Mike and Carol

Lake Mineral Wells is one of the few Texas State Parks we have not been to, so it’s a good choice for us! How would you like us to chip in? Maybe Oliver could pick up the tab for the dining hall? Mike

Mine is zip tied to the tongue so it doesn’t hang down.

Nice mod and great write up! Thanks! Mike

We have a round rug that fits in the square bathroom floor. It stays there until shower time and then, like others do, it becomes a bath mat during showers for when you step out of the bathroom. We’ve never seen the need for the fancy teak floor coverings. They do look cool but seem like a bit of extra work. Mike

We’ve been to Lost Dutchman many times. Probably once in that site!!

Welcome, Richard and Jane! Hope you can make it to a rally and meet fellow owners. Mike

There is also one going into the black tank flush.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago and posted about it then. One wire on the trailer side of the connection was loose. Melted both sides of the connection. Replaced both the outlet and the power cord. You can access the outlet from under the dinette. Not something I ever thought to check.

Two of my favorites!

Agree. If he added “when stopped” it would be accurate. Our Audi SQ5 shuts off the engine whenever we stop. I can override it, which I usually do because I find it annoying and don’t like the short lag when it starts back up after the traffic light turns green.

Same here. Maybe a Christmas gift? I still think they’re cool.

I just checked the Apple App Store and it is no longer there. It is no longer supported or updated but still works. I guess I need to stop recommending it!! Here’s my RV folder. UC is first in the second row and UC Military is bottom right.

I check my gain on a regular basis, a habit I got in to with the smaller half ton trucks I towed my Oliver with. The last 4 years with our 2500, the big 6.7L Cummins does most of the braking.

Sorry we missed you!

We were at Table Rock State Park this week. We saw an Oliver drive by (we were in Campground 2) but it kept going. We had lunch at the Keeter Center, we usually visit there while in Branson. We’ve been to TRSP many times, my grandparents lived in Branson many years, we spent summers there when I was a kid. Mike

Our Vornado has three settings, 750, 1150, 1500. The lowest setting is enough for temps down into the 40’s. We’ve used the middle setting to get things warm while camping in the 30’s. We rarely use the 1500W setting, in the teens and 20’s it will get the trailer warmed up and then we go to one of the lower settings. It’s got a wide base and is super stable. It also has a switch on the bottom that shuts the unit off if it is not sitting flat. We’ve been in the Kansas City area the last couple of nights, overnight temps near 40 when we wake up. Using the lowest setting (750) we kept the temperature in the high 60s for sleeping. That’s not running constantly. I think the new ones have a digital temperature readout. Ours just has a knob (8 years old). If you’re not going to camp in sub freezing temps I think the small Vornado would be fine. It’s a very quiet unit. Mike

I always wash/wax my vehicles and also my trailer. Then, I GOT OLD. Since hitting the 70’s my stamina isn’t what it used to be. I can still wash/wax my trailer, but what the CGI team did is a different level. 4 guys, multiple buffers, scaffolding, ladders, thorough wash, buff and then buff some more, ceramic coat, buff, ceramic coat again, buff, measure shine with some kind of shine measuring thing. It would have taken me a week to do that, then two weeks to recover! Mike

Ours is original and black. It’s also about an inch short at each window. I keep the gap on the upper part of the window. I’d replace them but the rubber is still good and the gap doesn’t seem to be an issue. Mike

Agree with David’s comment! The fall colors are something we miss in south Texas. Mike

John, we do like our HEB’s. We have a new one just a few minutes drive from where we live. Gas/diesel is always among the lowest in the area. We’ve shopped at grocery stores across the country with our travels and none beats HEB for selection and price. Earlier this month we were at the Big Bend Bluegrass Festival in Alpine, just 20 minutes from Davis Mountains SP. We spoke to a resident of Fort Davis and asked about the famous Drug Store that is now closed. It’s a long story, but BLUF it’s still closed, sadly. Do go walk around the old Fort Davis, it ‘s a National Parks site and an interesting visit. If the timing is right check out McDonald Observatory and see if they are having a Star Party while you are there. It was a fascinating evening! Have fun! Mike

We’re big fans of the work the CGI team does. It’s an investment, and for us with an older trailer it was well worth the cost. We had ours done in April 2023 in our driveway when they came through Texas. Our finish had begun to dull and we lost the new trailer shine. When they were done it looked better than the day we picked up. It’s made after-trip cleaning easier and still has a nice shine. They work hard with expected results. New trailer shine for an old Oliver. More shine.

I clean the screen and blade assembly after each trip. You figured out the screeen, the blade is held on by a single set screw that comes off easily. If we want the vent open and no fan I usually just turn the fan down all the way to 10, it hardly moves any air. The vent is pretty noisy, once we open it it stays open. We got down to 43 here last night, both vents open and Vornado heater providing quiet, even heat. Mike

The chili was great, thanks Steve and Mary Allyn! It was good to see so many old friends and meet new friends. The weather was perfect. Mike

Another great source for public campgrounds is The Ultimate US Public Campground app. It isn’t supported anymore but still shows public campgrounds, city, county, state, national, USFS, COE, etc. Campendium is also one of our go-to apps. Mike

We’re going to vote first thing this morning, then head north for the long 2 hour drive. Save our spot! Mike