SeaDawg

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

I'm also wondering about the build difference in the early legacy and the newer ii .

Karen, In our 08 , when the guage says empty, we're empty. Trust me . We dry camp most of our travels. We refill from a 40 gallon bladder, with a five gallon container leftover. I know it requires patience, but there will be a fix . For you. Sherry

This week , we're in mostly shade. We don't have a suitcase solar, so, after three days, we broke out the Honda Done. Sherry

The best first response equipment is the closest, and easiest to use. We all hope we never have to use it. Sherry

We built our new garage to accommodate the Oliver. Sherry

Ridenfly, beautiful shot. We've been there, but you're a far better photographer. Anyone going to Mt Pisgah, the cg has no views. But across the road, at the inn, the layered views of the mountains is just awe inspiring. Until noon. Go for breakfast. Reasonable prices. Absolutely the best restaurant views on the parkway. Bar none. Floor to ceiling glass in the restaurant. I posted a photo years ago. I'll see if I can find it. Just, omg, go there for breakfast... After the sun moves across, dinner views arent so great...imo. If you don't have the time to drive the entire parkway, and the Shenandoah , honestly, the fifty mile stretch around Asheville gives you the best of the parkway. If you have a little more time, the Linville viaduct is an amazing engineering feat, and not that much further. Life in the parkway/ slow lane is great. Sherry

My Oliver is nine plus years old. Still happy, still get quick answers and support from Oliver if I have an occasional problem. How many manufacturers do that? I can't discount that new owners have recently had some issues, and that's a huge disappointment for them. I do know that no one, likely, is more disappointed than the Oliver family, and they'll make it right. Growing pains? Probably. My Oliver is my last trailer. Upgradeable, durable, tough, and clean. At least, that's my nine year experience. Sherry

The scare factor of mountain roads depends on where you learned to drive, your own idiosyncrosies, and your confidence in your driving/driver, and your vehicle. I often tell people, Paul is a fearless driver, but I'm not a fearless passenger. I'm a lifelong flatland dweller... Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Florida. Not many challenging mountains here. Heck, I've been known to get sick in the balcony watching a ballet. Several times... Nonetheless, Paul confidently and carefully drives the unpaved high mountain goat trails, sans guard rails, and I not only survive, but have learned to help to look ahead for oncoming traffic on the one lane roads. Iceland's west fjord sheer drop offs from one lane dirt roads will either cure you, or make you stay home... I don't want to stay home... Sherry

You're so right. Best water makes the best coffee. We carry what we can from home rainwater, and then live with what we find later, if on a long trip.catchas catch can... Or buy distilled water when it gets ugly. Sherry

We wash the Oliver whenever it's dirty, as dirt is damaging. Twice a year, minimum, often three, we wax with 3m Marine wax, the same paste wax we use on our 40 year old sailboat. I also wax the interior fiberglass every year, or two. Makes indoor cleanup easier. Our trailer is in the sun, 24/7/365. And it's nine years old... Marine grade gelcoat is tough, but extra uv protection from a quality wax is important. Both the Oliver, and the boat, still shine. don't let the surface get oxidized from the sun by skipping wax cycles. You'll regret it Lately, our neighbors have been investing in the ceramic coatings for their boats. One neighbor paid $1200 for a 17 ft boat.... We'll see how it holds up. Sherry

Great photos. Congrats on a wonderful first trip. I love this photo, particularly.. Safe travels, Sherry [attachment file=2017-06-17_19-42-50_326.jpeg]

We carry an assortment of lengths of 2x 6 and 2 x 4 cutoffs in a crate in the truck bed. We have a lot of short lengths leftover from building our house. One year, camping with a group, we went to a local Lowes and paid to have 2x 6 es cut into 12 and 18" chunks for us and our friends in a hilly campsite, to shore up the tires and jacks.it was worth the $25. For me, the chunks are a renewable resource, and most of what we carry is scrap destined for landfill, anyway.. Eventually, we burn it. But many of the chunks survive years of use, sweeping then off after use . I separate the ground contact chunks from the others. I've learned how to build "ramps" to get us to the proper height in hilly unlevel sites. I like to have support under the tire, not just jack the wheels off the ground.... Sans fancy level bubbles, a half filled water bottle on the floor or table, on its side, will tell you if you are close to level . Sherry

It was a lot of fun. 5 camping venues, fun people. Some could only stay a week, others two, some of us six... It was great. Hopefully, another time. We're all so far flung, anymore,

BTW, our local library has a lending program on overland's recommended killawatt. Yours might, too.its a great way to track your useage, one device at a time. We retrofitted a 30 amp plug in our garage wall for the trailer in our old house, but, we had space in the box for it. In the new house, it was part of the plan, along with a sewer clean out by its parking place. Good luck with your research. The Oliver, like many small trailers, is a true tiny house on wheels. You can learn a lot from tiny house blogs, too, though most of them are far less portable, and often more expensive, than an Oliver. Sherry

Great fabric choice, and lovely workmanship! Looks awesome. Sherry

Not a cat person, but I think I would discuss the possibility of a cat litter box compartment under the closet with Oliver. It would shorten the height of your closet, but I think it could be done, with a solid floor closet and a cutout for the box. Otherwise, even if the litter box fit, you'd have to leave the bathroom door open all the time for the cat. Sherry

I'd say you're in the right spot. You could pay to have a suitable outlet installed for your trailer, and not worry too much about the power. It would be a useful exercise to estimate your consumption, so you could reimburse your friend properly. Unless you're in a climate zone where you need ac or electric heat, you won't use much. Especially if you install solar, and use that source first. You will also need a place to dump grey and black water. We do this at home in a sewer clean out. Wind generators can be very noisy. Solar is silent. What's your climate zone? Frankly, kudos on building a minimalist lifestyle. Check out the blog of technomadia. They worked out of an Oliver for several years. Now they travel and work via vintage bus and boat. They're very interesting, smart young people, who have made the minimal lifestyle work for over a decade. Sherry