Mike and Carol

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

2020 Ram 2500 TX License US76MA 2016 Oliver Elite II TX License HT26B I got a “could not deliver” message on the email. See you soon. Mike

I copied your email address from above, dgerould53@gmail.com. Hope that’s right, if not I can just post it here. Mike

Email sent. Burn ban in Burnet. For non-Texans, Burnet is pronounced BURN-it.

I don’t think 12” is too far. I try to keep all three of mine at 6” or less. Sometimes more, depending on the site slope.

My first rain gutter install was a total fail. I did it in sunny 80 degree weather, perfect! Unfortunately, we went from 80’s to 40s overnight and all the corners popped off. I reinstalled in 90 degree weather and overnight low was high 70s. Left the tape on for 24+ hours. It’s been years now and no issues. Pay close attention to the weather! Mike

Joey, congratulations and welcome to the group! You live in a great state! Mike

Quartzsite is a good place to try your hand at dry camping. It was our first real boondocking experience back in Jan 2017. It’s easy enough to go into town if you need to dump or refill water. Winter weather in Q can be quite pleasant if you’re coming from colder areas. It’s been fun to meet other Oliver owners there over the years but it has also been a nice stop over all by ourselves for trips to/from California. Plus, the price is right. Joshua Tree NP isn’t far from Q and is worth a visit as is Death Valley NP. Mike

We’ve camped with overnight temps in the teens and had no problems. We also camped when the temperature never got above freezing for several days and had no issues. Especially if the daytime weather warms to above freezing the Oliver does great. We don’t enjoy very cold camping just like we don’t enjoy endless rain days. Even though the fire pit can warm up the Clam pretty quickly we try to avoid very cold weather. Mike

Tank size needs to be a decision based on how you camp and your physical capabilities. We have the 30lb tanks. 20lb tanks are easier to handle but we enjoy the extra capacity. I can still lift the larger tanks so we’ll stay with them until I can’t. We’ve never had an issue with running out of propane while on the road. I usually carry a 20lb tank for our fire pit. Between campgrounds with propane, Tractor Supply’s and other locations refilling hasn’t been an issue. Mike

I used WD40 to clean the cable, then I think I just used some white lithium grease I had on hand. Very light coat. I’ve done it twice over the last 9 years. Mike

Welcome, Jason!

The area east of Payson has some nice camping. We stayed at Canyon Point (USFS) campground and really enjoyed the area. We have friends in Payson. Mike