Weather and Travel Thoughts; One Step Closer;

It was breezy yesterday but today it’ was sunny, 78°F with gusts around 40 mph. Glad I am not towing anything today. It kinda wears you out fighting it for anything more than a couple of hours. Plus it’s just dangerous for everyone.

I have towed in strong winds before but only out of necessity. I was going back west to WA from KS in March or so of 2017, and was towing the Scotty Hilander back with me. The plan was to dry camp as I went through Colorado, into Utah, then into Nevada, Idaho and Washington.

The crosswinds in KS were, as always, bad so it’s good to be aware of and be prepared for those things while traveling. I had a horrible headwind coming from the SW and I got about 5 mpg. It was a slog to get to the campground where it was unprotected and very windy.

In Fruita, CO the next day I grabbed a spot at a private campground that was part of Good Sam Club. The winds picked up as I pulled in and oh boy…I was sitting in the camper for three days waiting for the winds to stop. The wind finally calmed down, I left, had a blowout on the trailer in the middle of nowhere but luckily it happened as I was pulling into the first UT rest area on I-70 west of CO.

Anyhoo…I lost three days of travel time because of the wind, but like the tire blowout and the roof leaking on that last night in the trailer, it was all part of the adventure and you make the best of it. I didn’t want to take a chance on the winds. There were advisories/warnings out for towing and high-clearance vehicles in eastern Utah so I stayed put. Heed those advisories and warnings.

The thing is to be safe and plan accordingly. No destination is worth being a dumbass. Change plans if necessary and don’t be pissed about it; you can’t control everything so roll with what happens. It will all be fine and you may discover something even cooler than your original destination. I have.

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This morning I went to town and got some propane tanks filled. I wanted to have propane for my wok burner to do stir fry this week and thought I might as well take care of the trailer and get that off my trailer pre-trip list.

Since my trailer is new, so are my tanks. My experience traveling has been that sometimes a tank refill can be difficult to find but you can always find the exchanges at most stores. Short trips close by (and warmer-weather trips) I can get by with my refills. Longer trips or in cooler weather I’ll probably carry my extra exchange tank to use as a trade if necessary. Having dual tanks is sure nice for longer stays. I also have a bigger tank that’s equal to two grill tanks and that is really nice in colder months or if you’re parked somewhere for a longer time.

We have a few nights coming up with below freezing temperatures but it’s not going to be a hard freeze. However tempted I am, I’m still waiting another few weeks to open the water system up. I don’t really feel the need to hurry since it’s just gonna be in the driveway for now.

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A little ravioli, a little wine, a little sunshine

I had a weak moment and got some wine today. It’s so relaxing to sit outside and have a glass while enjoying the sunshine.

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That it for today’s post. Thanks for having a look.

Shawn

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