2017 Plans?

j_ntabowners

marknjudy said:

PXL-That sounds like a plan. We should be able to squeeze it in.

Ericnliz- Good to know. All three are on my list of places I want to see. Knowing this, maybe I can knock them out in one fell swoop!

I also forgot to mention a 2 night stay in Cody. So there's time to add Glacier

If you have the chance while you're in Cody, check out the museum, well worth the visit, one of the best firearms collection I've ever seen, and the rest of the museum is just fascinating.

marknjudy

j_ntabowners - most definitely checking out the museum! High on my list. I watched a couple of you tube videos about that and thought it looked like a good place. Glad to hear you confirm that!

jcfaber1

I found we liked Yellowstone better than Glacier.  If you stay in the LaMar valley area you miss a lot of the crowds.  We hike and watch/photo/ video wildlife.  I suggest you camp in Tower camp ground.  No hookups but solar works well.  And you're really close to getting ice at the store down the lane for your gin and tonics.  Glacier seems harder to get around and the campgrounds have smaller sites.  To each their own.
John

Sharon_is_SAM

In between backpacking in the back country, we stay at the Roosevelt Lodge cabins down the road from Tower.  My intention before discovering the Tab was to spend 5 - 6 weeks in the Yellowstone area as we enjoy it so much, but it was hard to find accomodations close to the park.  Once we have the Tab, it will give us the luxury of an extended stay.

Cyclonic

With having the unexpected expense of replacing our TV, we cut back a little on plans, for instance we will not be camping at and going to Kings Dominion in April, and probably just stay at one of our favorite wineries instead.

Now that I am a bit further along in the process of planning our longer trip in June, yeah, the spreadsheet, it is coming along nicely.

jkjenn

March:       Bring the T@b home

April:         Shakedown
                 Tennessee

May:          Cleveland, OH
                 Colorado

June:         Colorado

July:          Colorado

August:     Colorado

Sept:         Colorado

October:   Colorado
                Cleveland, OH

I will probably hit Utah at some point, too.

gbell

TX late April to early May, 1900 mile trip and 17 days. mid and late Aug Solar Eclipse ID/WY, Sawtooths etc 17 more days 2110 miles.

Nomad

Jenn - Ever spent any time in the Salida, CO area? Have had several people recommend it to me.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

Jenn - Ever spent any time in the Salida, CO area? Have had several people recommend it to me.

Spent last summer just north of there. That is where I would shop at Walmart.

Ratkity

My shakedown trip was last weekend. Oiy.. I thought it was cold THEN. This coming weekend was supposed to be the first group campout. Um... still a wee too cold for me - camper is still winterized.  With the winds around here, a lot of the parks have burn bans up to 4pm until midnight (winds die down, I guess). A wee too chilly during the day without a fire to be outside and enjoy catching up with the group. Guess I'll wait until Spring (ack! here in 5 days! No wei). 

ericnliz

Ha, I just take it on the fly...more fun that way!

Homebodyatheart

Ratkity, if one had a small propane campfire, could it be used there? I've been debating getting one. Thanks! 

PS- I do find it a bit amusing to hear you (of all people!) talk about a shakedown trip! :-) At least you know trailers, which still puts you ahead of some of us.

Ratkity

Homebodyatheart said:

Ratkity, if one had a small propane campfire, could it be used there? I've been debating getting one. Thanks! 

PS- I do find it a bit amusing to hear you (of all people!) talk about a shakedown trip! :-) At least you know trailers, which still puts you ahead of some of us.

Oh, every year I do a shakedown trip to make sure everything is working and I can find all the stuff I "put away" for the winter. I always find something that needs attending too, plus I usually de-winterize before the trip, but our weekend ended up being WAY colder than I thought. Even so, I learned a lot about camping in temps lower than the 30s (low each nite was 21) and with moderate winds. I've really not done that. There's always something to learn! Always mods to think about. This trip I also learned how to take the cover off one of the LED lights (gently) to shake some sawdust crud out of the cover. Also thinking of Harley decor for blackout curtains - especially the door window. My weight distribution hitch must have gotten water in the spindle, so I learned how to loosen the nut and turn down the resistance so I could put the bars on. It was at max resistance and a mallet wouldn't move it. 

I have a propane campfire - (the little one) Red Campfire. It's great if it's not windy. Another member of the group has the bigger one. She took out the logs and put in vermiculite and pretty stones. It works better than the logs (they get very sooty), but it still has the wind issue. I would have to ask the ranger if it was ok to run during the burn ban times (there are different types of bans). 

ScottG

ScottG said:

Jan: Rake snow off T@B.
Feb: Rake snow off T@B.
Mar: Rake snow off T@B.
Apr: Rake snow off T@B. Or not. Gotta melt soon!
May: Pull T@B out of mud with 4WD truck. Plan Memorial Day shakedown trip.
Jun-Sep: Go camping. Dates and locations TBD. (Can't wait!!!)
Oct: Just one more long weekend. Turn up the heat, just to see if it still works. Winterize.
Nov: Park T@B out back and deploy overpriced cover.
Dec: Rake snow off T@B.

We're halfway through March now, and I just want you all to know that my original itinerary is right on schedule...  :-p

Homebodyatheart

Ratkity, thanks for this. As always, you are a wealth of great information. I see I need to make 'off-season' and 'pre-season' checklists. I think your curtain ideas will look great for  you, too! Thanks also for the campfire info!

ScottG

Homebodyatheart said:

...
PS- I do find it a bit amusing to hear you (of all people!) talk about a shakedown trip! :-) At least you know trailers, which still puts you ahead of some of us.

Now that I think about, I'm not really sure what makes a trip a "shakedown" trip. Does that just mean you are practically certain something will go wrong?

BobbiandThom

Thanks photomom. You lead me to more info on TearStock 2017, Atwood Lake state park, Mineral City Ohio, July 12-15. Register thru www.golittleguy.com/teatdrop-fest-registratio. Although I haven't figured out how to reg yet! There is also a Tab rally in Fort Ann NY, Setp 20-24. It's at Moose Hillock campng resort. We already registered for that one, site 218. Contact Susie McNeil at tinytrailercamping@gmail.com
There's also a Tab rally at Outer banks, Hatteras Resort Oct 6-9. Other plans: 
Shakedown march/April (from michigan)
Lots of improvements, new floor, dbl hinge back couch, shelves, hooks & docor, cover for stove & sink, misc. First trip locally, May ?, June? July Atwood, August Willamsburg, Sept MY & East coast, october?? We're newbies to camping & our Tab (Ceili), her name, means Irish dance/gathering. 

***Admin note: there is no Tearstock at Atwood Lake July 12-15, 2017.  The rally at Hatteras Resort Oct 6-9 is with the Little Guy company and their other company's products and whoever wants to come. It is not a T@B/nuCamp rally/gathering.

Ratkity

ScottG said:

Homebodyatheart said:

...
PS- I do find it a bit amusing to hear you (of all people!) talk about a shakedown trip! :-) At least you know trailers, which still puts you ahead of some of us.

Now that I think about, I'm not really sure what makes a trip a "shakedown" trip. Does that just mean you are practically certain something will go wrong?

Murphy is alive and well here. Surprises are never fun for me. Well, yes, I expect something will need attending to, but it doesn't mean something is always broken. It just means that:

I sort through things and purge stuff I forgot I had (and thus needs to join the Thrift Store inventory),
Check distilled water in battery,
Make sure potty seal hasn't dried out and may start leaking,
Did I remember to pack the dirty laundry bag (washed and folded it... where did I put that?),
Are my walking-on-a-chilly-floor crocs around?,
Did any command hooks fall off?,
Where's my walking stick?,
Did I remember to stock paper towels and TP?
Where's the cap to the drinking water container?
Did I remember to swap out the batteries and put new ones in?
Did any of the tools travel to places unknown (common one)?
Where did I put the stinky slinkie gloves? Do I need more?
Do I have enough potty chemicals?
Where'd I put the extra cotter pins and bars in case of emergency (mine or someone else's)?
Is the first aid kit stocked (I seem to always need compression bandages )?
Are the batteries to the drill charged, should I take two?
Where's the salt and pepper? Is the salt usable?
Do I have enough emergency coffee stuff (VIA, splenda and a can of condensed milk)?
Where *is* my camping coffee cup?
Did the dish soap bottle crack over the winter or do I need to do a soap swap in the house and get another?
Did I check the lug torque and tire pressure?
Did I check the camper seals? Any cracked and need extra TLC?
Does the surface rust need a little brush off and paint (on the tongue or coupler and steps mostly)
How does the brake pull cable look?
Always checking the chains and bolt holding them.
How much propane do I *think* I have left in tank one - tank two is always filled.
What cool mods did any of you have done that I'd like to plan and can visualize while I'm camping?
Did I find a spot where I don't have enough stuff to level (like this last one - need more legos)?

Does this list help? Most of it sounds like indoor stuff, but there's a lot of checking of seals and outdoor stuff. Normally I make sure the hot water and heat is working, but didn't de-winterize this go-round. I usually make sure all fans are working and the AC as well. Didn't dare try the AC this last time!! LOL. I found that it would be nice to have a small extension cord (I have a huge gauge one for outside). I usually have to reset the clock on the Jensen unit, then try to remember how it's done and then try to remember where I put the "easy guide" to the Jensen unit because I can't remember. I also check for unexpected critters. Never had any recently, but have in the past in campers of yore. 

Ratkity

Note to self (add to list): Check the hot chocolate packets and try one to make sure the powdered milk in them hasn't gone bad... bleh.... I just checked one!!

ronin718

Cyclonic said:

With having the unexpected expense of replacing our TV, we cut back a little on plans, for instance we will not be camping at and going to Kings Dominion in April, and probably just stay at one of our favorite wineries instead.

How can that be any cheaper than KD?  Oh, yeah, food and drink prices at theme parks are ridiculously high!!!

Cyclonic

The winery is a free stay.

I think Becky still wants to do it though, so, well, never know.  It has actually been a couple of years since we have been down there too, we seem to bypass it a lot and head to Busch instead.

ScottG

Whew! That's a whole lotta' shaking going down, Ratkity. And I'll bet you have a similarly extensive list for the Harley (especially now that it gets to go camping with you)!

ericnliz

Ratkity, That looks like my first trip of the season list, only difference is mine usually gets longer as I'm checking things off, and remembering others that need to be added. Hmmm...maybe I should get a plastic sleeve,  put a list inside, and use a dry marker to check the stuff off. Good idea...add to list.

Ratkity

LOL @ericnliz and @ScottG! The Harley is easy: helmet, gloves, boots, leathers, take off bike cover, tire pressure check, gas check, remove battery tender, turn on ignition, move up kick stand, start and rev engine to scare the small wild animals, back 750# of bike out of the driveway, no points for running over kids walking down the sidewalk, wipe goofy grin off face and look "serruuss", rev again and GO!

See? Much shorter. Pulling it out of the toy hauler is much more difficult... especially if there's mud or it gets stuck in a small hole. 

ronin718

Cyclonic said:

The winery is a free stay.

I think Becky still wants to do it though, so, well, never know.  It has actually been a couple of years since we have been down there too, we seem to bypass it a lot and head to Busch instead.

Yep, all about the preferences.  We're more about the coasters, so KD gets the nod.  Have fun whichever way you go!!!

Torzanne

Dec 2016 thru JAN - (maiden voyage), Santa Ynez, Joshua Tree, Valley of Fire, Death Valley
FEB - Pinnacles NP and Angel's Camp
MAR - Tuttletown Recreation Area
APR - ?
MAY - Hendy Woods
JUNE - Grass Valley, Father's Day Bluegrass festival
JULY - Mt Shasta NF
AUG - DEC - ? Hopefully a 10 day trip to southern Utah in Oct. 

So far we're enjoying the more remote sites, although nice to have the full hookups once in awhile. Grateful we live in CA and can camp even in winter months. 

jkjenn

Ratkity said:

Are the batteries to the drill charged, should I take two?

I think I made it all summer with maybe one recharge. These new drills with lithium batteries rock!

dmerzbac

More to come, but for now I'm looking forward to camping at Percy Priest Lake (COE) Aug. 20-22 for the 2017 Solar Eclipse!

Librarydragon

We'll be in Wyoming for the eclipse. Going to play hooky from school.

T@Balong

Late May - Platte River Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
June - Kentucky Music Week, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown, KY
Late July to early August - Bay Furnace NF Campground, Munising, MI (Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore), Brimley State Park (Michigan's Upper Peninsula), Agawa Bay Campground (Lake Superior Provincial Park)
Late September to November - Michigan Mennonite Relief Sale (Goshen, IN) Driftless Region of SW Wisconsin, Great River Road following the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Gulf Islands National Seashore.........and more