Mike and Carol

Paul and Donna, welcome and congratulations on your upcoming retirements! We too were first time RV owners so we had a steep learning curve as well. Since we are list people we looked at a number of checklists folks had posted to come up with our own. Then we started accumulating trailer stuff before our pick up date. It’s like moving into a small house - bedding, cooking things, dishes, cleaning stuff, etc. Our trailer has its own set of stuff so it is ready to go, less food and clothes. Latch on to some owners at the rally and see what they have and what they carry around. Some things will work for you and some won’t. We all seem to have different camping and traveling styles. Also ask about arrival and departure routines. We’d be happy to spend some time with you at the rally to show and discuss. Mike

I agree with everything Bill said. I got the Andersen because I initially towed with a Tacoma and felt the need for a WD hitch with the smaller truck. I still use it with my Ram even though it has 10K+ capacity. Once you figure it out it’s quick and easy to hitch and unhitch. The folks at Andersen have been very responsive to issues. Mike

This is what we have. Run it on propane. Quiet. It is heavier than the Honda. Mike

We just did a tour in December. It started at 10:00 and ended at about 1:15. Mike

Frank, hoping for a quick recovery/resolution. Mike

Could they have been frozen in position and when you went to raise them you blew fuses? That’s the first thing I would check. Mike

We hope to be there before the end of the Big Tent show.

We went with the AGMs just because I didn’t want to mess with water levels. There may be technical reasons pro/con but I went with convenience. Mike

We have this Breville for use at home. Works great. Mike

The 110V outlet for the microwave is in the overhead storage cabinet directly above the microwave. You can have them put additional outlets just about anywhere you want. Mike

Congratulations! Now the wait begins.... We are sure enjoying our Oliver and hope to see you out on the road. Mike

Nice photo!

Happy new year and happy camping in 2018!

I think maybe there will be some Instant Pot recipes in the next newsletter! ???? Mike

OK. Ordered this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y1YD5W7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Based on what I’ve seen (and tasted) Pete speaks with some authority when it comes to culinary technique. Mike

I got screens for our furnace and hot water tank from Amazon. They are Camco, I think. Inexpensive but work well. I haven’t done anything for the fridge yet. I’m thinking I’ll just attached some screening to the inside of the access doors. Mike

I enjoy the newsletters and appreciate the effort put into them. Interesting travel story in this edition! We tend to “cook simple” while camping, mainly grill and occasional crock pot. There’s an interesting thread on Instant Pot cooking over on Airforums that’s got us wondering if we should try them. Mike

Dean, thanks for posting these. I’ve enjoyed RVFTA podcasts and a number of YouTube channels on RV-ing. Will you be at the Oliver Rally this year?

I was wondering what the smiley face was all about! I did pick up a 1-1/16 deep socket at Home Depot last week before I changed out my anode. I think I’ll be cleaning out the tank much more frequently based on the amount of crud I cleaned out. Camco has a flush wand that fits on your hose that’s about $5 on Amazon. I’ve also been looking at portable water softeners. They aren’t too expensive but not sure they are worth the trouble. Mike

Carol and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Camping in the new year! Mike

I was able to remove the aerator at the end of the faucet with a pair of needle nose pliers. Opened the pliers and seated the ends into two of the indents in the aerator. Turned slowly keeping pliers engaged in the slots. Mike

After our “clog” event I drained the hot water tank to replace the anode. I was surprised how much “stuff” was in there as I gave it a good flush. Mike

We recently had no flow to the toilet and just a dribble at the bath faucet. Both were clogged with hard water deposits. Cleaning fixed both. Mike

Sage sent me a new hitch after my noise issues earlier this year. I haven’t experienced any noise issues after several thousand miles. I pulled my Ollie over to the house Monday morning to do some maintenance (hot water heater anode and flush, new kitchen faucet) and it’s still quiet. We’ve had rain the last couple of days so we’ll see how it does when I take it back to storage this afternoon. Mike

I have the things I’m responsible for and Carol has things she is responsible for. Then, we check each other! For us, it’s important to have a routine that we do every time both on arrival and departure. I’ve had to politely tell folks that we would be glad to show our trailer as soon as we’re done setting up -please come back in a half hour or so. Mike