At the factory today

[trumpetguy]

After overnighting at a Cracker Barrel in Athens Alabama I pulled into the mother ship about 11 this morning for the Solar package installation. Getting the 2000 WAT inverter, and some additional clothes hooks installed. also. A few punch list items that Tommy will take care of. Then I pick up Friday afternoon to head back to Florida complete with the independence of having my on board utility company. This will be so important as we enjoy the National parks this Summer. Mount Pisgah has showers and flush toilets but no service at the sites so the solar we be invaluable.

 

I am in a hotel all week doing business in Nashville and resenting it. So much better to have your condo hooked onto the truck. Plus at $150 or more a night plus restaurant meals it is just too expensive.

 

BTW. This was my second time over nighting with Cracker Barrel and they are great hosts.

[cpaharley2008]

I enjoy stopping at CB also and plan my trips around them. I'll stop around 10 pm, go in and ask for permission, use their facilities and get a bite to go.Hit the sack. Get up at 5:30am, turn on the coffee and heat and go inside the restaurant at 6 am when they open, use their facilities, pick up a breakfast to go come back to a warm unit, eat and drink my coffee and be on the road by 6:30 am. Total cost is minimal for the food. Go to their website and there are ones notated for "Bus and R/V accessible"

[marsharini]

Where are you having the additional clothes hooks installed? We're still waiting to hear from Oliver as to when production starts, so insight from new owners is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

[GaryJona]

Hello our new Oliver is in production now and just sold our Casita. Ron posted on his web site some likes and dislikes after a week of camping some of his statements we had already thought of after taking the Casita on several long trips. The first is the hooks question we use command hooks they hold really good and you can move them if you change your mind and no holes or patches. The second we did add a couple extra plugs 3 of them one by night stand for clock or charging phones etc, second out side bottom of closet near entry door we sometimes used a cube heater for camp sites like going to Alaska that only have 15 amp service and out of the path to the bathroom at night and a third on the bottom of the sofa/ bed on the driver side near the pantry as again plugging in a phone / computer as the passenger side has one over the stove we learned this in the Casita I installed one also so my wife when charging the phone did not have to run a cord across the isle. I did have the small inverter and two more 12 volt plugs added again for electronic charging one by the night stand for the wife and one Driver side bed near pantry. Thanks Gary

[trumpetguy]

We like to hang our towels up to dry and have been tucking the corners into a cabinet door to stretch from side to side. We use 100% linen towels as they do in Italy because they dry fast and take up less space when folded. The new hooks will serve as a place to put a clothes line, and for shirts, coats, etc. we need during the day. Locations will be in the corners above the beds at the rear end of the trailer.

 

Another thing we are doing is have them install a towel bar on the cupboard door for kitchen towels. It seems as if there is always a jumble in the galley and towels are never where you need them.

 

When we ordered ours we had extra outlets installed for a lamp on the night stand, plus one in the closet bulkhead. We also added a courtesy light at the front door with a separate switch above the closet doot. This gives a small amount of light for my wife when she gets up early to take the pooch out. We also had CPAP plugs added in each cabinet above the beds, whih a port for the hose to drop through.

 

All these small changes tend to make our little condo more of a home. I am so glad that Oliver put the backing plates for solar in when they built our trailer. That makes this mod much easier and less costly.

[marsharini]

Thanks for the info, Gary and David.

 

We also use command hooks in our Casita. In fact, we had the Casita factory leave off all baskets, hooks and towel bar when we ordered it 5+ years ago, mostly because it was kind of tacky looking. We're having the king bed in our Oliver, so we won't have a nightstand for an extra outlet, but we are having one put near the street side in the bed area. Not sure yet where yet (also for a CPAP).

 

Gary - are you going to Alaska soon? We're picking up our Oliver in June and then a week or two later we're headed to Alaska via Glacier NP.

 

Marsha

[GaryJona]

Hello I think we are talking about summer or 2016 for an Alaska Trip, this year will be just the East Coast after we pick her up and in the Fall Pennsylvania Lancaster Amish area down to the Smokies. We are planning Arizona Death valley and Big Bend areas end of Jan. through Feb into March. Did you make any reservations yet if your going to stay in Glacier park and Jasper/ Banff in Canada which is the way I would go they are hard to get into without them and also Denali in Alaska. Are you taking the Cassiar on the way back we really enjoyed that way on into Washington on around Olympia NP along the coast. I'm sure you picked up your Mile Post by now. Thanks Gary