Chili Cook-Off at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

The Annual Chili Cook-Off is a a big fundraiser for CARE (Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees).  This unique Senior Living Option relies on volunteers and donations to provide services to Escapees in need at reasonable prices.

Texas Two Bean Chicken

Chili 

This Red Pepper, from Oxfordshire,
England promotes his favorite
Chili.

Alliant Credit Union, sponsor

of the Chili Cook-Off is

competing with their

 special recipe.

Escapade Attendees leave
a donation for each sample.











The Chili Team that collects the most donations wins the Chili Cook-Off.

The "Jim Koca Red Pepper"

hands out beads to

unsuspecting Escapees. 

Maraca playing brings
Chili tasters to this table.

The Vegetarian Chili is

very popular. 

Texas Style Chili,
anyone?

Everyone enjoys the music of

Escapees Jammers BOF.

I think a lot of money is being donated to CARE this afternoon.

When will we find out the results of this fundraiser?  At Escapade's Closing Ceremony.

Save the Date:Total Solar Eclipse Seminar at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

Gary Tomlinson's seminar

provides information to

plan for the Total Solar

Eclipse in 2017.

The path of the Total Solar Eclipse 

in August 2017 crosses the lower 

48 states, starting in Washington

ending in South Carolina.  

This NASA link lists the places along the path with the longest duration for viewing.  

A particular place on Earth

experiences a Total Solar

Eclipse once every

 350 years....

 A Total Solar Eclipse is a great opportunity to travel and share a truly rare event.

Carbondale, Illinois is going to
be in the path of Total Solar
Eclipses in 2017 & 2024.






RVers, save the date.  Start booking your travel plans now.

Gary spent a good deal of time

reviewing Eclipse Safety.

DO NOT EVER LOOK AT THE SURFACE OF THE SUN DURING A TOTAL ECLIPSE.  

Get safety glasses, goggles to view the Total Solar Eclipse

There's just over a year to plan for next year's Total Solar Eclipse.  Start booking accommodations now.  Order Eclipse Viewing Glasses or Goggles.  Here's a short list of recommended web sites to learn more about the coming Total Solar Eclipse.

Great American Eclipse 2017

Eclipse Weather Information

U.S. Naval Observatory Eclipse

Web Site

Eclipse Viewing Glasses

Happy Total Solar Eclipse Viewing!

Lifetime Members Social at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

From time to time, Escapees RV Club offers Lifetime Memberships to its members.  Eric and I joined Escapees RV Club in 2005 and became Lifetime Members in 2013.






We joined other Lifetime Escapee
Members at a Social for this
relatively small group.

Cathie Carr welcomed

us.

Escapees RV Club

provided the snacks.

Lifetime Members do what

Escapees do best share 

experiences & make 

new friends.

Ooooh....  Prizes

Prizes were awarded to the longest term Escapee Lifetime Member.  Each new Escapee member gets a membership number.  Kay Peterson has Number 1.  She was excluded from claiming this prize.  A basket was given to the newest Escapee Lifetime Member.  Eric and I fall were somewhere between the lowest and highest "SKP" numbers.  The Lifetime Members from Alaska won the prize for traveling the farthest to Escapade.  The toughest question to answer was, "What did SKP mean in 1978?"  The answer is Support, Knowledge and Pleasure.  No one remembered Pleasure.  That's OK....  Everyone agreed that oh, so close was good enough to win the prize.  

The Free Camping Offered By Fellow RVers Seminar at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

There are twenty plus seminars to choose from on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, without repeat presentations.  Everything from safety on the road to RV electrical systems to camping options are covered in just three days.

I chose to the Free Camping Offered by Fellow RVers Seminar because I am interested in varied camping options.  Eric and I have Resorts of Distinction and Resort Parks International campground memberships.  We use OvernightRVParking.com to find boondock locations, mostly in store parking lots, across the U.S. and Canada.  Free camping is allowed on Bureau of Land Management areas in the Western U.S.  We check "the rules of the road" in states and Canadian Provinces we travel in and have overnighted in road side pull offs, where it is allowed.

Let's see what Boondockers Welcome has to offer RVers:

I can't tell you the number
 encounters Eric & I have had
 with fellow RVers that include
an invitation to stay on their

property  while traveling.

This service allows hosting RVers
& traveling RVers to communicate
& set up free overnight parking.

 Think of it as the airbnb of Rving.  There are two types of membership.... Host Membership and Guest Only Membership.  Initial contacts are made through boondockerswelcom.com.  After arrangements are made, the host and traveling RVer exchange phone numbers and email addresses.

Hosts enjoy company with shared interests.  Guests save money on camping fees and spend from one to three, five nights in a safe, relaxed environment.  Guests don't pay the hosts.  How do the hosts profit?  Positive reviews add up and hosts get extensions on their memberships.

Host Locations across the U.S.,

Canada, in Mexico, Europe,

Southeast Asia, Australia &

New Zealand.

I'm sharing boondockerswelcome.com with Eric.  We need to evaluate this camping option and make a decision.

The First Timers Social at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

This is the first time an Escapee Escapade has been held in the Northeast.   MANY hands went into the air when the audience was asked about first time attendees during the Opening Ceremony.  

Molly Pinner welcomes
First Timers as husband,
Bob & CEO Shawn
Loring look on.

The Snack Tables are laden

with snacks that First Timers

brought to share

Hundreds of Escapees
gather to share our
experiences & make
new friends.

I appreciate spending time with others who are experiencing Escapade for the first time.  To a person, we are impressed with how well this five day event is run.  There are many seminars to attend, shopping at the vendors and nightly entertainment.  Make whatever free time you need.  There's TOO much to do in the time allotted.  That's what future Escapades are for... 

Vendors @ the 56th Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

Rally attendee have lots of shopping opportunities at the 56th Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont. Here are some of the vendors at Escapade.






ALLIANT Credit Union 
provides banking services
to RVers.

SimplyEtchedStickers.com

makes custom made stickers,

signs & license plates.

JIRAH LED Lighting
has everything RVers
need.

Get ready to tow efficiently

& safely with Blue Ox

towing products. 

CAMCO has just about
everything an RVer needs.

DirecTV's Traveler system

allows RVers to watch their

favorite programs as they

travel.

GEEKS ON TOUR help
RVers learn about a wide
variety of personal &
social media technologies.

TECHNORV sells all kinds of

RV monitoring systems,

including Tire Pressure Systems.

Bentsen Palm in Texas has
camping & home base
options for RVers.

RV Notepad software allows

RVers to set up spreadsheets,

trip routes & photos in one

program.

Scarves, Tee Shirts,
Tote Bags & more...

Fulltime Families has numerous

resources for fulltimers &

keeps a list of family friendly

campgrounds.

Janetta Fudge-Messmer is
promoting her first book,
Early Birds.

SkyMed offers travel insurance

to RVers traveling in the U.S.

& abroad.

Concealed Firearm
Permits are available.

ShadePro maks awnings

for all types of RVs.

The most popular table

sold Vermont Maple

Syrup.  

"The Row" at Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont

Escapee RV Club Chapters, Birds of a Feather Groups and Escapee RV Parks are sharing information and showing off their best assets on "The Row" at the 56th Escapade in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Here's a sampling of the Escapee Chapters, BOFs and RV Park options represented at Escapade.





Escapees RV Club has chapters
across the United States, in
Canada & Mexico.

Becky & Steve visit Marilyn

at the New York's Chapter 41

table.

Throughout Escapade, members of Chapter 41 (19 people) will take turns sitting at our table and chatting with Escapees from all over the United States and Canada.

Arizona Chapter 45: The Valley 
of the Sun, from the Greater 
Phoenix Area shares their
love of the Southwest.

Chapter 57: The Florida Sun Gators

promotes their chapter &

Florida Fun.

Chapter 49: Wisconsin Badgers
shares the Farmland's Cheese
with passersby.

Chapter 6: Great Lakes Area

includes Michigan & Indiana.

Chapter 8: The Mexican Connection
regularly tours Mexico.

Chapter 25, the Shanty Shakers,

are promoting the greater

San Diego area.

BOFs, Birds of a Feather Groups are are developed by members with specific interests to gather and to  promote their activities.

DOVE BOF (Disaster Operations

Volunteer Escapees) are sponsoring

a Blood Drive during Escapade.

SOLOs BOF are single Escapee

members who travel together.

Bill, the man in the yellow shirt, 

joined a small group of SOLOs

when he traveled to Alaska 

in 2014.

Boomers BOF members meet
up all across the country,
often informally.

Escapee Jammers meet up & make

music all across the country.

Woodcarverrs BOF meet &
share their art & techniques
as they travel.











Escapees RV Club became involved in Rainbow RV Parks, Co-Ops and Escapee Rainbow Parks Unlimited (ERPU) Resorts to assist club members who want a home base.  Each RV park, Co-Op and ERPU is member centric, focused on their members wants and needs.

I managed to get a photo of

Chapter 14, Nevada's Lucky

Rollers & Pair-A-Dice Co-Op 

RV Park in Parump, Nevada.

Jojoba Hills RV Resort is
located near Temecula,
California.

RoVer's Roost "crows" about

being Escapee's first Co-Op

RV Park.

Park of the Sierras, located near
Yosemite National Park, in
Coarsegold, California
shows off their amenities.

Eric & I stayed at Evergreen

Coho in Chimicum, Washington

in 2014.

I enjoyed speaking with everyone about their Chapters BOFs and Escapee home base options.