Winterized the Travel Trailer but going Camping!

We are having some extremely cold weather for October here in the Dallas Texas area. Tonight there is in fact a freeze warning in effect. So, a few days ago when it was still nice, I took the opportunity to blow out the lines and winterize the trailer. If your living somewhere north of Texas you are probably wondering why this is noteworthy. Well, here in Texas it is possible to camp all year round with just a few episodes below freezing. So we have winterized the travel trailer but are going camping. We are heading to Oklahoma in just a few days when the night time temps will be close to freezing.

Back in 2015 we purchased a Jayco Travel Trailer from a Dealership in Oklahoma City. While we were doing a shake down on the camper we decided to visit BrickTown in Oklahoma City. BrickTown is an old industrial area that has been converted to clothing stores, pubs, and restaurants. We really enjoyed our stop there and decided to go back.

Needless to say, the weather is going to be cold at night, but we are ready. We will refrain from hooking up the water supply if there is any chance of the lines freezing. The extended forecast is that after the second day there, the weather will begin to warm up. I will admit that I am a little curious on how much propane we will burn through the first couple nights. I am also a little concerned on how Hannah is going to feel having “Cabin Fever” in the trailer as we brave the temperatures. The problem with Hannah is that she loves cold weather, and I hate it. She would love to drag me around in the cold all night if possible, so this will be a challenge.

Day 1: The weather when I got up in the morning was 30 degrees with frost on the ground. Once the sun came the temperature rose quickly. We spent a couple hours loading the trailer and then we left the house at 11:00 A.M. After a very uneventful if not boring drive we arrived at the Oklahoma East KOA at 3:00 P.M. It was 60 degrees when we arrived.

This KOA appears to be, for the most part, well maintained. The bathrooms/showers are the cleanest I’ve seen anywhere and very residential. In addition the folks that manage it are very nice. The site we were in was gravel but it was level if you parked dead center. It’s not a particularly roomy site but it has some grass for Hannah.

One drawback is their dog park. It’s all dirt and leaves, with a slope to it with deep ruts. It really needs a lot of attention. If you plan on camping here with dogs, you will probably want to avoid it. It looks like some bad dog parents haven’t been picking up after their pooches in there either.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking our time setting up and booting up the satellite TV and getting connected to the internet.

Tonight it is supposed to get down to 33 degrees, but that will only be for a brief period of time. Based on that fact, I plan on staying hooked up to the water supply. A sign on the KOA office door said “Freeze Warning…disconnect your water lines tonight”. After I inquired about the sign, they told me this was from yesterday and they had just neglected to pull it down. They told me they would not be asking folks to disconnect their water tonight.

I am expecting to churn through some propane tonight, but other than that I expect it to be a very quiet night.

Day 2: It was 35 degrees last night, so having the water connected last night was not an issue. I don’t think the furnace ran as much as I thought it would overnight so we should be fine on propane as this was supposed to be the coldest night of the trip.

This afternoon we are off to Tapwerks Ale House for lunch. Click here for a link to the website for Tapwerks Ale House. This is a really nice pub with excellent food. They have over 106 beers on tap and 100 bottles beers to select from. I highly recommend you add this pub to your list of things to do if you are in the area.

The unusual and historic artwork that fills the walls here at Tapwerks Ale House would be enough for you to make the stop.

We arrived at Tapwerks Ale House about 3:00 P.M. and it was very busy, but it was Saturday so that it probably normal. We started with a Tap Kolsch which was a little disappointing because it was pretty flat and fruity (not typically what you get with a Kolsch). I believe they were having issues with their CO2 on our first draft. The next beers that we chose were excellent.

he food here is excellent and reasonably priced. I think you would be hard pressed to find food this good anywhere else for the prices they charge. I had the Buffalo Chicken Tacos and Tammy had the Rueben Sandwich. No complaints at all about the food or service. We plan on going back on Monday again.

Day 3: It’s a kickback day at the campground.

The main event today was the Packers/Chargers game. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything at all.

Other than that, the winds were pretty strong today but the temperature was near 60 degrees. There is a warming trend on the horizon so Monday will be a great day for the river boat ride and a beer back at Tapwerks. We also noticed what appears to be an older Air Force One just off the highway so we are going to check that out.

Day 4: we left the campground at around 11:00 AM and went directly to the air museum at Tinker Air Force Base. Admission is free and you park in a lot right next to the air park. Click here for a link to Tinker AFB.

What looked like an Airforce 1 was actually a B52 Stratocaster with the same color scheme. There are many impressive air crafts to view. The park also has quite a few different sculptures and a POW memorial.

This is an impressive display and a must visit if you are in the area.

The next stop was back to Tapwerks Ale House for lunch. Then we headed just down the street to board the water taxi.

The price of the ticket is 11.00 USD. Not a bad price at all for the ability to ride all day. In addition the driver gives a historical perspective as you ride through the channel. The waterway is surrounded on both sides with places to shop or dine. If you go in the fall, you might want to bring a jacket. It was beautiful in the sun, but chilly in the shade. Add this stop to your list of things to do when you visit Oklahoma City’s Bricktown.

Day 5: Pack it in!

All good things need to come to an end. Now, it’s time to pack it up and head three hours south to the North Dallas area. When I got up with Hannah this morning the temp here was 37 degrees. Back at home it was 67. The only thing that looks bad for us is that it will be raining when we get home, so unloading the trailer is not going to be much fun.

About 2 hours into our drive the sky turned grey and the rain began. It was this way all the way home. Unloading wasn’t fun but we did it as quickly as we could during a brief break in the rain.

It’s nice to be home but Oklahoma City is a really nice place to visit and we will be back.

Our next trip is to spend New Years camping near Houston. I know the weather here will be dipping below freezing next week, so guess what? That’s right, its time to winterize!