SeaDawg

We just got back from nine days of dry camping in the mountains of western NC, including five days with rain and overcast skies for part or all of the day. As it is summer, we parked the Oliver where we had shade for (most of the) day on at least one side. I was really thrilled that we never once had to drag out the Honda 1000 to charge up the batteries. Paul got out the ladder and adjusted the panels to about flat the first day, and after that we never touched them. We picked up a lot of amp hours in the 11 to 3 time period (if it wasn't raining), and monitored our power useage carefully. Many people wouldn't be as happy as we are with early to bed, early to rise, and no lights after sunset, I guess, but, hey, we're camping. I'm kind of an amp nazi, and I'm sure we could have used more power than we did. Even on rainy days, using the computer for an hour or so and recharging, we never dipped below 91% on battery power. I love silent solar. The birds around us love it, too. Sherry

Welcome to the forum, PapaSierra! Sorry it took so long to authorize your account... we were out camping!! Sherry

Driving thru South Carolina on I 95 today, we noticed a building labeled C.A.M.I Cool Amphibious something... Had to look that one up. Turns out they manufacture splash buses, amphibious luxury motorhomes (starting at $850,000, as shown, 1.2 million!), and the coolest little sports car ever. They tout the Hydra Spyda as an unsinkable car, and it sure looks fast and fun! You can read more about them here: http://www.terrawind.com Sherry

Pete, So glad you had an alert friend behind you when this happened! Still, a bummer. Sherry

Hey, Pete, Got a chance to read through your latest blog entries. The Route 66 trip looks like so much fun! Growing up in the Midwest, it's interesting to read a new slant on places I visited when I was young. I still have family in a number of the towns you've visited so far. Oscar continues to do a great job with the photos! Sherry

Awesome photos on the blog, Pete. Oscar's doing a great job! Keep us up to date, and drive carefully. Wish we were there! Sherry

Today,I got an email link from oliver mfg@aol.com, encouraging me to look at a japanese website. I believe it was a scam, and did not open it. (For your protection, I left an intentional space that did not exist between oliver and mfg). The address was not an address I recognized for anyone at Oliver. Has anyone else had the same experience? Or is this something that just eluded my three spam filters?? Sherry

We're complaining about the recent heat here in Florida. My brother called me en route from an appointment in Walker, MN this afternoon. It is snowing. Slightly above freezing, at 33 degrees, and wet snow. Since April was so nice and warm, and the ground is warm, the snow is melting as it hits the road, but they may get some accumulation tonight if temperatures drop. Well, I don't have to shovel the heat. Sherry

Thanks, Tumbleweed. I went on there looking for 12 volt TV's (looking for a small one for the boat. The Jensen in the Oliver is great, but a little pricey for an occasional use item.) I suspect a 12 volt coffee maker would be a bit slow... and take quite a bit of power, too. I like my Melitta pourover system for coffee. Speaking of 12 volt blankets, there's a fleece one (twin size, though) on special on that site this month... Sherry

On a boat forum, I ran across a reference to this site: http://www.12volt-travel.com/12-volt-te ... c-684.html They have a huge selection of 12 volt items, suitable for boondocking. TV's, coffee pots, electric blankets.. Has anyone ever used this site before? Sherry

Beautiful album. Thanks for sharing. Wish we'd been there, too. Sherry

Mountainborn, You're welcome, though Pete pitched in a lot, too, with administrative/spam ban duties. I was thrilled to see Geri's photo of five Olivers together on her blog. What a wonderful event. We are so sorry we couldn't be there to make it six, as we had originally hoped. We all know that you and Betty face a bittersweet experience as you unload your Oliver for the last time and move things into the new fifth-wheel. Although I'm sure it will be difficult to see the Oliver parked on the lot in the rear-view mirror as you leave Katy, TX, you'll have to look forward. The grandkids are going to love camping with Gramma and Grampa! And who could be better at teaching the young ones the "ropes" and showing them the fun of outdoor adventure than you two! Happy memory making! Sherry

I suspect many of us check the factory webpage once in a while as you do, to see if there are any new announcements. So far, I've seen no new announcements since December. As the Oliver is a custom, special order RV with significant lead-time, and camping season is beginning or has begun already in most parts of the country, I would personally be surprised to see any major announcements before fall. (Most people want to order, and have their trailers built, during the off-season so it's ready to go when spring rolls around!) I've heard their tub business is still doing well, however, and that makes me happy for all the great folks who work in Hohenwald. And, it leaves me with hope that one of these days, as things improve, we'll see the trailer line open again. Till then, I understand there is still one beautiful, pre-loved and well-known Oliver available--Mountainborn's. Sherry

Jonathan and Hazel, If you're coming thru central Florida, please be sure to PM us. We'd love to meet you. Sherry and Paul

Welcome to our Oliver Forum, Cruzer!

Well, as always, if you and Betty are gonna do it, you're gonna do it up right! That's a beauty of a 5th wheel, Larry. I'm sure you (and the grandkids!) will enjoy it immensely! Lots of space to spread out and enjoy life in your work/camping adventures. It appears to be a lovely home on wheels. Congratulations. Sherry

Maybe, they're only on the net. I don't know. Anybody here from Detroit? Anyway, they sure bring back a lot of good memories: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r229319 ... lboard-Ads I do take exception to #11, though. Sherry

The truth is, I talk to my sisters far more on the phone than facebook. With Voip, it doesn't cost any of us anything, either. The email notice of the "video" supposedly sent to me by the hijacked friend looked very real... just couldn't imagine why she sent me a video, so I didn't open it. Then, I got a call, telling me not to open it, and call/text/post all our friends, because her computer had been attacked by the virus, as had been the computers of several friends who opened the malicious spam video. Don't get me wrong, a lot of folks have a lot of fun on facebook. I just don't spend a lot of time there, anyway, so not a huge loss for me. I opened an account just to keep up with my niece in her travels... Belize last summer, South Korea for the next year... She sends me emails anyway. Sherry

I deactivated my facebook account. I just don't have the time to keep up with facebook, too. Today, someone hijacked a friend's account, and started sending out emails to all her friends with a video link that contained a virus. It is also posting comments on her friends' walls with a video link, containing the virus. Several of her friends have reported computer crashes due to the malicious fb spam. If you get a facebook message or a wall post from someone that says, "Stupid Video with you".. or something to that effect, or a wall post that includes my_tube video, do not open it without checking with your fb friend, as it may contain the virus. My daughter tells me this has been going around for awhile. Sherry

Have you called Jensen? We have the smaller tv, with no issues, so I can't offer any other advice. Sherry

a little update... On the Scandvik website, the Eurostyle sprayer faucet is on closeout for about $85., plus shipping. Sweet deal, since it is $50 more on the distributor websites. We ordered one for the boat. The closeout model (white) has a chrome twisty covered 5 ft. supply line, instead of the plastic only line of the usual Oliver outside shower faucet. Nice deal. scandvik.com click on closeouts. You'll find it. Sally said they had 10 in stock this morning. Sherry

Unable to go camping, we drove up to Homosassa to meet Chuck & Geri, and their new friends Nancy & Randy from the Quail's Roost Campground in Crystal River at a little place Paul's cousin had recommended. What a blast! It's always fun to meet up with Chuck and Geri, and this was no exception. The Freezer is an open-air, stand-in-line-to-order, no frills, old Florida place with exceptional food. Right on the river, in the shade of a giant Tiki Hut built by the native Americans next to an old commercial walk-in seafood freezer, The Freezer is a local legend. Now we know why. Wednesday night is steak night, where you order up a one-pound Ribeye for less than $12, with all the fixings, cooked outside on an open (huge) grill, served on a paper plate. Awesome, tender, great flavor. Geri had the crab legs... and said they were great, too. Most of the week, the menu is seafood, mostly local, great prices. We just happened to catch the once a week steak night. You can leave home without your credit card, as they only take cash. Beer and wine. Look up the website, and put the address in the gps, because you'll never find it otherwise. There is no sign. However, it's one of those great local places, with a great view, great food, and a lot of fun. You'll meet new friends standing in line... Now I have a line on a place twenty miles south with awesome one-pound burgers at $7. We had a great time catching up with Chuck and Geri before their departure for Arkansas and points west. No shirt, no shoes... no problem: Chuck & Geri, Have a great summer!

Steve, You may have a bad ground. Check the ground wire where it goes back to the bolt that is screwed thru the fiberglass shell and into the aluminum frame, near the wheel well hump, under the small dinette seat on the driver's side. Ours loosened up a couple times and only made only intermittent contact. Paul tightened it and cleaned the connections a couple times, but we finally just drilled a new hole drilled and installed a new bolt to maintain a good ground connection. We think that possibly there may have also been some corrosion/oxide in the original ground that prevented a good connection. Our clue was also brake related, but different. We had an intermittent problem with the brake controller showing no connection on the panel as we were driving. Going over a bump up up a hill, we'd lose contact, then it would return on its own ... Hope this helps. Sherry

Thanks for the link. As the info is based on previous day's credit card sales, it's probably more accurate (pricewise) than gasbuddy.com (info from local members). However, for my local neighborhood, there were no listings for the warehouse club gas stations, or for Exxon/Mobil, and some of the others on the MSN service. Perhaps these vendors don't share that information with MSN's data provider. We've taken to noting gas prices and station services in our trip log book for the frequently used highways. It is so aggravating to fill up and find the same brand gas at the next exit for five to seven cents less a gallon! Sherry

Welcome to the forum, vmiceprof! Sherry