rkj__'s Ramblings

TabberJohn

Impressive pics and screen room!
I noticed your T@B appears to be nose up under tow. Looks like you could drop an inch or more to level it out. Should pull a bit smoother that way.
Soon Hilton will start sitting patiently by the T@B in the driveway wondering why you haven't left already.

rkj__

TabberJohn said:

Impressive pics and screen room!
I noticed your T@B appears to be nose up under tow. Looks like you could drop an inch or more to level it out. Should pull a bit smoother that way.
Soon Hilton will start sitting patiently by the T@B in the driveway wondering why you haven't left already.

You're right, a little more hitch drop would level it out a little more.  When setting it up, I was not sure how much additional sag we would get when fully loaded, so I was happy to pull away with it a little nose high.  As it turned out, we did not get much sag, so even when loaded, it stayed a little nose high.  I was very happy with how smoothly it towed on this trip, so I will probably leave it as is.  There is very little clearance for driving on uneven ground, or installing the wheel under the leveler as it is, so dropping it more would make that worse. 

The ball mount I have already has a ton of drop.  It's a class III, but it is only rated for 5,000 lb because of the massive drop.


I took this shot at a hiking trail head.  Apparently I missed the memo that Toyota was the official truck of that trail.  LOL

ericnliz

@rkj__, Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great time was had by all. With the tongue of the trailer a little higher, adding tongue weight is a good idea. I know getting the wheel on & off our T@B can be a challenge at times as well, and going lower with your hitch will make it even more difficult, so I can't say as I blame you for leaving well enough alone. Glad to hear you're enjoying your newly acquired T@B, and have more adventures planned. Have fun & be safe out there!  

Ratkity

I'll give you a brick and a sheep for that wood!

rkj__

Ratkity said:

I'll give you a brick and a sheep for that wood!

I'm serious, I have no wood!  How has nobody rolled a 6 yet?!

Ratkity

It's those darn bonfires!!

2Cougs

@rkj__and @Ratkity- DH says he loves "agrarian societies!"  Have you seen Settlers dice version?  Our T@b game of choice is Carcassonne.  We chose the 2016 because it had a better size table for games! We also usually keep the bed made, but when rain, wind, mosquitoes, or pollen get too much to handle, we love how quickly the bed goes down and the table goes up!

Ratkity

I'm not sure how many versions of Settlers we have. Sis is the keeper of the games. I have NOT seen the dice version!!! I have got to check that out. w00t! Board gamers unite!

Homebodyatheart

@Ratkity and @rkj__ I've never heard of this game before. Sounds fun!

Ratkity

It's a hoot @Homebodyatheart - that is once you get the rules down. LOL. It's a cutthroat game, I tell ya. Not for the faint of heart! We had the expansion set that allowed 6 players. 

Now if you want relatively simple rules, Kings Court was a classic. It was too much like UNO and had to stop producing the game, but I can hook you up with the cards and instructions Too much fun!

rkj__

A great Canadian long weekend, meant another camping trip.

It was booked on short notice, and was our first trip without electrical hookup.  So, we armed ourselves with a 40W solar panel, and abandoned the idea of using the fridge.  It was only a three night trip, it was no big deal.  We did plan our meals to include a little less perishable food.  The weather was quite cloudy for much of the trip, but we were blessed with one day of sun, which allowed the solar panel to re-charge the battery.  It was fairly far from dead, but it's nice to not worry about running it down too far. 

At times, the temperatures were fairly low, so we decided to try the heating system.  My wife and I were both very impressed.  It made the trailer toasty warm, very quickly.  The system is very quiet too, which is nice.

Our site was fairly uneven.  There was no good spot for our screen room, so we did not set that up.  There were few bugs, so we did not miss it too much.  Fortunately, I had enough wood on hand to level the trailer, and ensure the stabilizers kept the trailer steady.  The good news was the site offered a great marsh view, which was one of the best things about the trip.  There were nice sunsets, and we enjoyed watching a heron that called the marsh home.

With our third trip wrapped up, we have now tried just about every feature of our little T@b.  I even used the shower after an unplanned swimming trip.  The little trailer continues to serve as a great little base for adventures.


See the T@b in the distance? 

Sharon_is_SAM

Looks lovely.  2 and 4 legged enjoyed the trip!

Ratkity

OMGosh! Great picts! I'm glad the mosquitos were sleepy because of the cooler temps. Thanks for sharing

jgram2

Idyllic! This is why we camp! And a tired dog is a happy dog. Thank you for sharing.

ericnliz

Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear you've tried everything out, now you're pros!

ScottG

Nice pics, but your wine looks a little, eh, pale...  ;-)

rkj__

Another weekend in the woods!

This weekend, we took our shortest trip yet, driving only about an hour and a half to Turkey Point Provincial park.  The drive featured only about 25 minutes on major highway, and the rest on quiet two lane roads.  I always like those kind of drives.  The drive also featured a very steep climb, that peaks at about a 12 percent grade.  It is a narrow, windy road up the Niagara Escarpment, so there was no rush up it.  As usual, the truck had power to spare. 

The short drive allowed us to arrive before dark.  Setup was a breeze, as our site had no challenges.  Just pull in, and park.  We did not even un-hitch from the truck this time, as we were not planing on driving anywhere. 



This was our fourth trip this summer, and on every outing, our T@b has gotten rained on at some point.  This time, the rain fell only at night, so it did not affect our activities at all, which was great, because, it poured.  A thunderstorm rolled through, and dumped a ton of rain.  Our site was somewhat bowl shaped, and based on the water lines on the tires, there was about 2" of water in our site during the downpour.  Fortunately, the sandy soil drained the water really quickly, and and things were dry by the time we woke up.  No rubber boots needed.  We had electrical hookup at this site, which allowed us to run the A/C, which was very nice to have the first night. 

One of the great features of Turkey Point, is the great network of singletrack MTB trails.  I rode some of the trails for the first time last year, and was happy to re-visit them, as they are never muddy, fun and flowy, and don't have any long climbs.  My mountain bike has not seen any love this summer, so it was fun to get out on it.  I'll have to do more of that...



My wife had a new book to read, so she was a happy camper too.



While Turkey Point does not feature any of that great Canadian Shield rock that we have seen on our last couple trips, the forest was actually quite nice, and the campground was better than I remembered.  Our biggest complaint was some noisy neighbours.  When it comes to neighbours, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, and either way, you make the best of it. 

There is a risk of coming across black legged ticks in this area, but the hiking trail we strolled down was mostly quite wide, which minimized the risk of picking one up.




I can definitely see us re-visiting this park, as the short drive, and great MTB trails make it very attractive. 

rkj__

With each trip that passes, it seems my ramblings have become more and more about the places, and experiences, and less about the T@b trailer.  I guess that's a good thing, as the trailer has mostly been working well for us.  I'm considering migrating my ramblings to a blog platform for that reason, if I continue with the trip reports.  Feel free to chime in on that.

Anyway, despite some longer than anticipated drives, we had another fun weekend trip.  This time, we headed east, to Murphy's Point Provincial Park.  The park is a good size and nicely forested.  It's unique features include trails, wildlife, some old homesteads, and and old mica mine. 

I spotted 4 or 5 deer on the trip, which was nice.



Some added company on this trip added an extra tent to our campsite. 
Though we had neighbours close by, they were very quiet and respectful, which was great.



One thing we have been lacking on our previous trips was an organized garbage solution.  We finally remedied that with a 19L (5 gal) foot pedal garbage can.  We both enjoyed the addition, as it is much better than dealing with a loose floppy garbage bag. 



With no more trips on the calendar, we made sure to book one on our drive home, so we have something to look forward to!

ericnliz

Nice & once again thanks for sharing your adventure. Just a note, collapsible garbage containers are available. Just put a liner in it, and you're done. We bought one when we were still tent camping & it was one of the best purchases we've made to date. Stores flat & pops up for use. Might want to take a look on Amazon for one.  

rkj__

ericnliz said:

Nice & once again thanks for sharing your adventure. Just a note, collapsible garbage containers are available. Just put a liner in it, and you're done. We bought one when we were still tent camping & it was one of the best purchases we've made to date. Stores flat & pops up for use. Might want to take a look on Amazon for one.  

I assumed there would be a collapsible solution, but did not really investigate.  There is plenty of room inside the trailer during transport, and once we arrive at camp, the space it occupies outside the trailer is of no concern.

What style to you use, one of the spring / cylinder types?



One other equipment related note I was reminded of... On this trip, I noticed a small hole in the sewer hose.  I noticed it when a small amount of black water leaked out at our last dump.  I was so thankful the failure was not sudden, and catastrophic.  Dodged a land mine there.  I will need to replace the hose before next trip.

ericnliz

@rkj__, Yes, one of the spring/cylinder types. Good thing 'ya found the leak in the hose. I had to laugh at the "dodged a land mine" description!

rkj__

Well, we made a rookie mistake this weekend to start off our latest trip.  

After a long drive, we arrived late at out camp site, and set up the minimum to get ready for bed.  Turned on the heat, as it was about 5C.  Nothing happened.  Tried various settings.  Nothing.  Too tired to solve problems, we just went to bed.  Fortunately, my wife had ensured we had good blankets and slept fine, despite the low temperatures.

In the morning, this forum taught me where the Alde fuses are.  Sure enough, I dropped one of the green holders into the gap of doom, but I did find a blown fuse.  Fortunately, a 15km drive took us to a Home Hardware where we were able to procure some 3A fuses. A touch below the suggested 3.15A, but it got the system running.  I'm hoping it will be a little less frosty in our trailer tonight.

So the lesson here is, don't assume the forum people with their spare fuses are just paranoid.  Sometimes fuses blow.  It could happen to you.  Be prepared.  

Verna

Nope, we're not paranoid!

Sharon_is_SAM

Yep, fuses are cheap and really come in handy.  An essential backup item.

ericnliz

We ALWAYS carry 2 spares!!! One blows, I go buy 2 more! @rkj__ , If 'ya have to change those fuses again, grab a paper plate, or piece of paper & slide it underneath first. Saves watching the little green cover go into the "gap of doom"! Call the parts Dept., and get yourself a new one (and a spare wouldn't hurt!). Glad to hear you got it fixed, and are now warm & toasty! Camp on!

rkj__

The 3A fuse kept the Alde running, and our trailer nice and cozy for the rest of the trip.  I was happy to get the issue solved, and focus on enjoying the trip. 

There was so much to enjoy at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, and the Eau Claire Gorge.  We got some rain, so we spent a touch more time in the trailer, and did not get out on the bicycles at all.  But, we still managed to Do lots of exploring, hiking, and rented a canoe. 

I promised pictures, so here are a few:

After the first cold night, I went down to the water to enjoy this view:



Went on a challenging hike.




Enjoyed some views



Recharged by the fire



Checked out the visitor centre



Went to check out the Eau Claire Gorge.  Highly recommended.



Re-fueled, and rested up in the trailer, when it was raining outside.



Rented a canoe, to explore the views from a small lake



Found the beach deserted on Labour Day around noon.



The drive home was a little tiring, when you combined the traffic with thunderstorms that followed us the whole way home.  It got really dark, really early.  Driving in the rain, in the dark, is not my favourite, but fortunately, we made it home safe.  The Burlington Skyway Bridge exposed us to high winds, and driving rain, but the T@b towed great.  No sway noticed, and I did not feel like I was getting blown out of my lane either.  Oh the joys of a small trailer!

We look forward to the fall colours as they start to emerge!

ericnliz

Thanks for sharing another one of your adventures!!!

jgram2

Love the photos! Thanks!

Ratkity

LOVE it! Thank you for sharing.

2Cougs

Loved the pics!  Sounds like the seasons are starting to change...