SeaDawg

One is silver, and the others gold... We sang it by the campfire, as kids, and it's just as true today. I spoke today with a camping friend that I taught with many, many years ago. (Not telling.,) She's at a rally that she's been attending for probably a decade. Fun with old friends and new. Past summer, she created an informal "camping experience " with her senior band friends. We've made cherished friends within the Ollie circle, and other friends around the world, camping, in our Ollie, and rentals/ deliveries. Tonight, in my conversation with my friend, I was struck by how much our life has been enriched by our camping (and sailing/cruising) experiences. That song I learned in Brownie camp is just so true. Some people I cherish today, though I've never met them in person. Others, that I've camped with are cherished in another special way. Life can be so good, when we get out there, and open our hearts to adventure, and new friends. I do so love the woods, thevbeauty of nature, the adventure, and all the opportunities. Camping season, for us, this year, is drawing to a close. Maybe a few short trips, but other adventures await.

Lucky us, full time or part time NC residents. We don't have far to go, to feel so very, very far away... Florida is my home, but my heart is always tugged back here to our mountain getaway.

@Cameron, you won't ruin your Ollie. We've driven the entirety of the brp, and many parts ,many times. Come east and enjoy our beautiful country here, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's the sunblocker fifth wheels who may have issues. Another beautiful thing about owning an Ollie. To ease your mind: https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/tunnels/ https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/tunnel-heights.htm#:~:text=Low Clearance,while staying in your lane. It is good to check ahead. Every year, at various times, there are closures for repairs. But, you can get on and off the bpr, and the Shenandoah, to access local highways. Enjoy the ride. Its amazing. Our camping property is 20 minutes each way from two entrances to the brp. It's a lovely drive, and we'll sometimes just hop on for a stretch to see what's going on, in various seasons. I feel blessed.

Kathy, the top slats are aluminum, too, right? I'm going to look at the larger one for our gear. Thanks so much. We've found our little tables to be so versatile. They're in use every camping day.

Those photos are calendar worthy, @rideandfly. That's pretty close to Galax Va, right, but still in NC? (Crooked road, music center, etc.) We're going to have to check that out! Thanks!

We had breakfast for lunch today. Our friend camping with us asked for the "recipe," and name. My husband calls it skillet breakfast, I call it "clean out the fridge mess." (We're wrapping up a 3 week trip.) Today's ingredients: About 1/4 bag of frozen hashbrowns thawed 2 slices of onion, diced 1 small (wilting) green pepper, diced 4 pieces of brown and serve breakfast sausage, cut into coins 3 pieces precooked bacon, chopped 3 eggs, whisked with a fork, and a splash of milk Olive oil (any oil... it's what I had left) Mrs Dash to taste Shredded cheddar (about 1/6 bag) In my wok skillet, I sautéed the vegetables until a bit soft. Added the meats, continued til brown. Added the egg mix, and lowered heat, stirring til done but moist. Dumped onto my plate, set aside, wiped empty pan with a paper towel, added some oil,,and cooked thawed hash browns with Mrs dash. Dumped the egg mix back on top, cooked a minute on low, topped with cheddar, turned heat off and covered to let the cheese melt. Serve with toast if you like, or not. Jalapeño if you like, or not. A squeeze of sour cream is great, too. I use any bits of veggies left in the fridge. Particularly spinach or greens (add near end of sauté ), mushrooms, asparagus, etc., none of which I had today, so I used what we had. Easy one pan meal. I made it with my left hand only, though my husband chopped the veggies. (My dominant hand is in a sling.) Everything sticks together pretty well, so I could eat it left handed, too. 😊 Prettier when it's still in the pan.

@Kathy Tewart, is this the table you mentioned? If so, I think that's just great. I love the telescoping legs! So versatile. I like to do cooking prep and dishes outside, and longer legs on the table would really help the back. We have two similar aluminum tables purchased from Walmart in 2008, but no telescoping leg. GCI makes great products,, so no doubt yours will last a long time. 15 seasons on our WM tables, usually 100 to 150 days of camping.

@MnG KY, you might find this post from Jason in Service helpful, too. If following the procedures he outlines doesn't solve your problem, please open a service ticket. Best of luck.

I do love the collector cup edition. 🤣🤣🤣

The Rabbit thermal glass, that I hate. We have 4. I tore the nonskid ring from the bottom, and slightly more stable now.

Lithionics are 12v., so certainly parallel. Parallel adds up the storage capacity (amp hours) , serial adds voltage (as in golf cart 6v batteries, wired first in pairs in series, then parallel with two pair .) All our systems are 12v in the Ollie, so that's the voltage goal. Glad you are trying to learn your system. Any other questions?

I have some Rabbit glasses with that really narrow bottom. They tip like crazy. I only bring them out when necessary. I should have taken them back.

I think a lot depends on where your trailer is stored (sun, snow, tree sap possibilities) and your gymnastics ability to cover. I'd pm a few mainers who have responded about difficulty of snow removal, or if they even bother, with a cover. The calmark is really expensive. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 the price of ceramic coating. Our Ollie owner friends in Minneapolis area stored theirs outside from 2009 to 2021, with no ill effects. But, they are maintenance fanatics, and waxed regularly. I can tell you their trailer looked like new last October when we camped together for a few weeks. It's a really big decision. I wish you well.

A forum member sent me a message yesterday requesting info on companies that do the window fog repair. I thought I'd post the details on the other two in this thread to help others looking in the future. Any comments from folks who have used either service would be appreciated. And, please add info for any other company you've used.

I'll do the same,,if we think we'll hit iffy weather. I love to cook outside, but not in rain, snow, or heat.😏 I freeze chili or gumbo, and it lasts in the fridge for a week. Keeps us going,,on cold nights

So, tonight we did salmon fillets, on the grill, in a coffee cake tin. I clean and save them. Usually can use several times before recycling. My friend Aubrey's recipe, minus honey, just because I don't have any. Spray the bottom of the pan with canola. Light spray on the filled, followed by a bit of mustard, spread with a knife, heavy shake of dried Dill. Slices of lemon. On our very hot grill fire, covered first with wax paper, then foil, turned twice, moved to the back and turned off while I finished rice and broccoli. Small fillets from Faroe islands, (great memories of our stay there), probably 8 minutes, on high, to show white fat on top, and 140 when temped. Lemon dill sauce... mayo (I love duke's) a bit of sour cream,if you have it, squeeze of lemon juice, heavy shake of Dill. Stir. I do this first, and let rest and develop flavor while everything else cooks.

And, what i catch myself saying to our daughter, now. Sometimes, she brings it up. In a very good, thoughtful way.

🤣🤣🤣

Do the newer trailers still have a progressive dynamics converter/charger? I'm asking, as I thought the xantrex pro took the place of the pd, which we have, in our older trailer. (On our boat, we have an older version of Xantrex for charging. ) I thought, could be wrong, adjustments could be made, especially for the higher acceptance of lithium, with the xantrex. I'll talk to my friend in the yacht world. Tomorrow. I don't have lithium, just thinking about it, and what we might need to change. Thanks for your thoughts.

Normally, you would not even see the apple bits. In working left handed in a sling. (Right dominant hand.) Is what it is.

Buying the slightly heavier 2000 or 2200 could possibly allow you to run your ac. And, it's actually more useful, at home, in a power outage . I can still lift either, in my senior years. I "think" it will allow you to charge your lithium a bit faster. With proper settings. Since I don't have lithium, I'll leave it to others to decide. With more watts, you should get more amps. Just a thought.

Cooked greens My very sweet neighbor and friend, Mellissa, brought me a huge (washed, even) bag of her organic greens today, mixed kale, collard, and mustard. I often go down mountain and help her in her huge garden, and she sends me home with a bounty. I cook up enough for both families, and send her share back. 🙂 So tonight, I'll be making her favorite, my greens. We'll have them with shrimp. Last month, she asked for my recipe. This is a copy of the text I sent her. You can adjust at the end with a little more vinegar, or lemon juice, or apple juice, according to taste. Substitute veggies broth and 86 the bacon, for vegan. Add a pinch of sealant, maybe, if you ditch the bacon. A plastic grocery store bag of greens (stripped from the stems and ripped or Chopped into small pieces), plus 1/2 a big honey crisp apple (or all of a small one.). About 3/4 tsp chopped garlic. Olive oil. 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper. 3 strips precookrd bacon, diced. About 1 tsp white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. A little bit of diced sweet onion. Maybe two slices, diced. I cook the onion, garlic, apple and bacon together in olive oil first. Then add the greens and a bit more olive oil. My pan's not so big, so a handful of greens at a time. Then add the crushed red pepper, a little black pepper, and about 1/2 cup of chicken stock or water, and stir. Cook maybe 8 minutes. Then I put on low, cover, and cook til tender. Cooking time, overall, 25 to 20 minutes. Add vinegar near the end. Stripping out the stems, and adding stock, reduces the normal cooking time for greens, imo. Used to cook for 40 minutes.... I do this on a burner with my wok skillet, but could also be done on the fire with a cast iron Dutch oven, or even a good sized skillet.

I don't really remember, as we use the radio so little. And, our early trailer (2008) has a,switch by the door, which us usually set to off. Just a suggestion to check out, as most radios with a clock have that feature , and it can sometimes be set accidentally. Back in my college days, my roommate and I intentionally set the radio alarm to a polka station, to be annoying enough to make sure we got out of bed, on time. 🤣

Could it be the alarm? I only ask, as my phone defaults to same day, every week, if I don't check. Awakened at 3 am twice this summer, by my phone.

Like I said, it may work just fine. We have nothing on our boat, and shelf liner in the trailer, but no dehumidifier. So, we resort to lifting the cushions... always when in storage. I'll look forward to your reports.