First trip of 2025 in the books. About that wind…

[Glidewellr]

My wife and I just returned from our first trip of the year. A spring break trip to one of our favorite campgrounds Great Plains State Park in sw Oklahoma.

We purchased our. 2016 Springdale last year about this time and took her out twice last year pulling with our 2011 Ram 1500… didn’t take long to decide we needed more truck. So this year we added a 2024 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 he I as a tow vehicle.

HUGE difference in towing experience! Tow to the campground is a 2 hour drive down the turnpike and is one of the 2 places we went last year so was a good comparison with the new truck.

Overall the stay was awesome. We were scheduled to come home on Wednesday but due to a lack of communication (we both thought we should leave a day early but neither said anything) we got caught in 30-40 mph sustained winds with gusts in to the mid 50s. Since this was only the 3rd time I had pulled something this large we made the smart decision at that point and stayed another day. Not a lot of fun in those winds.

Looking forward to our next adventure…

 

[chuckster57]

Good to hear you had a good time.

 

[Peto]

Good to hear you exercise good judgment. Gethomeitis will bite you.

Sorry to ear about the Dodge though...said the Ford owner.

 

[Glidewellr]

Good to hear you exercise good judgment. Gethomeitis will bite you.

Sorry to ear about the Dodge though...said the Ford owner.

The lake where we were staying had “breakers”. Not just white caps. Not a lot to slow the wind down in this part of the country.

I’ve always heard FORD was an acronym…something old and rebuilt.

 

[Route 66 Rambler]

We live in Shawnee. The wind this spring has not been fun. Hope you made it thru the fires a few weeks back.

 

[Glidewellr]

We live in Shawnee. The wind this spring has not been fun. Hope you made it thru the fires a few weeks back.

Luckily (for us at least) the fires were all north of us. We live in town so if wildfires get us it will be a BIG story.

I've lived in Oklahoma since I was about 5-6 years old. So 50+ years and I don't remember ever seeing wind like this. I'm sure it may have been this bad a time or two when I was a kid and had other concerns but wow it was crazy!

Still a great trip and a hidden gem of a park in sw Oklahoma. Looking forward to our next adventure. Since Reed Timmer (storm chaser extraordinaire) is predicting a shift to the east for tornados this spring we are going to look more west this year.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Congrats on your successful trip and congrats on getting your new truck. Indeed, you used sound judgment when you decided to stay put until that wind settled down.

 

[workinonit]

They don't make trucks large enough to pull one of these wind sails in high speed winds.

 

[JRTJH]

They don't make trucks large enough to pull one of these wind sails in high speed winds.

You're so right !!!! I'm not sure how many people have even thought about it this way, but when you consider that the square footage of a 30' travel trailer is about the same size as the square footage of the sails on a 26' sailboat, it makes sense that the wind is going to "do its thing" pushing that much square footage of sail whether it's on a boat where it's appreciated or on a travel trailer where it can mean disaster... Of course, every summer I see many more than just a few sailboats "on their side from too much wind"...

 

[Glidewellr]

They don't make trucks large enough to pull one of these wind sails in high speed winds.

So very true!

 

[Glidewellr]

You're so right !!!! I'm not sure how many people have even thought about it this way, but when you consider that the square footage of a 30' travel trailer is about the same size as the square footage of the sails on a 26' sailboat, it makes sense that the wind is going to "do its thing" pushing that much square footage of sail whether it's on a boat where it's appreciated or on a travel trailer where it can mean disaster... Of course, every summer I see many more than just a few sailboats "on their side from too much wind"...

Never thought about it in terms of sail area. Good way to think about it. I just know that it's much more susceptible to wind than the pop-up camper.

 

[flybouy]

If you want a "first hand" experience try carrying a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood on a windy day.