• how far south do I have to go in Feb to dewinterize?

    From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Tue Dec 16 19:10:31 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    Okay, the wife and I will need to be in Pensacola sometime the
    first week or two of Feb and I'm wondering if it makes sense to
    drag the trailer down. I'm pretty sure Nebraska will be too cold
    to dewinterize it, but am wondering if I could with a day or two
    of travel get to someplace likely to be warm enough.

    We would probably take I-29 as far as Kansas City, then swing over
    toward Memphis. But I'm open to suggestions for other options.

    Any wisdom from this august group would be very welcome.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Tue Dec 16 17:59:25 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On 12/16/2025 1:10 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
    Okay, the wife and I will need to be in Pensacola sometime the
    first week or two of Feb and I'm wondering if it makes sense to
    drag the trailer down. I'm pretty sure Nebraska will be too cold
    to dewinterize it, but am wondering if I could with a day or two
    of travel get to someplace likely to be warm enough.

    We would probably take I-29 as far as Kansas City, then swing over
    toward Memphis. But I'm open to suggestions for other options.

    Any wisdom from this august group would be very welcome.

    Looks like that is about 1100 miles for you, Ted. I would probably want
    to do that in two days, but I know you don't like that many miles and
    would probably do three. If you could get down to Springfield the first
    day, more than likely it would be cold, but above freezing, but pretty
    risky.

    The question for me is do you have to de-winterize it just to get some
    rest? Can you still turn on the heater and get to sleep without needing water? How long do you plan on staying and do you WANT to camp, or is
    it just cheaper than staying in hotel rooms (also more desirable).
    Comfort, especially when there's women folk involved is a big thing.

    I can leave in temps down to zero with water filled as long as I keep
    the unit heated, and the water heater anti-freeze kit on. I don't think
    you have that option, but I'm not sure.

    You could also just pull it down, staying overnight in a room, and get
    it ready when you get down there. Of course, you probably will have to winterize it before coming home, too.

    Wish I was going, but I'll still be rehabbing the knee. 8-(
    --
    Science Doesn't Support Darwin. Scientists Do.

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Wed Dec 17 15:22:40 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:59:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 12/16/2025 1:10 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
    Okay, the wife and I will need to be in Pensacola sometime the
    first week or two of Feb and I'm wondering if it makes sense
    to drag the trailer down. I'm pretty sure Nebraska will be
    too cold to dewinterize it, but am wondering if I could with a
    day or two of travel get to someplace likely to be warm
    enough.

    We would probably take I-29 as far as Kansas City, then swing
    over toward Memphis. But I'm open to suggestions for other
    options.

    Any wisdom from this august group would be very welcome.

    Looks like that is about 1100 miles for you, Ted. I would
    probably want to do that in two days, but I know you don't like
    that many miles and would probably do three. If you could get
    down to Springfield the first day, more than likely it would be
    cold, but above freezing, but pretty risky.

    The question for me is do you have to de-winterize it just to
    get some rest? Can you still turn on the heater and get to
    sleep without needing water? How long do you plan on staying
    and do you WANT to camp, or is it just cheaper than staying in
    hotel rooms (also more desirable). Comfort, especially when
    there's women folk involved is a big thing.

    I can leave in temps down to zero with water filled as long as
    I keep the unit heated, and the water heater anti-freeze kit
    on. I don't think you have that option, but I'm not sure.

    You could also just pull it down, staying overnight in a room,
    and get it ready when you get down there. Of course, you
    probably will have to winterize it before coming home, too.

    This is great feedback, thank you so much! I kinda like the idea
    of getting through the first night without water. We would have
    heat, so would only need to think about toilet facilities. A
    campground with a showerhouse would fill most of the gap, and
    perhaps we could use a jug of water for flushing the toilet after
    using it overnight.

    On the other hand, I'm not 100% convinced it's worth taking the
    trailer. We do need to be in Pensacola on Feb 5th, and I'm not
    keen on flying. it's a long enough drive that it would be nice to
    spend a week or so in warmer weather while there. It may just
    depend on what the weather looks like when we get closer to the
    date.

    Is there any kind of utility/app that lets you see expected low
    temps along a route? Right now I'm going back and forth between
    Google maps and Weather Spark to check out various possibilities.
    It's kinda clunky.


    Wish I was going, but I'll still be rehabbing the knee. 8-(

    Hope that goes well for you!
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Wed Dec 17 12:29:44 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel



    On 12/17/2025 9:22 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:59:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 12/16/2025 1:10 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
    Okay, the wife and I will need to be in Pensacola sometime the
    first week or two of Feb and I'm wondering if it makes sense
    to drag the trailer down. I'm pretty sure Nebraska will be
    too cold to dewinterize it, but am wondering if I could with a
    day or two of travel get to someplace likely to be warm
    enough.

    We would probably take I-29 as far as Kansas City, then swing
    over toward Memphis. But I'm open to suggestions for other
    options.

    Any wisdom from this august group would be very welcome.

    Looks like that is about 1100 miles for you, Ted. I would
    probably want to do that in two days, but I know you don't like
    that many miles and would probably do three. If you could get
    down to Springfield the first day, more than likely it would be
    cold, but above freezing, but pretty risky.

    The question for me is do you have to de-winterize it just to
    get some rest? Can you still turn on the heater and get to
    sleep without needing water? How long do you plan on staying
    and do you WANT to camp, or is it just cheaper than staying in
    hotel rooms (also more desirable). Comfort, especially when
    there's women folk involved is a big thing.

    I can leave in temps down to zero with water filled as long as
    I keep the unit heated, and the water heater anti-freeze kit
    on. I don't think you have that option, but I'm not sure.

    You could also just pull it down, staying overnight in a room,
    and get it ready when you get down there. Of course, you
    probably will have to winterize it before coming home, too.

    This is great feedback, thank you so much! I kinda like the idea
    of getting through the first night without water. We would have
    heat, so would only need to think about toilet facilities. A
    campground with a showerhouse would fill most of the gap, and
    perhaps we could use a jug of water for flushing the toilet after
    using it overnight.

    Another thing to consider would be the interstate rest areas. You'd
    probably be early enough in the day you could find a spot to rest, and
    then you would have bathroom facilities right there. You also have to remember that if you do put water in your waste tank it too can freeze,
    and you might want to dump some RV antifreeze in there. Unless you have
    tank heaters which you can turn on to keep them from freezing.

    On the other hand, I'm not 100% convinced it's worth taking the
    trailer. We do need to be in Pensacola on Feb 5th, and I'm not
    keen on flying. it's a long enough drive that it would be nice to
    spend a week or so in warmer weather while there. It may just
    depend on what the weather looks like when we get closer to the
    date.

    I hate flying and staying in hotels, but I'm sure the wife will have us
    doing it sometime. It would be nice to sit around a campfire in early February. My wife probably wouldn't find that so appealing.


    Is there any kind of utility/app that lets you see expected low
    temps along a route? Right now I'm going back and forth between
    Google maps and Weather Spark to check out various possibilities.
    It's kinda clunky.


    Wish I was going, but I'll still be rehabbing the knee. 8-(

    Hope that goes well for you!

    Thanks, almost ready for it all.
    --
    Science Doesn't Support Darwin. Scientists Do.

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From bfh@redydog@rye.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Wed Dec 17 17:54:25 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    Ted Heise wrote:
    On Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:59:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 12/16/2025 1:10 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
    Okay, the wife and I will need to be in Pensacola sometime the
    first week or two of Feb and I'm wondering if it makes sense
    to drag the trailer down. I'm pretty sure Nebraska will be
    too cold to dewinterize it, but am wondering if I could with a
    day or two of travel get to someplace likely to be warm
    enough.

    We would probably take I-29 as far as Kansas City, then swing
    over toward Memphis. But I'm open to suggestions for other
    options.

    Any wisdom from this august group would be very welcome.

    Looks like that is about 1100 miles for you, Ted. I would
    probably want to do that in two days, but I know you don't like
    that many miles and would probably do three. If you could get
    down to Springfield the first day, more than likely it would be
    cold, but above freezing, but pretty risky.

    The question for me is do you have to de-winterize it just to
    get some rest? Can you still turn on the heater and get to
    sleep without needing water? How long do you plan on staying
    and do you WANT to camp, or is it just cheaper than staying in
    hotel rooms (also more desirable). Comfort, especially when
    there's women folk involved is a big thing.

    I can leave in temps down to zero with water filled as long as
    I keep the unit heated, and the water heater anti-freeze kit
    on. I don't think you have that option, but I'm not sure.

    You could also just pull it down, staying overnight in a room,
    and get it ready when you get down there. Of course, you
    probably will have to winterize it before coming home, too.

    This is great feedback, thank you so much! I kinda like the idea
    of getting through the first night without water. We would have
    heat, so would only need to think about toilet facilities. A
    campground with a showerhouse would fill most of the gap, and
    perhaps we could use a jug of water for flushing the toilet after
    using it overnight.

    On the other hand, I'm not 100% convinced it's worth taking the
    trailer. We do need to be in Pensacola on Feb 5th, and I'm not
    keen on flying. it's a long enough drive that it would be nice to
    spend a week or so in warmer weather while there. It may just
    depend on what the weather looks like when we get closer to the
    date.

    Is there any kind of utility/app that lets you see expected low
    temps along a route? Right now I'm going back and forth between
    Google maps and Weather Spark to check out various possibilities.
    It's kinda clunky.

    Try this:
    https://chatgpt.com/share/6943339a-ebb8-800a-82f7-d28a8e65cfa7

    Go all the way to the bottom before you try any apps.

    Wish I was going, but I'll still be rehabbing the knee. 8-(

    Hope that goes well for you!

    --
    bill
    Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Thu Dec 18 01:48:59 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:54:25 -0500,
    bfh <redydog@rye.net> wrote:
    Ted Heise wrote:

    Is there any kind of utility/app that lets you see expected
    low temps along a route? Right now I'm going back and forth
    between Google maps and Weather Spark to check out various
    possibilities. It's kinda clunky.

    Try this:
    https://chatgpt.com/share/6943339a-ebb8-800a-82f7-d28a8e65cfa7

    Go all the way to the bottom before you try any apps.

    Good idea, thanks. Here's what it had to say...

    you usually have to get to about central Mississippi or southern
    Alabama in February to reliably avoid nighttime freezing. From
    Omaha, thatrCOs roughly 900rCo1,000 miles of driving.

    HererCOs how it typically breaks down along a common southbound route (I-29 raA
    I-35 raA I-44 raA I-40 raA I-55/I-65

    Typical February average low temperatures (actual cold snaps can
    still happen)

    Omaha, NE rCo ~15-#F
    Kansas City, MO rCo ~25-#F
    Tulsa, OK rCo ~30-#F (freezes still common)
    Little Rock, AR rCo ~34-#F (right on the edge; freezes still occur)
    Memphis / Jackson, MS rCo ~37rCo40-#F (freezing becomes uncommon)

    So depending on the forecast, it might work if we go without water
    the first night.

    And thanks to sticks for the suggestion of putting somee antifreze
    in the tank. There' likely some in there already from
    winterizing, but I would add more.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2