SeaDawg

Phil, at last year's rv show we saw some really clever drop down beds and also some bunks that folded up into overhead cupboards (especially in toyhaulers and very small stickbuilts) . I think you have the kernel of a great idea here. Sherry

Absolutely, definitely!! Thanks, Meanderthal

On the recommendation of some campers we met on our last trip to NC, we stayed at Santee State Park, Santee, SC near the intersection of I-95 and I-26. We camped in the Cypress section, 50 sites, wooded, beautiful... Big breeze the nights we were there, so no mosquitos, got chilly enough for the furnace to kick in several times set on low. No need for an awning... lots of big old trees.... along with a magnificent view of Lake Marion, a flooded Cypress Swamp. Water and electric, dump station on the way out. The town of Santee is 3 miles away with all the usual services-gas stations, supermarket, McD's ... and cute local restaurants. There is also a 100 site campground on the other side of Lake Marion, just as beautiful from what the park ranger told me. Nice, clean bathrooms with hot showers. Lots of trails for hiking. Cabins also available for reservation if you are meeting trailer-less friends. Very enjoyable experience. Sorry, I can't post pix of my own right now, but here's the link to the state website and santee. Look thru the pix on the left hand side. Cost varies from about $16 to $25. Pick a bigger spot on the website than what you think you need.... Trees can make it difficult to back into some of the small sites. http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/photo-gallery/default.aspx South Carolina state parks are celebrating their 75th anniversary with the theme "Come out and Play".... Great theme, great time... Hope you get a chance to visit!!! We'll check out more on our trips to NC this year.... and keep you updated. South Carolina people have welcomed all of us warmly... Sherry

OK, Pete, if you can pull with the bugeye, we're putting a hitch on the '58 TR3... Wanna race??? I can see it now... 1st Oliver road rally... no tow vehicles from this century allowed, flatland course only... I doubt we can get factory sanction for this kind of rally, though... (ok, we gotta finish the rebuild on the TR3.... first...) All jokes aside, the car is beautiful ... so is the Oliver... what a great pair!) Paul & Sherry

Sorry, I've been offline... no internet or cell phone for a few days... The extra shocks, lift kit, and 15" wheels are great.... I-40 west of Asheville in the right hand lane is pothole heaven.... no problem. Not to mention back country dirt roads... but at least on the dirt roads we're all driving slower and EXPECT issues... Sherry

Hi. I heard there were photos & a floorplan online for the twin model. Could someone post a link, cause I can't find it. One of my best friends would like to see the floorplan for twins after seeing my Oliver. Thanks! Sherry

You did a nice job, Phil. Looks like it came that way! Out of curiosity, what do you have mounted on the bumper (to the curbside of the spare tire cover)? Sherry

Hello, Astrocaster, and welcome to the Oliver Forum! We added the lift kit and 15" wheels because we spend a lot of time in the country... meaning, we are very acquainted with potholes, washouts, and rough dirt & gravel roads. We are also planning a second trip to Alaska, where the side roads can be quite rough. The extra five or six inches give us extra clearance and peace of mind .... The cost to add was minimal, in my husband's opinion. Center of gravity is low anyway with the long, horizontal tanks mounted in the bottom, nestled onto the aluminum frame. Downside, I guess, would be the additional height of the trailer, which isn't enough difference (by way far!) to interfere with normal overpasses, bridges, etc., or any of our tree branches in the yard, for that matter. And, we wouldn't have been able to fit the trailer in the garage in the original form... too much other stuff in there. Our Oliver has a nice little parking pad next to the house, instead. I think a number of other forum members also added the kit and bigger tires. I'm sure we'll hear from some of them later on. Hope this helps. Sherry

Hi, Pete, Thanks for posting the great photos. Sorry we didn't get to stay in Howenwald when we picked ours up.... Too little time, too many commitments at home... tho we'll take them up on the offer of a night on Oliver one of these days!! Hope the rally is a lot of fun... sure it is. Best regards, Sherry & Paul

Well thought out, beautifully done.... Thanks for sharing. Sher

Welcome to the forum... Just answered this question, in part, on another forum.... We have the Oliver Legacy Elite Big dinette back, converts to standard full size bed... 52-53" (depends on where you measure, tho fairly square...) by 75" This conforms to standard dimensions of many good name mattresses like Tempurpedic... We keep the big dinette set up as a bed if we're gone awhile... Had thought about putting in a different mattress originally, but I sleep very well on the cushions topped with a good quality mattress pad. Small dinette converts to narrow twin... a little deeper and longer than my sofa... 24 x 73 The full size bed is very comfortable for us ... I haven't tried the small dinette bed, but, like I said, it's bigger than my couch where I fall asleep if the TV is on.... Hope this helps. Sherry

Hello, Amer, and welcome to the forum. I looked on the olivertraveltrailers.com calendar.... Oliver is showing at the Pomona RV show in California this week, thru the 6th. I think that is very close to you. I understand that there are more interior options available now than when we ordered our Oliver, and the representatives will be there to explain them all. I'm sure a carpet kit was an option when we ordered, but I didn't want one. Instead, I use a nice runner and two small throw rugs that I can easily remove and launder. I love the fiberglass interior both for appearance and easy cleanup. Sliders on the cupboards are available in a number of colors, and I think some more table top options are available. I have not seen the twin bed Oliver yet, so I can't comment on it. In our Legacy Elite, we leave the rear dinette set up as a bed most of the time. The side "dinette" is comprised of two seats & a small table that can be made into a narrow twin bed if needed. Hope this helps. We enjoy our Oliver very much. Regards, Sherry

I love Butcherknife's sense of humor... Hope to meet you both one day! Thanks for the link. Sherry PS Our cushions still slide too... I haven't done any velcro or anything to hold them in place.... Just seems ok to stack them in/on the bed/big dinette... (Velcro may be a rainy day project for me???) But, even moving cushions around, we can still set up in 5-15 minutes, including awning and folding chair deployment (If Paul does the awning ... I'm a little height-challenged ). Gotta love those electric jacks... S.

Well, the weather is heating up around here (already in the mid-80's daytime) and I'm dreaming about Alaska again. Unfortunately, our trip may be delayed till next year due to a couple of projects running overtime, and family commitments, milestone birthdays.... Our second trip may be postponed till summer '09 unless we can figure something out. But, a girl can dream, right? One of our favorite nights in Alaska was spent boondocking in old Valdez harbor. The lights in the distance are anchored ships in the harbor, and the field in the foreground surrounded our campsite. We had a great campfire most of the night... the summer sun didn't really "set" . I think this was taken about 3 am or so. This pic was taken around midnite... You can see the mountains and the harbor more clearly. Looking at my old pix makes me want to find a way for this summer..... Anybody else making plans for this summer or next? (I got my new Alaska Milepost in the mail last week....) Sherry

Thanks to both of you, Lisa & Pete. Pete... Strong & aromatic brew is almost like air to me.... Three minutes at ANY draw is probably worth it to both of us... I'll be happy, hence, he'll be happy.... And he (the engineer) can figure out how to make it work if we're boondocking... I have total confidence! We just came back from an overnite where I made a liter of coffee with the pourover Mellita method... Great coffee, no power consumed.... twenty minutes, miniumum. Water on the SMEV stove (so quick) was hot in three minutes... but pouring over 12 times was tedious, at best, in that little filter cup.... Sherry

What a great idea.... Like a timeshare, but very limited partner(s). Sherry

We often don't have electric available, and I'm not a huge fan of our old standby percolator coffee, so I bought a little inexpensive French Press coffee maker at IKEA. However, the process is cumbersome... heat the water on the stovetop in the teakettle, pour over the coffee grounds, let it bloom, stir, press, wait awhile... for coffee that's not all that great, and cools down too rapidly in the glass carafe. I went back to a couple of one-cup Mellitta pourovers that a friend had given me years ago. Kind of like a little funnel that holds a tiny cone filter & coffee right over the cup, pour hot water over and let it drip down... The coffee is better, but I'm not a one-cup person.... Meaning the process has to be repeated several times.... I'm shopping again. I saw Pete uses a 12-volt Cuisinart coffee maker. I'm kind of intrigued.. but does it draw down a lot on battery power, Pete? Anyone else with an idea? Sherry

Hi. It's funny you compared the Oliver to an Airstream, too. My brother's inlaws, long-time (25+ years, various trailers....) Airstream owners compared it right off the bat, too. We liked the pricetag (and weight) of the Oliver compared to the Airstreams. Since then, we've had a number of people draw the same comparisons... We're really glad we made the trip to Howenwald. We love our little trailer... Sherry

Lisa, That is so cool... thanks for sharing all your great ideas.... In such detail, too in the pix. Did you and your husband ever write for Popular Mechanix? Seriously, you make it very easy for anyone to understand the process on all your mods. Thanx very much. Guess I'll go looking for the knife block and throw away those cardboard scabards I made for the three knives I carry.... Sherry

Hey, Chuck, Loved the video.... just cannot handle the thought of sticking my arm up a submerged tree stump... nor the mouth of an unseen catfish..... Owww.... These guys are obviously braver than I.... See you next week in Dade City.... I, too, think I'll stay with the hook & line kind of fishing Sherry

Looks like we'll be getting up to Dade City Monday night... Tuesday at the latest... Really looking forward to our second trip to this very cool campground... This time, I'm bringing my hiking boots... there are so many tempting trails to explore in this park... Just got back from North Carolina, and my new boots are pretty well broken in... We'll see how they do on flat land now! Sherry

Yikes! The name makes it sound so easy.... Not so from the video... Not for me, me thinks Sherry

Wow, Bugz, You post one amazing set of photos after another.... thank you so much!! I love the layered mountain views from your property... It has to be a really fun experience to be out there. Sure would be fun if you decide to have a rally there.... PS did your brother-in-law have any comments on the shower door? Thanks for sharing... Sherry

If I remember correctly, today is the day the Whaleys pick up their new Oliver, isn't it? Looking forward to seeing your pix of little Traveller, Olivia or is it Wendell? Best wishes! Sherry and Paul

Congrats, Pete! Looking forward to seeing your photos! Sherry and Paul