Mike and Carol

John, no and no. We’re calling this trip our “overview” trip. We spent 5 weeks and visited Colorado Springs, RMNP, Black Canyon NP, Mesa Verde NP, then to Moab for Canyonlands NP and Arches NP. We made notes of sites to see on return trips. Four days in the Montrose/Gunnison area was not enough. After our Rally trip in April and May we’re meeting our son and family in Crested Butte in June and might see Dinosaur NM then. So much to see... Mike

One of our camping stops when we were touring Colorado and Utah last fall was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It’s not a large park but was well worth the stop. It’s called Black Canyon because the canyon formed by the Gunnison River is so narrow and so deep the canyon walls can appear very dark. The closest town is Montrose, about 15 miles away. We camped at the South Rim Campground which is just inside the park entrance and is at about 8,300 feet and easy hiking distance to the canyon. There are 3 loops in the campground, A and B for RV’s and Loop C for tent campers. Loop B does have 30 amp electric hookups at each site, no water or sewer. Picnic table at each site. Each Loop has a set of vault toilets and drinking water. Since they truck water in there is no filling of RV tanks and no dump station. Reservations are accepted for Loops A and B from the middle of May to the middle of September. We were outside the reservations window, so it was first come first served. We arrived mid afternoon and had no problem getting a site in Loop B (B15) with electricity which allowed us to run our little Vornado space heater since the nights got quite cool. We would have been fine with the furnace. $22/night or half with the senior pass. Both Loops A and B were full before dark. There are plenty of hiking opportunities and you can also drive the road along the canyon stopping at various pull offs to hike to the rim of the canyon. Maps, reservations and more information are on the park website. Mike

Bill and Martha, welcome to the family! Will you be going to the rally? It should be a good opportunity to meet a lot of fellow owners. Mike

Hey June, the cable connection should be on the back drivers side corner. There’s a cap that lifts up with the connection underneath. You need to get a coaxial cable for TV. You can get one at Walmart, Home Depot, etc. I got one 25’ long. Sometimes campgrounds will let you borrow one. Doesn’t hurt to ask. The connectors look like this: After you connect the cable to the outside of the trailer here’s what you need to do next. If you have the HD TV antenna (looks like a white flying saucer on the top of your trailer) look in the back overhead storage on the left for a small box with a small button and light. If the light is on, push the button so it goes off. Now you’re ready for cable. Turn on the TV and go to the menu to select cable as your source. Then do a channel scan and you’ll be good to go. Mike

Stan, we’ve been using the TST system for a couple of years. Very happy with it. There is some more discussion on TPMS in an older thread here: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/tpsm-to-use-or-not-to-use/

I agree that a TPMS is a critical safety addition. While I went with the TST product a couple of years ago there are a number of good systems out there, the Tire Tracker is certainly one of them. I check it before starting any drive and I glance at the display periodically as we travel. It’s interesting to watch both pressure and temperatures increase as we drive. It also shows higher temps on the sun side of the trailer. Mike

Ours quit working once, too. The 110V plug in the overhead had come out of the socket. I should have checked that first! Mike

John, sure will. I will put something together this week. We had a great visit there also the south side. Mike

This Casita was camped with us in Colorado at Black Canyon NP. Interesting paint job. Mike

Hey Dean, thanks for keeping Oliver owners in the loop. Are you coming to our rally this spring? Mike

It’s been a couple of years, but when we got our pick up orientation from Tommy (now retired) he told me to use the jacks if I needed to change a tire. Since then, I have used the jacks to raise the trailer a couple of times. Once in our local tire shop parking lot to get metal stems and a rebalance with TPMS sensors and once in the brake shop lot for a brake service. Both times the trailer was connected to the truck. I ran the front jack down for stability, then raised one side at a time. I also have 8” blocks that I always use so the jacks are never extended very far. If I was on the side of the road I would use the jacks to change a tire for speed if nothing else. When camping I always build a lego platform for each tire to level the trailer then use the jacks to stabilize. I don’t know why the guidance from Oliver has changed, could be liability. Mike

Darrel, I would check with Jason, I’ll send his mobile number by PM. In my trailer the HDMI cable runs from the TV to the Furrion. I put in an HDMI splitter for my Apple TV but don’t know how your satellite system should hook in. I’m sure someone will weigh in on that. Mike

Ken and Julie, welcome to the group. Hopefully June will arrive quickly for you. Hope to see you out on the road! Mike

Welcome Jim and Mary! There are lots of smart Ollie folks here, so feel free to ask questions. It will be good to have some Yellowstone experts here, too! Mike

John, will be interested in what you find out. I’ve been using the same method as Bill, use one tank then switch over when it’s empty or close. The Type A in me wants to know my levels! Mike

has anyone found one that is accurate? This one looks promising.

Hap, I know Steve is traveling out west and will chime in when he can. I just had both the Dexter EZ Flex and the AC Easy Start added at the factory in December. We haven’t used the AC yet, so I can’t comment yet. Everything I’ve heard and read is that it should be a worthwhile addition. We just got back from an AZ and NV trip, almost 3,000 miles. I’m very happy with the the Dexter. No more creaking and squeaking at low speeds. After about 25,000 miles the old suspension was worn out. The Dexter is smooth and quiet. I did get a grease gun and a tube of grease so I can grease it before our spring trip. Mike

Great looking rig and a great Valentines Day present for both of you! We’ll see you out on the road - Mike

Looks great! See you out on the road... Mike

That’s a classic rig. Hiking shoes have come a long way too!

I think it looks good. Upgrades always take longer than expected, this should be worth the wait. Seems faster. “Recent Topics” tab would be nice! Mike

We deviated from our stay in Quartzsite last week to visit some new areas. While on our way to Las Vegas we spent the better part of a week at Willow Beach Marina, part of Lake Mead NRA, about 10 miles from Hoover Dam. The campground is small but well maintained. Very quiet with lots of stars at night. The facilities are top notch. Mike

No, I didn’t do any prepping. Just stuck it on there with two strips. It’s stayed on over some pretty bumpy terrain. Mike

I’ve enjoyed Ray’s posts over on Airforums too. I agree, his direct style is similar to some of the folks that make this forum so informative and entertaining! Mike

Ray, sounds like a fun adventure. We’re currently on BLM land (Dome Rock) near Quartzsite with some other Oliver owners. I’m sure there is a western Oliver owner who has lots of boondocking experience that could go with you. I look forward to hearing how this works out! Mike