one of our uninalieable rights to know if your stripper plole is warm, or not ! Our forefathers and many, many generations of American service Men & Women have served our country with pride and dignity inorder to insure that . . . . . Oh, yeh, Er, Uh, geeze Tom, I forgot to check. At 10K elevation Butcherknife and I wuz' snuggled up in that travasack. He, he, we never did flip it over to the Winter side up though ! But then there was that time that I got up in the night, headed to the bathroom, and, as I bent over to hitch up my camo thong, you know, the move right before the strut down the aisle, and I backed into the stripper pole . . . . Man, oh man ! I just thought my ol' hound had a cold nose on him !

DougI, like you, I sometimes worry about an awning and impending weather. However if we have company over for dominoes or grand kids in wet bathing suits, the awning and a sunscreen is a very nice thing. It is quick to go up and down in a very short period of time.

Another thing that we found about "stickie" units, is that if you camp on the lake a lot, with the windows open at night, the veneer on the panneling will start to peel off !

Welcome to the Oliver Forums Boler Fun !!

Sounds to me like you are a well seasoned RVer that is making quality decisions based on your camping needs. Seems like we could use a couple of extra 12 v. outlets ourselves, so that when our phones are charging we can operate a 12 v. coffee maker or plug in a laptop. The television and entertainment center are both 12 v. we only run our genset when we need to use the microwave, airconditioning or charge batterys on extended boondocking stays. The King Dome is also 12 v. , but your satellite reciever will likely be 110 Volt AC, and need a small inverter to run while boondocking, unless you chose an inverter option on your build sheet.

Welcome to the Oliver Forums Dusky !!

Welcome to the Oliver Forums chsutfin !!

Welcome to the Oliver Forums ashleymeadow !!

There is NO CAMO on you!!!!!! Are you changing styles on us now that retirement is looming??? Great ideas, what are you using to check fuel $$? Slowing down with Geri is NOT an option...it is mandatory!!!! Your posting on this trip have been great!!!! Thanks! Chuck Chuck, was trying to fly under the radar ! But no camo didn't help, in one place someone said, " is ya'll mountainborn & butcherknife from that cute li'll camper outside ?" Why of course we showed it to them ! Used gasbuddy mostly: http://www.gasbuddy.com

Chris & Cherie, one of the first things that we saw in the museum was a home made teardrop camp trailer. The blue prints were framed on the wall by it. It was a wonderfuly crafted work of art from the period. The cook top was Magic Chef. Betty & I thought about you guys and your more modern and high tech, but similar in some ways, travel trailer. Here is a video of the teardrop: Note the tongue has no trailer ball socket. The tongue was pinned to the rear bumper much as an old horse drawn hay rake was hooked up to a mule team's harness ! No brakes, lights, or electrical system at all. The automobile's single tail light was considered sufficient, I guess. A great restoration. We spent a lot of time looking this one over.

This is a paste of a post I made on a Jeep forum: > We just got back from Eureka Colorado where we boondocked for several days while we drove jeep trails. On our first ascent of Engineers pass, we left camp way before daylight so we could be there for sunrise. Since we had never been there before, the first experience being in the dark was something ! We ate a late breakfast in Lake City then returned to Eureka by way of Cinnamon Pass. Our skid plate under the transfer case only "tapped" on rock ledges three times going over Engineer Pass. The "little stocker" seemed to handle altitude and terrain well. We pulled our Oliver camping trailer with it, both to and from Eureka: We were above the actual pass looking down on it as the sun rose. It was magnificently breath taking, litterally ! Here is a video that I shot at the time and the altitude must have been working on me somewhat, for I missed the actual altitude by about a thousand feet ! He, he, what can I say. Another flatlander got the big eye at altitude I guess ! Here is a link to the video:

We were in a campground above 10K feet, with no cell service, no Television because of heavy timber overstory, no internet, no land line telephone, when we met a district manager of campgrounds in the area. After a short visit and mentioning our up coming retirement, a job offer was made to us ! Now, we ain't never been paid to camp out in such beautiful country and we really like the idea. The lake filled with trout was a factor also. But, we want internet, and internet telephone, we think, if we can afford it. We think we can simply add a direct dish on a tripod and run it out into an opening in the trees, for television, but the internet and internet phone are something we havn't experienced. Has someone on here had experience with those things ? How do they work ? What is the cost ?

I think that one of the cool things about these forums is that those here really enjoy sharing their experiences. Don't worry about "newbie" type questions, because we are all newbies in one area or another. Example, Butcherknife and I want to know about internet and skype internet telephone while on the road. So we will ask because we know that there are likely those on here that can give advice that we need.

This is a good boondocking site in the National Forest, just off off of US 550 at the junction of NM 96. This location is about half way between Albuquerque, Nm and Durango, Co. The intersection is North Of Cuba Nm, at the NM 96 turn off to La Jara When Nm 96 tee's in to 550 the USFS road is in the N/E corner, the cattle guard is immediately on the left as you turn in. As you turn into the National Forest there is a cattleguard, but if you have the 4 inch lift axle it isn't an issue. The campsite is about 100 yards inside the cattleguard. Here is the map: We slept soundly at this elevation with the windows open and a gentle breeze whispered through the pines above us. Well rested after such a good nights sleep, I shot the following video at sun rise: Elevation and GPS Coordinates given in the video clip. Here is the Google Earth view:

Thought I had carefully read the internet's information on the CADILLAC RANCH. But I had overlooked something. It had been many years since my last visit as a child, and the display had been moved, nearly three miles to the West, out of the city limits of Amarillo. And, you can no longer drive right up to it. In my mind, I had pictured still being able to drive right up to the Cadillacs. It didn't happen. When they were moved, they were placed nearly a quarter of a mile out in a field that is actively being farmed. There is a walk thru only gate, and most folks walk in with their spray cans and cameras in hand. Here is the view from the frontage road: Man, oh, Man ! Don't Ollie make them ol' Caddies look good ! The Cadillac Ranch has quite a movie history behind it and has been the subject of several National Campains of different types. Recently it was painted all black when an animator from the movie ANTZ passed away. Then it was once painted pink for a Breast cancer awareness promotion.

Hey, Pete ! Cool idea, tap a fighter jet as it swoops by on a gun run ! Talk about counting coup ! WOOoo HOOoo !

Oh, geeze, and all this time I imagined that the jet fighter was flying through the back window and out through the bathroom ! He, he

As the pending date of our departure to drive the Jeep trails in Colorado neared, we began to fret over the rising gas prices. We began to strategize. And arrived at this conclusion: Never stay at a Hotel or Motel on the trip. Only stay at a State Park or campground where our Senior Pass would knock off half. Reduce the number of meals eaten out. Shop for gas prices on the internet before arriving at our next fill up site. > What we discovered: Gas prices were only signifigantly higher in some states. Colorado was the highest at $4.39.9 in Lake City. We only stayed at one State park, it was $9.00. We dumped, filled with water and ran the A/C all night, no genset gas needed. We filled up the genset once at a cost of $7.31 . We ran a bit slower on the interstate and a more leisurely pace on secondary roads, and We concluded that we enjoied more. When calculating the actual cost against the former un adjusted travel style cost, we found that we saved aproximately $230.00 . Not bad for such minor changes, or so we thought. It more than off set the rising gas prices. The cool thing about shopping for gas prices on the internet was that our Jeep is designed for the lower quality fuels of third world countrys and the cheapest fuel in town ran just fine in it. We also knew ahead of time which town, exit and name brand was the cheapest at our next fuel stop. Should we need it the web site had a map of the station location available to display. Is it worth all the trouble ? We thought so, but you will have to decide if it might be for you. In this photo I point to the pump price per gallon at a restored Phillips 66 station. PS. Note the way I am dressed. In two days we will be jeeping in Alpine tundra, dressed to the max.

Easily located on old historic Route 66 in Elk City Oklahoma, the museum is a step back into the childhood of those that traveled it in the era. Here is our first view as we drove down Main st. in Elk City: We found lots of paved parking with easy access and a paved access completely around the entire city's block that the museum occupies. Butcherknife and I would be walking along the self guided tour route when suddenly one of us would get very quiet, deep in thought, remembering. . . . . Then the other one would quietly say, tell me about it . . . . . We shared the grandest stories about family, friends and the good times of the era. For example: Didja' ever ride a well worn, hand me down bicycle for many miles, delivering the "GRIT" newspaper, as you saved nickles and dimes ? All the while dreaming of the day when you would be able to deliver those papers on a shiney red Cushman scooter ? When we strolled hand in hand around the corner and there it was . . . I just kind of froze in place. After a few seconds of silence, Betty said, "tell me about it". I did. It was a story of sweat, flat tires, bad dogs and a chain that just would not stay on that bicycle. Yep, we had a grand old walk down memory lane at the Route 66 National Museum ! > PS, note the reflection on the hood of the jeep in the first photo. It was many miles yet to the high mountain jeep trail passes out in Colorado and the jeep was still fairly clean.