SeaDawg

Welcome to the forum, and the Oliver family of owners. You will love the trip to Alaska, whichever route you take. Garynjona are right... So much wildlife viewing on the ice fields parkway/Jasper route. The ferries are amazing, too, if you go coastal one way. I think we need to start an Alaska thread. We found so many amazing, mostly empty campgrounds on our trips I'm infatuated with the Yukon. So few people, so much wildlife, and wonderful rustic campsites. I think Yukon territory sites were $10 cad last year , roughly $7.60 us. Free firewood. We were often the only ones, or just a few others, in the campgrounds.

A big part of my fascination with the Midwest is probably my upbringing on the Minnesota farm. Seeing and hearing the corn grow, eating tomatoes and peas fresh from the plants in the huge garden.Riding the tractor with Dad, tending chickens with Mom. The amazing smell of new cut hay. Riding my pony, and the odd calf... Fording the usually shallow creek between us and nearest neighbors, chasing butterflies, finding tiger lilies and lady slippers in the woods.. The barn dad built from lumber he cut and milled himself still stands. He always told me I helped, but all I did was paint very low boards, and pull nails for him... I was six.but I sure loved being there with Dad. Life on the farm was pretty simple, but rich. We depended on each other, our family, and our neighbors. None of us had a lot, but we all had about the same...as my childhood friend Rose says, we had no idea others had more, so no big deal Those farm years, before we moved to "town", gave me a huge appreciation for life, green, and simple. I'd love to go back to those days. Easy, no. My parents worked unbelievably hard. Satisfying, certainly. And that big prairie sky... I remember laying under the oak in the pasture, watching the clouds. Imagining the rest of the world on the cloud figures. Since then, I've been lucky enough to see a lot of the world. But, you know, those cornfields are pretty darn amazing, too. Sherry

What a gorgeous photo. I, too, love the fireflies. Heading back to NC soon... Saw them last week in Mom's back yard. I miss them, too ... Sherry

And, then, there is that wonderful huge prairie sky. Like this, on my way to Moline, to fly home to Florida The sky goes on forever, as does that silver ribbon of road. I just had to watch for tractors.... Sherry

I just got back from a week in the Midwest. Basecamp, northern Missouri at Mom's house. Driving miss Daisy, we went on to Wisconsin to celebrate her birthday with her twin. I wish I had more photos. We followed the great river road ad much as practical. It's an amazing, beautiful drive. Whether the Mississippi is to your left, or your right, it's just beautiful. I can never get enough. Sherry

Love your fb photos. Wish we were there. Bosker is growing up before our eyes. On your way home, there's a campsite in nb that you should not miss. It's amazing. Looking out to Campbell, and the maelstrom, and the local ferries, and seals and wildlife. I juggled out schedule so we could stay a few days extra. Have a great trip!!!! Sherry

Well, my experience is, camping around Asheville, most of the time, you just need to open the windows, and run the fan Assuming you get above the city. Asheville is low elevation.

I saw this ingeneous table mount at a boat show several years ago. We need the table in the small dinette sometimes for cooking prep, paperwork, etc., But, I loved the Whaley's sofa... Any ideas on how to make this work with the sofa? http://www.lagunusa.com/ Sherry

Someday soon, we will have a thread on " how do I charge my ev tow on solar." Sherry

Bollinger of NY introduced their very cool, very trail ready ev this week, to coincide with the Tesla 3. The future is sneaking up on us With the massive torque and acceleration of evs, we just now have to figure out charging, In the current config, the Bollinger b1 Is a nonstarter as a TV. Time will make a difference. PS.. it looks so cool. I'd be tempted as a local 4x4 vehicle. Not as tow. We are on an exciting primetime era with evs. Battery power will increase. You can be sure if that https://electrek.co/2017/07/27/bollinger-all-electric-truck-b1/

The closing of Bornfree makes me very sad. I lived in Iowa for 8 wonderful years. My Florida company, in the 80s, bought a conversion Bornfree as a demo van for our product. Great vehicle. About vans, etc, no one has mentioned Sporstmobile, tx and ca. We saw one at the Tampa rv supershow last year. Built on the Mercedes 4,X4 chassis, kind of Spartan inside, but everything we need. It would,in my opinion, be a great tow and fun vehicle, leaving our ten year old Ollie at a safer cg ... And exploring beyond. We don't need a lot. It was, with an outdoor shower and diesel stove, no oven, a minimal solar setup, around 100 k So, as yet, we don't own one. But someday, possibly. It can tow our Oliver, and then some. And, no worries on the small roads. Don't think this would be the op,'s choice . Conversion vans do not have the pano windows. Not the big beds. . Reed, why did you not like driving the sprinter van? Which year? Sberry

Would you like one of us to remove your cell number? Have you made contact? Better for privacy reasons to exchange phone numbers through pm , in my opinion... Sherry

I'm wondering, too. Anyone know of a list of these spots? Or, should we begin one?

The west has loads of boondocking opportunities. But those of us who love the eastern half of the us can find plenty. With research. Many coe ( army corps of engineers) parks have minimal facilities, corresponding low or no fees, and amazing views. Ditto Forest service campgrounds. And state Forest sites. A few county and town sites are also off the beaten track. Do we have the rugged Western scrub/ Mesa landscape? No. But many beautiful river, dammed lake, pond , flood plain sites. It can take some research time, but even in the east, it's possible. If you get off the main roads. Sherry

Anywhere in North America you'll see part of it. Enjoy your travels. Wishing we're in Canada. Temps and humidity are unrelenting here .soooo very jealous...

There may be a leg for your awning in the boneyard. Or not. Worth asking. You never know. Sherry

Got my mouth watering. Betty is just amazing with her Dutch oven. Hope you two are having a great time on the lake. Sherry

How far east and north are you thinking about in Minnesota? It's a big, beautiful state, and the state campgrounds are mostly wonderful. Many of the small towns also have free or almost free cgs near the city park or fairgrounds, too. If you have the time, the bluff country of southeast Minnesota is beautiful.. bluffs, caves, rivers for fishing and watersports, bike trails... Lanesboro is one of my faves. Tiny (population 700 or so), artsy, outdoorsy... on the Root River, with lots of bike trails. We've camped along the Mississippi from Wisconsin and Minnesota down through Iowa to Missouri. Lots of great Corps of Engineer campgrounds . September is a great time. Weather is usually still warmish, fewer bugs, and campgrounds are less populated, as the kids are back in school.Blackhawk coe is one of my favorites... Watching the river traffic go by. Sherry

I've had great success with the raid clear ant gel. Better than ant traps. For outdoor, the amdro stuff that the scouts take back to the colony works well here. Sherry

In North Dakota, I definitely recommend Teddy Roosevelt National Park. The North Dakota Badlands are beautiful, and lots of wildlife... Bison in our campsite, had to move inside for awhile. We have camped at Custer State Park in SD to visit Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc. Clean facilities in our park, and very nice. The wildlife loop drive is wonderful. In the early evening, we saw a lot..bison, fox, sheep... Don't know which route you're taking, but Mitchell SD has a nice little city campground on Lake Mitchell. Facilities are older, but clean. Some sites are lake view, and it's very reasonable as a stopover spot, and you can tour the historic Corn Palace ... The flatlands of the Dakotas have their own special beauty. Hope you have a great trip. Sherry

The unit in our hull #12 ran on either propane or electric, as did all the early Olivers I've seen. I don't know if you have the same water heater we had Brandi, but it's likely that you do, but some had Atwood, some suburban, I think. There's a switch on the outside of the unit to select gas or electric. This was accessed from the outside curbside door. In our old unit, there was also a switch on the face of the curbside dinette, along with a little red light that lit up when the unit first turned on, but did not remain illuminated. It was something I always checked, as I was concerned about accidentally turning on the heater by bumping it, which did happen to us a few times. There should be a bypass valve under the curbside dinette, so you can make sure the water supply is feeding into the heater. If the handle is turned in line with the pipe feeding the heater, it's open. Just a thought, before you fill the heater, you might want to check the sacrificial anode and make sure there's still some life in it. BTW,you are not pestering when you ask questions. We will all be happy to help when we can. I'm just working from memory, as we replaced our original water heater with an instantaneous unit. And, you're right in assuming that each of the earliest trailers were a little different as Oliver did some tweeks to the design and options. If you can't find manuals online with Google model/make, pm me . I can either scan and send, or send a link. We all love your little red trailer. Hope you can enjoy (all) of it too. Sherry

It's very important to know that there is water in the tank before you turn on the heater. Sherry

We've been invited to a backyard party near Waynesville, NC. Probably 95 per cent. Sherry

Our chocks and blocks pretty much fit in one milk crate in the truck bed. We carry a variety of blocks, and harbor freight chocks. Heavy, and great chocks Sherry

Can't speak to your install, but we've towed 80k miles with our panels, without issue . We check regularly. No zipties needed. I will check ours in the fall,again, when we tow home to the South. Thanks for the heads up. Sherry