Argosy shakedown cruise to Tyler State Park

[DKB_SATX]

FINALLY!!

So I just reserved a site for our first trip in the Argosy, more than 2 full months after buying it. I know this is practically the next day compared to the years some other forum members put into their trailers before they take their first trip, but it's been driving me nuts! Life intervened... by the time I dealt with some business issues and found the truck, the chaos of my partner's graduation and our peak season at work converged to make it hard to even find time to go tinker with the trailer. Before we really caught our breath it was time to take off on a trip we'd been planning since long before I found the Argosy (and American Airlines wouldn't let us check the Argosy as luggage!)

Now we've recovered from jetlag, I've sorted the hitch and umbilical issues and we have a free weekend. I think 135 miles is far enough to be a "real trip" and tell us how it'll travel, but close enough for a weekend trip that won't be all about driving. We did some parking practice today while testing out the brake setup and it went well.

I haven't been to Tyler State Park since the 80s, and never in an RV. It looks like the facilities are pretty nice... full hookups for $22, lots of trees, in the "Lakeview" campground (near the lake, but I'm sure not all the sites have a lake view.) We're going the weekend of 25 June.

Now I have a piece or two to get (mandatory... I'm not sure how the PO dumped the tanks but unless he lost a piece or two it had to be messy.) There are a couple of nice-to-do things I'll try to get sorted as well, like sheets for the twins and a better showerhead, and I need to figure out what all to take, do a checklist, etc.

And yes, I'll take pictures!

[CanoeStream]

Two months is a fairly short turnaround in my experience. It's good you found an Argosy that was substantially functional. Enjoy!

[slowmover]

Haven't been there since junior high (about 40 years). Have you picked out a route yet? Bankhead Highway? (Old US 80 east of Dallas: Terrell to Big Sandy). The stop -n-go quality allows one to "listen" for any problems . . as well as to see how the rig feels.

Hope you enjoy your trip

.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

Haven't been there since junior high (about 40 years). Have you picked out a route yet? Bankhead Highway? (Old US 80 east of Dallas: Terrell to Big Sandy). The stop -n-go quality allows one to "listen" for any problems . . as well as to see how the rig feels.

Hope you enjoy your trip

.

I haven't settled on a route yet, though I'll most likely be taking I20 for the first leg from here to skirt the worst of Dallas. I might go up to Terrell once I'm east of Dallas, but the park is just off I20 so it's tempting to take the direct route. I'll see how comfortable I am being the "slow guy" on I20... it's technically 60 or 65 for more than half the distance I'd be on it, but that just means the people pushing 80 will get a bigger ticket if they get stopped.

I'll definitely be taking the laid-back approach, keeping the speed between 60 and 65 on the highway and stopping frequently to check temperatures and walk around the rig, etc. My IR thermometer is one of the items on the equipment checklist. The PO used the trailer regularly, but I don't want to take a chance that he was just really lucky, y'know?

[Bluto]

Have a great trip!
I haven't been there in years either. I remember it being a pretty nice S.P.

[Goal15]

We haven't done Tyler yet but we did go to Cooper Lake in Sulphur Springs back in mid May. It was nice. Lots of shade, great faciliities and great prices. We did Bastrop and Buescher State parks last week and Im always impressed with the park rangers.

We did only a minimal amount of I-30, I-45 and 635 on our most recent trip (Garland to Buffalo was the longest stretch) and found no real issues in terms of doing 60 in the right hand lane. Any time i found myself pushing 65 I slowed down. Our AS is newer than yours but I see no reason to be towing at 65 to 70 even if the rig will do it.

Only thing that bugs me somewhat is the people who tuck in behind the trailer out of mirror range. I guess they don't realize they are doing it but that kind of tailgating isn't such a great idea.

I also made sure that when we were on the narrower state highways to look for every safe opportunity to pull right and let traffic by if it was building behind us but those occasions were few and far between. I did have one pickup truck that i pulled over twice to let by and I guess the driver was happy to be driving behind me at 55-60 because he/she never went by.

[stephenh2]

Our home base is in Tyler, lived there for over 14 years and only been to the park a few times. I don't think I realized they even have full hookups. The last time we went was before the Sovereign found us. We camped in a tent and had a great time. Hiking around the lake is fun and not too strenuous.

We are in New Hampshire now at this time and DO NOT envy the temperatures you are having in Texas. Hope you have a great time!

[pjude]

Hi! I am from Tyler and have been to the State Park several times. In the lake view section all spaces are lake view with a few being on the lakeshore but these spaces are hard to get. We normally watch for other campers on the lakeside to pull out and then move to their spot. This seems to be common practice and I have seen some people just set lawn chairs in a spot until their camper arrives. Enjoy and if we can help let us know.
Pete

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by pjude

Hi! I am from Tyler and have been to the State Park several times. In the lake view section all spaces are lake view with a few being on the lakeshore but these spaces are hard to get. We normally watch for other campers on the lakeside to pull out and then move to their spot. This seems to be common practice and I have seen some people just set lawn chairs in a spot until their camper arrives. Enjoy and if we can help let us know.
Pete

Heh... I don't think I need that much practice with setup/packup to move once we're level and stabilized. If the weather's still like today, I might not want to shut down the AC for long enough to change spaces! I guess if you were staying for a week it might be worth it, and it's a bit easier for you with a moho. Are the particular spaces not reserved, just the fact that you have a space in that campground?

[Goal15]

Our last three Texas state park experiences (Cooper Lake, Bastrop and Buescher) were all great but once the rangers check you in to a particular campsite and print out your registration stickers, I think they want you to stay put.

However, at Cooper and Buescher, the rangers gave us the option of registering for a site and if they had others that were empty, we could pick a different one before we set up and then go back up to have our paperwork changed. But if you check in for site 5, and then when someone leaves site 9 and you like it better, don't be surprised if someone shows up claiming site 9 because rangers won't know you have moved.

Also in this hot weather, you are right. Get set up and get the AC on because even with a shaded site its going to take about 4-5 hours for it to get down to sleeping temperature.

[DKB_SATX]

I took a late lunch to bring the Argosy home from the storage facility so we can load up tonight, and so I could get the refrigerator chilled down before we leave.

[slowmover]

There's a lot of appeal to a painted trailer!

[DKB_SATX]

Set up at Tyler State Park! Good trip, tires & hubs stayed a fairly steady temp, no problems running 63 mph or so. AC sure it's nice!

[Lance M]

Looks like a nice spot! Have fun.

[DKB_SATX]

First cooked meal in the Argosy! We just had sandwiches for lunch. I thought before we got here that we'd be inside in the daytime and out in the less-hot night, but it was very breezy in the daytime so it was pleasant in the shade. This evening the wind died, so we love our ancient Armstrong all the more!

[bwoodtx]

Glad everything is going well!! Happy camping!

[DKB_SATX]

So, we're home... I still want to do some cleaning before I leave the Argosy in its storage spot, but it's murderously hot outside so I'm procrastinating. Tire temps ran 15-18 deg above ambient, and hub temps were always lower than the tire temps. So far the Argosy is even better than I'd hoped!

We started our day with this "healthy" breakfast of chorizo and eggs and good strong coffee, and had a sweaty walk around the campground with the dogs before we set about working through the departure checklist. No tank troubles or other real mishaps, though I need to do some work on the galley exhaust fan flap. I may replace the fan altogether in the process, what it lacks in its ability to move air it makes up for in excessive noise and vibration.

Well, I guess I'm really an Airstreamer now, I've towed, parked, set up, cooked in it, slept in it, packed up, dumped tanks, hitched up and come home. Woohoo!

[Goal15]

Glad your shakedown trip went well. How was the park? AC work okay?

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by Goal15

Glad your shakedown trip went well. How was the park? AC work okay?

The park was pretty nice. Our campground was "Lakeview" and indeed every site in the campground had a good view of the lake, and in the daytime there was a nice breeze blowing from the direction of the lake that made it tolerable outdoors.

The AC worked quite well. It has a bit of a machine-oil smell, but it's a 36-year-old machine so I can't kvetch too much about that. It brought the interior temperature down to comfortable levels pretty quickly (in a part-shade site with the awning extended to the west) and set at about the 50% mark in its warm-to-cold arc on the temperature setting, it was cycling the compressor on and off by the late afternoon hours. The condensate drain is still clear and directing the water out its tube below the galley, as it did when I first inspected the Argosy in early April.

Of course now I have a list of things we should have taken with us, and things I want to buy.