This is the first of a two-part series about preparing a travel trailer for spring camping.

The spring season is upon us and these are busy times. The vegetable garden needs to be prepared for planting, the lawn fertilized and the travel trailer brought out of hibernation.

All of these chores need accomplished before the Dodge Ram will be attached to our 26-foot long Hideout travel trailer.

Two years ago we were dry camping at Martha Lake on the March 1 opener. Last year we planned to do the same, but the low temperature was around 8 degrees and anglers were fishing through ice on the lake.

This year we were hopeful for another dry-camping trip during the first part of March, but other obligations interfered with our plans.

Now we are seriously looking at our first camping trip of the year. The plan is to pull the trailer to Steamboat Rock State Park in a few days and spend several nights.

Waking the trailer from winter slumber is an exciting time for me and my wife, Garnet.

There is work involved, yes, but preparing for any outdoor adventure is stimulating.

The anticipation of a pleasurable trip highlights the excitement for me, just as the night before the opening day of deer-hunting season.

However, the trailer awaits our attention before the wheels turn.

Water system

All of the drains will be opened to remove the antifreeze, which is non-toxic to plants or animals. The freshwater holding tank will be filled and emptied again to flush any remaining antifreeze.

A hose will be attached to the outside water connection and those lines flushed.

I now take an extra step in this process because of a suggestion from friend Ron Sumner.

An ample amount of household bleach will be poured into the holding tank and it will be filled again.

Bleach water will be pumped throughout the water lines until a bleach smell is detected at each faucet.

After an ample time, Ron says an hour is appropriate, but others say leave it for 12 hours, which could be the same as overnight.

Fresh water is again flushed through the entire system, until there is no bleach smell at any of the faucets or drains.

The white hose, known as the fresh water hose and designed to bring potable water to the trailer, should also be cleaned with bleach.

Pour in the bleach solution, connect the male and female ends and let sit for the same time as the waterlines. Then flush the hose also.

This hose has two ends, but neither end is allowed to touch the ground. When not hooked to the trailer and water spigot, the ends are attached to each other. The idea here is to not contaminate the inside of the hose.

At this point it should be mentioned some people say bleach can damage the seals in the water system and hydrogen peroxide should be used instead.

I will continue to use bleach as this is recommended by our owner's manual.

The water lines should now be sterilized, purified or otherwise rid of harmful bacteria and other critters. A water filter, available at most stores selling RV supplies is attached to the RV park faucet.

Making sure our water supply is safe is a good feeling, but we seldom use water from the holding tank or from the RV park waterline to drink or use for cooking.

Instead we purchase water from retail stores in gallons. One is always cooling in the refrigerator and used for drinking and the others are stored at room temperature and used for cooking.

Although I go a bit overboard about a safe water supply, especially when not normally used for drinking, the techniques used will continue.

Slide out

There is one slide out in our trailer. Recently there was a sale of slide out lube and protectant at a local retailer. The direction say, "Spray slide rails and exposed metal parts freely with a moderate, even coat. For optimum performance repeat regularly."

Checking various Internet sites, some say to spray the seals with silicone and another says never spray the seals with silicone.

The owner's manual doesn't say one way or another, but to "inspect regularly and replace at the first sign of a problem."

I am just learning about slide outs and will continue to improve my knowledge. The spray purchased recently will be used.

The roof of the slide out will be inspected for debris before retracting. There will most likely be a few limbs and dust there.

A broom and a garden hose will be used to remove as many as possible.

Next a towel will be used to wipe up the dust, which will turn to mud when water is applied.

A sequence of wiping and spraying, wiping and spraying will continue until the roof is clean.

Another towel or two will assist with removing most of the moisture, before it is allowed to air dry.

Next week: More spring RV tips.