Wild Places, Wild Birds

The big test. I wondered since before purchasing our T@B trailer, “how will it perform in the mountains behind a Subaru Outback 4cyl?”.  

As will be normal on most trips, I ran with no water in the tanks and minimal “stuff” in the trailer.  The approach to Asheville N.C. begins at Old Fort.  Interstate 40 curves and climbs at 6% for about 3 miles, uphill is work, downhill id dangerous in heavy traffic. 

The instantaneous MPG meter read about 6 on the way up, but no worries, we made it up going back down. I used manual shifting on the way up and kept the RPM below 4,000, which gave us a speed of about 45.  Who cares?  Not us. 

Driving along the up and down curves of the Blue Ridge Parkway was fun. Again, since the speed limit is 45, we traveled smoothly up to the Mt. Pisgah campground.   I turned OFF the trailer brakes for a few minutes just to see what it would be like, and yes, they are needed in the mountains!  (and everywhere)

Pisgah Campground, a National Park facility is nice enough. Be forewarned, there is only ONE shower in each of the bathroom buildings.  there are NO hookups,  Some of the sites are a little tight for anything more than a T@B, but that’s what we have, so no problem. 

What I learned on this trip.

1. Don’t rush
2. Be careful not to mess with the Prodigy system
3. ALWAYS wait until the road is TOTALLY clear before pulling out (there is something behind the car!)
4. People in the campground won’t necessarily stop by for T@B talk, but when you pull into a parking lot full of tourists, be prepared for visitors.
5. If the ALDE panel is dead you blew a fuse. Learned later it was an ALDE fuse, located on top of unit. 
6. If you use a separate power converter for your CPAP machine, plug it in with the switch OFF.
7. Never use a power converter to charge a MAC BOOK !!!!
8. Not having a bathroom in the T@B is okay 90% of the time. For this trip, the heavy mountain fog created a rick issue when walking to and fro the park bathroom. Compost toilet on the shopping list.
9. Keeping the floor clean requires a good outdoor mat.
10. The screens DO NOT screen out anything mosquito size or smaller.  
11. I LOVE THIS T@B !!!!!