The cougar escapes !!!

[JRTJH]

Today is the first day we've had with temps above 40F. On Friday we had 1/2
of ice followed by 2" of snow. Just about 50 miles north of us they had 12" that same day. Today it was almost 50F about 2PM so we set out to "liberate the Cougar" I can report that it is sitting in front of the pole barn, slides extended, none the less for winter wear and tomorrow we'll start prepping it for a "not soon enough" departure to south Texas.

Some time ago a few of us were talking about trailers fitting in pole barns. We built a 32' barn and bought a 31' trailer. Here are a couple of pictures of just how close it fits......

As you can see, there ain't much room to play around with.... but at least it fits :)

[JRTJH]

Also, there have been some comments about how "nice" the camping has been "south of here"... I took a couple of pictures today of our drive and the campground on the other side of our lake. Well a picture of the entrance to the campground. It's still buried in about 2' of snow and the lake is frozen with about 15" of "rotten ice" but there are still people ice fishing on it today.

As you can see, winter is far from over around these parts, and to the "dear soul" who commented in a PM about having cut his lawn twice already...... Hmmmmmm care to try to "cut mine" ??? LOL

Also, I included a picture of the road into our lake, it's paved and dry, but the fields on either side are still snow covered and the road will drift closed if the wind picks up. There's still about 4 or 5 ft of snow along the ditches on either side of the road. One evening of strong wind and we'll be "stranded again" so as soon as we can get packed, we're heading to south Texas and hopefully some "air conditioning" weather LOL

[PARAPTOR]

CONGTATS that is a good start, Pole barn door open ...

Great design, nobody can pile things between hitch and door to block you in

[gearhead]

Nice barn! Come on down, it was 101 in Laredo a couple days ago.
We had another cold front last night. It will be in the 50's in the morning in Houston area. Winter just won't give up!

[JRTJH]

Winter has its grip on more than just around here I suppose :(

We're looking to be in the Galveston area, well just west of Galveston, in the next week or so. We're going to take our time getting down, probably won't de-winterize until somewhere around Memphis or so. But that depends on how the weather goes.

Heck, if it's 101 somewhere close to where we stop, it'll definitely be swimsuits and playing under the sprinkler LOL

[Lost]

Like your pole barn. We only live about 100 miles south of you and the snow/Ice is about 95% gone"bouncey:
Have a safe, warm and fun trip.

[gearhead]

If you need a campground around Memphis, the Mid-South CG at Tunica MS is pretty good.

[hankpage]

John, Glad you were able to set the Cougar free. Gulf water temps are up to 75° so I will have a cocktail for you while soaking up the sun on the beach today. Travel safely and come get your share of the sunshine soon, Hank

[Kristi]

Glad you were able to get her free! Looks like us getting the 2500hd in our garage, just barely fits. Wow that's still a lot of snow! FYI we also have had to drag the ole mower out already. :p

[2011 keystone]

Question about your pole barn. We are about to start one our selves. I am sure you 5th wheel is taller than my TT but we may trade for a 5r someday. So how tall is your door opening? And how high is the interior height? Thanks

[JRTJH]

Our pole barn is 14' tall and the sliding door is hung on the outside and also is 14' tall. The rafters are set on top of that and they are also 14' from the floor. We didn't lose any height with the sliding door, but on the other side of the front we put a roll up door (10x10) but could only have gone to a 12.5' roll up door had we opted for that. It's about 18" of "headspace" required for the roll up hardware and tracks.

One consideration you should make is that standard heights are 8, 10,12, 14, 16, etc. For us it was cheaper to build a 14' building than to build a 12'6" or 13' building. The difference is buying "standard cut" material vs buying custom cut metal siding/roofing. So if you're thinking of saving a little by going "between the standards" chances are you'll really spend more in the long run.

Any questions you might have, post them in a new thread on the forum, a number of members have built buildings ranging from basic covered storage all the way up to architecturally designed additions to their homes. I'm sure someone will have encountered your concerns and have a potential solution.

[JRTJH]

If you need a campground around Memphis, the Mid-South CG at Tunica MS is pretty good.

Thanks for the heads up. We stayed there once several years ago, it was nice then, good to know it's still that way. We have some friends in Horn Lake and we just back into their driveway when we're in the Memphis area. Their son is a "to-do" at Graceland so we usually spend at least a day around that area on every trip through. We will probably de-winterize there since we'll have access to water, no restructions from draining the antifreeze and flushing the water tank. Then, on to Galveston.

[gearhead]

Y'all be careful traveling. We're leaving Liberty for Richmond VA next Wednesday. I bet the wife will want to stop for lunch at Prejeans, just north of Lafayette. Eeeeeeeeaaaahhh.