High Altitude use (question about windows)

[Angus]

Hello,

 

My wife and I are researching Olivers and will travel to Longmont, Colorado to visit with an Oliver owner the day after Thanksgiving. We have a question about high altitude use.

 

BACKGROUND: We own a small grocery store in Lake City, Colorado. The elevation here is 8,671', and we had trouble with cooler doors in our store "exploding" due to the high altitude. The cooler doors in our store are double pane and filled with some type of gas to help with insulation and frost between the glass. The fix was to finally drill holes in the frame to release the gas to prevent the doors from exploding. Needless to say we have frost issues, but at least the doors are not exploding.

 

QUESTION: Has anyone reported issues with Oliver windows at higher altitudes? Frost? Cracking? Anything?

 

Thanks,

 

Peter and Patty

[topgun2]

Peter & Patty - Each year I travel from Western North Carolina to the Western mountains to fly fish for from 6 to 14 weeks.  During these trips (once I'm in the mountains) I camp at altitudes ranging from 6,800 feet to just below 12,000 feet with most being at 8,500 to 10,500.  Absolutely no problems with the windows.  However, other than the rare slight snow/frost the temperatures are not as extreme as I would think you see in your coolers - at least for the amount of time that the coolers have to put up with it.

 

Bill

[donthompson]

Peter and Patty,

 

Lake City, Colorado! My mother’s uncle ran the newspaper there many, many years ago. His last name was Furse. He died before I was born in 1949, but my family traveled from Nebraska to Lake City every summer for many years while I was growing up. We held a family reunion there 30-40 years ago and the fellow who owned the newspaper then invited us to visit and look through many historical documents relating to Mom’s uncle’s tenure at the newspaper. Many fond memories.

 

I’ve camped in my Oliver at 10,400 feet at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah and many times at various locations between 5500 and 8500 feet. I’ve never experienced any problems with my windows and have never heard of an Oliver window exploding, cracking, etc. I’ve also camped when the temps have been in the 20’s. No problems with frost.

 

Don

[Angus]

Don,

 

Thanks for the feedback on your high-altitude adventures!

 

Grant Houston now owns and operates the Silver World Newspaper here in Lake City. He is a lifelong resident of Lake City and also leads the Hinsdale County Historical Society. Grant is a wealth of information and always welcoms friends and family from Lake City's colorful past.

 

July and August are pretty crazy with the tourist season here, and I always suggest the shoulder season if you have flexibility. There are several hook-up parks in town, nearby County maintained parks, and many off-grid areas to explore.

 

We hope to join the Oliver crowd as soon as possible.

 

Peter

[Mike and Carol]

We spent September in Colorado camping from 6,000 to 10,000 feet.  We’ve also camped during cold weather, low 20’s.   No window issues.  Mike

[John E Davies]

Peter, Lake City is a lovely town. My wife and I will be staying in the area mid-July 2018. We would come sooner in the summer but we really want to make sure the high passes are open and dry. We plan to park our Ollie at one or possibly two places while we make day trips and explore in the Land Cruiser.

 

We visited in 2008 while driving solo, rented a Wrangler in Ouray, and drove half the Alpine Loop, and we came through again with the Ollie last May on our way back from TN. But we really want to spend some time there, a week at least.

 

I know this is off topic, so if you would start a new thread about RV boondocking (free preferred) in the Durango/ Silverton/ Ouray/ Telluride area, I would _greatly_ appreciate some suggestions and tips ftom a local. We like high passes, views, ghost towns and cool old towns like Lake City...

 

Do you have room at your place for a visiting Oliver? I would love to meet you.

 

Thanks,

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[donthompson]

How long has Grant owned and operated the newspaper?  The fellow at the newspaper who invited us to visit and view documents was also the chair or president of the local historical society.

 

 

 

Don

[Angus]

John,

 

July and August are probably the busiest months of our summer tourist season. So, depending on what type of town you are looking to visit, July and August could be GREAT or TERRIBLE depending on what you are looking for. Great in the sense that there is a lot going on: concerts, parades, arts & crafts shows, exhibits, celebrations, all the stores/restaurants are open, and etc. TERRIBLE if you are trying to get away from the masses, as there will be thousands of people in the Town and County. Some camp sites are booked a year or more in advance -- especially over holiday weekends.

 

On a more positive note, there are many places to go boondocking and get an off-grid experience. You might still have some neighbors nearby, but Lake City resides in "the most remote county in the lower 48 States" according to the US Census Bureau, so there are plenty of public lands and trails to explore.

 

There are 3 RV parks in Lake City, 1 just outside of town, another close to Lake San Cristabal, and then several County parks along the lake and further out County Road 30. We see many RVers along the County roads at smaller "river camp sites". Not sure about the amenities, as I have not camped there yet.

 

Also, our shoulder season is pretty much untapped. May - June, and October - November can be spectacular in Lake City and Hinsdale County. The passes on our PAVED roads are always open. I've been here 5 years and never seen any of the paved roads in Hinsdale County closed for snow. The County roads that lead up to Engineer and Cinnamon Passes are always closed in the winter due to snow and avalanche danger, but Hinsdale and Mineral County crews start clearing those as the summer tourist season approaches.

 

Finally, I like the idea about a thread for this area, but I'm not sure if I'm the right person to start that and answer questions. I can help with Lake City and Hinsdale County for sure, but know virtually nothing about the other side of the mountain with regards to Ouray, Silverton, etc.

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

[Angus]

Don,

 

How long has Grant owned and operated the newspaper? The fellow at the newspaper who invited us to visit and view documents was also the chair or president of the local historical society. Don

 

Sounds like the same guy. I'm quite certain that Grant has been here his entire life... has owned and operated the paper for more than 30 years... I'm just not sure if he is the founder, or if he purchased it from someone else.

 

Peter

[Angus]

John,

 

I messaged you on another matter.

 

Peter

[topgun2]

Kind of getting this thread back on the "windows" subject -

 

Right after I purchased my Ollie I made some window "inserts" from some "Reflectix" insulation that I had left over from another job.  Whenever I place the Ollie in storage or when I know that the temperatures are going below freezing when I'm camping I put it in the windows just to insure a bit more warmth, (or cut down on the light transmission while in storage).  I'm really not sure that this does any significant good, but, it makes me feel better knowing that I've done all I can.

 

Bill

[KarenLukens]

Kind of getting this thread back on the “windows” subject – Right after I purchased my Ollie I made some window “inserts” from some “Reflectix” insulation that I had left over from another job. Whenever I place the Ollie in storage or when I know that the temperatures are going below freezing when I’m camping I put it in the windows just to insure a bit more warmth, (or cut down on the light transmission while in storage). I’m really not sure that this does any significant good, but, it makes me feel better knowing that I’ve done all I can. Bill

 

The Reflectix makes a huge difference inside, we have it in right now and run the max fan all day to keep the humidity down with all of the rain. It really helps with condensation but... It does keep it dark inside also :)