1st trip in new trailer

[2KIRKS]

i (and my dog) traveled to missouri for my new trailers first trip last weekend (3/5, 3/6).

we stayed at onondaga cave state park on friday and trail of tears state park on saturday - both in missouri.

the trailer was everything i hoped it would be. a couple interior mods popped into mind, but nothing major... need a small shelf or two for organizing & curtains. our honda element pulled the trailer just fine.

i was hoping to go out again this weekend, but mr. weather is calling for rain the rest of the week.

onondaga cave sp


onondaga cave sp


onondaga cave sp


trail of tears sp


trail of tears sp


trail of tears sp

[starleen2]

Now that's what it's all about - looks like you had a good experience

[Miriam C.]

Gotta love the peace and quiet of early Spring camping! Thanks for the pictures!

[hotrod]

looks overly crowded.. lolol
good to see no snow

[planovet]

The first camp out with the new teardrop is always the best. Nice pics!

[monkeyfingers4]

Onandoga Cave State Park is one of our favorite parks. We stayed during the week in July and it was wonderful. Sat in our lawn chairs in the cold, cold river and fished and had a blast. That will keep you cool. I think it gets pretty crowded on weekends and holidays during the summer.

Enjoy your teardrop!

[DMcCam]

We are looking at buying an Element for our TV too. If you don't mind sharing some advice with me, what did you do for your tow package?

Thanks, Dave

[2KIRKS]

we love our honda element. it's unique and versatile. i was hesitant to use it as a tow vehicle, but it handled our trailer just fine.

i had a 2" receiver/hitch installed at our local u-haul store. i had the wiring harness installed at our local honda dealer. that's all i did to the car. the wiring harness comes with a flat 4 trailer plug and the trailer has a round 7 plug... so i did have to purchase an adapter for that.

[hiker chick]

Dave -- I have an '04 Element and have been towing a teardrop since 2007. Like Kirks, u-Haul did my 2" hitch receiver ($135 installed -- took them 30 minutes). A friend did the wiring harness.

My Element's an auto tranny EX (AWD). After soliciting advice from other Element owners who've towed I opted not to get a transmission cooler. I have kept a careful eye on brakes and had the brake lines bled last year.

I recommend this thread on the Element forum. It chronicles my experience and includes towing experiences of other Element owners.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums ... 36&page=78

I love my Element.

[DMcCam]

Thanks for the great info...now on to getting an Element for ourselves!!! Then on to building the bedroom with attached kitchen on wheels.

Dave

[2KIRKS]

i took the trailer out on a quick one night camping trip this past weekend. i went to giant city state park in southern illinois. the temps were hovering in the 60's during the afternoon and cooled off to a low of 40. it was cloudy all day and finally began to rain during the night.

i didn't do much besides sit by the fire pit and read... cooked some hot dogs and listened to the ncaa tournament on the radio.

i'm looking forward to my first official TD gathering in april at pershing state park with the north central group and my wife and i are taking our hybrid travel trailer out for the first time the first weekend of april... camping season is almost officially here!

[2KIRKS]

maquoketa caves state park (iowa) - small campground with lots of trees & shade. several nicely marked trails leading from cave to cave.











lake kegonosa state park (wisconsin) - decent size campground with trees & shade. lots of "double" family sites available. i was a little disappointed to pay an additional $10 vehicle fee for park entry on top of my campground reservation/site fee.





http://www.photobucket.com/timkirk

[Nathan N]

Tim,
You are building quite a travelog here.

[goramsey]

Beautiful campgrounds. Congratulations on your teardrop.

[S. Heisley]

Excellent pictures. It looks like you've been having some fun with your tear!

Thanks for sharing. It helps remind us of the many beautiful places we might want to see.