My Introduction

StargazerAL · May 18, 2021

Hello and greetings to everyone,

I just joined this forum after spending a few days reading articles. I am not an escapee member yet but thought I would post here to find out more. There is a campground I would like to stay at which is an escapees. One thing that I like about this forum is the sensible rules and the polite posts. I have been RV'n for about 5 years now. My folks were also RV'ers and had a Superior Motorhome they traveled in, during the 70's and 80's. I camped several times with them including one fairly major trip with my wife and son at the time to the Worlds Fair in Tennessee. I look forward to talking with others here on the forum. AL

2gypsies · May 18, 2021

Welcome .... and hope you sign up to be an official Escapee! It's a great organization and even more so if you get involved with it by attending their yearly Escapes and perhaps joining a subgroup.

Do you have a RV yet? Which Escapee park are you interested in staying?

StargazerAL · May 18, 2021

Yes, I have a class A Coachman Marada. We've been driving it for 5 years now. We've camped in Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, Arizona and Oregon. We average about 5,000 miles per year.

I have an interest in the Benson, AZ park. You can't reserve per the website and is a first come first serve. Hope if we drive there sometime, they will have space for us.

Kirk W · May 18, 2021

Welcome to the Escapee open forums! Folks who are not members of the Escapee club are quite welcome here too and we do our best to keep everyone friendly and civil. In my years as part of the club I have found it to be the most broad based cross-section of the RV community.

7 hours ago, StargazerAL said:

My folks were also RV'ers and had a Superior Motorhome they traveled in, during the 70's and 80's.

I was a big admirer of the motorhome by Superior Bus Company and well remember their motton, "Would you send your children to school in a wooden school-bus?"

The average of 5000 miles/year is probably pretty close to average a seasonal RVer with family & and career. What I found interesting was that the typical increased in annual mileage once fulltime was not as great as I would have expected. When I mentioned that, a more experienced fulltimer pointed out to me that seasonal campers must return to home after each trip to a destination, while a fulltimer doesn't have that return but just travels from one destination to the next.

As to SKP Saguaro Co-op, it is true that they do not take reservations but you can call them a day or so before arrival and they will give you a feel for the availability of sites. Just call (520) 586-7343 and ask. We have stayed with them many times over the years.

We would love to have you join the club but even if you do not do so, you would also be very welcome to attend the annual gathering that we call Escapade in Rock Springs, Wy next July. It is open to nonmembers as well.

2gypsies · May 18, 2021

Benson Escapees park is a wonderful place to stay. We had a lot there for 9 yr. Lots to do in the area. The best time to get a site is Sept-Nov and April onward although sometimes you could get lucky at their busy times especially in January when folks go to Quartzsite for a 'vacation'. It's a little higher elevation than Tucson so the winter nights will be cold but days warm up fast. Likewise, it's a little cooler in summer.

StargazerAL · May 19, 2021

Hi Kirk W and 2gypsies,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I appreciate that. I've included a picture of their RV when they were camping one time.

I will keep in mind calling ahead to the SKP Saguaro Co-op to figure out if I can stay for a month or so. I know that area is usually colder than the Tucson Area. I figure they have LP sales there to help keep you fueled for the cold. I like the city of Benson and it has the Walmart and a grocery store in town. I usually have alternate plans where I can go if I can't find a campground in the area. Not opposed to boondocking if I have to. My wife has been a good sport about that. I make sure she is comfortable for her sake and mine!.

We stayed in New Mexico last year and it was pretty cold along with snow. Actually covered the ground and vehicles.

It looks to me that the Escapees camp grounds if you are a member are very cost effective. While the money isn't an issue for us, I like to stay somewhere nice and enjoy cost effective parks to stay at. Our goal is to average $45 per day, that includes fuel to our camping spots, campground cost both travel to and from and staying somewhere for a bit, and our RV cost. If you stay longer it can average the price down. The higher price of fuel will be playing a part in that cost. Last year we were able to average $1.89 for fuel heading to NM spot. Was much higher when we headed home.