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The second annual Eggs on the Hiawasee River Rally finished last night (May 20, 2017) only an hour or so before the rains moved in. Starting with a fish fry supper on Thursday night and ending with a pot luck supper on Saturday evening. Numerous brands of fiberglass campers were there along with about seven Oliver Elite II's and a demo Elite II ( and a bunch of door prizes ) that Brent and Kelly Robinson (shown in the orange and blue t-shirts in the picture below for those that have not met them) brought down from Hohenwald. Being the only sponsor/vendor in attendance, Kelly and Brent kept very busy showing the Oliver to campers and non-campers alike. The Rally is help at the River Bend Campground which has nicely spaced campsites, cut grass, a pool, flowers and clean shower facilities. The entire campground was full for the weekend, so, if you plan on attending this event it would be wise to get your reservations in early for next year. Bill

uo75(etc), Do a search for Calmark on this site - there is a bunch of info there about custom covers. Bill

Hopefully you are not exactly like Mr. Wallace in that wasn't it right after he yelled "Freedom" that he died? Or, perhaps you are exactly correct in that the spot in your picture looks like heaven to me. Nice job and thanks for sharing it! Bill

Brandi & Air Force, Congrates and welcome to the Oliver Family! Certainly hull #10 has a storied history - hopefully you got at least some of the details about your new baby. I'm sure that many more adventures await the three of you. Please keep us posted and pictures are always welcome. Bill

Matt and the gang - Thanks for getting this done Not only is it a help to those of us fortunate enough to own an Oliver, but, I'm sure that it will also be a great resource for those interested in owning one of these fine camping trailers. Good job to all those involved! Bill

I've used a Mr. Buddy for years with no problems. The small one (single panel) is more than enough to heat the Elite II. I always keep the bath vent open and have never smelled anything, but, I'm not particularly sensitive to most odors anyway. My usual operation is to not have heat on at all during the night. Then when nature calls an hour or so before normal getting up time, I take care of business, then light the Mr. Buddy (simple and very similar to lighting the cook top) and jump back in bed. By the time I get up it is nice and warm. One of those small propane bottles last three to four days - not cheap but there is no drain on the batteries from running the furnace fan. Of course, when I'm in a place that has electric available I use a small ceramic cube heater that I picked up at a garage sale for $5. Bill

Randy, Ahh - the missing link thing. My chain is a bit different than yours, but, I suspect that will make no difference. However, I'm preparing to leave on a long weekend trip in the morning, so, don't have time to deal with it right now. Besides, between you and ScottyGS if I wait long enough you two will have it figured out. Gregg - thanks for getting on this thing and sorry for the troubles you seem to be having. I did originally have a problem with my IPN remote because it was wired backwards. Once the guys at the Mothership got that straight all has been well. Finally, don't worry about the name thing - I too have had a recent problem along those lines. Bill

Pete - sorry about that. With such greatness it is hard to tell the difference between you two. Now - take a look at your PM's! Bill p.s. of course you could have given details on storage particularly as it pertains to your truck.

With the toaster oven, just make sure that it is small enough to fit in the overhead bins and that its wattage is not too high for the inverter. I've found that some foods (like pizza and toast) are simply better using the toaster oven versus the microwave.

Randy, Interesting thought on the ground. In my case, there doesn't seem to be a "problem" when it is dry - only when it was raining cats and dogs. And, even then, the problem was sporadic. I would have thought that the safety cables would take care of the grounding issue around the Andersen WDH, but you never know. At least, thanks to you and DavidS we have avenues. Bill

Dan, I'm also glad that you are here. But, why wait until 2022? Think of all the fun you will be missing. Besides, if you are anything like a fair number of us, you will need time and experience in order to get your Oliver just the way you like it for those longer adventures that can be taken after you retire. The sooner you get to it, the sooner you will do it. Bill

Wow! Get ready for a bunch of different ideas. Certainly you can go to the extreme and basically "do a Scubarx". Steve and Tali have twin bed risers for more storage space inside and has constructed a really neat storage box that fits on the rear of his Ollie. I do have a "storage tube" fitted to the frame near the rear of mine. I place a small rug and a black water 10 foot extension (that I never used) in this tube. Obviously, anything that hangs down under your camper is subject to all kinds of hazards, so, nothing of importance goes in there. My fishing rods always get a prime storage spot - either in the back seat of my truck or in the closet. Black water items go in the storage area behind the rear bumper. Chairs go in the closet. Clam shelter goes in the closet. Kitchen items - pots and pans go in the two center drawers of my Elite II due to the height. Eating utensils go in the small drawer right in front of the sink (models prior to the 2017's have an obvious silverware drawer in this location). Junk drawer is bottom on the right and cooking utensils are in the top right. That leaves the bottom left for garbage bags, table linens, and other "stuff". Other items like tool bag, electric cube heater, collapsible table, go on the closet floor and storage bins with things that don't fit in the "junk drawer" go on the shelves of the closet. I do carry a shower tent and solar shower which I store in the area under the streetside bed. A toaster oven is carried above the dinette while all other "kitchen" items are in the storage areas above the microwave and cooktop . Hope this helps! Bill

Kathy, Looks like you found the solution to the problem you were having since I see your packing cubes post about 15 minutes after this one. If you continue to have problems PM one of the Moderators or Matt Duncan. Bill

Scotty, Wow! Talk about timing. You could not have hit it any better. Last week I towed Twist over to the Oliver Rally. This was the first time towing with my new 2017 Lariet 3.5 eco-boost. In the pouring rain on the way over I "got the message". Thought that it was a bit weird when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that the marker lights were still on - just how could the trailer be disconnected if the marker lights were still on? In any case, I pulled over at the next exit and could not find anything wrong. During the rally I mentioned this to Jason and he thought that the problem could be related to the led lights simply not pulling enough current. He also said that he thought there is a product sold that attaches between the trailer pigtail and the truck that helps take care of the problem. I've not had a chance to take a look at this any further, but, if I find something I'll be back here in a flash. I should also note that I never had this problem with my 2011 F-150. But, it didn't have as much "stuff" on it as the new one does. Also, I fully agree with you on the rest of the truck - sure is comfortable. Bill

I'm with Mike. After almost a year and a half I first used my furnace at the Oliver Rally. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how quiet it is. Hopefully you will be driving past the Mothership sometime soon 'cause that noise just ain't right. Bill

Overland, I thought about the "wedgies" when I ordered mine but decided to go with the straight ones and use throw pillows instead. I felt that the throw pillows were a bit more flexible and when/if the second bed had to be made into a bed then it was easier to stack these straight back cushions versus having to deal with the wedgies. So far I've been happy with that decision with the possible exception of the cushions in the dinette area. Bill

Did I see a count of 11? Jealous of all that are on the road. I'll be headed to Hiawasee, GA next weekend for the Eggs on the Hiawasee Rally. Hopefully the weather will be a great as it is today. What a perfect day for Mother's Day here in the mountains of Western North Carolina! Bill

This is exactly how we shower. No issues. Mike And I thought that Mike promised to not tell exactly how "we" showered.

How'd ya like Helen? Of course you can not say that you've been to Helen back. How'd you like those roads around Banner Elk? Generally they are not very wide and most have a few curves in them. Anything north of Interstate 40 gets a bunch more snow during the winter as compared to places like Brevard. However, it is really the ice that causes problems and the fact that many of these mountain towns do not have appropriate snow removal equipment. Depending on the direction you are heading next, Mount Mitchell (the highest point east of the Mississippi River) is worth a quick stop. Boone is a college town and Asheville is called the "Paris of the South". If you "do" Asheville and have the time and money (it will take you virtually all day and the admission fee is something north of $60 each), the Biltmore house is the Oliver of homes. Bill

I'm in (on). Can the server handle it? Bill

About the only thing I can comment on is the bath. I'm 6 foot tall and about 165 pounds and have absolutely no problem. In fact, I was surprised at the small amount of water that goes beyond the very front of the toilet - and I am usually no even careful as to the direction of the spray. I've found clean-up to be very simple by using a silicone squeegee and possible either a microfiber towel or a synthetic chamois. Either way the clean-up takes about one minute AND you have a clean shower. As far as the door swinging out - I have a "bath mat" inside the shower since I like the "feel" of that better than walking on the bare fiberglass in bare feet. So, it is simple to take that mat and place it outside the shower just prior to turning the water on. Therefore, it catches any water that drips when the door is opened (I do dry the shower prior to opening the door) and since it is a bath mat I don't care if it gets a few drops of water on it and it dries quickly. Bill

Yes, heck of a Rally. Lots of information, great presentations, meeting lots of people (at least half of which I don't remember the names - sorry!), meeting those very hard working people from Oliver that gave up their weekend, eating a bunch of food (provided by Oliver), meeting vendors who were very gracious with time and information and watching the joy of those people that won one of the numerous door prizes given away. Coy did a great job as MC and organizer. Matt Duncan was the point man for registration, t-shirts and paperwork, etc. A bunch of folks from Oliver and volunteers handled the food and cleanup after the food. The Oliver service guys were always seen running taking care of anything from display units to a music stage to helping owners with "issues". Of course the sales staff was there too answering questions from current and future owners alike - and this includes being there on Sunday morning! A big thanks to the Oliver family, Coy, and everyone attending for such a friendly well run event. Hope to see you next year! Bill

Yvonne&Doug, Thank you both for the kind words. Glad things worked out well for you and for 223. Be sure that many adventures await in that good looking rig. Bill

Nice to have met Bob last night at the rally. In true Oliver style Bob gave me a15 to 30 amp adapter so I could get electric. Truly generous and certainly save me a trip to Wally World. Bob's Maine graphic on the nose of his Elite II is very nicely done - and he gave credit to Mike and Carol for inspiration. Bill

Bill, Welcome from those of us who are at the owners rally in Hohenwald. I'm looking out the dinette window at the rear of Bugeyedriver's (Pete ) smiley face camper. Hope your weather is a bit better. Maybe next year you can get here. In the meantime, safe travels and have fun with that rig. Bill