On July 16 we picked up our new Escape 19 in Chilliwack after driving from Ohio on I-90. The morning of the 16th, after breakfast at Tim’s we couldn’t wait and arrived at Escape early. (I hate it when customers show up for meetings early. The folks at Escape put up with our eagerness.)
We wandered around, looked at the other models...including the 21, and poked around in our trailer until Dave was free for our orientation. Tammy and Reace were scrambling to take care of us and get ready to go the rally and then on a well earned vacation. A very busy day, but they all found plenty of time for us.
It’s all true. Escape is great company to deal with. We were welcomed in to the family (cult?) of Escape owners. Dennis towed our trailer back over the border for us where we hitched up in the shade ( it was hot) of the closed down gas station across from Bob’s Burgers and Brew. No sweat. No paper work at the border for us. It’s a snap. Put the Ohio plate on and drove away.
We dropped the trailer at the KOA in Burlington and hit the local grocery store. Came back to camp and began to move out of the F-150, which held all of our camping stuff. We cleverly requested a back in site away from the always-to-tight-for-us pull thrus. But then…in the evening…KOA assigned someone else in the site right next to ours. The other six along the fence were empty. Go figure. Had we pulled up in that situation, we would have gone back to the office and requested one of the empty sites. Much closer than it appears in the picture.
Over the ferry and through the woods to Olympic National Park. ($50 on the Port Townsend ferry.)
The first night we camped at Hurricane Ridge and then moved down to Mora campground near Forks Washington where according to the Twilight sagas all the vampires live. We did not see any vampires, or much other wild life other than a deer or two.
The plan was to get a site at Mora, and stay until Sunday so we did not have to worry about finding a site on the weekend while we played with our new toy. The 19 fit nicely in a big pull thru. But other sites were the shortest I have ever seen in a National Park. There would have been no room for the truck and trailer in most back-ins.
A welcome from fellow Escapers found on our door step. Nice people!
Latter we also spoke briefly to the owners of a green 19 with a matching F-250 at the Badlands NP campground on the way home, and saw 3 other Escapes the entire trip. Maybe a dozen other fiberglass trailers total. And hundreds of big 5ers, and motorhomes pulling cars.
The sun sets on the lower 48 at Rialto Beach, two miles from our camp at Mora.
The weather turned damp, and cold, but it was cozy in the trailer. Feeling we had the feel of Olympic, we decided to check out the much dryer and colorful Mount Rainier National Park on Sunday for two nights.
second post to follow...