RV Boot Camp

(Livingston TX)
I joined the Escapees RV Club (SKP) shortly after retiring and hitting the road. It offers many benefits like reduced camping fees at parks all across the country, a mail service, insurance discounts, a nursing care facility, a bi-monthly magazine, and much more.

I stayed a week at their RV park in eastern Texas for several reasons; workshops for new RVers, to tour the Headquarters and mailroom, a look at the CARE facility, have my rig weighed, and of course to resupply.

Workshops

Three days of classes covered buying the ‘right’ RV for your needs and travel style, personal and fire safety, driving skills, hitching and towing, parking and hooking up, using the awning, RV systems like plumbing, AC and DC electric, furnace and air conditioner, appliances, and nifty RV devices and gadgets. There was a roundtable of experienced RVers that shared their insights. They entertained us, fed us, and had a nightly campfire for socializing. I highly recommend the RVers Boot Camp to anyone new to RVing.

HQ Tour

We met at the Club House where they gave us an overview of the SKP RV Club services, facilities, it’s history and plans for the future. Then we took a look at the offices, a walk through of the large mail facility, and a trolley tour of the grounds which includes an RV park, homes that have space for your RV, swimming pool, conference center, club house, ice cream stand, maintenance barn, CARE Center, and weighing scales.

CARE Center

The CARE facility is for RVers recovering from a medical issue, or simply because you are not able to take care of yourself any longer. You can live in your RV, and volunteers will clean your rig if you are confined, take you to doctor appointments and shopping, and generally assist with daily needs. Their services include physical therapy, on site nurse, a lounge with activities, cafeteria, gardens, etc. There really is nothing like it anywhere for those who full-time in their RV.

Smart Weigh

Getting the rig weighed, as it is loaded for travel, was a very important step. It measures per axle, per wheel, and total. It shows if you are over or under capacity, and how the weight is balanced. This info is essential for safety, and for setting the air pressure in the tires. It’s also needed for bridges that have weight limits. They measure the RV height which lets you know if you can take that tunnel or overpass ahead. My results were positive as Tardis was way under capacity and well balanced.

While there I also had some mail forwarded to me, made a bank deposit, filled propane and gas, aired the tires, bought groceries and supplies, dumped the waste tanks, got caught up on some computer work, and went out for pizza. It was a very productive week! So, I departed on the next leg of my journey feeling pretty good.

Camp: Rainbow’s End CG
Scene: Club HQ, RV park, homes, offices