topgun2

OK, I'm in - made reservations this morning. There is/are plenty of space/sites still available. The water is still warm in October and the beach at this Park is very nice. Hope to see a bunch of people (owners and future owners) there. Bill

While there was a bunch of haze due to the fires and some slight eye irritation, I never did actually "smell" any smoke nor did I experience any breathing difficulties. In this regard, there were an unusual number of rainy days for the time of year I was there which should have (and did) helped "cleanse" the air. Due to its great location, Baker's Hole is my favorite camping location in the West Yellowstone area (about 1.5 miles north of town, potable water, decent pit toilets, some very nice camping sites, and numerous streams to fish). There are "bear boxes" for food storage and as the report says, there are numerous signs advising of the presence of bears. I had heard of this bear attack prior to arriving and spoke with several "locals" about it during my stay. The consensus was that the man that was attacked wanted to take pictures of the moose carcass and possibly even the bear that was reported to be feeding upon it. Sad story for both the man and the bear. Interestingly enough this was the first year in awhile that I did not actually see any bear during the trip. Yes, I saw signs of bear activity - fresh bear tracks (both black bear and Griz), freshly clawed logs (a bear looking for bugs) and even three piles of fresh scat - two probably black bear and one griz (still steaming early in the morning) in the middle of Buffalo Fork Valley Road. In addition to bear spray and a firearm I also carry a Garmin Inreach Mini - a satellite based personal locator that's main purpose is for its SOS function that allows help to be sent even in the event of an area having no cell phone service. For the most part, even though everyone should be aware and take appropriate precautions the chances of dangerous wild animal encounters by the "normal" "aware" tourist are fairly remote. But, since I am usually alone and spend a lot of time in the back country away from more populated areas I am aware of the possible dangers (not only from bears, but from moose, bison and other critters) and have taken precautions to include being a Red Cross wilderness first aid instructor and CPR instructor. Even so, there were two instances this year where I made tactical mistakes that I need to improve upon. Getting out of a stream without REALLY looking to see what is or might be on the bank could have resulted in an unpleasant outcome versus only finding a sleeping bull bison. And, when I was startled by a cow moose running through the woods (apparently she was startled too) I didn't keep my eyes on the (potential) target the entire time. Have fun fishing! Certainly I left plenty of fish out there for you to have fun with. And, be safe! Bill Yep, there's a stream down there - Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone.

OK, last pics from this trip. And, just to prove that it was a FISHING trip I've thrown in a cut throat trout fish pic. Bill From the door of the Oliver with about 500 of his friends on the other side of the tree Mountain white fish - about 14 inchesDental exam? This is Pilot Peak which was used by Lewis & Clark as a guide to keep them headed West.

Your charger should be set to automatically keep those batteries in good shape. However, I do not have those new fangled things, so, hopefully, someone with more direct experience will jump in here. Bill

Besides the newspaper it also helps to keep both the fridge and the freezer propped slightly open (as you mentioned).

Sounding like a neat trip. Have you run into any "issues" with the Covid thing during the trip? Bill

Since it is a climate controlled facility I would guess that means that the humidity is controlled. If that is correct then there is no need for the a/c being on. However, until you're sure you could get a tub of "damp-rid" or a small dehumidifier. As far as the fridge is concerned I think your choice depends on how soon you will be using the Ollie again. At a time span of over a month I always shut the fridge off, clean it and wad up several sheets of news paper and put it in the fridge - this prevents odors interestingly enough. Bill

Shame that there was so much haze due to the fires further west.

Yep, the cop still lives there.

That button guard is actually produced by a fellow that is/was a member of this Forum and his Forum name is "Tractors1". You might try a private message (pm) to him. Bill

Oliver's Service for "used Ollies" is no different than it is for "un-used Ollies" and it is just about the only place where you can get that fresh water pickup issue fix right the first time. 1. If the camping area located just outside the Service area is open then that would certainly be the place to stay. If it is not open yet then you could camp at the old Sales Office but tenting is probably not what I'd want to do there or at Meriwether Lewis on the Natchez Trace (they have water available and flush toilets and the sites a fairly well shaded but there is no electric). 2. I don't know about the "general service" but I did just have my wheel bearings serviced and a chassis lube done for about $250. I'm sure that this would also include a good look at the brakes if you ask. 3. Wait time for appointments varies but I would think that something inside of two weeks is certainly possible. 4. I've always had good service at Oliver. The prices are in line with others that I've seen and they really do know Ollies. With regards to #1 above - when you call or open a service ticket be sure to ask about the camping and how long they estimate repairs will take. Even if they don't finish what you want done in a single day I'm sure that they can arrange it so that you will still get your camper back for the night or they will help you make other arrangements. Bill

Indeed, bison can be both fishermen and gentlemen. This guy decided he wanted to cross right in front of where I was fishing and then he came back to "help" Mom and child across? Then, later, a buddy of his was sleeping on the bank. I didn't see this last guy as I was getting out of the stream, but, his snores were loud enough to wake the dead. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the little clouds of dust that came off the ground as he exhaled!

Or, a boondocking spot on Lower Sunshine Reservoir outside of Meeteetse, Wy? If you ever find this spot, make sure that you DO NOT set up your Clam screen tent. The wind can be fierce - don't ask me how I know.

How about a nice quiet Oliver campsite right on the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River north of Cody, WY?

Earlier during the trip I was walking back to the Ollie. Mind you that this is big time bear country (I always carry bear spray and a fairly large side arm) and well up the road I saw movement of what I thought was black fur. Indeed, it was and it wasn't.

Tim & Lorri - Since you're familiar with boating then you have at least some knowledge of molded fiberglass. Welcome and let us know if we can help in any way. Bill

Below is another critter that I spied not long after "the moose crossed the road". Perhaps he was looking for breakfast?

Grant - I understand that just in the past 12 months the cost of producing an Oliver has increased over $7,500. So, at least to some degree, your comment may be valid in regards to profit motive. However, many changes over the years resulting in the reduction of choices has to do with the overwhelming number of Olivers that are ordered with the seemingly limited choices now offered. Back when I ordered my Oliver I remember being simply bewildered with the number of choices available. With regards to productivity there are a number of issues to consider. Yes, Oliver has dramatically increased production over the past couple of years and yet the wait time for new units continues to increase. At the same time, there have been on and off issues with quality control - not surprising with the increase in production. In order to increase production and to make and/or improve quality control it is not surprising that the ability for customers to customize trailers during standard production has been curtailed. However, any customer can still request customized options via the Service Department either after or before delivery. Any customer can have any fabric they chose but instead of Oliver's sub-contractor doing this work, the customer will now have to have that done by someone on their own. In some sense part of all this is the "fault" of all of us (the customers) for these trailers. We wanted more of them, we wanted more and different customized things done to them, we wanted these relatively expensive campers to be free of defects, we didn't want to pay $100,000 for one of them AND we didn't want to wait to get one of them. I would encourage you to attend an Oliver Rally. I'm continually impressed with the variety and degree of customization that owners have done and continue to do to these campers. Certainly not all owners have either the skill, tools, knowledge or even inclination to do many of these things. But, if we can have a well engineered camper that is reasonably free of defects at a price that is commensurate with the market and quality then either we can do the customization ourselves or find a way to have it done in the future. Bill

Mom and the calves were found on route 287 - about 30 miles north/northwest of West Yellowstone, MT. The bridge they are crossing is for Beaver Creek. There is also a pond on each side of the road and I've spotted both black and grizzly bear around each pond. Sure does make fishing a bunch more interesting. Bill p.s. I started this year over in the Big Horns near Buffalo, WY. Then I headed over to Meeteetse, up to Cody, west of Cody, North of Cody, into Yellowstone NP for a week, West of Moran, Dubois area and then back to the mountains of western North Carolina via Hohenwald.

I've just returned home from two months fly fishing in Wyoming. One morning as I was getting my gear together to start fishing, I looked up the road and saw a cow moose just walking over the guardrail. If you look carefully on the right side of the picture below you can see what was right behind her. Given the size of the calves they paused at the guardrail not knowing just how to get over it. After a few moments they decided that they simply were not tall enough to walk over it like Mom did and therefore simply bounded over it. Other than being worried about traffic coming at 70 miles and hour it was wonderful to just stand there and watch these creatures. Bill

One of the "downsides" to having a logo on the front is that bugs are more difficult to remove from the decals as compared to removing them directly from the fiberglass. This difficulty is slightly reduced by keeping a good coat of wax on that front logo. I've heard that beginning next year all new Olivers will come without stripes of any kind on the sides. The factory will make available the current graphics in the event a customer wishes to have the stripes produced by an outside vendor. Only the front and rear logos plus the lettering on each side will be standard as will the "Oliver" on the "third brake light" at the rear. Bill

For anyone sitting on the fence with regards to this mini-rally, I'd say that you should not miss it. Small enough to be able to talk to everyone in attendance yet there is plenty of space to roam. Even with the threat of a hurricane during the first Florida mini-rally it really was a very enjoyable event. Foy and Mirna really know how to make everyone feel welcome. Bill

Yes, the electric at the pedestals is working and there is water available on the south side of the building. However, the building is empty and locked with security cameras (at least there were signs that said so) Bill

This picture (taken on August 23, 2021) below shows a line of new Olivers that I was told are mainly patiently waiting for their new owners to pick the up. WOW! I remember that I simply could not wait to get my new Oliver. Let's get camping! Bill

Obviously Overland has taken the tour! 😊