Escapade in Gillette Wyoming

We made it to Gillette on Saturday about noon meeting our friends Greg and Judy Bahnmiller right outside of the CamPlex. We went into Escapade together and were parked back to back. Great location right near the road. We first met Greg and Judy the spring we started full-timing at the Life on Wheels Conference in Bowling Greene, KY. They also sold their stick and brix house in Michigan to take to the road in their Hitchhiker 5th wheel. We next saw them at the Escapade in Indiana last September. We've followed their adventures thru their blog.
http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/

On Saturday we registered for Escapade, picked up our goodie bag and checked out some of the vendors that were set up in the market area. Then out to dinner at the local Golden Coral. On Sunday the activities started. More visiting to the vendors, and going to some of the many classes being offered. Each evening there was entertainment. One night we listened to country music played by the Chugwater Band from Cheyenne Wyoming. They were OK but as most know, NOT MR. P's favorite kind of music. The best entertainment offered was performed by Jimmy Travis. He was a singer comedian and was great. Very funny and he sang well also.
http://www.jimmytravis.com/


The classes offered were very good. Everything from electricity and your RV to Cowgirl Nan and her stories about the old west. We enjoyed them but didn't go to as many as at the last Escapade. Having more experience in this lifestyle we just didn't feel the need to "learn it all" like we did last year.
One afternoon we skipped out and went to the RockPile Museum in Gillette. This free museum displays lots of information about Gillette and Campbell county from many years. Very interesting and definitely worth the time we spent there.



On Wednesday night we caught up with the Escapee Class of 2007 FullTimers and had a pot-luck supper. It was great to finally meet others we'd only met thru the internet on the Escapees Forum. Good food and fellowship. And plans to meet some again at the Gypsy Journal Rally in Ohio in September and at a Reunion Rally being held next year in Texas. The picture shows some of the guys putting the CARE patch on our banner. The group has raised and donated over $1000 to Escapees CARE. CARE is located at Rainbow's End in Livingston Texas at Escapees home and offers care to any member that has illness and needs assistance while they recover.

Every Escapees member is assigned a SKP number when they join the club. SKP stands for

S - Support
One important benefit of Escapees is the support members get from each other as they travel. Because some Escapees travel long distances from their home base and families, and because they may be on the road for many months at a time, it is important to be part of an extended family of travelers. Support also includes the many benefits and optional services that the Escapees Club provides.

K - Knowledge
Members often say that the money-saving tips they get from Escapees magazine alone more than pay their annual dues. Learning is also the keynote of the Escapades that take place each year. Going to an Escapade is like attending a concentrated five-day college course on RVing.

P - Parking
One thing that makes the Escapees RV Club different from other RV clubs is that it offers members places to park. In addition to home-base benefits for those who join an SKP Co-Op or Rainbow Park, all Escapees members may use short-term parking at Escapees parks. This includes Rainbow's End campground, located at the international headquarters in Livingston, Texas. Members also have overnight parking opportunities with other Escapees members across the country.

There is a lot of volunteerism practiced by the Escapees members. Everything from working at CARE at Rainbow's End in Livingston to building houses with Habitat for Humanity. While at Escapade we volunteered and helped out. I sold ice cream one day and maintained an information booth another time. Gary signed up to drive one of the shuttle vans but was released because they had more drivers than they needed. We're thinking about volunteering with the Habit for Humanity group later next year. I can swing a mean paint brush and you know Mr. P has many skills he could bring to the group. :) We'll see once we learn more about the work being done.

Friday was the Fourth of July. We started the day having breakfast at Greg and Judy's Rig. We brought the meat and they treated us to Muggles. Muggles are scrambled pancakes and very tasty. We'd never heard or tried these before but it won't be the last time we have them. I've already tried once cooking them with limited success but plan to try again after talking to Greg and Judy about my cooking method.
After breakfast we went into Gillette for the Fourth of July Parade. This is the first parade we'd been to in some time and we enjoyed it very much. Being an election year there were many floats (and I use that term very loosely) from the various folks seeking election. There were also many horses, cars and motorcycles. Very festive. The best part for us..being Escapees.. was our very own float. Built by members this week during Escapade. It came in 2nd overall in their judging but of course we thought it was best.





After the parade we went over to Bicentennial Park for a free HotDog lunch being provided by the City of Gillette. We like free. And it was good too. Afterward we went back to the rig to "rest" before the fireworks. These started in the neighborhood across the street from the CamPlex at about 4pm. They continued practically non-stop up until about midnight. That neighborhood must have spent several thousand dollars on fireworks. I've never seen so many outside of a fireworks display being provided by some organization before. These were everywhere for miles around. We decided we needed to be in the fireworks business. So we could them to this neighborhood for next year. At 10pm the CamPlex started with their display. We have great seats just outside our rig and enjoyed seeing it all with other Escapees. Overall a very fun day and night. We fell into bed after midnight still hearing fireworks going off in the distance.
Another successful Escapade with over 1000 rigs and over 2000 members and guest attending. Now..the question is...do we plan to go to the next one..Missouri in May.. who knows.. time will tell. Love to you all. Deb