Maiden voyage success

joansie

Well, the maiden voyage was a success. The Pull-Tab (AKA the Subaru Forester) pulled the Tab-ster at 55mph over hill and dale in 80 degree temps with no problem. It got 16 mpg. The AT temp light never came on. It would probably be a different story if I was climbing mountains. We travelled about 100 miles. The campground was crowded by Friday night. There was hardly room to breath. Saturday night was so smokey and still it was hard to breathe in the Tab. We were in a pine stand and the pine trees desided it was time to do their thing and began dumping pollen. There was an ATV trail there and several hundred machines running all day long. We opted to leave Sunday even though we had 1 night left. Lesson learned! Quiet , smaller greener campground and definitely not on a holiday!

XPADREX

LOL... they don't always show that in the manuals! You are right on the money about holidays... but on to the good stuff: did you cook? Try out different features? Any snaps of the T@b in the wild?

Wanderoo

It's a learning experience, isn't it?  Even with tent camping, every trip was different.  It sure makes boondocking sound more desirable.  The older I get, the more removed I want to be from noise. Actually, that is one of the reasons I bought my T@B vs. a pop-up, is the ability of hard-sided campers to "tone down" surrounding noise.

BUT, glad to hear everything went well with T@B and your Forester.  Do you tow in the "manual mode" with your Forester?  When/where is your next trip?

Would you do anything differently as far as food preparation?  I love to hear about everybody's "new" experiences.  I'm still so new myself. 

Thanks for chiming in.   

scuba

I am looking for someplace to travel to the week after July 4th! I live in central IN. Anyone been to the Finger Lakes area?

Lisa33

Congrats, joansie! It really is a learning process, and we each have our own preferences and priorities. I'm right there with you, Wanderoo! I love boondocking for that reason. I often forego campground amenities in favor of a more peaceful experience where I can enjoy nature. I think I'm turning into a cranky old lady.. I really don't like being crowded and avoid RV parks like the plague. National Forest and BLM campgrounds are my favorites. ACOE can be good, too. @scuba, I camped at Watkins Glen State Park in a tent a few years ago and loved it there. Amazing gorge and waterfalls. Really beautiful.

scuba

Thanks Lisa!

T@Balong

We are headed to the Finger Lakes region of NY on June 20 and will be staying for a week at Keuka Lake State Park.   We'd also be open to things to see and do in the region for those who have been there.    This will be our second outing in T@Balong, the first being over Memorial Day weekend at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northwest lower Michigan.   A spectacular weekend and our T@b is everything we hoped it would be!

Michigan_Mike

Here are some tips for the area:

Finger Lakes Wine Country

Attractions

Hiking

Biking

Restaurants & Dining

June events in Finger Lakes Region

T@Balong

Thank you Mike, looks like plenty to see and do in the area.   We are also kayakers so we're looking to get in some nice paddling in the region as well.

scuba

Thanks Mike!

jkjenn

I missed this thread before. I grew up in the Finger Lakes and should be able to field your questions on the region. Watkins Glen State Park my be one of the prettiest parks on the entire east coast, but will be super busy over the holiday. Robert Truman and Fillmore Glen are also beautiful state parks. You will find more wineries around Keuka Lake and there is an arts and crate type of thing on the weekend in Penn Yan at the Windmill. The Finger Lakes are very deep and therefore tend to stay cold. The flies will be out so be armed. There should be an abundance of fireflies, however.

Michigan_Mike

Have always been intrigued with this area and knew that the US Navy tested submarines in the lake here because it is so deep.   How cool is that!?   

jkjenn

Yeah, the Great Lakes freeze over quicker than some of the Finger Lakes. There has long been speculation that Cayuga and Seneca were connected via some underground water passage, but it has never been validated. Skaneateles is a very pretty shade of blue water, very unusual for a non alpine lake. Roadside vegetable and fruit stands are very good in this region and many of the orchards and farms here were organic long before it was popular.

scuba

Thanks!