bugeyedriver

BuffaloBob, thanks for chairing all of those endless meetings. I know it was tough with the other 800 things you seem to do all the time. Will participants receive official certificates of attendance to hang on our walls? SeaDawg, Oscar & I look forward to next year's Dade City gathering. Sounds like a nice time.

Count Oscar & me in! Sounds like a lot of fun . . .

Congratulations are in order to SeaDawg, Earthdancer and Tumbleweed for the awesome, momentous, splendiferous, gathering described with such delicious details! Can't wait to see the pics . . . if earthdancer is producing them they will be worth the waiting. Looks like meanderthal & I will have to settle for second in the annals of Oliver rallies shucks!

rvngal, From your handle, I take it you have experience you can share with newbies to the rv world (such as myself) . . . please stay and be sure to hang around and point me in the right direction when i go astray. Best of luck in finding the right trailer for you and your DH at this time.

Tom, It would be great to meet as we each make our maiden voyage with our Olivers. I may have stuck the name Wonder Egg on my new (and first ever) RV but I'm quite sure each of us will have a wonderful experience as we receive our portable fiberglass castles. Seeing as I am such a neophyte in the RV universe, I have decided to remain near Hohenwald for two nights at the Thousand Trails/ NACO campground where tumbleweed stayed. I'll be there on the 24th & 25th. This will give me time to make all the silly mistakes I can and call Robert for help (heh, heh, heh) . . . Join me at the camp on the 25th and we'll have the first Oliver purchaser rally!! WOOOHOOO!! We can put pics on the site to PROVE IT!

I think I may be getting the hang of the picture thing, mountainborn. Now I need to try to downsize the photo for when I start posting Wonder Egg photo's next week. Anyway as you can see, Oscar is all smiles as he anticipates the arrival of our trailer . . . pickup is the 24th!

mrasoul, I live about 1.5 hrs southwest of you near Boerne, Tx. I pick up my Wonder Egg on the 24th and will bring it back home later that week. I will also be attending the Bluebonnet Casita rally in Bandera, Tx from 2-6 April. That's only another 30 miles drive from Austin The rally would be a great place for you to see about 175 Egg Campers gathered. Looks like I'll be the lone Oliver in the encampment. I'd be glad to show you the trailer and you'd have an opportunity to compare it with other fiberglass eggs. pm me if you'll be coming and I'll be sure we get in touch.

mountainborn, That's no simple mailbox contraption you've got there, its the whole dang post office! WOW, what a rig . . . looks as powerful as the generator your hauling. It is sure to get attention as you're cruising down the road. With the extra 200# strapped out on the tongue shaft, and your self proclaimed crazy, cushion tossing, back woods driving, be sure to add regular inspections of your tongue assembly looking for tiny stress cracks developing at critical points. May never develop, but better to be safe. The factory is making me an aluminum basket mount which will be immediately in front of the LP cover. It will distribute the weight over the "V" support section before the shaft of the tongue goes forward. My current concept is to have the Honda EU2000i travel in the truck bed, under the secure cover. I can use the cage to carry various supplies, as needed. At camp I'll reposition the Honda to the cage-mount and hook it to the generator quick connect. I'm also considering modifying the generator to propane and will have a propane tie-in incorporated that won't require me to open the LP cover. I'd get the Yamaha 2400 that is already propane ready but its too tall to fit under the Tacoma's bed cover.

earthdancer, I've enjoyed the lyrical sounds of the Native American Flute for many years (I have and play three different keys) Over the past two years I've delved into the Irish whistle with a concentration on the Laments and Praises of the Aires genre. (I have 4 of these) I also play several baroque recorders, but I feel they are a bit "overboard" for the quiet solitude I'll be looking for with the Wonder Egg. There's nothing like the sound of a fipple flute wafting through the silence of the great outdoors . . . At home, I've had deer stop and listen as I play, leave when I stop, and return when I resume . . . It's another whole level of communication that touches the soul and brings solace to all who hear, including me . . . I will need to learn to be cognizant of my fellow travelers in the RV world so I don't disrupt their reverie in the evenings.

The custom made front mural has arrived at the Oliver plant ! see it at: http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... 20Trailer/ "Honor the Sacred" is a canvas print by the artist Katy Hatt, of Show Low, Arizona. Her artwork may be found at . . . http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_2735 ... tfolio.htm I was looking throughout the web for just the right picture to grace the front of the Wonder Egg when I came upon Kathy's work. I purchased one of her original 8 x 10 canvas prints and asked for her permission to have an enlarged mural made for my trailer. After explaining the recent passing of my sweetheart, Lynn, my upcoming retirement, and my desire to find solace and solitude in the great splendor of the outdoors, Kathy graciously gave permission for a one of a kind mural to be made. I placed the print on a photocopy stand and used a Nikon D40 digital camera to accurately capture the image which I then emailed to the Oliver graphics shop for creation of the mural. I feel that it will set the perfect atmosphere for my journeys.

Mountainborn, I've always noticed your knack for writing that can paint pictures and that your heart is into it . . . now I know where it comes from. What a special grandma! Earthdancer, You may dance gently on Mother Earth, but your photography shouts strongly about the spirit that dwells within. I LOVE your pictures, thanks for linking us to them! Meanderthal, your handle is one of the cleverest ones I've seen in a long time . . . after you've meandered throughout these lands in your Oliver I'm sure we'll all be enthralled with your true story of what it means to you!

OK Tom, I'll go first: BUGEYEDRIVER - No, I do not travel the highways for hours and hours on end, hyped up on way too much coffee, attempting to reach a distant destination . . . I drive a 1959 English roadster called a "Bugeye" because the headlights are permanently positioned in the UP position. They're called "Frogeye" in England. I've had it 20 years and it is great therapy to drive . . . top down, low to the earth, wind in your face, bugs in your teeth from the constant grinning, smelling all the fragrances of the new spring growth . . . Beats the the heck out of hiring a therapist. OK folks, its time for you to step on up to the bar and tell your story . . .

Well BuffaloBob has put some new photos up on the production process! - a couple side shots from the outside (my favorite being the curbside view) you can see there's not much room for anything else up there . . . - photos of the galley front panel in production - closet rod and mounts (very strong) - amplifier antenna mounted in the rear, street-side corner underneath the cabinets - swivel reading lithe under cabinet near support bar Thanks, B-Bob!

Great news on the cell phone signal booster . . . it works GREAT! Robert said they've never had cell phone coverage on the shop floor. That is until the fired up the Wonder Egg's signal amplifier. Now they all have solid connections . . . WOOHOO! So for the next two weeks they can enjoy full cell phone coverage on the shop floor to talk to home, their girlfriends & boyfriends, receive and send text messages, web surf on their high speed blackberries, etc.

Chuck, Did you purchase a kit and do the Honda 2000i propane mod yourself, or have a shop do it? With the generator on the tongue mount how will you tap the propane? I think the quick connect for the grill is on the rear, am I right? Do you intend to open the propane cover or make your own hole for an access? More pics are posted on the production album. You can see Jason modeling several locations for the tag (I'll have a customized tire cover graphic) and you can see pics of mounting the top shell onto the rest of the unit. The metal bar exerts inward pressure on the top as the suction cups pull out the bottom for a firm seal. 15 more days . . . . . . . . . .

bugz, Your Oliver looks very happy in your family. Thanks for sharing your great photos with us . . . looks like all were having a grand time. Can't wait to do the "smores thing" with the grandkids! Nice mural, is that Lake Havasu itself? May you experience many, many more wonderful memories building moments with your trailer . . .

sacsun, I've tested the range of the transmitter / receiver and have solid contact at at 75'! If it transmits through the Wonder Egg, I may mount a metal washer on either end of the bumper and on top of the spare tire cover to attach the magnetic mounted camera. More pictures have materialized on the photobucket album: - a shot of the interior front of the outer shell showing the extra support for the antenna and the front solar panel mounts. You can also see they've affixed the antenna cable securely as it works its way back . . . - the coolest fabricated antenna bracket ever . . . strong and angled perfectly for a vertical receiver / transmitter antenna to the cell phone signal amplifier - 2 pics of a modification to the upper rear superstructure. This "bump" is to level my a/c. Because I've asked Oliver to add the cell phone antenna and 100w solar panel on top of the trailer, they had to move back the air vent and the a/c, placing the rear of the a/c over a downslope. The bump overcomes the downslope and supports the aft placement of my a/c unit. - 2 pics of an a/c unit on an Oliver without the modified bump, for contrast. About my a/c, I've asked Oliver not to put the strong Duo-Therm unit on . . . instead, I am requesting the Coleman Polar Cub. I've asked for this so I could run the a/c with a Honda EU200I and for a longer compressor run time to facilitate removal of moisture from the trailer. During my last conversation with Robert, he mentioned a modification I believe tumbleweed has on his trailer . . . a propane quick connect mounted near the curbside of the bumper run from the front tanks for use on a portable gas grill. Well, I couldn't help myself and asked if he could incorporate it on my Wonder Egg and Robert uttered those familiar words: "Why SURE!" Pickup date is now slated for 24 March, still in time to get it back to Texas for the Bluebonnet Rally. It'll also give my badly busted elbow time to heal (trees, ladders, and chain-saws just don't mix well - but that's a story for another time )

Hey bugz, My daughter saw an Oliver westbound on I-10 between Houston & San Antonio today . . . could that have been you?

mountainborn, Seeing as you're into fun ways to gather up a good catfish dinner I was wondering if you've ever gone out "noodling" for cats? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biL-QcviQGk I bet butcherknife could get some great pics of you bringing up your great catches and post them here! Pete hee, hee, hee

mountainborn, Here's my understanding on the need for the "tin-foil" The antenna on the front rooftop will receive a very weak signal on 800 or 1900 Mhz. send it to the amplifier which will boost the weak signal to 3 watts (max allowed) and this stronger signal will then be retransmitted from an inverted cone antenna mounted under the rear storage cabinet in the "street side" corner. I then sit inside (or outside for that matter) with a strong 4 bar signal. If the retransmitted, boosted signal is picked up by the topside antenna, we get into the situation where it oscillates. That is; "the amplified signal provided by the amplifier/repeater to one antenna for rebroadcast would likely be picked up by the other antenna and fed back into the amplifier input, where it would be further amplified, etc. The amplifier/repeater unit would quickly be overloaded with its own signal and would cease working for its intended operation." So . . . the aluminum foil is a shield that prevent that problem. The idea for the shield came from one of the technicians with the cell phone repeater company who happens to be a Casita owner, so he was aware if the trailer dimensions we are dealing with in the Oliver.

2 more photos are up! What you are looking at is the inner top fiberglass shell with some aluminum-foil shielding for the cell phone amplifier antennas. (And no... I do NOT wear a tinfoil hat!!!) http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... mview=grid

sacsun, As another solo traveler, I've been wondering about that very thing the last few days. I've decided to go with the "Swift Hitch" (http://trailertoys.com/swhibasaca.html) and figure I could use it to assist me both day & night with TV/RV hookup and tight spot RV backing. They are a bit proud of their product and it's pricey but being new to the RV world I figure I can use all the help I can get! While "technically" I'm not solo, and I could position Oscar out back a bit with some instructions, it still wouldn't help 'cause he doesn't bark unless he's fussing at a raccoon.

7 more pics have been posted on the "Wonder Egg's" production!!!!! You can see the cell phone repeater topside antenna; cool pictures of the inner top (or the "yolk" of the egg) notice again, some of the dark sprayed on lizard skin insulation; a few pics of the Charge Controller for the 100w solar system, showing its size relative to a yellow legal pad. You can see them at: http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... mview=grid

So THATS how they do it! I've been wondering about the beautifully formed storage compartments found in the Oliver. Now I see all they do is take some super-duper heated plastic, strap it on a frame, latch it to the mother-of-all-suction-machines and throw the switch. POOF! Instantly formed cargo holds . . . whooda thunk it? 'See more at: http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... 20Trailer/

Hello Mountainborn, Good eye . . . yes, the dark spray on finish to the inside of my outer shell should be a ceramic insulation product called "LizardSkin". When I met with Jim Oliver, he told me of this great new cutting edge product they could apply to the interior of both fiberglass shells to reduce heat transfer as well as providing sound dampening. LizardSkin is used within the race care industry to stop heat transfer from the super-hot engine compartment from impairing the driver. It can be used in lieu of Thinsulate insulation. According to the LizardSkin manufacturer, the RV industry could benefit their customers through the use of this product: "Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers ... SSpray on LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation is in the process of changing the way major OEMs insulate motorhomes to dramatically reduce heat and noise. The advantages of LizardSkin® include : easy spray on application, outstanding thermal and noise control properties, light weight, modest installed thickness (about 0.040”), low installed cost, environmentally friendly composition and Class A Fire rating. In addition, leading RV dealers are beginning to offer LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation as a dealer-applied option on some new and pre-owned motorhomes. Fast clean up with soap & water helps make applying LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation a hassle-free experience. LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation coating is recommended for application on engine compartment firewalls, floorpans, transmission tunnels, inside engine covers, under roofs and headliners and wherever engine, exhaust or solar heat gain are potential problems. Coating the exterior roof on RV’s is a very effective way to stop solar heat gain." So the Wonder-Egg's layers, from outside - in will be; Fiberglass / LizardSkin / Dead Airspace / LizardSkin / Fiberglass. With my double paned windows, I should be comfy cozy year round . . . More on this new product can be found at: http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/PS-LizSkin.html Just one more example of how Oliver Travel Trailers is willing to think outside of the box to give us the finest trailer imaginable!