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We thought we'd found the perfect lot in North Georgia mountains. Read over the Covenants carefully before the purchase. Even though we bought it sight unseen, once we saw it thought it would work perfectly. The RV Park has a large pond and is on a River. It was deeded, low taxes ($137 annually), low HOA ($462 annually) which covers water and garbage and Union County allowed you to live 12mos a year on it. Plus we can rent it out when we aren't using it.

 

It's cool enough in the Summer that many Floridians go there to escape the heat and humidity. Winters may get snow, but it never lasts long.

 

But then we bought a Truck Camper and found we not only can't store it on the lot, but can't use it on the lot when it's on the F450. Don't know why, since Covenants only specify no tents, no soft sided trailers or popups.

 

So we've just put the RV Lot up for sale and are going in a different direction.

 

http://janebaerrealty.com/listings/254985/lt52-rivers-edge-rv-blairsville#.VdX-cMvH8cQ

 

 

Nice looking lot. We have friends near there and they have said many retirees have discovered northeast Georgia as an alternative to Florida. Cooler summers and less harsh winters then the midwest or northeast that they retired from.

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well Kirk, we will not have any use for the property as the house we just bought is about 12 miles from here and it is my perfect retirement property that I have wanted for many years.8 1/4 acres,40x60 pole barn, 3 br house only 10 years old and not a single thing wrong with it, 400 yards from a state game area for deer and pheasant hunting and only about 40 miles from the Missouri river, life could not be much better.Jim

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the house we just bought is about 12 miles from here and it is my perfect retirement property that I have wanted for many years.8 1/4 acres,40x60 pole barn, 3 br house only 10 years old and not a single thing wrong with it, 400 yards from a state game area for deer and pheasant hunting and only about 40 miles from the Missouri river, life could not be much better.Jim

Sounds like things did go the way you were hoping! Congratulations on the new home. :D

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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We recently stayed in Chimicum at the Escapees park. We thought about investing there since the price was so cheap but there were to many restrictions on what you could do with your lot. Such as not being able to plant anything unless you put it in a pot. You cannot have an awning or any type of covering unless it is attached on one side to your home. There is no wi-fi or cable and the old guard still in power does not see the need for it. It seems that there are those there who still think dial-up internet is OK. The park is surrounded with beautiful trees but inside the park except for some grandfathered plants planted years ago most of the lots are nothing but gravel. We looked at another skp park in Aguanga and did not like the location or the desert feel of the park. We have looked all over the country and we will only buy or lease something if we could live there year around if necessary. We have been all over the country and so far we haven't found anything for all of our wants and needs. I do know if you google in rvlots you will find hundreds if not thousands of RV deeded lots for sale. Good luck!

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I find it inconceivable that Chimicum doesn't think that wifi is necessary. Does everyone have to tether 4G? I thought it looked like a decent place, but that would be a hard constraint for me. Do they even get antenna tv at that location? Doesn't Escapees HQ provide minimum standards for their satellite parks? Seems like the nomadic RV life is getting impossible unless you're a rich retiree.

Barbara Jones, missing my furry travel companions Reggie and M.E.C.O. (RIP)
2005 Montana 3295RK
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel Dually Crew Cab LB
http://www.spacetonature.blogspot.com

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IMHO the Escapees Organization does a great job with minimal resources to maintain clean, safe and welcoming parks and still keep prices low for park visitors.

 

I checked Verizon's Coverage map and the park is in their area for phone and data service: https://vzwmap.verizonwireless.com/dotcom/coveragelocator/default.aspx?requestfrom=webagent

 

The local library (Jefferson County Library) appears to be within walking distance and has computer service: http://www.jclibrary.info/index.php?id=157

Reserve a PC

WHAT:
You can make a reservation up to one week in advance.
You can use a computer for one hour a day. Sessions will automatically be extended if no one else is waiting.
HOW:
You will need a library card to access a computer. If you don’t have a card, see a staff person at the circulation desk.
To print, you will need to deposit funds in a print account.
The system will calculate print charges and show you how much your print job costs before you decide to print.
WHY:
The system will enhance self-service and ensure fairness.
The system will protect your privacy by closing your documents and clearing your private browser data at the end of your session.

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Currently, there is limited wifi in the park for leaseholds and free wifi in the clubhouse.

 

A committee is researching and currently is polling the leaseholders about bringing in fiber optics to have wifi available through out the park, including the rental and dry camp sites.

 

We have AT&T and a glance at my phone shows 4/5 bars of 4G LTE.

 

Each leasehold has the option for DSL via CenturyLink with phone lines in place.

 

Our $60 Wingard antenna picks up 3 channels of ABC, 2 NBC, 3 CBS, 3 PBS and 3 of FOX. Plus others that I do not bother to watch. If I turned the antenna to the north, I could pick up several Canadian stations.

Jim & Vickie
'07 F150
'10 Chalet XL1935
Chimacum, Wa

 

Evergreen Coho SKP Park Website:

http://www.evergreencohoskprvpark.com/

Evergreen Coho SKP on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evergreen-Coho-SKP-RV-Park/563601217103332

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Doesn't Escapees HQ provide minimum standards for their satellite parks? Seems like the nomadic RV life is getting impossible unless you're a rich retiree.

Each of the co-op parks is owned by the lease holders as a corporation with each one having a vote in all elections and decisions. Management of each park is by an elected board of directors and they are independent from the club, except that they retain the requirement that their members must be Escapee members and that of supplying traveling SKP's a spot to stay. Since the Escapees Club does not own any part of those parks their residents pretty much make their own decisions with little input from club management. There are many RV parks around the country that do not have free WiFi, especially to all sites. Nearly all parks have it available free somewhere, as does Evergreen-Coho. But the short answer is that Escapee's RV Club does not require the co-op parks to supply WiFi and in fact, the Rainbow parks do not have free Wifi to each site either.

 

As to the cost of fulltiming, I must agree that it is rising but that is true of what it costs to live in any other way as well. But there are still many fulltimers who manage on very limited budgets and some of them do so by seldom spending their time in developed RV parks but dry camp extensively. Just like in a stick house, we each have our preferred lifestyle and must make choices based upon our own budgets. It seems that rising costs are just a part of the future for all of us, even for RV communities. Anything that we get by way of amenities in RV parks isn't really free, it is just built into the price of our stay there as the park must pay it's bills just as we must.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Currently, there is limited wifi in the park for leaseholds and free wifi in the clubhouse.

 

A committee is researching and currently is polling the leaseholders about bringing in fiber optics to have wifi available through out the park, including the rental and dry camp sites.

 

We have AT&T and a glance at my phone shows 4/5 bars of 4G LTE.

 

Each leasehold has the option for DSL via CenturyLink with phone lines in place.

 

Our $60 Wingard antenna picks up 3 channels of ABC, 2 NBC, 3 CBS, 3 PBS and 3 of FOX. Plus others that I do not bother to watch. If I turned the antenna to the north, I could pick up several Canadian stations.

Since each leaseholder has DSL ability - I assume at a reasonable speed - I don't consider lack of wifi to be a big deal. It is inconvenient for renters, at best. But since Verizon has good 4G LTE service it is at most an inconvenience.

 

Feeding Access Points around the park with fiber is an excellent approach to adding wifi. Having those APs be AC (network) capable would provide a "best of breed" wifi network. The key is to have enough APs so that streaming can be accomplished by all clients - you cannot have a lot of clients per AP and have a satisfactory streaming environment. This is the big challenge in wireless at the current time. Plus, having enough backhaul to support streaming leaving the park. There is no way to know what that is with the current info, but at least 100 mbps should be available for the park. And likely more. Make sure the fiber provider can handle that. Believe it or not, some of the providers can only supply 80-100 mbps.

 

A slightly different approach would be to not put conventional Access Points in, but to put additional fiber drops throughout the park to support a Mesh network. That provides for less clients per connection and in theory can support streaming and higher bandwidth better. But it costs more for infrastructure to support it.

 

It is not an easy project.....

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

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I helped build Port Townsend's local radio station four years ago when I was living in the area, and at that time Jefferson County had major Internet issues. Yes, they're right across the sound from Seattle, but it's actually a very rural area and due to the geography there was only a single trunk running down the peninsula and connecting to the greater Net in Olympia.

 

From what I've heard, the situation has improved a bit since then and they may have upgraded that copper trunk to fiber, but there are still major bottlenecks limiting Internet performance into or out of the Olympic Peninsula.

 

There's a small Cable TV company in Port Townsend, but as of a few years ago it didn't reach the area around the SKP park or out to our house on Marrowstone Island, so DSL was the only option for landline internet. Most people beyond cable's reach just subscribed to Dish or DirecTV and/or put up an antenna to receive the Seattle stations. Our over the air reception went away with the digital changeover, with analog TV we got occasional light ghosting as the wind blew through the 80 ft. pine trees surrounding our house, with digital the wind made the signal pixellate and blue screen.

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Since each leaseholder has DSL ability - I assume at a reasonable speed - I don't consider lack of wifi to be a big deal. It is inconvenient for renters, at best. But since Verizon has good 4G LTE service it is at most an inconvenience.

 

Feeding Access Points around the park with fiber is an excellent approach to adding wifi. Having those APs be AC (network) capable would provide a "best of breed" wifi network. The key is to have enough APs so that streaming can be accomplished by all clients - you cannot have a lot of clients per AP and have a satisfactory streaming environment. This is the big challenge in wireless at the current time. Plus, having enough backhaul to support streaming leaving the park. There is no way to know what that is with the current info, but at least 100 mbps should be available for the park. And likely more. Make sure the fiber provider can handle that. Believe it or not, some of the providers can only supply 80-100 mbps.

 

A slightly different approach would be to not put conventional Access Points in, but to put additional fiber drops throughout the park to support a Mesh network. That provides for less clients per connection and in theory can support streaming and higher bandwidth better. But it costs more for infrastructure to support it.

 

It is not an easy project.....

 

 

All of our utilities are underground and I can not see the leaseholders going for digging up the whole park or stringing wire overhead, so I see a main access point with repeaters or the like.

 

The option for a second fiber optic cable is being looked into to double the available speed.

 

The DSL at our lot usually runs just over 7 mbps (paying for 3), even during the high season. Ping can be slow at times, so online gaming can be a challenge. :)

Jim & Vickie
'07 F150
'10 Chalet XL1935
Chimacum, Wa

 

Evergreen Coho SKP Park Website:

http://www.evergreencohoskprvpark.com/

Evergreen Coho SKP on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evergreen-Coho-SKP-RV-Park/563601217103332

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Another region to search, is the skinny part of Idaho. We've a friend with a lot in Hope, ID, and another in Beyond Hope, ID. We visited in an RV park at Beyond Hope, and found the area to be very nice. It's on Lake Ponderay, which is huge, and on the Eastern side close to the lake, you get your own microclimate. So usually cooler during the hot times, and warmer during the cooler times. We found many whom had bought lots and built semi permanent support buildings and RV Ports with Casitas and outside patios surrounding them. Seems like all had electric and water, some were on grandfathered septics, and others could not get septic permits (now too close to the lake), but survived well with storage tanks dug in, and a honey wagon cleaning them out as needed.

 

Worth a look. If we build a permanent summer area retreat for us, we think it will be in this region.

 

Happy hunting,

Smitty

Be safe, have fun,

Smitty

04 CC Allure "RooII" - Our "E" ride for life!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Do any of you own a deeded RV Lot and if so where? What would you do different if you bought another one?

 

 

We purchased a lot in Florida to use as a winter base. We chose a co-op park that is quite similar to SKP co-ops, but did not have a waiting list. There are many activities during the winter but most people leave for the summer and it becomes a ghost town (Florida summers can be brutal). After two years we are exceedingly happy with our choice and have decided to get a park model and save the 5th wheel for summer travels.

 

http://www.avionpalms.org/

 

Safe Travels...

Roger, K4RS and Toni, K1TS
Amateur Radio Operators - Motorcycle Riders (Harley Davidson Tri-Glide Ultra)

Fulltime from 2003-2016 - Now longtime RVers

On the road, living the dream...
Ford F-250 Super Duty 7.3 liter diesel and Forest River XLR Toyhauler. 

Position report via amateur radio

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

We own a lot at Riverbend in Watertown Wisconsin(25 miles east of Madison). Lots are still reasonable but harder to find. Going price is 8K. Condo fees are 2200 a year. Water is on mid April to mid October. You can stay longer but will need to fill freshwater tank. Taxes a hundred a year. Less than 400 a month...includes everything but electric and you own a piece of the resort. 400 acres, 650 campsites, Bar, restaurant, pool, treated swimming pond with sandy beach. National bands brought in during summer. The best thing since sliced bread. Something for everyone. You can participate in as much as you want or not. All different ages, types of RVers, weekenders, full time, young, old, partying, non-partying. We love it.

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We own a lot at Riverbend in Watertown Wisconsin(25 miles east of Madison). Lots are still reasonable but harder to find. Going price is 8K. Condo fees are 2200 a year. Water is on mid April to mid October. You can stay longer but will need to fill freshwater tank. Taxes a hundred a year. Less than 400 a month...includes everything but electric and you own a piece of the resort. 400 acres, 650 campsites, Bar, restaurant, pool, treated swimming pond with sandy beach. National bands brought in during summer. The best thing since sliced bread. Something for everyone. You can participate in as much as you want or not. All different ages, types of RVers, weekenders, full time, young, old, partying, non-partying. We love it.

 

 

I found the website: http://rbresort.com/index.php lots of amenities.

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