It had been three years since we'd visited the headquarrters of the Escapees RV Club, located in Livingston, Texas. That was our first contact with the tangible facilities of Escapees (also known as SPKs or simply "skips"), and we the wrote of our first impressions. One of our clear recollections was the difficulty we'd had even finding the entrance to the park. There was only a very small and inconspicuous sign that marked the entrance; and indeed until we'd driven in a ways, we still weren't sure we'd found the right place. On that occasion we'd found ourselves in a comfortable but fairly congested portion of the park, with side-by-side hookups that had proved a bit tricky to use. Our other impression was of the genuinely friendly attitudes we'd found -- both from the park staff and from the other guests we'd met there.
This time as we drove our rig the 5 or 6 miles south of town, we strained to get an early glimpse of that well-remembered tiny sign providing the first clue. This time, however, things were very, very different. What we found was a new, much larger, and very attractive sign clearly indicating we'd found the National Headquarters of the Escapees, and it's "home" RV park. We found this the first "sign" of some major changes...
And the surprise didn't stop there. About 100 yards into the park we came to an attractive new building that houses the check-in area, a laundry faciity, library, fitness room, internet access stations and restrooms. No longer a tiny old building barely adequate to accommodate the check-in crew -- this was now an impressive facility that one would associate more with a private, upscale RV park. And looking just beyond, we could see scores of new -- and much larger -- RV spaces. Some were back-ins while others were pull throughs (as long as 100'). All were spacious, and all had full hookups (no longer the side by side types). To complete the surprise introduction, when we checked in we were asked whether for an additional $2 we'd like to activate our site telephone! The fees here are still extremely reasonable. We were asked to note the electric meter reading before we checked out, as that is charged on a use basis. Nevertheless, when we checked out the next day the total tab for our overnight visit including the electricity charge and all taxes was the whopping sum of $11.18. Although we are members of SKPs, we also learned that non-members are invited to stay at this park for a slightly higher daily rate -- subject only to their being space available. Non-SKP members who travel through this area might find this a great way to sample not only this nice new park, but also to learn a bit more about the SKP's Club as well.
As we'd done three years ago, we spent some time with Cathie Carr (CEO), her husband, Bud, and Mark Nemeth, another management official, and enjoyed the opportunity to trade views on what's going on in the world of RVers, RV parks, and the RV industry in general. As before, we were impressed with the sincere and genuine purposes of the Escapees organization, which in a nutshell seeks to provide a complete support system for RVers. While they do provide a variety of additional services for a fee, we sense the primary mssion is truly geared to supporting RVers and the RVing lifestyle. The philosophy here is that when you join you're not just a "member" -- you're part of the SKP family. And they really mean just that.
During our discussions on this visit we sensed a subtle but unmistable shift of the Club in the direction of upgrading, modernizing, and moving its offerings in the direction of cutting edge technology. While there are still good reasons of "economy" to be an SKP, increasingly we believe there is a new emphasis here on a "quality" experience as well. Clearly this is a membership option that will get a second look from those who have not previously joined, as the audience that will be attracted to its modernized management philosopies is now a much broader target.