Category Archives: winter travel

Weather Worries

A little over a week to launch and I’m starting to worry about the weather — even though I know long-range forecasts are notoriously unreliable. It reminds me of many times I’ve planned VFR cross-country flights, looking for that weather window that allows you to “get out of Dodge.” Here’s what Accuweather is saying right now:

So, while it’s too early to worry, but I’m a Vermonter. Let’s worry about getting up over Mendon Mountain hauling an Airstream. It will take a day or two to get out of the ice/snow zone heading south.

Meanwhile, it’s time to continue to check off items that we’ll need, start packing, and remembering that a day or two delay at this point is not the end of the world. Temperatures today in Corpus Christi were in the 70’s so we’re psyched to leave our snowy world for a little sun and sand.

Natchez Trace option

As we near our departure date for the Southwest, I’m continuing to look at travel routes and potential overnight spots, focusing on Walmarts and Flying J’s along Route 81 toward Knoxville. One of the great guides that helping me look at options further south is Marianne Edward’s “RV Boondocking in Southern Texas.” She has advice about getting south out of the Nashville area and suggests taking the 444 mile Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville to Natchez. I have the feeling that we will be sick of interstates and trailer trucks by the time we get to Nashville. We can thaw out, take it easier, and see a historic part of our country.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about the Trace:

The Natchez Trace, a 440-mile-long path extending from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linked the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippirivers. It was a traditional Native American trail and was later also used by early European explorers as both a trade and transit route in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Today, the trail has been commemorated by the 444-mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway, which follows the approximate path of the trace.[1] The trail itself has a long and rich history, filled with brave explorers, dastardly outlaws and daring settlers. Parts of the original trail are still accessible.

Edward’s has some good ideas on stopping points at free campgrounds — we’ll likely stop near the north end at Meriwether Lewis near the north end at mile marker 385.9 and perhaps then at Rocky Springs near the south end. We may take an extra day and do a little exploring before heading over to the Texas coast.

I’d love to have you comment below sharing any advice or recommendations you might have about driving the Natchez Trace Parkway.


Back Home


Yesterday, we said our goodbyes and hitched up the Airstream, taking our time to make sure things were done correctly. I found that the threaded bar holding the two propane tanks in place was snapped — another good thing to fix before heading SW. I was able to tie it down for the trip home and will now deal with rusted nuts and cold metal.

The traffic on a Tuesday after Thanksgiving was light and the roads were dry — although we were worrying some about the Vermont forecast of snow showers. The route out of Merrimac is quite winding and relatively narrow, and after a five-mile detour around an accident, we were heading Northwest toward I-93. No other travel trailers heading north on December 1st although we saw a few rigs headed in the opposite direction.

Pulling the Airstream, we have to plan our coffee stops a little more — remembering places where there is adequate parking and turn-around room. We made our normal pit stops and after an uneventful trip (always nice), we were headed through Montpelier, wondering about the state of our driveway. It has a tough turn entrance, is steep, and is usually icy from frozen ground water. Well, we found it relatively dry and had no trouble getting up it, backing the Airstream into its resting space (where it will sit until we dig it out in mid-January), and unpacking.

It was a nice trip — a turkey trot, a wonderful Thanksgiving, lots of family time, and a great birthday celebration for a dear friend. We debugged a few more Airstream problems and had good traveling up and back. A nice last shakedown before snow hits.

Coldstream

We hitched up and headed out mid-morning on Wednesday for Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. We’re bringing the Airstream as part of the continued shakedown cruise before our Southwest trip.

I tend to forget how steep the hills are on the interstates in Vermont until I start hauling the trailer out of Montpelier and start the long climb to Berlin. The Ford truck chugs away but our speed drops and I can almost see the gas tank gauge drop. There are several climbs that have to be at the maximum grade allowed — and it is very tempting to then let it fly down the hills but troopers (and trailer tires) don’t work off average speed.

The trip down was foggy and had more traffic than normal, but the early start avoided the heavy load on Wednesday night. We had one close call in the right lane in New Hampshire with a stream of merging traffic which refused to yield — and a truck on my tail — and the left lane filled. It was just one of those ten seconds of either an accident or a close call. Horn and brake and accelleration and a few curse words got it done.

Arriving in Merrimack, we geed and hawed backing the trailer into the driveway and to a cleared out area we had previously prepared. It was nearing dark at 4:00 as we set up — the plan being for the dog and I to stay in the camper and Mary to sleep in the house.

To make a long story short, I soon found out that the Atwood 8500 furnace is not working. We have used it several times before without problems but this time, the blower starts, it ignites as it should and heat flows for about 7 seconds, then the heat stops. It does that three times and then just refuses to try to light.

So, it’s been a camping experience for the last three days. I’ve managed to take the edge off heat-wise by running a stove burner but at night, it’s strictly sleeping bags and the dog for warmth. Thanksgiving weekend is not the best time to get answers and the cold rain has made working on things unpleasant. It could be a gas valve issue, a sensor, a mud wasp nest — who knows? I’m glad to encounter it now rather than mid-trip on a cold night out west.

On the plus side, we have a nice woodsy setup here at Jennifer’s and it will be a good way to visit and keep the impact low. We ran a 5K yesterday, a family tradition, and our grandson ran a kid’s fun run. Thanksgiving was wonderful and we have much to be thankful for. A cold Airstream is really not that big a deal in the scheme of things.

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Getting Out of Dodge


We’ve had our first snowfall, which melted right away, and the Airstream is perched on the side of our front yard headed toward warmer climes. Even though it will be several months, and several feet of snow to move beforehand, our trip to the Southwest is in our minds. We’ve got travel guides, vacation material from Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico tourist offices, and the trailer is winterized and waiting.

One of the big concerns is timing our departure and getting south of the snow/slush zone with dry roads and no blizzards to fight. I know too well how tricky winter driving can be — and as a pilot, also know how unreliable long range weather forecasts are. However, my brother has done it for years — picking a window of decent weather, and driving long distances until he gets out of snow country.

Getting out of Vermont is not easy hauling a trailer. Getting down our driveway isn’t either — summer or winter. However, if we avoid the passes in the Green Mountains, we can hit Route 7 and take our normal cut-over to the Glens Falls and then take the Northway (I-87) south to Albany.

My thinking at this point is to take I-88 over to Binghampton and head south on I-81, which can be terrible in winter heading down toward Wilkes-Barre. We’ll have to stop somewhere north of Harrisburg I suspect, and then head south toward Knoxville. Haven’t thought too much about beyond there — since I may have an airplane to look at in the Knoxville area. (I’m in the market for an old Luscombe)

I’ve done some online research on Flying J and Walmart locations along the way and need to gameplan as to how and when to activate the winterized systems. As I sit in front of our woodstove, it’s fun to think about heading into warm dry desert territory in early 2010. We just have to make sure we get out of Vermont unscathed — easier said than done in January.

photo from skidrd

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