topgun2

If you expect to be in griz territory - and any of the area your talking about IS in that territory - then bear spray is your best bet. However, there are times when bear spray is not practical. While something like a 357 will penetrate the very thick griz bone the size and mass of that caliber is simply not big enough to do enough damage to stop a decent size griz (unless of course you happen to hit it in exactly the right spot). Even something like a 10 mm or (even better) a 44 magnum might require more than a single shot to be on target. For the most part - both the Snake and the Buffalo Fork are probably NOT your best bets given your recent hip replacement. I'd stick to the Gros Ventre. The upper regions of this river are the best (above Red Rock and Goosewing ranches) - less crowded and more fish and for the most part easily wadeable. Usually the road isn't too bad but I would not drag my Ollie up there. If you really want to fish the Buffalo Fork then head up to Moran and then head east on Route 26 towards Dubois about 3 miles. Buffalo Valley Road will be on your left (as you head east). About 11 miles on Buffalo Valley Road the pavement will end and you will be at Turpin Meadows Campground. Bare left here and park in the day use area and take the trail to the Buffalo Fork. If the parking lot is near full then I'd simply turn around and go some place else because it is likely that the stream will be crowded. However, while you are here and if its near lunch time you might want to stop at ranch right there for a decent burger. If you are in the mood for a GREAT milkshake then stop at the Heart Six Ranch on the way back to Moran - it ain't cheap but it is about the best milkshake I've ever had. Its been several years since I fished it but if you are a better than average fly fisherman then don't miss a 1/2 day stop at Blacktail Ponds. This is located about 3/4 mile north/northeast of the airport on the west side of hwy 89. A beetle/dropper or hopper/dropper is the ticket there. Another thing to do that is not (usually) crowded would be to stop at the Elk Ranch. This is owned by the Forest Service or the Park Service and has some good views of the Tetons and old ranch cabins. You can drive slightly past the buildings, ford a creek with your truck and continue to where the road makes a 90 degree turn to your right. Park here - the ranch road that would go further to the north is marked as no vehicles allowed. Take your rod and after a 1/4 mile walk on that ranch road you will be at the Buffalo Fork where you could fish from the bank and wade a little - just be careful of the holes and the main current of the river. Interestingly, if it weren't for the hip replacement and if you were a bit adventurous then you could keep walking and fishing following the river upstream to the east and fish what is the backside of Pinto Ranch. As long as you stay in the river or on the right side bank you will be OK. However, don't get on the left side because that is Pinto Ranch property and they have been known to be pretty touchy about things. If you need more - just PM me. I'm happy to share what I know. Bill

Note that THE SINGLE BEST fishing spot that I've found on the Buffalo Fork can be seen in the second (down from the top) photo at the top of this thread. That spot is located at the bottom of the "cliff" that can be seen on the right side of the photo. There is a boondocking RV spot or two at the top of that cliff and this is the first turnout on your right as you head east on Buffalo Valley Road. If you get to this spot you will be able to wade about 1/2 way towards the cliff. Take anything big (size 8 or so) and chuck it as far as you can towards the cliff. Work your way down stream to the end of the cliff and then come back and do it again. There are some 20 to 24 inch fish there. BIll

If you are specifically talking about staying at Box Creek camp ground you should know that the reason the Forest Service de-commissioned this was due to griz activity. As I mentioned above, the Forest Service took away the picnic tables but left the bear boxes. However, I have never seen a bear in the camp ground but I have observed steaming bear scat on the paved road less than a 1/2 mile from Box Creek. Having said this - I always keep my food in the Oliver. You should absolutely have bear spray and as you fish you are likely to see bear track - both black and griz along with deer and moose. I always carry bear spray AND additional protection measures. As far as fishing goes - the two main streams in that area are the Buffalo Fork and the Snake. Are you fishing with a guide, and, do you prefer wading or drift boat?

If you ever wondered why molded fiberglass campers hold their value so well - you now know.

I don't believe that this product is the one that Mossemi used. I think that his was more like the channels used for screens and I know that he used Velcro to attach those channels to the ceiling (MaxAir frame). Bill

I believe that the Service department takes the better part of 2 days for the complete job. Bill

Thanks SeaDawg for looking up that post! Unfortunately, that post will be of little use in that the pieces that are used to hold the air filter material are no longer made. However, Mossemi developed another solution that results in basically the same bottom line. You might want to send him a PM in that regard. Bill

I've got the mirrored doors on my Oliver, so, perhaps I'm not the best person to give comments. However, that has never stopped me before!😁 The black are basically opaque but do allow a small amount of light around the edges (when the interior cabinet lights are on)(i.e. the doors do not "seal" completely). The frosted allow for a nice "glow" of light to come through the door (again, when the interior lights are on). However, the contents of the cabinet can be seen through the frosted doors while the black doors prevent the contents from being seen regardless of the lights being on or off inside the cabinet. Of course, the black doors provide a starker contrast to the white interior of the Oliver while the frosted tend to have a "softer" contrast. Does that help you? Bill p.s. With both the frosted and the black (and the mirrored for that matter) the "color" of the "glass" is actually due to a coating that is applied to the back side of the door (just like with a real mirror in your home). Given that there are usually "things" stored inside these cabinets and these things will (over time) tend to rub against this coating there can be scratches and/or rub spots that will develop on the doors. A simple way to combat this is to apply a covering on the back of the doors of "clear" (actually it is slightly frosted) Contact paper (similar to THIS).

For what its worth - a few weeks ago I watched as one of the Service techs performed #8 above. At least on the two windows I saw him working on, he was doing an excellent job. Certainly much more through than I would have done on my own Ollie. Bill

There have been numerous posts concerning a variety of issues with these "touch" lights. Your best bet would be to open a service ticket. I'd bet that you are looking at replacing this light. Bill

slowly drive over a 4x4

Or, if you want to go cheap you could always do THIS

because he used

I just added this cover to my "cart" on Amazon - 1:45pm edt, Monday, August 14, 2023 Bill

Yes - any electric space heater will take energy out of your batteries as will any other device that runs off electricity. You will have to manage your electric usage carefully - particularly if you have cloudy days when your solar can't keep up with the drain. That is why I mentioned the Mr. Buddy type heater. Bill

Yes- a small bit of water left in the fresh water tank (and the grey and black tanks to0) is OK - there is plenty of room for that small bit of water to expand during freezing without hurting anything. Just be sure that all of the supply lines that run to these tanks are winterized and this includes those ports on the outside of the Ollie that are used to fill these tanks and the outside shower too. I have the standard water heater - not the Truma. If there is anything "special" that you need to do with that fancy thing, hopefully you'll be able to figure it out. I've camped in Yellowstone, the Tetons and northeast of Yellowstone many times. Your solar and batteries should hold you in good stead - mine have never been below 82% FULL! This includes four days of rain and snow. Just make sure that you have plenty of propane and you should have no problems - if you can't use propane for some reason then do you have a heater similar to the Mr. Buddy (like THIS?) Bill p.s. there is usually great "hopper" fishing in that area through the end of September.

that bear's got

Given where the condensate comes from when its working properly - if you do the garden hose flush thing you risk spraying water into the interior of your Oliver and/or parts of your A/c that possibly you would not want to get wet. Bill

Many of these manuals are not produced by Oliver but are supplied to Oliver along with the equipment that is installed. Certainly to the degree that these manuals are dated doesn't make the learning process any easier. Some of us learn by "doing", others by repetition, others by detailed explanation and others only by visual means, or by some various combinations of the multitude of learning methods. In my experience, the best teachers constantly search for a way of presenting the information to the student in whatever way works for the student. Yes, "how training is conducted and measured is a management decision" and at Oliver you get something other than the one hour "walk through" that seems to be the industry norm. No matter - drinking from a fire hose usually doesn't result in quenching thirst.

Perhaps a better question would be - Will YOU be happy?

Forgot - As for leveling blocks - it is hard to beat Andersen levelers but if you are looking for stabilizers to use under your 'stabilizers" then a eleven inch length of 6x6 treated lumber is hard to beat. You can use them on their sides or on the end depending on how much distance you are trying to cover. Bill

No experience with "X-chocks" but have been told that if you are sensitive to trailer movement these help. like SeaDawg I'm a fan of he Harbor Freight rubber chocks like THESE.

Thank goodness! Did you get wet that first time?

Back to the RV antifreeze issue - When you do finally get your hands on this stuff, and it is at a reasonable price (should be under $4.00 per gallon) be sure to buy 4 to 6 gallons. If you have the standard water heater, be sure to use the by-pass valve before you start to winterize - if you don't , you will simply be filling the 6 gallon water heater for no real purpose. Then when you winterize it should only take about 2 gallons of antifreeze to do the job (including pumping some into the outside ports, a bit into each drain ((kitchen, bath sink and bath shower pan)) and some into the toilet as I mentioned above. After winterization you will then still have 2 to 4 gallons left over (assuming that you bought the 4 to 6 I recommend). This extra allows you to not worry about getting some for next year, allows you to de-winterize on short notice if you want to take a quick trip somewhere and allows you to replenish your antifreeze stock when you find it at a good price. Bill

Well, all that shows you is that you've got the drain valve open. I assume that your gauge inside the Ollie still shows that you have at least some water left in that fresh water tank? When I know that I'll be wanting to drain the fresh water tank I use an old ScubaRx trick - open that drain valve BEFORE leaving your last site. That way the water drains out of that tank while you drive down the road. This means that any water in the tank will go back and forth and from side to side thus making sure that more of it drains out. If you are now at your normal storage place - another thing that you can try besides lifting the nose of the Ollie is to use the rear stabilizers to tilt your Ollie from side to side. Of course, you could also use blocks under your tires but that would mean that you would have to move the Oliver onto those blocks and then back off the blocks again. Bill