AN UNFORESEEN BENEFIT

We made the decision to become full-time RVers in late 2015. We knew a little about RVing, but just a little. We had camped for years in popup campers. We had rented a class C in the late 90’s for an eleven-day trip. And we had spent a number of vacations with my parents who were RVers. We had no idea at the time of our decision just how popular full-time RVing was. Once we made the decision to go full-time I began to research the lifestyle. Early in my research I discovered that there was a national organization which was founded by full-time RVers and had been serving full-timers for years. This was of course the Escapees RV Club. The membership was affordable so we made the decision to join Escapees. We have been members now since January of 2016.

We immediately began to discover benefits to being Escapees. Honestly to me the magazine is worth the cost of membership. We discovered local chapters and joined Chapter six, the Great Lakes Chapter. Our very first outing with Puma Pete was our chapter rally in Holland, Michigan. At that rally we met friends who to our surprise actually seem to like us! We certainly value their presence in our lives. We have camped together, traveled together to the national Rally in Sedalia, Missouri, and had planned to travel together to Alaska this spring. I have found the educational resources provided by Escapees to be absolutely invaluable. Another valuable benefit is the Escapees RV Parks.

We have spent the last few months in the Rainbow Plantation Escapees Park in Summerdale, Alabama. We arrived here on December 15 and had planned to leave about three weeks ago. We have and are really enjoying our stay here. This park has very spacious sites. Compared with most of the parks in this area, we are just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, just north of Gulf Shores, our sites are mammoth. Many of the RV parks in the area have sites that are so tight you can’t put out your awning. When I think of trying to back a fifth wheel into one of those sites I break out in a cold sweat and begin to hyperventilate. For those of you who don’t know me I am a big man. Backing into one of those sites would be like me trying to squeeze my big hind end into a pair of Speedos three sizes too small. It would be ugly.

The Rainbow Plantation isn’t fancy but it is just the way we like an RV Park to be.  While this park has much to offer, we have in the last few weeks discovered what for us is the most important benefit. Our RV is our home. We have no other home where we can go. During this unusual time brought about by the Corona Virus the places a full time RVer can park  has gotten very, very, limited. Most RV parks are closed. But Escapees has assured us we have a place where we can stay. I can’t express how important that is to us right now. It is not a benefit we had anticipated. Honestly it is not a benefit we would have anticipated we would ever need. But for us right now it is a benefit that is huge. Being an Escapee is a good idea in the best of times. If you are not a member yet, you should be. For us the unforeseen benefit of being Escapees is that they have given us a place where we can be home. For that we are grateful.