One nighter, first tow with Ecoboost - Trip Report
As has been for most of us, winter was particularly confining this year. We absolutely had to get out of the house, and last weekend was the first opportunity.
We had originally planned to visit a nearby campground (Davidson River) that had about 10" of snow. We don't see snow often, so it could have been fun for the kids and pretty for us. We were all hooked up and ready to roll when the morning of, the forecast changed to about 10 degrees cooler and high winds were added (50mph gusts). That was enough to change our plans. I was willing to shovel a little snow and live with the mess for a weekend, but wind is too much for me. We live right at the foot of the mountains, it is typically 5-10 degrees warmer at the lower elevations. So we shifted to what is becoming a favorite winter spot for us.
Mile Creek campground is on Lake Keowee in the northwest corner of South Carolina. The campground itself is on a long peninsula that sticks out into the lake. It's narrow and water views are on both sides for the entire campground. I think every site is a water site (maybe one or two interior).
It's extremely popular in the summer, as you would expect. Reservations book up well ahead, and they require a 7 night minimum! Unless you're going to use up a week vacation, it's not really a summer option. However, during the winter, the park is about empty and the rates drop to $12 (power and water) and no minimum stay! The last two years we've made it there for our inaugural early spring trip. It's not as much fun as it would be in the summer, but beautiful still, and nice to have the entire place to yourself. A private island on the lake for $12....
Another reason I was itching to get the trailer out was that we have a new tow vehicle. After break in, I did do a short tow just for a quick idea, but this trip was the first real tow. I don't have any flat towing locally. Heading west on hwy 11 is a fairly challenging tow, as the long rolling hills are mostly in the 5-7% range. The new Ecoboost was simply amazing! I used to have to pay very careful attention to stay in the power-band, playing the hills to the best advantage. We would scream up the same hills at high rpm and loose a third of our speed in the process. This time, I held 60mph without even getting into the throttle. I didn't have to think strategically about how to best get to the top of the next hill. I simply kept it at the speed limit, mostly at under 2000rpm, and enjoyed family conversation. For the first time, I was able to be a part of the gang instead of white knuckling it. I'm very pleased.
The truck itself has a 7700GVW, compared to the last truck at 6200GVW, this also led to noticeable improvements. We were loaded and yet the truck was very stable. Gone was all the porpoising we used to have with the tail wagging the dog. Sure, it's not a monster tow truck, but it is well suited for our purposes.
Back to the camping, we rolled into the campground on Saturday morning and had our choice of any site. We chose one with a small beach. We planned the trip thinking we'd be shoveling snow and ended up swimming in the lake! I stretched out the hammock and kicked back while the kids had a ball. The campground had been covered in snow a few days prior, so the water had to be like ice, but we let the kids get in if they wanted. And they did!
We rode bikes, ate some smores, had a beautiful Sunday morning watching the sunrise over the lake with a cup of coffee. It's amazing how much a short overnighter can do for your spirit.
On the drive home, we stopped at a roadside trail that we'd passed a hundred times. Turns out it was a beautiful shoal that we must stop at again in the summer for the kids to get wet. The locals call it "Sliding Rock", as it has a length of some 500' that the kids could ride the rocks down to a pool.
Anyway, nothing terribly exciting, but that can be the point sometimes! Hope all of you with cabin fever get a chance for your first trip of the season soon. It does a body good. :)
We had originally planned to visit a nearby campground (Davidson River) that had about 10" of snow. We don't see snow often, so it could have been fun for the kids and pretty for us. We were all hooked up and ready to roll when the morning of, the forecast changed to about 10 degrees cooler and high winds were added (50mph gusts). That was enough to change our plans. I was willing to shovel a little snow and live with the mess for a weekend, but wind is too much for me. We live right at the foot of the mountains, it is typically 5-10 degrees warmer at the lower elevations. So we shifted to what is becoming a favorite winter spot for us.
Mile Creek campground is on Lake Keowee in the northwest corner of South Carolina. The campground itself is on a long peninsula that sticks out into the lake. It's narrow and water views are on both sides for the entire campground. I think every site is a water site (maybe one or two interior).
It's extremely popular in the summer, as you would expect. Reservations book up well ahead, and they require a 7 night minimum! Unless you're going to use up a week vacation, it's not really a summer option. However, during the winter, the park is about empty and the rates drop to $12 (power and water) and no minimum stay! The last two years we've made it there for our inaugural early spring trip. It's not as much fun as it would be in the summer, but beautiful still, and nice to have the entire place to yourself. A private island on the lake for $12....
Another reason I was itching to get the trailer out was that we have a new tow vehicle. After break in, I did do a short tow just for a quick idea, but this trip was the first real tow. I don't have any flat towing locally. Heading west on hwy 11 is a fairly challenging tow, as the long rolling hills are mostly in the 5-7% range. The new Ecoboost was simply amazing! I used to have to pay very careful attention to stay in the power-band, playing the hills to the best advantage. We would scream up the same hills at high rpm and loose a third of our speed in the process. This time, I held 60mph without even getting into the throttle. I didn't have to think strategically about how to best get to the top of the next hill. I simply kept it at the speed limit, mostly at under 2000rpm, and enjoyed family conversation. For the first time, I was able to be a part of the gang instead of white knuckling it. I'm very pleased.
The truck itself has a 7700GVW, compared to the last truck at 6200GVW, this also led to noticeable improvements. We were loaded and yet the truck was very stable. Gone was all the porpoising we used to have with the tail wagging the dog. Sure, it's not a monster tow truck, but it is well suited for our purposes.
Back to the camping, we rolled into the campground on Saturday morning and had our choice of any site. We chose one with a small beach. We planned the trip thinking we'd be shoveling snow and ended up swimming in the lake! I stretched out the hammock and kicked back while the kids had a ball. The campground had been covered in snow a few days prior, so the water had to be like ice, but we let the kids get in if they wanted. And they did!
We rode bikes, ate some smores, had a beautiful Sunday morning watching the sunrise over the lake with a cup of coffee. It's amazing how much a short overnighter can do for your spirit.
On the drive home, we stopped at a roadside trail that we'd passed a hundred times. Turns out it was a beautiful shoal that we must stop at again in the summer for the kids to get wet. The locals call it "Sliding Rock", as it has a length of some 500' that the kids could ride the rocks down to a pool.
Anyway, nothing terribly exciting, but that can be the point sometimes! Hope all of you with cabin fever get a chance for your first trip of the season soon. It does a body good. :)
