bugeyedriver

Well, first of all I was trying to figure out the mechanics behind Tom's "remote clicking" of a camera using the awning center brace . . . secondly, I was wondering what kind of lens would make the sun on the horizon appear so tiny. I guess if the picture is taken 48,678,200 miles further away from the sun than the earth that pretty much explains it. After my encounter with the Whaleys in Hohenwald, TN and watching their posts with the crafty twists of logic I should have known to be aware of their highly developed sense of humor. I'd like to think I wouldn't be caught again, but they're really, really good at it! Look out Ya'll

Naaaaaw, i just figured we'd get more catfish extravaganzas at the rallies if'n we told Mountainborn he needed to pony-up a big old fish fry or we'd throw the "special video" on that flat screen TV we moved outside our Oliver, complete with surround sound! Man, oh, man . . . I can taste that catfish already.

Butcherknife, You MUST capture that on video, using night infrared so Mountainborn won't know he's on candid camera and he can be uninhibited as he bumps on down the runway, er walkway, in the middle of the night!

First documented Unofficial-Unsanctioned-Unbelievably-Fun Oliver owner's caravan !!! Bugeyedriver & Tumbleweed heading to an unsanctioned Oliver / Casita rally at Lake Corpus Christi State Park . . . lots of fun, friendship, gumbo and campfire stories so far:

I vote for the 2 X 100W panels from AM Solar using their integrated MPPT charge controller. The 100W AM Solar system on the Wonder Egg works great . . . I'll be green with envy, but oh, so happy for you that you'll have doubled my humble 100W capacity.

Chris, Looks like you're having a lot of fun building your ideal trailer! Will your solar panel be able to tilt up to maximize input during the low sun angles of winter if you are in a northern location? Could you ever anticipate using Ham radio for long range emergency contact, etc. If so, Oliver can provide the appropriate cable & connections for outside & inside. Be sure to add strategically placed extra 12V connections. An old fashioned telephone jack connection on the inside & outside would add flexibility. I like your "big screen" TV concept and the swing arm for viewing from the porch. When you have hooked up some speakers outside, it will be just like an old drive in movie theater! I can smell the popcorn . . . Oh! And don't forget the turbo booster rockets and deployable wings to help you zip through the air with George Jetson!

I selected the dome antenna which radiates a signal 360 degrees, the signal initiates at a 50 degree depressed angle from level (if ceiling mounted) and there is no "cone of silence" directly under the dome. Receiving it in your TV would be dependent on being within these parameters. You need to be careful and not allow any signal from the dome to reach the outside antenna, or you get into a situation where the amplifier shuts down. That's why I have the goofy looking aluminum foil mounted strategically between the fiberglass shells. Call me at the number I pm'd you and we can discuss this in depth, if you'd like.

Chris, So far, all seems to be working just fine with the A/C & fan being moved rearward. Oliver built nice "bump" of fiberglass to the back so the A/C would be level. Several owners of Casitas have mentioned they liked the inside placement of the A/C. The air that exits the rear hits the curve or the ceiling and storage cabinets and then comes down onto the bed . . . nice. When I put the Fantastic Fan on exhaust and crack the rear window and the side window at the "head side" of the bed I have a continuously renewing stream of fresh, cool air moving in over the bed. If I put the fan on intake mode, I get a small amount of donward airflow on the edge of the bed. I prefer exhaust mode. On the solar, during a sunny day I am replenishing the batteries at a rate of 5 to 6 amps per hour. On overcast days that will drop to about 2.5 per amps per hour if the clouds aren't the dense, black ones. The HPV-22B charge controller will charge the batteries to 14.7 volts when boondocking. If you are connected to shore power, the set-point is moved down to 13.5 volts. I'll see what I can do about the roof picture. Gotta find a new ladder 'cause I destroyed the other one while attacking a tree limb with a chain saw. (NOT one of my smarter moves) Space is rather tight. To get more volts, you'll need a wider panel (longer is not possible) and this will change the aesthetics. Right now, the panel is as wide as the very top upper structure's width. Looks like it was made for it! I believe Mountainborn came across a long, skinny panel that may fit behind the sunshade. He thought two of these could be laid back there. Not sure what the voltage was. I'm very pleased with the cell phone signal amplifier. It is a dual band unit that works with both 800 and 1900 MHz which covers all service providers except Nextel. You can see all about it at http://www.powerfulsignal.com. I went for the "Command Post" option. When I enter the program mode of my telephone I am able to watch the analogue values of the signal power and see the signal boost as I turn on the amplifier. COOL! I'll pm my # to you. Feel free to call.

Sherie & Chris, I know your T@B adventures have been wonderful, but you ain't seen nothin' yet! Congratulations on the move to the Oliver. I am sure it will be all you anticipate . . . and MORE! What solar panel and cell phone amplifier will you be incorporating into your new palace? I look forward to watching your blog and look forward even more to when we may meet out on the road . . .

"Ding . . .Dong . . ." My EU2000i came from Camping World - I got it there with a 10% discount card when I made my initial outfitting purchases. My A/C unit is a Coleman 9200 btu unit and she powers it up just fine, at 800 ft pressure altitude. In September, I'll be fishing in Gunnison, CO with an elevation around 7700 ft. If I experience any problems, I'll be sure to post it.

Earthdancer, By the time the little critters are ready for the feast they are well purged of any mud they may have encountered in their lives. The seasonings in the boil make 'em down right yummy too! But I must admit I couldn't quite get into the "head sucking". Thanks for the pics comment, coming from you, I take that as a high honor. Seadawg, I'd love to take credit for the boil, but those honors must go to Will Perkins, my son's dad-in-law. I merely contributed funding and played photojournalist. It has, however, given me the courage to try one on my own sometime. I'm sure you'll have a fantabulous graduation party . . . ENJOY!

http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com ... l-yum.html

Chris, You have a very interesting blog . . . I love your airborne pictures and the zest for life you and Cherie share in your T@b. You will be thrilled with an Oliver, given its flexible platform - high tech characteristics - and the ability of the Oliver company to specialize it to your needs (within reason) I look forward to meeting you both, in person, out there on the road . . .

Why, that there catfish is smilin' 'cause he's about to "give it up" to become part of a WORLD CLASS OPPELOUSAS INTER-MOUNTAIN CAJUN EXTRAVAGANZA!! No finer a service could be rendered by a catfish in its service to this cycle of life thingy! Mountainborn, seriously . . . when are you gonna retire from your public servantry and open up the best little catfish eatery ever seen. Got a name for it: "From the JUG to your MUG" All kinds of hidden meanings in that one.

You see a lot of scary pictures after big winds about small upside down airplanes or mobile homes blown apart. The little plane's wings are designed to produce LIFT in moving air and if they are not secured, well, over they go! Most mobile home destructions we see on TV are cause by tornadoes. I can't recall pictures of upside down travel trailers. Perhaps 'cause they have the luxury of moving out of the path of destruction when the situation dictates. One of the best examples of this was Mountainborn's recent video as he was heading home from Arizona to Arkansas but happened to be following a hellascious blizzard . He simply tarried a bit until the monster storm got ahead of him and then sauntered on up behind the storm until he thought he should put down for a spell. With his maneuverability, he was able to avoid the storm. The fiberglass egg shape is pretty aerodynamic all around and the wind tends to encircle it and move on along. But realize, even well built brick & mortar houses suffer under the attack of a monster tornado. Too bad the folks can't hook up their house and move on outta there like you could with a small travel trailer.

Steve, I put the Timbren suspension assists on my 2x4 Tacoma, because as I was following Robert out to the campsite the first night I noticed several cars coming in the other direction flashed their brights at me (even though i was in dim) and Robert mentioned how bright the lights were. I looked at my truck's lines and could perceive an "upslope" towards the front. After putting the Timbren system on, all is straight & level . . . The 2x4 Tacoma has a softer suspension than its off-road buddies. The tongue is rated at 650 lbs and there was no safety problem with the Oliver's 400 lb hitch weight, there was just a slight raise in the nose, which is now fixed. I'm sure each vehicle will have its own characteristics. Be sure to check the owner's manual for towing specifications, stay within it's limits and you should be fine. Modify later if you desire.

If you're making some of your World Class Gumbo like you did at the Bluebonnet rally you may count me in!

Dang it . . . my 13.5 lb fluffy-foo-foo dog is a'scared of big-toothed alligators! Whooda thunk it? http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com ... html#links

Come on Earthdancer . . . couldn't be breakfast . . . who'd even THINK of corn-on-the-cob for breakfast?

OK Mountainborn, between your "Blair Witch Project" videos and this Arkansas Chain Saw Massacre photo of you, i'm starting to get just a bit concerned . . . perhaps someone should call the cops. OOOPS . . . too late!!

Oscar just couldn't stop "talking" about you guys all the way home. He raved on and on about Katie's prowess with the fishing rod and how kind Cody was. He says he can't wait to meet ya'll at Garner State Park.

No! Not THAT rear end!!!!!!!! Your TV's rear end. I have a Tacoma 4 door 2x4 with a towing package which includes extra protection for the tranny & engine, a bigger alternator and a class IV hitch. But it does not have off-road stiff shocks like its 4x4 brothers. The ride is like a Camry, smooth smooth, smooth. But when I hooked up the Wonder Egg, with its 400 lb tongue weight, i noticed an ever so slight depression on the rear end and the associated lift on the front. After studying my options to fix this i came upon a product called a Timbren Suspension Enhancement System. http://www.truckspring.com/timbren_285.html The concept here is that it does not change your unloaded ride much but when a downward pressure is applied to the rear end of the vehicle, these assists come into play to stop the sag. I've used it for about 4 hours worth of towing so far and it does everything i was hoping. So, if you're worried about a sagging rear end . . . check it out!

RvBella, There is an a/c outlet above the stove-top in the galley that could be used for a toaster oven or any other small appliance you might bring along. As long as you're hooked up to shore power or you've got a generator going and don't exceed its wattage you should be able to do just about anything. The Fantastic Vent will whisk away the odors and smoke if you need it to.

Mountainborn, I may have wandered into the uncharted world of the "BLOGISPHERE" but you, SIR, are the KING of the video world. I've always enjoyed your hand-held video segments. With your quiet narration, some almost have a sort of "The Blair Witch Project " quality about them. Like the one in the Wally World parking where one could anticipate calamity just around the corner ... but alas, it's just the sweeper!! This one evokes warm, good thoughts of plentiful bounty from the lake, good friends, relaxing times and makes me want to hop in my rig and head for Arkansas right now!! Well done

What a stunning photo! I think it was only a momentary glimpse you were given into a mythical woodland world. Fortunately you were able to snap a picture before it went back into its other dimension of time and space. That would explain why you can't find it again. For what it's worth, I think it would be a wonderful mural to set the tone for your wanderings. Very, very, nice.