SeaDawg

Though temps remained below freezing for three nights straight, (and hovered just above for two days), we had no problems with the Oliver. In fact, it was too warm sometimes,with the furnace set on very low, just above off at night... but then, I grew up in rural Minnesota.... We're still on the same LP tank after five days and six nights, no power for heat or refrigerator. Oh, yes, I cooked indoors on the SMEV... but then, it's probably more fuel efficient than our LP grill. Sherry PS our snow-covered solar panels only gave us a half amp until the snow melted.... not much help. However, after snow melt, we picked up five to ten amps with the leaves off the trees around us!

The autumn days were glorious.... At 3000 feet, the leaves were changing.... the fall flowers in bloom Then, the temperatures plummetted, and around 1 am we heard a little rain? sleet? hail? then nothing.... we looked outside, and the big flakes had started falling.... By early morning light, the landscape had changed... So, we took a ride on the ATV.... here's a photo of Paul, from my seat on the back: and a few photos from our ride: What a wonderful, winter wonderland morning! (In October, no less!)

Happy birthday, my friend! Sherry

We thought we were coming up to North Carolina to catch the fall foliage (which was beautiful, by the way!).... but oh, what a bonus. This morning about 1 am the snow started falling, and kept up till mid-morning... a total of around two and a half inches on our side of the mountain. It was Christmas card snow... big, fat, fluffy flakes drifting softly to the ground and blanketing the mountain laurel and the mountainside with pure, clean whiteness. Paul and I took a ride around the property on the ATV in the snow... I felt like a little kid again. Our high today so far has been 34 degrees, low the last two nights was 31. Supposed to drop into the twenties tonight. We have no electricity available, so we use the furnace, and it has kept us toasty warm on a very low setting. I'll post photos next trip into town... I forgot the camera back at camp. Sherry

Sounds like fun, Mountainborn. However, we're in North Carolina, playing in the snow!!! Yep, first snow of the season started about 1 this morning. More on that later! Sherry

Looking forward to your continued reports, Mountainborn. My laptop runs on Vista. Thanks for the info! Sherry

We really like our Dometic... and I suspect both Coleman and Dometic generate about the same amount of noise. (On the few occasions we've used it, we actually welcomed the "white noise". At a rally we went to, we tried to sleep the first night without A/C, as we're accustomed to sleeping with the windows open and fresh air, but the highway noise kept me awake most of the night. The next two nights, we used the A/C, and I slept much better. Ditto at a couple state parks with hookups on Saturday nights... where a few young people were having too much fun to notice quiet hours...) Personally, I think the Dometic has a more aerodynamic, sleeker looking cowl. We have a more basic model, I guess.... just high, medium, low... If you like the digital thermostat, and usually have hookups, I'd probably keep the Dometic. We've never run our Dometic on the generator. We have two, a Honda 1000i we usually carry, which is definitely too small, and a Yamaha 3000i that sits in the garage because it's so heavy to lug around, but is good backup for Florida storms. Our Dometic will run on the household circuit from the garage, which has a 20 amp breaker. Sherry

Thanks for the idea. We stopped at the auto parts store today, and added the clear door molding to the bottom of the propane tank cover. Cost was about $3 for two 27 inch strips. Instead of the felt tape on the top and sides of the cover, we used some strips of white ribbed bathtub non-skid (about $2 at Walmart) that I had left over... very inexpensive, thin, and hopefully, will provide a decent cushion. Sherry

Glad to hear that, Doug. The earlier models didn't have wires or chains for the pins. We used some Stainless Steel leader wire and crimp rings from the tackle box to secure our pins. Thanks for the update. Sherry

Steve, I deleted my own post. It was one I was working on, by had not yet finished. Posted by accident. Sherry

Glad to know that about the Command hooks, Andrew! Thanks. Super Velcro may hold mag lites, but your holder is much safer and better. I hang only the mini LED flashlights on the wall with Velcro.... I'm with you. I wouldn't want a big maglite coming loose and flying around inside my trailer on a mountain road... DougI, the suction cup holders from Target will stay up, loaded with spices, paper plates, and melmac dinnerware, plastic glasses, etc... I was leary at first, but there's nothing breakable in them, so what the heck... and it's been fine. So will their clear hooks, most of the time. Many of these I'm replacing with 3m Command hooks and the button press suction hooks as I go along, using the original set outside the trailer. The button press towel rings are great. As far as .... where do we put stuff and what we carry, maybe we shouldl start another thread. Everybody has different ideas (and different stuff...). This thread could get really lengthy. Sherry

As most folks know,I've used a variety of suction cup devices, hooks, and holders in our Oliver to add to storage and use the wall space more efficiently. Actually, I use them on the outside of the Oliver as well, when we're camped, to hang towels by the outside shower, hang up the broom and chair covers, etc. I can move them around at will when I decide there's a better place for the broom, dustpan, or whatever. Some suction cup devices are better than others. The corner pockets and shower pockets from Target that hold dishes & spices in the kitchen, as well as keys and miscellaneous in the salon, have larger, multiple cups that really stick to the walls, and are easily removed when I clean. I haven't had problems with these coming loose during towing... even in the mountains. The toothbrush holder in the bathroom from Walmart is pretty good, but I have to refasten it more often than just between cleanings. There's a new line of hooks and some other accessories that I've found at both Harbor Freight and Lowe's... hooks, towel rings, soap dishes, etc. with a push button, positve action and a red ring that disappears when engaged, reappears when it's losing suction and needs to be re-attached by pressing the button. These also work very well. Some of the other brands of hooks fall down after awhile, but most hold for a decent amount of time. None of these suction cups have left marks on the walls, or abrasion, in 15,000 plus miles and months of camping with the Oliver. Now that I know where I want more permanent hooks, I'm also experimenting with some of the new chrome finish 3m Command hooks. They really hold tightly, and support a lot of weight. However, I haven't tried to remove any yet. We'll see. We also use velcro to hold many things in place... flashlights, remote controls, small framed photos.... That's great stuff! I put the stiff loop side on the wall, and the soft fuzzy side on the item to be removed... it collects less lint. The adhesive comes off pretty easily if you decide to change the location. Sherry

Doug, That's some amazing mileage to report. The best we've ever done with our half-ton pickups is 15.5 to 16... and a little less with the Volvo. Congrats! Glad you had a good trip home. Sherry

Beeser, We saw $795 for a Honda 2000i here locally last week... Wonder if they're coming out with a new model soon? It's not much more that the 1000 was selling for six months ago... By the way, we love our Honda. Sherry

Oh, and if you're thinking of moving to Florida someday, please come and visit us in your travels. Pinellas County has a lot to offer... great beaches, the Gulf of Mexico, and great healthcare and family neighborhoods. We've been very happy here all these years. I miss Minnesota, the people, and the change of seasons (and especially my family).... but I never have to shovel the heat out of my driveway.... Sherry

We sure will let you know when we're visiting Minnesota again. This year's trip to Grand Marais was postponed due to ugly weather in the Boundary Waters in early June. Next year, we'll try again... My brother and his family love that area (they live in Crow Wing county), as do I, and we'll try to meet up there again at Grand Marais municipal campground. Minnesota offers so many wonderful camping opportunities in the more temperate months... it's hard to choose. Next year, we're thinking about a trip up through North Carolina, Tennesse, Kentucky, Missouri, a brief stop in Iowa where I went to school ,and Minnesota... then on, possibly to Canada and Alaska. Just don't know how the time will work out... we'll see. One of the reasons we bought the Oliver was to see Alaska by rv again, this time in our own trailer instead of a rental. The Oliver construction is so superior to what we rented four years ago in Anchorage. I think I spent as much time cleaning out dust from the rental as I did enjoying the campsites and surroundings. I don't think I'll have that kind of problem with our own Oliver. Sherry

Have to agree. Most of the drive from here to Minnesota is pleasant and fairly scenic, but it's a long haul.... I'm originally from southern Minnesota, and have a lot of family in Mower, Steele, and Crow Wing counties. Sherry

Love the graphics, Herm. I haven't seen anyone else with this design. Looks great! The warm beige cushions are very nice with the flooring you chose, too. Congrats on your new Oliver! Sherry PS If you and your wife travel to Florida again, please let us know. There are several Oliver owners here.... and we'd just love to do a mini-rally!

Doug, That's some awesome gas mileage report. We've found that the biggest variance in our gas mileage comes not from speed, terrain, or road surface, but the ethanol in our gas. I guess that's never a problem with diesel. We see often our mileage drop 2-3 miles per gallon when the pump posts 10% ethanol. I'm a big fan of renewable resources, but severely disappointed in the effect of the ethanol mix on our mileage. Safe travels, and a good trip home. Keep us posted on the rest of your trip! Sherry & Paul

Can't wait for those photos! We, too, wish the Scubarx's a great trip. Sherry

We're getting closer.... Although I liked the KingDome on the 2nd Oliver, and the general shape of the trailer on the third.... I like the jazzy, stylized appearance of the coin... I don't think it's necessary totally realistic. I think I'd still recognize your rig from #2 or #3. Awesome idea! Sherry

Thanks, Doug, for the info. We'll definitely check it out next time we're through middle Tennessee. We have stayed at David Crocket State Park, which was very reasonable, south of Hohenwald, and Henry Horton SP (north). Of the two, I prefer Henry Horton. Nice campsites, and one of the nicest bath houses in a TN state park. Tennessee is justifiably proud of their state park system... We've stayed in eight or ten so far, and have enjoyed each one. Sherry

Doug, Please keep us informed on the next two campgrounds on the Natchez... Sounds like a place we'd love! We'd like to drive more of the Natchez on one of these trips. We've only seen a few sections, but we agree, it's relaxing and beautiful. Thanks. Sherry PS How many sites (approx) are there in the Meriweather Lewis Campground? And, do you have cell service there?

Doug, We stopped briefly at the Meriwether Lewis Monument on our way out of 1000 Trails, but missed the sign to the campground. We went on to a state park, instead. Is the Meriweather Lewis CG far from the Monument? Sounds really nice, especially when our guidebook listed it as "primitive camping only, free.".... I thought it was probably only for tents. My mistake, I see! Sherry

On another forum, I found a link to a map site. Here, you can create a map colorcoded with the states you've visited with your Oliver.... Go to http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/ Click on the states you've visited in the list, save in the format you like and the size you like, and upload like a normal photo. I added mine to our signature line in user control panel. I thought it was kind of fun to see where we'd been this year in the Oliver. Sherry PS If you don't like this one, google "map states visited" and you'll find a number of other programs to do the same thing.....