RV Parks - Revisited?

[Chris-n-Dennis]

There is a 2 year old topic called RV Parks that is locked so I was unable to post up there. The last review of Tra-Park Escapee park in Pecos Texas was over a year ago and wasn't too complimentary and the last mentioned in this forum was 2 years ago. This begs the question has anything been updated since then and if, what is the most recent impressions?

 

Reason: We are heading west out of San Antonio next week and I do like to visit the SKP parks if in the area but from the old reviews it seems this is one best passed by. Still true?

 

Dennis

[mptjelgin]

The latest review on RV Park Reviews is dated Sept. 2015 and is grim (1 star out of 10). The previous two reviews (11/14 and 5/14) are likewise poor. Too bad as right or wrong, this park represents SKP's to some extent.

[Chris-n-Dennis]

I was hoping with the influx of the oil boom there would have been some update/upgrades. Thank Mark & Teri

[bigjim]

I have to butt in for my 2 cents worth. And to be honest I have to be upfront that I have not stopped there in many years. My view when I stopped is sort of utilitarian but not unpleasant. I think the longest I stayed was about a week once. Usually it was more like 1 or 2 nights. A number of times I have boondocked within 10 miles just to save money but nothing against the park. I don't know what you are looking for but I would not rule it out. Another choice in that area is Monahans Sandhill State Park for a night or 2 it is a little west of Midland. While there I drove down to Balmorhea St. Pk. for a day trip and another partial day up to have lunch at Mentone in Loving County for some particular reason I can not remember. Remember if it doesn't suit you , you don't have stay long.

[Al F]

We stayed there last June. It was OK for overnight. Kind of a bleak place though. Most all the O/N sites were pull thrus. At $21, if I remember the price correctly, I thought it was overpriced.

Here is the entry I made in my travel journal:

We arrived about 2:30pm. Escapees RV Club has an RV park in Pecos which is where we are staying tonight. There have been several bad reviews and for the most part they are accurate. The RV Park is a gravel parking lot, that isn’t so bad, we are just spending the night. What was frustrating is the registration process. We arrived before they were open and the night/off hours registration was very poorly done. It looks like they only have about 5 transient sites and I kind of think we got the only one open/not reserved. Most everything is filled with long term oil field workers. There were rain showers just as we arrived in the Pecos area, which cooled and kept the town and area cool all afternoon, evening and night. We were able to be very comfortable with the windows open.

[2gypsies]

I think many years back Escapees was trying to have their parks spaced out for an easy one-day drive; Hence, the choice to have one in Pecos. It was a bare-boned park and the last time we stopped for one night, the 'clubhouse' was in an old mobile home. There were also shelters at the sites left over from the previous owner years ago before multiple slides became a thing on RVs, and since the sites were close together, it wasn't a very pleasant environment. The area itself is barren and dusty and doesn't offer much but it always served us well as an overnight. I would hope by now that some improvements have been made to make it a little more pleasant-looking.

[Barbaraok]

I always wondered where is Pecos 1-days drive from?

 

Barb

[2gypsies]

Well....Deming, NM is 307 miles; Hondo, TX is 358 miles and Lakewood, NM is 108 miles. I agree that 300 miles is normally too long of day for us but it's very doable.

[Barbaraok]

Both Hondo and Lakewood are Co-Op parks, not Escapee parks. We've never stopped in Pecos because it is 1 1/2 days from Dallas when coming down I-20 and 1 1/2 Days from Deming when heading towards Dallas.. And would never backtrack if on I-10 to get to Pecos. Plus reviews have always been what I would call substandard.

[SWharton]

We have stopped in Pecos several times. It is an adequate park, last time it was filled with oil field workers which was fine but their rigs look so beat up and not maintained, there stuff is all outside the trailers, just sloppy, that it brings down the perception of the park.We try to stay in Escapee Parks to support the parks but at around 300 miles apart it is doable but generally further than we want to drive.

[bigjim]

If there are long term residents like the workers I understand how the looks can change to a cluttered look. I can't knock them for not having a shiney new rig. The cluttered look is a little frustrating. Where I am now is somewhat that way as opposed to how it used to be. That being said everyone is friendly and watches out for each other but at most of the trailers there are at least 2 vehicles and an enclosed trailer for storage or a shop and a few even have small shed. Several even have 3 vehicles. The owner could crack down but does need to stay pretty full since it is his business. He usually has a waiting list to get in here. I kind of think the extended time workers at Pecos may fall into this catagory and I kind of think having steady income from them will help keep that park available for the SKP's that want to use it. Now that the oil patch is scalling down due to low oil prices that could come to an end and the workers could be gone soon.

[whj469]

I wouldn't go to Pecos but if I were passing thru I would spend the night but not much longer

if I could help it. It is not that nice of a place and as stated above it is out of the way. They have good melons in season. Now some of us do understand

why the ten year RV rule. I have found that the RV parks in the oil boom areas are like that with long term oil workers.

[SWharton]

I really don't mind the workers and their rigs, I just wish they would be a lot neater around their rigs. Everyone needs to work and this is their work.

[sandsys]

I really don't mind the workers and their rigs

I am always happy to see the workers; they support my Social Security.

 

Many years ago my dad, a sheet metal worker, lived part time in a tent trailer while installing ductwork and gutters on a series of nursing homes. I'm glad his neighbors accepted his need to be there.

 

Plus, Escapees owes its existence to a desire to support traveling construction workers. So, we are all benefitting from them. Without those roots this grand organization would not be here for us today.

 

Linda Sand

[Darryl&Rita]

I really don't mind the workers and their rigs, I just wish they would be a lot neater around their rigs. Everyone needs to work and this is their work.

 

I apologize , on behalf of all workers who finish a 12 hour shift, travel to & from location, prepare meals to end today and sustain tomorrow, without giving consideration to those passing by who may feel my collection of "things" is unsightly. The collection, has in the past, included recyclables for my kids, bags of dirty coveralls and clothes, a collection of propane tanks waiting their turn to supply the trailer or to be refilled, but never rubish or refuse. Trailer size is often a limiting factor in what can be stored inside, so I also apologize for using a small, or beat-up unit. It only needs to keep me and my things dry, and have a cool place for a jug of milk.

 

I have always maintained contact with staff, and have been repeatedly reassured that my collections weren't a problem. Please stop in and offer a quick meal, or packaged sandwiches. The time that will free up will be very welcome.

[SWharton]

There is no reason to be sarcastic. I worked 10 hour days, raised kids, took care of a house and yard(1/2 acre), went on business trips for days, and went to college at night(no online college in those days). Let me tell you it is a lot easier to take care of a small trailer and a small site. I was exhausted most of the time but the house was neat, the yard was neat, and we made it to church each week.

 

As in towns I feel cgs should have maintenance stds. I don't agree with the 10 year rule, but a well maintained trailer is always acceptable.

 

How many of us have passed campgrounds because of what they look like, many, probably including you. If we didn't have certain standards a site like rvparkreviews would not exist.

[Darryl&Rita]

No sarcasm intended, just simple facts of life.RVParkReviews doesn't exist to determine if a park on your chosen route has travelling workers or not. It's intended to allow you to determine if a park is suitable for your requirements, such as whether the lawn is cut short enough, or the pool is the right temperature. Please don't take this as a personal attack, but the griping about "workers" is beginning to grate on my nerves. It seems to be on the increase, in more than one sub-forum. I'd love to be retired, and have nothing better to do than sniff about "those people", but probably won't, even when retired. I'd more likely the old guy setting up a burger supper for the boys.

As far as skipping a park, I seldom get a chance to, as my work starts later into a project, so I'm always late to the party. I honestly try to keep a clean site, but when as much as 14 hours of the day are tied with work, time for hygiene subtracted, food prep and shopping, plus anything else life demands, I may slip a bit. I would love to have the chance to sit in a quiet church on a sunny Sunday, but that tends to get in the way of gainful employment, which decreases the tithe amount. I go when I can, skip when needed, and don't judge my neighbors. I support my community, and am welcomed when I can make it to a function.

[Blues]

I was hoping with the influx of the oil boom there would have been some update/upgrades. Thank Mark & Teri

 

Actually, I think you'll find that the opposite is true.

 

 

 

I have always maintained contact with staff, and have been repeatedly reassured that my collections weren't a problem.

 

Perhaps the difference is that the staff is making money from you. Your neighbor, on the other hand, may not enjoy paying money to look at a bunch of clutter. I know I don't, regardless of who it is who's generating it. I wouldn't want to pay to look at "recyclables for my kids, bags of dirty coveralls and clothes, a collection of propane tanks waiting their turn to supply the trailer or to be refilled" even if it belonged to a retired billionaire.

[GlennWest]

OK, I am one those construction shutdown workers. We keep it neat around our site. Some others don't and they are not all construction workers either. On the increased complaints about us, there is a lot of work now. It is the busiest it has been in years. Lots of us going to Sioux City, Iowa in a few weeks. Just a heads up.

[Daveh]

Darryl, I do not know your specific situation but I do know a lot of people that work extremely hard. Even busy people without much oney can be neat. I agree with what Glen said. To me, the notion of being too tired or busy to be neat is a huge cop out. There is a huge difference between having some things neatly stored outside perhaps with some type of visibility shield and the careless appearance of items, often obvious junk, just strewn about in an "I just don't give a damn fashion." I don't think people object to workers but to slobs. Put your stuff away---not that big of a deal and it makes a huge difference.

[Darryl&Rita]

Ooops. I missed an "or" or two in the previous post. As it reads, it appears as if all that is out, all the time. Of course, that's incorrect. Anything outside is kept neatly under the trailer or behind.

[Daveh]

Seems to vary by park: perhaps just a culture that is created by what becomes permisable. We were three weeks in an otherwise nice Michigan private park where one of the long term folks had an old residential fridge outside their unit, a torn tarp and miscellaneous pieces of furniture that had been exposed to the elements and were warping. In other words junk. Both parents worked and they had kids and all was otherwise quiet etc. Just why the junk.