We had our T-1350 out again over the weekend -
Wolf Creek County Park (Lake Fryer) in Ochiltree County, TX. Decent sized lake with fishing, swimming, "no-wake" boating, in-park restaurant with good food - and 90-some RV sites. Just a few 50 amp, most are 30 amp, some 20 amp. Well-maintained county park. Most of the spots are shared elec/water. That is, one station with two power outlets and one water for two spots. A garden hose "Y" or equivalent is required if both spots require water.
The forecast was looking good, and the winds were supposed to be about half of the 30-35 mph they were expected to be at home in Amarillo for the weekend. They turned out to be about the same - with gusts higher of course. On the 2 1/2 hour trip
(I don't pull her over 60 mph on purpose), I had to slow down several times due to high crosswinds and gusts.
(That's why it took 2 1/2 hours.) I don't get any control issues, but it just "feels" better psychologically when I cut 'er back in erratic crosswinds.
We got there in good shape, got set up without issue in a fairly well protected site. There were trees all around to supply plenty of shade all hours of the day. We put our canopy up over the picnic table, because ya never know when rain might crop up
(even when there is "no chance") - and it's rained in this area just about every time there has been rain in the panhandle. Shelley's brother and his wife were joining us, and they were going to use our 8-man tent and Coleman air bed. When they arrived, we got it all set up as well - letting the wind help us as it would. Not a problem.
The wind never died down, even after midnight, when our NOAA radio said it would. No such luck. There were severe storms north of us along the OK/KS border tracking east, and the winds from them hammered us until nearly 3:00 am. Those storms prompted the weather radio to wake us up a couple times when the howling winds didn't. A loud "pop" woke us up at one point. I went out to check, but nothing seemed unusual considering the wind. I expected to find some of our stuff trashed, but it turns out that one of the trees surrounding us lost a nice branch. Didn't notice it when I was investigating the noise. It didn't cause any damage.
My brother- and sister-in-law must have had a nice "ride" in the tent, but it held up nicely. Only one stake came up overnight - and it was on a corner. This was the first time that tent was used on a camping trip, and passed the test very well. Our canopy also handled the gale force winds without a problem. I would estimate that that the winds were up to 60 or more at times. They finally stopped about 3:00 am, and it was very calm through the rest of the next day.
We were a little disappointed that our Jack antenna's signal finder didn't find anything out there. There was no TV to keep tabs on the weather, but we did have weather radio w/alerts to warn us of potential issues. There was just enough cell signal to let us have some communication with the outside world, though. We were still able to enjoy outdoor meals, photography, bike riding, etc., in spite of it all. Cooking required that we use the TT as a wind break on Saturday, but there was no problem with it yesterday (Sunday). We even had a camp fire to warm us up in the cool morning. We weren't about to build one in the winds the day before. Father's Day was picture perfect!
We broke camp around 3 or 4 and headed back home, and we were blessed with very little wind for the return trip. As for the Jack, I checked it when we got home, and it worked perfectly. Apparently Wolf Creek Park is in a bit of a dead zone. The FCC site seems to confirm it.
If this post seems a bit scatter-brained, forgive me. I'm just throwing thoughts together. <G>
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