SeaDawg

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.....

I forgot to mention, North Carolina is not on the Fall Colors Hotline... So, I'm checking the High Country Webcams to see what's going on up there! http://www.weatherusa.net/skycamnet/sho ... lina&id=33 Sherry

We got a mailer today from Camping World regarding GMAC RV insurance ..... Which, by the way, we already had.... The Camping World/GMAC policy offers replacement of your trailer in the first five years (not a check for replacement cost, but replacement with a new trailer of same make and model, equipment, etc.), and purchase price (less your deductible, but not depreciated) if you opt for a check instead of trailer replacement. I checked the many pages of our policy to find we had the same clauses (and we do)... nice security, and pretty reasonable cost. We got our policy through Good Sams. Just an FYI... not an endorsement. I don't work for any of them.... GMAC, according to the CW mailer, also offers higher limits on personal property and liability for full-timers. Sherry

The refrigerator running on DC is a hungry beast... It uses more power than our vehicle alone can provide while charging from the tow..., draining additional power off the trailer batteries. However, since we had our solar panels installed, I'm happy that we can now run the refrigerator on DC with the additional amps provided by the solar panels. We do, however, unplug the trailer from the truck if we stop for lunch or shopping to avoid draining the tow vehicle battery. (No help traveling at night, of course....) Sherry

Thanks for sharing these great ideas. Sherry PS It was really great to see both of you Monday!

We weighed our trailer today at a Flying J on our way home from camping. Easy, fast, and inexpensive. ($7.50 for two weighs). Our weight: 3960 pounds, loaded for camping. Tongue weight 420 pounds. Weight on tires/axles= 3540 pounds. Our extensible tongue was set on the middle of the three positions. We do not carry a basket or generator on the tongue. These weights are easily within the towing capacity of all three of our tow vehicles. Freshwater mostly empty, a few gallons (we're going to drain the remainder into a bucket to find out just how many...) plus the six gallons remaining in the water heater. Black and gray, guesstimate, 7 gallons (no, I'm NOT going to drain into a bucket to get a better number, yikes) Two full, steel, 20 lb. propane tanks. Loaded for camping... full closet, usual gear, toiletries, a couple gallons of bottled water, a few canned goods, probably 20 lbs of food and beverages in refrigerator and freezer, etc. Bedding, including 3" mattress pad and pillows, blankets, etc., plus rugs Books, manuals, DVDs, hiking boots & poles, kitchen utensils, dishes, pots & pans, etc. Options on our trailer include : Dometic AC, Norcold Refrigerator, Awning, 2-100 watt solar panels, electric cord power reel, outdoor shower, quick disconnect gas, extra outlets, outdoor AV hookups, Jensen DVD system, TV, and mounting arm, Suburban furnace, 6 gallon hot water heater, electric jacks all around, courtesy floor lights (inside and out), King Dome satellite system, SMEV stainless steel 2 burner stove, convection microwave, FanTastic Fan. Sherry

Nifty idea. There was an article in our local newspaper this week about the return of the Victorian "calling card"... the non-business, personal version of the business card. An easy way to exchange information and stay in touch, no pen and pad required. I think your coin is sure to be a hit! Sherry

Herm, Geez, for some odd reason I thought all these years that you got 20 lbs. of gas in a 20 lb. cylinder. Thanks for the info. You raised an interesting question, so I weighed the one Kevlar "20 lb" tank we have that's empty. 12 lb. Full, 30 lb. If the steel tank only holds 17 lbs as you suggest, it means our kevlar tank holds an extra pound of gas, while overall is still five pounds lighter. (I don't have an empty steel tank to weigh, so I'm going to check next time... I wonder if I'm getting even 17 lbs of gas, now.) Plus the Kevlar tanks are guaranteed not to rust, and it is helpful to be able to look at the tank and know exactly how much gas you have. Obviously, since Suburban charges us the same to fill any "20 lb tank", we're getting a much better deal using the kevlar tank. Wish I could find Tractor Supplies everywhere... They actually meter what goes into your LP tank, and you can take a half full tank in and be charged for ONLY the half tank they fill. Sherry And, I agree... the kevlar tanks do look cool, and easy for me to carry, empty or full. Sherry

FYI..... We have the two standard 20 pound standard steel tanks on our Oliver. We stayed with these knowing that we could trade them in, if necessary, at Blue Rhino or whatever, anywhere we travel. (Although our first choice is Tractor Supply refills... only pay for what you need, at a very reasonable rate...) I remember that someone had posted about kevlar tanks some time back, but couldn't find the post. About a year ago, we bought the new kevlar tanks for our boat so as not to have to deal with the rust issue. Today, Paul took in one 20 lb. steel tank, and one 20 lb. kevlar tank to get filled at Suburban. Out of curiosity, Paul weighed both at the filling station, after filling. A 20 lb standard steel tank was 35 pounds and the Kevlar tank, 30 pounds. Reinforces our decision that carrying the older style, standard steel tanks is worth the extra 10 pounds and less cost... for the convenience of being able to trade out if we're stuck somewhere. Just our thoughts.... Sherry

We missed that fudge shop.... but I still had half a pound of fudge in the freezer from the Hendersonville apple festival.... Probably a good thing I didn't find it!!! Sherry

Speaking of fall colors, last year the best leaves around Boone and Banner Elk, NC coincided with the annual "Wooly Worm Festival" (October 18-19 this year). http://www.woollyworm.com/ This little fuzzy guy is said to have predicted the weather with his stripes each year, and a "historical accuracy check" (don't know by whom), says he's right 85% of the time... Kind of the fall version of Groundhog Days! Banner Elk is a beautiful little town with fun shopping, great restaurants, a small college, and three nearby ski areas in the winter... Beech, Sugar, and Hawksnet. (Appalachian Ski Resort is close, too, near Boone and Blowing Rock). Besides the town of Banner Elk and the fun little festival, you can camp at Linnville Falls on the BlueRidge Parkway (comfort station, no hookups, no showers,reservations available for some sites) and explore the river, the falls and the Gorge. Nearby Boone, home to three time national football champs at Appalachian State, is another great town to visit. Like many University towns, it's a vibrant and lively community, with the bonus of a small size, and gorgeous mountain scenery.... Do unhook the trailer and leave it at the campground. Many of the roads and highways around Banner Elk and Boone are best explored without a trailer in tow. Roads can be steep and narrow, but reward you with amazing valley and mountain views. Take a drive (and maybe a hike, too) and check out Grandfather Mountain (the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains) near Banner Elk and Seven Devils, and a side trip to the artsy little community of Blowing Rock (named for the rock where the strange wind currents will send a dropped paper flying upwards!), a longtime resort in Western North Carolina. We're planning to be in the area for the Wooly Worm Festival if all goes as planned... Maybe we'll see you there! Sherry a photo from the Grandfather Mountain website... http://www.grandfather.com/index.php

It's the time of year when many people plan a camping or driving trip to coincide with the changing colors of autumn. On a trip last year, we were able to catch the magnificent blazes of yellow and orange on the mountainsides around Boone, NC at the height of their vibrant colors.... but just by chance. The US Forest Service has established a hotline to help "leaf peepers" catch the changing leaves at their peak around the country. You can call, or check their website: http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2008/releases ... lors.shtml Sherry