Mike and Carol

Older trailers have separate switches. Not sure why they combined both sides on one switch.

David, I’m not a FB user so I’m glad you pointed this out!

Done. Good suggestion.

Not sure if everyone will be able to open this link, it’s an OTT post on LinkedIn about their new windows. LinkedIn  Post by Oliver on their new windows. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oliver-travel-trailers_sneak-peek-2026-model-a-clearer-view-ahead-activity-7336818601913397251-TeFq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAhBzq0B4xJcVFXdcq_NEYcX60nGK39UwHU

Ceramic coating won’t prevent streaking but it does make it easier to clean.

I’ve had mine off for years and the only time I get streaks after a rain is when the top of the trailer isn’t clean. If addressed quickly the streaks come off fairly easily. I still find it a better situation than the debris collected with the seal.

My only leak has been the Oliver sign. Cleaned and recaulked and problem solved maybe for another 6 or 7 years? Mike

Thanks for this. It’s not a fun job, but do-able. The first time I did it was while I was doing a repair on the lifting mechanism. Once I got the fan out and disassembled I got concerned that I would be able to get it back together! Mike

John, your idea of overnighting is the same as mine. Stay hooked up if at all possible. Drop the tailgate and slide the little Weber Q1000 out. Quick and easy! Looks like a great trip developing! Mike

That looks like a great solution! We also fill our fresh tank with softened water but don’t use it for drinking. I carry a small water softener and a Culligan filter to use at the campsite when we use city water. For drinking, we usually carry large plastic bottles from Costco. They get dumped straight into the Berkey before we drink it. The additional concern for us is the large amount of micro and nano plastics that are found in bottled water. Berkey told me their charcoal filters get most of the plastics and that their new ceramic filters are tested for and are very effective against the plastics. Plastics are being found in arterial blockages, the brain, tumors and organs. Bottled water is especially high. Mike

Wood blocks and legos… my jacks rarely extend more than 6” or so. Less is better. If I do drive off while they are down chances are they will just slide off the block.

Sleeping 5 may be a record! Congratulations and happy birthday! Mike

I’m committed to my 50th reunion at West Point in Oct ‘26 (class of 1976) so we won’t be attending. We’ve got plans already for all of Sept/Oct. Fall at Lake Guntersville should be nice, though! Mike

We don’t use the navigation on our vehicles (Audi and Ram). We’ve used Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze exclusively with Car Play. I do have an older Garmin that we used before iPhones and I keep it updated and ready to use in case we’re out of cell coverage. We also have the larger Garmin 890 but don’t use it as much as we thought we would. Data usage has never been an issue. I use my iPhone navigation whenever we’re driving for traffic alerts and other information. Mike

Our Dometic has served us well too. We try to avoid the heat, and usually only encounter it as we escape from the south Texas temperatures to cooler climates. I know the time will come when it will need to be replaced, but hopefully we’ll have a few more years of service from the Dometic. Mike

I also ordered a Fitcam at the same time. It was hung up in customs for about 10 days but is now through customs and at the USPS facility in Chicago. I would guess it will be delivered sometime in the next week or so. Mike

It’s generic, we got it at Quartzsite at one of the booth vendors that are always set up selling RV stuff. It slides into the rail on our awning (there are two). The very top part has a zipper so you can drop the main part quickly if necessary. The smaller top part also makes installing it pretty simple.

Yes, it does. They can sit in brackets on the side of the trailer or you can drop them straight down to the ground. You can also stake them to the ground which I have done. With our sunshade attached the awning can withstand some pretty windy conditions. It’s not as easy to deploy as the electrics, but is not really a hassle either. Mike

Be safe!

My 2016 came with a manual Fiamma. It’s been reliable and still works fine. Mike

Ken, you’re headed west, we’re headed east. Wave when you see us! Also, since you’re near Columbus, say hi to my Junior High School classmate that I knew in Columbus.

We’re 6 or 7 years without ours and don’t miss it a bit.

Continuing our drive from south Texas to Kentucky we stopped just outside of Texarkana for the night. There are several COE campgrounds 15 minutes to the south and west of Texarkana on the Texas side. We’ve stayed at a couple but usually come back to Clear Springs COE campground. There are a bunch of FHU sites but the ones we like by the lake are just W/E. This is our site for the night, a little rainy but nice.

They are like fire hoses, they don’t shrink up just flatten out. Very easy to handle and use. We’ve been using these type hoses for years. I don’t have much patience for traditional hoses, especially in cold weather.

We’re heading east to Kentucky and stopped for our first night at Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, Texas. Like most Texas state parks it’s well maintained but the sites are old and not very level. It took some effort and we made it work. Bulldog is almost on the ground! Very quiet with a good view of the lake.