SeaDawg

Off topic, but has posting from your tablet improved any? I haven't been able to post from WiFi in months, but recently, I can turn off data and post. I'm so excited about that, as my data drops to 3g after 2 gig, and I've wasted that on the forum in a week.... Thanks for the updates and photos. Not surprised that Oliver is taking care of your issues, and forward looking, but very glad, all the same. Hope you make it to the home port soon, and safely. It's been an interesting trip, following your adventures. Sherry

Karen, I think the solution to my oven problem is to just follow you and Reed around. That pizza is amazing. BTW, do you use the pizza oven for other items? Quiche? Meatloaf? Brownies. Thanks for the vids. You two have great stories to share, and we all appreciate them. Sherry

If we were looking for a lightweight, but sturdy, high altitude capable stove, I'd definitely look at the Partner. Great reviews from outfitters taking out big groups. I'd have to look at the price as an equivalent of our 40 year old PE Luke gimballed range on the boat. Handbuilt aluminum, except for the spiders, which are heat holding cast iron, and pretty much bullet proof as a stove. We've replaced hoses,cleaned burners, replaced the oven handle , and can't find a replacement oven thermometer, but gee. The Luke was built in 1976... What can I expect? FYI, camp chef makes a high pressure, also aluminum version, called the mountaineer x, I think. It's a little less. Not handmade in the US. For a few bucks more,and regular high altitude work, I personally would choose the Idaho made partner, but that's me. Camp chef makes some very well reviewed products. However, the portable products they make use a lot of BTu. In stoves, thats measured in consumption, not real world output/gain. Output/gain is determined by many factors, especially wind, however. A 20# tank is about 90k BTu, I think. If you size pans to burner size, and guard flames from excess wind, you're good with a lot of stoves. And Commanche, if you still have the vintage Coleman, I'd keep it. For sure. It's a great legacy item. Don't make them the same anymore, especially if you have the early Canadian build. Sherry

Wow, sorry to see that. Something I've not seen ever. My guess is, small crack or tiny ding , unseen, grew later. Give Oliver a call,though you probably already called. Vertical, framed glass is very strong and stable... at least, that's what my dad always told me. Like I said, I've never seen or heard of this before. I know you are close to home now, but safe travels.... Sherry

We've never been crowded at Meriwether Lewis CG. It's usually quite empty. Neal and Sheri at Fall Hollow get a lot of business from bicyclists on the trace. Even if you don't plan to spend a night with them, they'd probably give you the info on the roads. They're really nice folks, and I'd plan to spend a night there if you can. They're not expensive, and though the campsites are pretty open/unshaded, there are a number of hiking trails along the river that will get you shade. You just have to walk. Nice pavilion. Good food. Nice folks. Limited cell phone connection... Ok with me.

I'm sure all of you in WiFi range saw the monthly newsletter, which included an article on member Bell's Sweden built Omnia stove top oven. I was skeptical, til I went to YouTube. Dozens of vids of great products, with recipes, from the stove top oven. Unfortunately, the biggest group is in German, but if you can't read German, you'll probably still get the drift, with or without Google translate. All the campers we deliver to Alaska have little ovens, and I'd love to have an oven in my Oliver. But, nowhere to put one. Til now. Even so, I think I'd dig out the single burner camp stove from the emergency kit in the garage, and use it outside. I don't love sitting inside the camper on a beautiful day, even to make stuffed pizza... It's on the first pass, pricey. But, cheaper than a $600 oven above the fridge, and the install. And the probable problems with a big heat source above the fridge, which is why I gave up the idea of replacing my dead microwave with a tiny oven... Anyone used an Omnia stove top oven? Sherry

We don't often have the occasion to use city water. We fill and work from the tank. But, I turn off the water pump when we leave the trailer during the day, just in case. Just as you would turn off the spigot when leaving a full hook-up site.... Just a thought. I know it's a Max 30 gallons sprayed around if something breaks, but it would be a mess, anyway. Sherry

A lot to do around Iowa City. The Amana Colonies, Sullivan brothers memorial, Grant Wood Studio, summer festivals. Decorah, further northeast, is fun, and close to Lanesboro MN, an artsy outdoor community. Laura ingalls Wilder at Burr Oak is about two hours. Great shopping in Cedar Rapids. Great highways. Great people. Do watch your speed... Cameras around CR. The little airport between Cedar rapids and Iowa City is a real gem. I fly in and out of there a few times each year. Full disclosure... I lived in Iowa for eight great years. You won't find nicer people, and if you get out into the country, you'll find some beautiful farms and old barns, and vibrant little towns celebrating their heritage each summer, still. And if you enjoy it, though I don't, there are casinos nearby, as well. Something for everyone. Thanks for the memories, Don. Sherry

If we could add 4x4 to my truck, the Silverado, it would be our tug. So nimble, and so much fun to drive Seriously, I dislike driving Paul's bigger 4x4 ram. I can't see the front dropoffs, and I just don't drive it enough to get used to it. Really hate it on our skinny roads into Asheville . But, that's life. I work with it. Sherry

Ouch. I love 150/1500. My daily driver is a 2005 Silverado. I hope to keep it another ten years or more. I grew up on/ learned to drive in that class. Let's see what the new safety regs bring. The new Oliver isn't that much bigger than our 17... The only reason we replaced my Silverado was 4 x4 capability. The little Silverado is still our all time favorite, but it can't do hills and loose rock like the 4x4 Dodge ram.

I'm not a solar expert, but my thinking is battery capacity rules in non grid tied solar installations. At home, we are grid tied. Excess goes back into the grid. We can use and recover in low months, but we sized our system to our needs.duke power pays us back for excess at wholesale rates. I would be better to run an extension cord to my neighbor, than over size my rooftop panels at home.... If your batteries can support excess power, good for you. For us, 250 watts on the trailer is as much or more than we need, and can store. Granted, we have 2 group 27 batteries. You probably have a better plan. We charge laptop and phones in full sun, midday. And, I'm quirky, so I limit online time when we are camping. Actually, at home, too. I get tired of the forums using my data allowance.... Sherry

Since propane gas powered refrigerators have experienced problems, I think that's a good question. We rarely camp above 5000 feet. I'll look to others for good answers. Sherry

By comparison, when we deliver class b motorhomes to Alaska, we are lucky to average 10 mpg with the Ford Triton. I think the real mpg, if we could drive US speeds, would be 8 or so. But most of the drive is at slow speed, so better mileage. And better views, too.. ... One more year on the Alaska highway. Then I'm off to another continent. Unless, I am overruled....Lol. My ideal is next spring in Iceland. We'll see. Sherry

We tow the original Ollie, 17, usually with our 2008 ram 5.7 Hemi 4x4. Without the trailer, we're somewhere around 17 mpg. With it. We're happy of we hit 12 to 14. It's all about road surface and elevation. Either way, the truck is great. And with a lifetime warranty, it'll be around awhile.... Sherry

Sorry about your unscheduled delays, but more time with grandkids is always good... I think I see a challenge here. Just how many adorable, smiling kids can you fit in an Ollie? Happy and safe travels. Sherry

Actually ,our trailer sat in at least steely sized hail for over an hour. We went to dinner with friends. On our way home, the roads and banks looke like a snowstorm had just passed. Needless to say, we were very nervous about what we would see when we got back to camp.. We were thrilled to find big chunks of hail next to the trailer, but no damages to the trailer , nor the solar panels, which are our lifeline. Hoping your experience is the same. And, I can't blame you for anxious feelings. I d be the same way. I'm just glad we have the heavier fiberglass trailer mold. It takes a lot of weather, with no damages

I know I m going back aways, but I'm the wife who says slow down, dang it. Mostly because of ruts and bumps, and passenger seat motion sickness One of your earlier posts reminded me of one of our camping adventures in Australia in an older Toyota hi ace campervan. Not 4x4. Down a deeply rutted road, off the grid no cell service, out on a five or six Mile spit. I guess you had to be there, but we went to the end, and halfway back, to find the perfect spot... And the road was really ugly. Ruts a foot deep and more, and several feet wide, covering much of the dirt road at times, it was beautiful. Isolated. Empty. And quiet. I wasn't happy on the way out, hanging on in the passenger seat of the old Toyota, but the evening was incredibly beautiful. We had miles of sea vistas to ourselves. Life is good. Especially if you at least occasionally push the boundaries of normal experience. Can't remember the name of the spot, and it's not on most maps, but I will remember it til I can't remember anything else. Coordinate s are likely in my log book, though. Sherry

I don't have the patience, personally, for the shower curtain. I understand why others want it. I don't like the sticky shower curtain in a small space.... To me, it's a small marine bath, much smaller than on our boat. Not a Big deal to wipe it down, and in the process, clean it up with a microfiber towel. In the process, it cleans not only you, but the bath. How simple is that? Yes, I remove water sensitive items from the bath. But I keep those in a plastic file case, anyway, so it's easy. Sherry

Honestly, give us a week or so to work out the bugs. Then, the mass email to members would be great. I truly miss the interaction of the members with less patience who have dropped out . I can't blame them. Hasn't been easy for most of us. Not for you, either. And, thanks for all your help. Sherry

Hey, Canoe12, the new "keymasters" are the new IT people assisting Matt in improving and migrating the forum to a new platform. To be able to do that, they'd require the upper level priveledges to affect changes. Glad hear your trailer was inside during the storm, and unharmed. Malcolm, welcome to the Every Day is Saturday Club. Been a member for awhile now, and still trying to figure out how we ever found the time to work. Lol. Sherry

We used to use a more standard forum based software. We had a lot of spamming, but it was more user friendly, for sure. I still can't post from WiFi FiOS on my phone. I waste a lot of data... I try to toggle back and forth from WiFi to read, data to post, and then forget. So, if in in an are where data is expensive, like last month in Cuba, I just have to disappear. I hope it all gets worked out. The old phbb format worked great for me. <p style="text-align: left;">Sherry</p>

Fwiw, our sidemounted panels came with six inch bits to hold the panels, back on 2008. If these are no longer available, I could send you a photo. They'd be easy to fashion from flat stock We have adjusted ours, but rarely. Usually just not worth the effort. The batteries can only hold so much. If we're in the sun, a few hours midday usually brings the charge back up. If we have to camp out of sun, or it rains for days on end, the Honda 1000 takes over. rare occasions. BTW, we live on solar power at home, as well as on the road. Panels are primarily self cleaning. A little bit bit of rain, even this year in very dry conditions for FL, keeps us going. If no rain, a quick hose will bring your trailer panels back to optimum. We've never been tempted to climb on the high house roof to hose them off. We let the rain do the work. Sherry

Thanks. We'll stop near Asheville for a week or so, maybe two, then move on towards Alaska. That would be nice. Brevard is another beautiful area. Sherry

Here in Florida, it's prime camping season. However, most of the best campsites have been reserved a year ago by Canadians and other tourists. We usually just stay home. Weather is good. Check. Wildlife in the bay, check. Sailing is good, so why worry? We'll leave here for NC in a month or so. We will chase the cooler weather. Sherry

Minor (thinking 1 or 2 ft square) repairs can likely be made by any good glass worker at a boatyard. Get the color numbers for your gel coat. Thats a tough match if you don't know. I would also recommend good Sam's replacement cost insurance, in your case. We've had it from day one. They also suspend liability when you are parking for the off season, so it is really, truly affordable. Sherry