Escapade

On thursday, March 6 we packed up and headed for Tucson and the 55th Escapade, put on by the Escapees RV Club. The Escapade ran from 3/8 - 3/13 and was held at the Pima County Fairgrounds. We were there on the 6th to attend the new RV'ers Boot Camp put on by the Escapees RV Club. The Boot Camp was 2 1/2 days of intense training on the care, use, and maintenance of an RV. Classes dealt with Electrical, Refrigeration, Safety, Fire Safety, Tires, Water Systems, boondocking, how to buy an RV and what to look for in the purchase process. We started each day with breakfast in Pima Hall between 7:00 and 8:00 with the first class starting at 8:00 and running until 12:30 when we took an hour for lunch. In our case it  was just time enough to get back to the Airstream and let Molly out and then feed her and us our lunch. Then it was back to class.

Settled in - Row B thursday 3/6/15

All of these were there for the Boot Camp

Pima Hall

Our instructors: George, Mark, Jim, and Mac

In addition to Boot Camp we participated in  the Smartweigh Program. The cost of the program for us was $55.00 and it allowed us to have our tow vehicle weighed. Then with the tow vehicle hitched up to the trailer, both were weighed. These weights were individual tire weights on both the truck and trailer. When combined with the vehicle and trailer information we had to provide( having to do with recommended tire and load capacities as specified by manufacturers- truck, trailer, tire), we determined if we were or might be overloaded. They also recommended things to do to correct any overload situation. It was well worth the $55.00.

Part of the class, was outdoors demo's of proper use and kinds of fire extinguishers. Mac The Fire Guy was a true pro......

On friday, after Mac's outside demo ended, we were back inside for Dinner with our instructors. This went from 6:00 - 7:00 and was followed by a discussion / question/ answer period on Full Timing. Yes, going on the road Full Time. As we were to find out, there is a sizeable % of Escapees that are Full Time Travelers, and the ones that aren't already, wish to be. Us among them. It was an interesting hour of questions and answers. Very imformative. Saturday was the last day of our Boot Camp and at the conclusion that afternoon, we were all awarded pins commemerating our achievement.

Back at our spot, we could see the area starting to fill up. Boot Camp people were in on Thursday. On Friday, some of the ones lucky enough to have water and electrical hookups started showing up. We were not lucky. And all the area where we were parked was designated as Boondocking- no water, no electricity, no sewer. On friday and on saturday, more boondockers started showing up, and on sunday, everyone else showed up. When all said and done, there were 971 of us in various rigs ranging from 43' Class A's, to travel trailers, like ours, to 5th Wheels, to Class B's, to Pickup Inserts.

Old Pueblo Hall

Sunday was the official check in day for everyone. We began our Escapade at 2:00 PM with the First Timers Welcome and Orientation. At 3:00 PM was the official Opening Ceremony.  At  7:00 PM  it was announcements, door prizes and fun. At 7:30 we were treated to Ron & Kay Rivoli. What a talented pair. Ron actually started the night playing a guitar that was made in the shape of an airstream trailer. Pretty neat. Kay was not only a talented singer, but a talented song writer also and some of her work was RV oriented. Kind of fit right in with this crowd.

We got there early- 

Hall starting to fill up. Mark Nemeth at the controls for the show.

On monday, wednesday, and thursday nights we met there again at 7:00. And, after a number of announcements made, door prizes given away, there was some form of entertainment. On Monday night we were treated to a Mentalist. On Wednesday night it was the Ham-o-Rama, Escapees version of American Idol. I do have to admit, we did have some pretty talented people in our midst.

On Thursday night, closing ceremonies, last drawings for door prizes and a drawing for a HOP to Rose Bowl Parade. Grand Prize drawing was for a winners choice 11 day mega rally from Adventure Caravans. Closing ceremonies also included info on money raised for CARE program through individual contributions, the Chili Cookoff, and Donut Sales. Final total was in excess of $12,000. Good job by all.

2000 people ????

Definitely big crowds every night- and why not? You had to be present to win.

Old Pueblo Hall was the hub. Not only was it the place most everybody started the day with free coffee and a visit to the Donut Diva's, it was a gathering place. Positioned right at the entrance was a huge map where all attendees placed a pin to indicate where they were from.....

Only 2 pins in the State of Vermont- us and some people from Rutland area.

Also located in Old Pueblo Hall were the Smartweigh sign up tables, Escapees goodies tables, the vendors room, where you could buy almost anything pertaining to an RV and the RV lifestyle. Lastly, there was a section of the room devoted to Escapee Chapters around the country, BOF's, and Escapee Parks.

Classes
Classes were what this whole thing was all about. Mary and I attended all that we could and tried not to overlap so that we could experience as much as we could..... some of the classes we attended included:  Maximum on line Connectivity - Staying OnLine;

OnLine Connectivity Class

Other classes included: Safer, Simpler RVing; Home is Where You Park It(Domicile Questions presented by a Lawyer); 2 Busy 2 Clean; The Frugal RV'er; Tire Safety; Equipping Your RV for Electrical Independence(Solar Electric); Free Camping at Wineries & Farms; Benefits & Limitations of Extended Warranties; Operation & Maintenance of RV Refrigeration; Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda(tips for newbies); Rand McNally GPS Workshop; All About Organizing; Welcome to My Arizona; Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems;Satellite TV & What's New in HD; Google Maps; The Reluctant RV'er; Realities of the Full Time Lifestyle; Cloud Computing; Full Timing FAQ; The 12 Volt Side of Life; Nature's Awesome Event- Total Solar Eclipse; and finally, Social Media to Enhance a Mobile Lifestyle

The Social Media Class put on by the Technomads

Most classes were extremely full

All in all, it was an extremely educational week and one I would highly recommend to all RV'ers. The week though was more than education. It was a chance to meet people and share experiences. You never knew what you would see there, as I'll show you here:

My definition of retirement

A beautiful sunrise on one of the mornings......

Back to friends. We were invited to join a couple of the BOF's(Birds of a Feather). The Freethinkers got together at one of the members trailers for an afternoon Happy Hour. Definitely one of the highlights of our week.

Another group we joined was the Silver Bullets Airstream group. We all met in Old Pueblo Hall for brown bag lunch.

Occasionally we just met people. Like Mike from California. Mike was from the San Diego area of CA and was traveling with his wife Marcy in their 25' Airstream. When he saw our Airstream, he had to stop by and say hello. I really enjoyed Mike and the information he later shared with me on his Airstreams' solar system. And then there was Mason- from VA. Mason and I had something in common- we both wore Boston Red Sox hats. And that got the discussion going. Talking baseball to another Red Sox fan in the Arizona desert was a good thing. And then there was Dana. I just happened to notice his 30' Airstream Classic parked out by the entrance while out walking Molly, and felt compelled to stop by and say hello. Dana said he "lived' at Jojoba Hills in a Park Model, and the Airstream was his traveling vehicle. He had enough solar (which attracted me) to sustain an off the grid life. Like 650 watts. TV all day, with a microwaved supper. He was good enough to share some of his solar info and recommendations which was greatly appreciated. And of course I can't forget Barb & Bob Williams. Both worked as volunteers for the Escapees Group- Barb in the office and as one of the quilt organizers, Bob as one of the volunteers that helped get rigs parked as they arrived and as golf cart driver providing transportation to those that needed it. Barb and Bob were "old friends" from Cochise Terrace. Our immediate neighbors, both in Class A's, were from Wisconsin and California- San Francisco area.

And then there was the Pet Parade. We were busy doing something else, so did not get to see the actual parade, but did see some of the participants.....

All shapes and sizes

The Great Dane, which happened to have the colorings of a Holstein, sported a sign that said "Eat more chickn"

Thursday night was closing "Party" - held in Old Pueblo Hall......

And a good time was had by all............Mary & I even danced a couple of times. This truly was an enjoyable week, one that we sincerely hope we can do again- at the next Escapade - IN VERMONT. A summary of the week was posted in the morning email that went to all..........


And then it was over and time to pack up and head out - to the next adventure. In our case, friday morning at 7:30 am we had Smartweigh Appointment to weigh tow vehicle and trailer. And then it was off to Lazy Days RV in Tucson to get our dead MicroWave replaced.

Quite an operation

Out of there around 11:30 and then it was off to Picacho Peak RV Park.