This won't be new information to my RVing friends as they already know all this stuff. We've stopped at all kinds of RV campground on this trip and met a lot of folks. All have been friendly and outgoing. Much more outgoing than in any regular neighborhood. It's so typical of RVer's in my opinion. It's probably due to the fact that you aren't in any place too long and if you want any human interaction you have to be willing to just walk up and start talking to folks.
The parks we've been at the most have been SKP co-op parks. SKP is synonym for Escapees which is the real name of the RV club. As co-op parks, all the lots are leased by the owners and visitors like us can rent the sites when the owners are out traveling. In the southwest most of these parks are full in the winter when it's cold back home and almost empty in the summer when it's hot here.
These co-op parks are interesting. The lease holder can add little building on the lot for all kinds of purposes besides storage. They can be living rooms, laundry rooms, porches, etc. Whatever they need space for when they are here for the six months they are here in the winter.
These parks have tons of activities in the winter to keep folks busy. In addition to that some of the people find jobs or volunteer work to fill their time. I met a retired attorney yesterday who filled his time in winter with being an arbitrator for civil cases under $10k for the county court system.
It's also interesting what people do in the summers. Some just go visiting and touring around the country, somewhere it's cooler than the southwest. Others have jobs lined up. Working for a state or national park. This usually means they get all their campground fees paid, and sometimes a small salary. But most important to some is the access they get in the parks. They are cleared to go where park visitors can't go and see some things that aren't viewed by normal visitors. They are also there for all the great events, like animal migrations or births of young, and don't have to get lucky to catch something interesting the way normal visitors have to. Some people have co-op sites up north and here in the southwest and just move as the weather changes.
Obviously the folks that do this are full timers, meaning they sold their house and everything they owned that wouldn't fit in the RV. As one fellow I talked to yesterday said, he traded possessions for experiences. A large percentage of these folks are experts at living inexpensively. Most have solar so they can live for a week or so without any hookups for as little as $5 a day. They also know all the great food places where locals eat and avoid the high priced tourist chain restaurants.
A trend I found interesting at SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson, AZ is having 2 campers. A number of these folks have setup their original RV like a 5th wheel trailer on the site and have never moved it. So they buy RV's like Class Bs, or truck campers so they can go boon-docking as a group for short trips while they are in residence at the Co-op. They have a big storage area near the campground to park their second RV or boats, etc.
You might want to reconsider and attend the Escapade. It is so unusual for it to be in the East. I know you'd have a great time. There is so much to learn at these and they are very different from the MOC ones. Just as good only very different.
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