Gillette, WY – Escapades

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 Our seventh day of Escapees RV Club Escapade just finished. We survived some really hot weather several days in a row and a couple of nights of scary storms but what a great learning experience!The first two and a half days were boot camp for first-timers.Joe loved it and I was bored.It was all technical things such as tire pressure stuff, weight load in the RV and other guy stuff which I know is important in our travels but just couldn’t get my head into it after the first couple of 3 hour seminars.So I spent quality time with the dogs and Joe took in all the information.

 Monday started the actual Escapade seminars. They were great!We could elect to go to 4 seminars a day and pick from 5 different seminars in each time slot.So much to pick from that Joe and I often went to different seminars so we could get in what we wanted.Every seminar you were sure to pick up great information.We learned things from fire safety in the RV, how to clean the inside and outside of our unit green, how to protect yourself from identity theft, important electrical info, how to protect yourself without carrying a gun, great destinations in the Southwest, Northern Pacific and Alaska and just so much more.Some great statistics we learned – There are 8.2 million registered RVers in the United States.There are 1.3 million full-time RVers.30 million people participate in RVing and $14 billion dollars a year is spent by people that RV.Pretty incredible statistics!

 Most of all this week we meet some great people and heard some wonderful stories. We meet a couple while doing our laundry in Gillette from Escapade who were in their mid-seventies.They had met on E-Harmony five years ago, emailed back and forth for about a year and decided to meet.He was a full-timer and she was not.She bought a round trip ticket to meet him in Idaho at her brother’s house. They dated about a week and decided to travel together back to her home state of CA in his coach.When they got back her kids were a little upset with her so they decided to get married and have been traveling since.What a cool story!Never to old to start over.

 We meet a couple from Seattle who were on a 6 week vacation and came to Escapades. He was still working because his company hadn’t started looking for a replacement for him.They lived in a very small house that needed work and were hoping to sell it so they could go full-time.They were so much like Joe and I a year or so ago.

 We talked several times to a single woman in her late sixties from Colorado who decided 2 months ago that she was tired of paying rent, bought a 38ft coach, and was going solo in her full-time. She had no idea where she was going but was very excited to get started.Great lady!

 We meet so many nice people with so many stories. Of course it wasn’t hard to meet people because there were 1,268 in attendance with 697 RV units.It was big. There was everything from a tent to pop-ups to huge coaches.  Joe and I rode our bikes several times a day the ½ mile between our RV and the convention center.Abby and Ivy spent a lot of time alone but did a great job and are now really use to us being away from them (almost).

 One of the things I noticed more than anything during this last week was all the hand holding, arms around one another, back rubbing and love these full-timer couples show each other. It was really refreshing to see.Joe and I were on the young side of the people in attendance.When you look at these couples who have lived in a “tin box on wheels” together for years and see those loving touches you know it will be okay.

I heard time and again this last week the reason people go full-time is for freedom. Joe and I hope to experience that freedom for many years to come.

Off we go to – not sure but will keep posting.

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