how our maiden voyage went...

[2swans]

we towed our "new"  '98 2720SL TM to palo duro canyon near our home over thanksgiving(after dinner with the family). we carried a lot of your advice with us, which made the adventure  easier :-*.  we had a great time getting to know "TroutManor", my husband's new moniker for the TM. he wanted to name her "River Runs By It", but that name was subtly(?) overidden! :P
OK, i learned two things that all of you may know, but in case one doesn't, i'll share--by accident, we learned the easy chair has a huge storage cavity underneath. can fit a tv and CD case under there with room for books, etc.  Also, a product called Tuff Stuff(can get at walmart) is safe and perfect for cleaning the black residue off curtains. we have used it at home on upholstery and drapes, and it has not harmed any of it. you just spray, wipe gently with brush, then towel dry. TM curtains come out NEW looking. no fading or thread scarring ;).

our TM's can stand the WIND. we had 45 mph gusts :o during two days. couldn't leave the awning up, but the TM never had a problem with the winds. our only minor issues were a slight leak above the newly installed 20 gal. water tank, and--after driving 18 miles home, the TM battery showed extremely low on the control panel panel. we are looking into both issues with our dealer.

we feel like one of the TM family now :)--here in the panhandle of TX TM's aren't well known, and you can get good deals. seems like most folks here have pickups and want fifth wheels, which don't really appeal to us. :-/   i told of our our deal in a previous post. there was one other deal near dallas that was also a steal, and i was ready to share it with all of you on the for sale board when i discovered it had sold . :'(

thanks so much for all your discussions which helped us choose this trailer. we love it. a view of the USA's 2nd largest ditch(canyon) was incredibly beautiful outside the bedroom windows--and the brilliant cardinals and wild turkeys and mule deer only added to a great "honeymoon" with "TroutManor"!!
have a safe and happy holiday season, dale and sally swan of Amarillo, TX.

glad all went well on your first initial camping trip. i think trailering is the hippest thing going. we spent thankgiving eve and the entire thankgiving weekend at fort pickens in pensacola. planning a trip to big bend national park for some bird watching this spring.

[arknoah]

Those of us who have already winterized and packed up our favorite trailers is green with envy!  I'd love to be able to keep trailering on weekends, but in Northwest, Ohio, that's not going to happen!

Great to hear that your first outing was so successful. Keep us informed of any future trips.

F. J. & Ellen

[cardsfan39]

Welcome to the TrailManor family.
Palo Duro brings back plesant memories.  We used to camp there all the time when we lived in Amarillo in the early 70's.
I don't remember any deer or turkeys back then; or any cardinals for that matter.  Our kids were small then and loved to climb the canyon walls.  We really enjoyed our 3 years there.  We live in Houston now and miss being so close to the mountains.  We camped a lot in New Mexico too.

[2swans]

thanks for your replies and the welcome into the TM family :D. we hope we will be good "cousins" to have around ;D.
the mule deer may have been recently added to the canyon, as this was our first encounter. two does and a young buck. the cardinals have "always" stayed close to the sad monkey railroad concession--but we found some outside our TM window one morning 8)! and the turkeys--they've been there a long time. nest in the cottonwoods and walk all over the place. we love having PD so close. a new campground has been added across road from amphitheatre and it allows spectacular views of the canyon walls. we sure like our TM and nice to hear form each of you!  sally swan

I have heard Palo Duro Canyon referred to as a "negative mountain" in New Mexico  ;)
Glad you enjoyed your trip, we almost made it there with the Boy Scouts last year but ended up at the Grand Canyon. Hope to see Palo Duro Canyon soon!  :D

[2swans]

negative mountain--that's cool! hope to see you and your troop passing by on your way to PDC--we live near the north rim.  our TM looked real nice nestled among the junipers, we tho't!  have a good trip!