Travel Trailer Blogs

An Oliver Travel Trailers’ Journey To The Channeled Scablands By: Frank McMichael, Hull No.101 Dry Falls State Park The Dry Falls State Park and RV campground is in the coulee downstream from the Dry Falls that is a remnant of the Ice Age Flood. Mid-morning on Sunday, May 13, 2018 I pulled into the Park […]

An Oliver Travel Trailers’ Journey To The Channeled Scablands By: Frank McMichael, Hull No.101 Pothole Coulee Pothole Coulee, one of the more dramatic Channeled Scabland features that helps illustrate how massive this Ice Age Flood was and how terrifyingly destructive it became as it traveled to the Columbia River. What you see is the basalt […]

The eastern ice cap had descended further south than the western portion of the ice cap. As indicated in my first ‘part 1 of the series’, the eastern ice cap was as far south as Ohio. Likely the warming effect of the Pacific Ocean

For more than two years I have been receiving treatment for stage four prostate cancer which had metastasized to six other places in my body. A few months ago I was able to discontinue all medical treatment. The course of the medications over the past years seemed to have worked, I have no more pain and various tests indicate all is well. Future Doctor’s visit will be for monitoring only.

Brookings, Oregon is about 250 miles north on US 101 from my home in Ukiah, California. It is just north of the border between the two states. Driving this distance, one passes through mountains, across rivers, through redwoods, along extensive shorelines and beautiful beaches and at a few places Roosevelt Elk may be observed.

After my stay in the cold and wet of Ruby Valley, Cathedral Gorge State Campground near Caliente, Nevada was a wonderful place to relax in the sun and soak up some warmth. While relaxing with a book, a beer and some pine nuts, I contemplated my next destination.

After three days at Ruby Lake in my travel trailer, I reluctantly decided to leave as the cold weather was predicted to continue for a longer period then I wanted to wait. The weather was very cold on the morning I left, colder than the day before and colder than my little twinkle toes can tolerate. The sky was dark and rain seemed imminent, so I left before it imminence all over me. The electrically warmed steering wheel was much appreciated this morning. I told you that I was a wuss.

During the night the wind stopped and the awareness of that seeped into me with the early morning light. With the light also came the remembrance that I had forgotten to stop for groceries as I passed through some several towns on the way to my sagebrush campsite.

The crackle of the campfire above 10k feet of elevation in the predawn chill of the Rocky Mountains, accented by the massive echoing call of a bull Elk and a steaming cup of your favorite coffee taking in the view from your travel trailer.  That is part of what makes coffee a camping staple in all of our adventures!

With the military many years behind, some of the terminology seems to have remained. I had used the term FOB, an acronym for Forward Operating Base, in a conversation with the Oliver sales manager. Betty and I were describing our camping style and where we wanted to go with an Oliver camping trailer.

When we think about some of the mechanical problems we have experienced out there on the open road, we tend to think in terms of flats and fuel filters. This time however, it was a bit different!

Although we were totally excited about our delivery of the new Oliver Legacy Elite. Even though we were knee deep into the item by item check list. Even though various plant workers were hooking it up to our Jeep’s hitch, making sure that the driving lights were correctly operational before pulling out. Even in the midst of all that hustle and bustle, it was hard not to notice the commanding presence of a distinguished gentleman that had quietly arrived from another part of the plant.