SeaDawg

What a wonderful story. And you and your wife are so hospitable. Thanks for the share. You made my day. Sherry

The difference for us was that GS would tow both the tow vehicle and the trailer. I need to review the policy. In our region, in 2008, AAA would only tow one. It varies around the country.

The Alaska marine highway website isn't very user friendly. I recommend calling. All the agents are really nice, and quite informative.

I'll definitely second the suggestion to "just go!" Our Alaska trips have been amazing adventures. Weather is not predictable, but we like late may and June. It's colder, but less crowded. And fewer giant mosquitos and flies. The ferries can become expensive with a truck and trailer. That said, it's a beautiful perspective you will never get from the shore. Book early northbound. Southbound in midsummer is cheaper. Everyone is going north. If you are traveling with pets, not service animals, ferries can be a little scary for you and your pet. They have to stay in the trailer in the noisy car deck. You can visit for a half hour or so every four to six hours, and walk them outside at most port calls. Still, it's not easy for either of you. I wouldn't recommend a ride straight through from Whittier to Prince Rupert with a pet. I'd want to break it up. The short inside passage from the north end of Vancouver island to Prince Rupert is not as tough, easy sailing, and amazingly beautiful. And, camping in Vancouver island is beautiful, too.

I saw your post on another thread. Since Matt is doing updates this weekend, I thought I would start a new thread to welcome you. I almost missed the last one. Recent topics doesn't seem to be working. Welcome to our group. We wish you miles of smiles with your new camper in a few months. Sherry.

Thanks, Matt. Forum has been buggy and slowwww all week for me. Hope it works, and sorry for your over the weekend work... We so appreciate your help. Sherry

Most people just carry an inline camco type filter, available everywhere camping gear is sold, even most Walmarts. It's inexpensive, good for sediment, and helps with some mineral and odor control. We work from our tank, not city water, so that's usually all we carry, and just don't fill if the water is funky. Jrbirdman has an elaborate, multifilter wonderful system that enables him to use pondwater in his Ollie.... It's a small piece of engineering, and amazing. We have 7 filters on our home, as we capture rainwater from the roof for our water supply, but we'd need another trailer, or the whole truck bed, to do that on the road, lol. Jrbirdman's microsystem is the mobile equivalent, or better. Sherry

Welcome to the group, from Florida. We, too, love our 4x4 ram 1500. We have the older style, original Ollie. You might try posting again on introduce yourself, but probably someone from your area will find you here. Congratulations on your new to you Oliver. I hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed ours for the last nine years. Sherry

Yup. I wish I had a portable one. So many times when we wilderness camp or camp foreign, we lose track of the days. If we don't have signal, why turn on the phone and run down the battery? I keep a camping journal, but even with that , we almost missed a ferry reservation because we were having too much fun, off the grid.

Looks like you and Reed started a grand adventure when you picked up your Ollie. Have fun, and safe travels. Thanks for your posts along the way!

So small, and so insignificant, til you need them. Like fuses and spare bulbs. We always carry a few. Thanks, Larry.

By mid August, we are somewhere north of the Mason Dixon, seeking relief from summer heat and Florida humidity. North Carolina, or Canada. Thanks for the map. We'll try to be close to the track. And, happy birthday! ? What a way to celebrate!

Thanks for the map. By mid August, we are usually done with with the Florida heat and humidity, and already moved north. Sometimes in the Carolina mountains, sometimes Canada. We'll try to be in a spot on or near the track. Sherry

Honestly, if you can, go. I would offer to help. I love camping in the down under. Been there twice, and I can't wait to return. No, we didn't float the Oliver over. where we camped, our rented , very basic, Apollo camper van, was enough for two. I looked into it , but too expensive, and impractical to ship the Oliver, plus , the door is on the wrong side. With the shoulder season rates, and 35 plus days discount, there is absolutely no reason to try to bring a foreign camper to down under. Not to mention, all kinds of things we take for granted don't exist in Australia. That would be a much longer post. I m just going with, go if you can. And spend at least six weeks.

This may be old school, as I'm older than many here. A friend who worked with propane told me that propane, like gasoline, is tempered to the climate. If we camp at higher elevations in NC, we fill a bottle locally at tractor supply and work off that. Unlike many, we don't use the automatic switchover. We like to know what we have, like the old days. Here in Florida, we camp at close to zero . In NC, we camp above 3000. We live off the local gas for the most part. Do any of you know better?

One more thought. Our TST system gives us a temperature readout for each tire. Probably most of them do now, but it's a great feature. You'll normally see a rise in temp as the daytime temp rises, and road friction raises the air temp in the tire, but a very sudden spike could indicate a bearing problem. It's reading the air, not the hub temp, but it at least can make you aware before a major issue.

As an example, Quartz Lake, south of Fairbanks, on midsummer's Eve was uncrowded on a weeknight. $15, I think, so close to free. Pit toilets, very clean . The locals use the boat launch on the weekends, so I would try for an early summer weeknight, or you'd be sandlot, side by side. No other amenities. The lovely camphosts live there in a dry cabin. They have a huge water tank in the back of their truck for their use, and sell cheap firewood. They drive 40 miles each way for showers. I told them about our portable ecotemp shower unit that we use on our private camping acreage in the woods.

Well, let's call it a leave of absence. I'll be back, after the next two big trips. And I'll post enough photos to bore the heck out of everyone. Wish I could be in Melbourne on Saturday. I can't even explain my emotions when watching the big ships take off.

Top gun, kind of a leave of absence? I'll be back. I truly have some big trips ahead, sailing and camping, that will take me out of the loop for months. I promise I'll be back, and post enough photos to bore the heck out of everyone. Sure wish I could be at jetty park on Saturday! Sherry

Great video, John. Thanks. You'll easily be able to up the average on free or almost free nights from 1 out of three to 2 or 2.5 out of three with shared pointer from other travelers and park rangers. In Alaska and the Yukon, you'll only have to stay in an RV park if you want to. The Milepost is helpful, but tends to ignore a lot of free places, with much better views than the RV parks. A few items I'd throw into a miscellaneous category would include travel health insurance if your policy doesn't cover you in Canada, ferries if you want to see part or all of the inside passage with the locals, and for those of us who partake, the high prices for alcohol. Sean was right, the grocery prices in outlying areas are really high, and not a very great selection. Stock up in the bigger towns. Canadian superstore s and Fred Meyer stores are pretty reasonable, and Canadian beef is excellent on the campfire. Looking forward to this year's trip. Sherry

A very good video, surely worthwhile to watch if planning a first trip to Alaska. A few items I'd add to a miscellaneous category: insurance. Make sure your insurance policies cover you in Canada. If not, travel medical insurance can be purchased very reasonably. Ferries can also be pricey, and, reservations often need to be made ahead of time. Not that you have to take the inland passage ferry, but it is a beautiful ride. You can easily beat the 1 out of 3 nights of free or low cost camping. Especially in Alaska and the Yukon, and the views from some Alaska pullouts and almost free Yukon territorial parks will be much finer than high priced RV parks. Sherry

A belated happy Valentine's day to both you. Your Oliver looks good on you. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed ours, for nine years Safe wandering, and happy travels. Sherry

I will agree, to the extent, that Oliver has never let me down, in nine years of experience with this amazing family owned company. I can't blame current and future owners for anxiety. That's totally understandable. An Oliver then, and now, is a significant chunk of change. However, I can tell you that in nine years, I have never seen a problem left unresolved. Not one. And I m not talking about my own. I've been a mod for over nine years. I have seen it all. It may not be a quick as we would like to see, but especially when it's not an Oliver manufactured subsystem, it can take some time. I'm confident you'll get a resolution. The gaskets weren't theirs. They make an amazing trailer, but some components aren't theirs. That's true of any rv. I will go out on a limb, and tell you, I have never seen this company leave anyone less than satisfied. It's the way they work. Once you're in, you're part of the family. Picked up my trailer nine years ago, next week. It's still beautiful, sturdy, good for several decades more. Frankly, I had opportunies to sell it for my purchase price. And , honestly, I have never worked with an RV company with more integrity, and heart. I'll tell you another small story. My cousin's major brand 300k motorhome had a list of over 100 warranty items just to put it into perspective. None of them drivetrain or engine related. PS, I too am thinking of dropping out of the forum for awhile. I love my 2008 trailer. I love many of the contributors, but I have a lot going on in my life besides virtual friends and forums. And, when I travel, keeping up with the posts is expensive for me. I travel a lot beyond the US borders. I would like to travel without spending my mobile data on the forum. That's if I can access data..... We love the wilderness. The Canadian Yukon is one of our favorite camping territories. I honestly love the tranquility of no cell, no service. No offense. We will spend a month or two there again this year. Sherry Sherry

I will agree, to the extent, that Oliver has never let me down, in nine years of experience with this amazing family owned company. I can't blame current and future owners for anxiety. That's totally understandable. And I would never minimize their experience. It's annoying, today the least. An Oliver then, and now, is a significant chunk of change. However, I can tell you that in nine years, I have never seen a problem left unresolved. Not one. And I m not talking about my own. I've been a mod for over nine years. I have seen it all. It may not be as quick as we would like to see, but especially when it's not an Oliver manufactured subsystem, it can take some time. I'm confident you'll get a resolution. The gaskets weren't theirs. They make an amazing trailer, but some components aren't theirs. That's true of any rv. I will go out on a limb, and tell you, I have never seen this company leave anyone less than satisfied. It's the way they work. Once you're in, you're part of the family. Picked up my trailer nine years ago, next week. It's still beautiful, sturdy, good for several decades more. Frankly, I had opportunies to sell it for my purchase price. And , honestly, I have never worked with an RV company with more integrity, and heart. And, I've been involved with RVs since 1977. I'll tell you another small story. My cousin's major brand 300k motorhome had a list of over 100 warranty items just to put it into perspective. None of them drivetrain or engine related. PS, I too am thinking of dropping out of the forum for awhile. I love my 2008 trailer. I love many of the contributors, but I have a lot going on in my life besides virtual friends and forums. And, when I travel, keeping up with the posts is expensive for me. I travel a lot beyond the US borders. I would like to travel without spending my mobile data on the forum. That's if I can access data..... We love the wilderness. The Canadian Yukon is one of our favorite camping territories. I honestly love the tranquility of no cell, no service. No offense. We will spend a month or two there again this year. Sherry

Back in July, 2011, my husband and I got up at 2 am to drive across Florida to see the last space shuttle launch from pad 39a at Kennedy space center. Saturday, a little after 10 am our time, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a shuttle supply rocket from this pad. First launch on that pad, I understand, since 2011. If you haven't seen a launch, it's really an amazing, awe inspiring experience. You don't have to be at the space complex to see it. Lots of people line the roads in a few miles radius. We never experienced it, but I've been told by camping friends that the view from jetty park campground is especially awesome. In the old days, we could often see the rooster tail from here on the west coast on a clear day, when the shuttles launched. I'll be watching the sky from the boat deck Saturday morning. Sherry