topgun2

2017 Colorado Journey - Part Two August 1st - so its time to head east and north. After visiting a nice little laundromat in Buena Vista, Twist found its way to a free creekside campsite on BLM land just to the west of Clear Lake Reservoir. Bigger fish can be found on a short stretch of creek east of Highway 24, but there are miles of Clear Creek to fish above the private land near the camp. Next up was a fairly short drive north on Highway 24 through Leadville to one of my favorite campgrounds - Gold Park. There is a very good coffee house/bakery right in the center of Leadville directly across the street from the city hall - and - they have a fairly good WiFi system for catching up on emails, weather and news. After Leadville, the remains of Camp Hale - this is where the US Army trained soldiers for alpine combat during WWII - can be seen just to the East off Highway 24 (when hiking in this area be careful in that there are still munitions here and there) . Gold Park is located about seven miles up Homestake Road. Situated on Homestake Creek all 12 sites in this camp are first come, first served. There is no potable water or electric but there is a pit toilet - all for $21 per night (half price - $10.50 for seniors). Get site 7 if you can! From this camp you can fish Homestake creek, day hike (or backpack) up to Missouri Lakes (my favorite), Fancy Lake or Holy Cross City (ghost town) and Cleveland Lake. These lakes are full of fish with Cleveland Lake holding many 20+ inchers. For serious "Jeep people" there is a jeep trail from right near camp all the way up to Holy Cross City. But - be prepared to lose you oil pan! What turned out to be the last fishing camp of the trip - Yeoman Park - was next. Yeoman is south of Eagle, CO - just head towards Sylvan State Park but take the "left" fork after the visitors center. There is a ton of hiking from here besides the fishing. Also, plenty of deer, elk and bear. Again, no potable water (if you stop at the Sylvan Lake Visitor's Center right near the end of the paved road and ask very nicely, they might let you fill your fresh water tank), no trash pickup, no electric, but they do have pit toilets and plenty of quiet for $4/night senior rate. The East Brush Creek is full of fish (and beaver) and gets relatively little fishing pressure other than very near the campground. What is usually an uneventful four day drive back to the mountains of Western North Carolina did have one pleasant surprise this year. Having left the Oliver factory fairly late in the afternoon I drove to Interstate 40 and began looking for a place to camp for the evening. North of Smithville, TN, Edgar Evans State Park is about 7 miles south of Interstate 40, 45 miles or so east of Lebanon, TN and about two hours drive west of Knoxville, TN. All sites have water and electric and most are on concrete platforms overlooking the lake. The bathhouses are clean and there is plenty of hot water. A couple of "final" thoughts - not surprisingly, the Oliver performed as expected all during the trip. This was the first time that I extensively used the furnace due to the amounts of rain and relatively low temperatures. Sure was nice to jump out of bed, hit the "heat" button, jump back into bed and get nice and toasty. Felt sorry for the "tent people". Also, another tip of the hat to everyone at Oliver. Virtually every person I've ever met in Hohenwald has been very nice. From the Office personnel to the Plant personnel they all go out of their way to make sure that things are the best that they can make them. Now to start planning next year's fishing trip in Wyoming. Bill

2017 Fly Fishing Colorado Journey - Part One Total miles - 4236.2 Total days - 36 (total days without rain - 6) Total fish landed- 237 ( all on foam beetles) Total propane used - 1.5 20 gallon tanks Originally this trip was to last into the first week of September. However, due to the rain and water levels of the streams (high) the trip was cut a bit short. My first stop on the way out is usually Kentucky Dam State Park, Gilbertsville, KY. This park is uncrowded and fairly quiet but it is showing some signs of age. Next up is one of my favorites - Blue Spring. Just east of Kansas City and fairly close to Interstate 470, this park is clean, quiet and has a nice restroom/shower house. Third night was spent at the Kansas Kountry Inn, Oakley, KS. Even though the full hookup sites need a bit of cleaning, it is difficult to complain about $20/night including breakfast. And, in my opinion, it is better than High Plains Camp which is right on Interstate 70. On the fourth night on the road I arrived at Round Mountain Campground just west of Lake George, CO. Having read that there was no water in the camp, I found that you could purchase potable water at the Florrisant water station (right on Highway 24 just east of Lake George) at a reasonable rate. As it turned out, Round Mountain now has potable water (hand pump). From the Round Mountain Camp I fished a number of different places all of various parts of the South Platte River. One of my favorites is Tomahawk State Wildlife area. Note that if you are going to fish this you should plan on arriving either very early (prior to guides showing up) or sometime after 2pm (when the guides tend to leave). Note that in the picture below there is a path/old road to the left which leads down to the stream. I almost always go this way since most of the guides do not. Another place that is good for a few hours fishing where there are not usually any people is right behind the old railroad station in Hartsel, CO. In the picture below, the old RR station is the red building on the left. Next up was Monarch Park Camp - right at the top of Monarch Pass (Southwest of Poncha Springs). Other than a fairly short drive over to the outflow stream from O'Haver Lake this is not a very good "fishing camp". There is no potable water and due to pine bark beetles a number of the campsites are fairly barren. However, nearby there are other sites to be seen. The above is Mt.Shavano - 14,229 feet On to One Mile Camp, northeast of Gunnison and right near the Taylor River. I had never fished the Taylor and was looking forward to giving it a try. One Mile Camp is very nice - almost all the spots are pull throughs, are fairly private and the composting toilets are clean. While there is electric at most sites, be sure to fill your tank prior to setting up from one of the two pressurized water stations in camp (right at the restrooms). Unfortunately, either due to the crowds or due to the high water, the Taylor was more of a challenge than I wanted to face. So, I went above the Taylor Reservoir and fished Texas Creek and Willow Creek both of which had no people and willing fish. Note: if you are this far you might as well take an hour (round trip) and drive the rest of the way up to Tin Cup, CO. A Willow Creek fish fooled by a hunk of foam.

I have noticed this lack of air movement between the bath and main cabin too. All I have done is turn the bath door lock 90 degrees (so that the bath door does not actually shut all the way) and gently push the bath door closed. This little lock keeps the door open just enough to allow air flow. Of course when heat is not a problem I simply open the bath window. Bill

Mustang, I'd call or email Richie Carroll (just recently took Jason's place who assumed other duties over in the plant) at rcarroll@olivertraveltrailers.com or 931-306-9232 and ask if he could send you a tube of the sealant they gave our at the owner's rally in May. It really is easy to spread a little on each of the black gaskets. Bill

I'd be willing to bet that it really doesn't matter much which wash/wax you used. Think about this: do any of the gaskets on you car/truck cause black streaks after you have used that same wash/wax on them? And, with the number of us that have had the "black streak" problem what are the odds that all of us would have used the "wrong" wash/wax item? Nope, you got the same thing the rest of us have had to deal with. Fortunately, so far, the sealer provided by Oliver has worked to stop the streaking. Also, I understand that Captain Tolly's Crack Cure/Cream/Stuff works to stop the issue. Just let things dry nicely and have at it. The job really doesn't take long and is not that difficult. Bill

OK, as promised here is the follow-up report on "Custom Shield Coating". As I mentioned, I traveled from the mountains of Western North Carolina to the mountains of Colorado and back. Prior to leaving I knew that I would be traveling some dirt/gravel roads once I got the Colorado. This year the weather was not the best . Sometimes that can be good news in that it can help cut down on the dust from those dirt roads. However, the rain did such a good job of cutting down on the dust that the dust turned into mud! I know that I should have taken a picture, but, at one point the front of Twist was covered in an inch coating of mud and rock. Several of these roads were badly "wash boarded" too. I've found that there are two ways to deal with this type of road - either go very slow or very fast. Assuming that it can be done so safely, I generally choose the "fast" approach even though I know that this kicks up more dirt and stones. Below are a couple of pictures of the removal of the coating (note that the instructions on the can say that the coating is only "good" for up to three months. I'm guessing that the elasticity of the coating tends to diminish after that time making it more difficult to remove and less effective protection.). Note that I had already washed Twist (twice) prior to removal. I did remove this coating fairly slowly as I looked for dents, dings, and scratches but the total time of removal for both sides was less than 10 minutes. In places where there was a "nick" in the coating I had to take my time, but basically the coating came off in a sheet. There were no additional dents, dings and/or scratches in the finish of the Oliver and the gloss of the surface was unchanged from the adjoining non-coated surfaces. Given the "textured" nature of the coating when applied, bugs, road grime and dirt are a bit difficult (or impossible) to remove when the coating in in place. However, in removing it all of the dirt, grime, etc comes right off. Certainly this is an added benefit in that I used to spend a fair amount of time re-polishing these areas after each trip. Bottom line - I'll certainly use this stuff again when I plan on being on dirt roads. It is fairly easy to apply, easy to remove and protects the front of the Oliver from dirt, grime and small stone chips. Having said this, I do not think that it would be a good substitute for more serious protection when it is projected that the Oliver will be spending huge amounts of time on roads that are less than paved (I'm thinking Alaska here and/or those owners that spend a majority of time on dirt/gravel roads). Bill The above shows the difference in sheen between the coated area and the rest of the Oliver. It also shows some of the left over "road marks" after I'd already cleaned twice. Above: the start of the big peel. All finished peeling with the ball of coating showing the gloss surface of both previously coated and un-coated sections of Twist.

ScottyGS, I think that you are right on the mark concerning how the Tow Ready works. I only use it when I'm actually towing. Since I have "cross traffic" alerts when I plug in a trailer I get a message that the "cross traffic" alert function is no longer in operation (not surprising). However, I also have "blind spot" alerts and not only do they continue to work, but, they are adjusted for the length of the trailer in addition to the length of the truck (I had to input into the computer the length of the trailer I'm towing). Bill

Canoe12, Nope, don't think so in that I've used dielectric grease on both the plug and truck since day one (well, actually day two if you want to split hairs). Heck, I even used it on the Tow Ready prior to plugging it into the truck. Bill

Brad, I'm guessing that it will be no problem for them to do this mod for you - Jason told me that it does not take very long at all to complete. Bill

Angela, Obviously they will "do" virtually anything directly to the Oliver and the accessories that they sell for the Oliver. I also know that they will "do" wheel bearing maintenance, re-caulking of virtually anything on the camper (think here of re-caulking the air conditioner, bathroom vent, Maxair fan, etc on the roof and windows, etc.) and fiberglass repair of damage done to both the interior and exterior of the Oliver. Bill

Overland, Don't think that I was "first" since tnbackroads had his done the day before. When I emailed Jason a couple of days before I got there I simply listed this mod (along with the other work that I wanted done) and in his return email to me he said that they would take care of it. I also didn't ask if the new Oliver's coming down the line had this mod, but, I would find it very hard to believe that they wouldn't (or, the design to the tanks would have been modified directly from the tank mfg). Since I didn't ask and one can not actually see any copper on my mod, I don't know about what was used for the drop tube. However, assuming that it works, I'm not sure that I really care a whole lot. Bill

Routlaw, The fresh water tank mod is designed to allow the water to pick up "all" of the water in the fresh water tank versus the original design that only got something like 80% of the total capacity of the tank before the pump started to suck air. I believe that credit should go to "Raspy" for the original design and idea of putting the pickup into the top of the tank (versus the original that is from the side) with a tube that extends to the bottom of the tank. As soon as I get a bit of time I will post a trip review - with Colorado fish pictures. Bill

Wow! You guys are right on it this morning. Below are a few quick photos of this mod. Note that I did not take it apart to see just how far the pickup tube goes towards the bottom of the tank. But, Jason told me that now I would be able to use virtually 99% of the water that was in there, so, I assume that they put that tube right to the bottom. Also, since I only live about seven hours from Hohenwald and just got home yesterday afternoon, I did not have a chance to "test" it. Hope this help! Bill

Don't know the answer(s) to the questions - call Richie Carroll at 1-888-526-3978 and I'm sure that he can give you the details. I'll get some pictures today and (hopefully) post them later today. Bill

John, Looks to me like you need to take the bull by the horns and organize an "Oliver West Rally" just like Hardrock did for 2017 and is doing for 2018. I'm sure that he would be more than happy to give you all the help he can. Bill

I've just returned from a fly fishing trip in Colorado. On the way back to Western North Carolina I stopped at the Mothership and had the guys at the plant "do" a couple of things for me. One of those things was seeing if I could get the "new" mod done on the fresh water tank. Jason told me that it would be no problem and would not take them very long to complete. When the work was done, Jason gave me my total bill and I noticed that the "Fresh Tank Modification" was billed at $47.50 but was marked "N/C". Certainly it is possible that since the rest of the bill totaled almost $1,000 they just threw this mod in on the deal, but ... So, not only did I get the mod, but, they did not charge me for it! Talk about great service at a great price! So, if you are near Hohenwald and/or are planning on getting some other work completed, you might want to ask (nicely) if they would do this "mod" for you. Finally - once again I simply can not say enough kind words in regards to the work and helpfulness of these guys at Oliver. Jason, Richie, Justin, Dustin (and others) not only work their butts off doing great work in a hot and humid plant, but, they are simply great guys and more than willing to do whatever is in their power to help. Its simply amazing to me what these guys will do for a couple of donuts and a can of soda! Thanks to them for all they did for me. Bill

OK, here's the bottom line from by trip that ended this afternoon. I traveled from Western NC to Colorado and back. There was copious rain, numerous rough dirt roads and a bunch of miles on the Interstate. I used the Tow Ready 20142 the entire time and never had one "disconnect" issue or message. In a previous post I mentioned that I was going to remove some foil tape that I had applied over and around some of the wiring and lights prior to the trip. I never got around to doing that. So, the only difference in my before the trip and after the trip was the Tow Ready 20142 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4AYR3U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Bill

Dave - I am constantly amazed with the people on this Forum. People perceive a "problem" or a way to make something "better" and then they find a way to do it. I think that this is why this Forum is so good. I know that there are not many of us and I can only wish that more of the present owners would actively join in sharing their experience, but, until that happens, I certainly appreciate the efforts of member such as yourself. Bill

John - they say that drying time is 5 minutes! Certainly the weather did not slow that down very much - 80 degrees but the humidity was fairly high. Life is tough in the mountains of Western North Carolina! Bill

OK, so, first observation on this stuff is that one must read and follow the directions exactly. Yes, I do read and I do follow (unless there is some "valid" reason not to) but part of the instructions say to remove the tape from the masked off areas immediately while the product is still wet. Well, let me tell you - this stuff dries REALLY fast. I would suggest that when it comes time to remove the masking tape, two people get involved. While one person continues to spray to "wet" the edge, the other person follows directly behind quickly removing the tape. If you do not do this, the product film will start to lift off the surface of the Ollie. Don't ask me how I know this! Bill

John - basically the answer to your question has to do with money and looks. At the Owners Rally I did see an Elite II with bed liner sprayed on and interestingly it was done in black. It didn't look as bad as I had imagined. But, this stuff is less than $15 a can and I used one can to do the areas noted in the pictures. Certainly I don't believe that it will do as good a job as the bed liner stuff, but this stuff can be peeled off after I'm done with the dirt for this year. We'll see! Bill

This past winter I saw a product called "Custom Shield Coating" by ArmorAll. This is a spray on, peel-off paint and body protection product that is supposed to help prevent rock chips. Since I will shortly be hitting the road and plan on traveling on my share of dirt over the next two months, I thought that I'd give it a try. And it sure is a bunch cheaper than a set of Rock Tamers. Application is fairly easy once you have the area taped and masked. When dry the surface of the Oliver has a "rubber like" texture to it and it is not shiny like the rest of the camper. However, on a test area the shine was back when the product was peeled off. Once I get back - mid September or so - I'll report back here as to how well this stuff held up and if it prevented and rock chips. Bill

Reed and Karen - I truly am sorry for the issues that you have had with your Oliver and for the lack of "speedy" response by the plant personnel. But, you have made your point. If you have not already done so, I'd suggest a letter to John and Scott Oliver. Bill

Recently I was told about a fairly simple one time use fire extinguisher - Tundra by First Alert. I know that there is an extinguisher by the Oliver entrance, but, what if a fire happens in the kitchen and I'm back in the bed? Amazon had a two pack of these for $22.49 and I ordered them. https://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-AF400-Extinguisher-Aerosol/dp/B001229JCU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499709044&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=tundra+fire+extinguisher&psc=1 Since they don't come with any kind of mount, I took a piece of 2 inch wide "industrial" Velcro I had in the workshop and figured that it would work nicely in the corner below the nightstand. Hopefully I'll never have to use it. Bill

My post concerning "screaming" was intended to be "cute" and not in anyway disparage anyone's ability (or lack thereof) to drive mountain roads. By taking the railway both people can look around without the hassle of also having to watch traffic. Both people can look for wildlife, both can look at the view, both can relax. Certainly it gives you another alternative. Bill