One thing about hurricanes... you have plenty of advance warning, sometimes as much as a week.

Like Jack said, by Oct/Nov, hurricane season is pretty well done with for another year.

And in the off chance you may have to evacuate, it's not difficult if you don't wait till the last minute. Just moving 100 or so miles in a direction away from the storm path can make a huge difference.

Brian

Thank you Brian; (hmm, nice name)
We never thought about the advance warning nor of our ability to move inland. I suppose that that is a strategy that others have used if the need arises?
Regards
Brian

Hi Jack,Danielle,
I am beconing convinced that we will go to South Carolina for our first time away from home. I appreciate the suggestion to go to Alabama but I worry that it will be a bit too far to access Canada regarding my mother in law----otherwise--
May I ask for your advice regarding Escapee payed membership? I found that the registration fee for membership is $80.00. I was reading and trying to understand about the three kinds of parks eg. The Rainbow system which you mentioned. I do not think that payiing memberwshiip will offer us any benefit this year---or at least I am not sure. I really enjoy the email and access to others.
As an example of our nonproductive joining, when we purchased our used airstream 2 1/2 years ago, in our excitment we payed the fees to join the Airstram club. We were not seasoned travellers and did not take part in any activities (our own fault) as we were doing things with our family locally. The $100.00 seemed to be not very well spent. Do you think that paying the Escapees membership would be of much value to us this year? If/when we begin to travel I think that my opinion would change. May I ask for your thoughts or those of others?
Regards
Brian

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Mayer:
I'm not sure why I would want to stay in TN in relative cold, when another day or day and a half drive I could be at the coast....where it is pretty warm in the winter, and there are pretty nice parks with winter activities?? Is there some specific attraction to winter in TN?

There is no benefit to joining Escapees if you are not using any of the services or Parks. Other than to support the club....

As to SC vs AL - you should enjoy either one. I'm not sure that SC is that much closer to home, but you need to do what you are comfortable with.

Sorry this is late - I haven't been on the forum for a few days. You should be "warm enough" in either AL or SC but should you decide to go to TN there is Countryside Campground in Lebanon which is just east of Nashville on I-40. I believe they have long term rates, I know they have yearly sites in the back of the park. It is a clean park with no "trashy" RVs. We love Nashville and have stayed in that area through December (never been there in Jan/Feb). I would most definitely want to have heated tanks, artic insulation, and thermopane windows.

Hey, Jack, see you and Danielle in Summerdale - we'll be arriving there sometime in October. Norm and Linda Payne will be there as well.

quote:

Hey, Jack, see you and Danielle in Summerdale - we'll be arriving there sometime in October. Norm and Linda Payne will be there as well.

Yeah, but Norm and Lynda will be on their lot - not with us wandering trailer trash.....

They'll allow us traveling trailer trash to visit if we bring wine - the good stuff

quote:

Is any area more likley to encounter a hurricane before the season ends in late November?

And a good answer is:

quote:

Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November, but as the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) notes:

"There is nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes have occurred outside of these six months, but these dates were selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity."

When is the hurricane season most active?
Again according to the AOML, there's a "very peaked season from August to October", with:

* 78% of the tropical storm days
* 87% of the "minor" hurricane days
* 96% of the "major" hurricane days

And within this peak hurricane season, early to mid-September is the pinnacle.

Of course Mother Nature isn't reading any calendars, and every once in a while a tropical cyclone hits out of season -- usually in May or December-- or late in the season: Hurricane Wilma, for instance, that caused so much damage on Mexico's Caribbean coast, battered Cancun and the Riviera Maya on October 21 and 22 2005.

quote:

I found that the registration fee for membership is $80.00. I was reading and trying to understand about the three kinds of parks eg. The Rainbow system which you mentioned. I do not think that payiing memberwshiip will offer us any benefit this year---or at least I am not sure.

I must disagree with the answer that Jack gave you on this one. It may be that the benefit does not justify the cost to you, but there are still benefits from membership. First of all, Jack seems to have forgotten the Escapees Magazine. It is the very best RV magazine that I have ever found and is the one I read most completely, every issue. There is also a directory of camping places sent to every member that lists many commercial RV parks that give Escapees at least a 15% discount and some more than that. That same directory also has a section that lists members who own real estate and who allow traveling Escapees to stay on their property for free, or for a small donation of electricity when available. In some cases, those sites even have hook-ups and most at least have water available, as well as a great deal of friendship and social contact.

There are some other benefits, but you can find out about those by visiting Escapees Benefits.

Hello Kirk and thank you for writing. The information is helping me to better understand.
Regards
Brian

Yeah, Kirk, there are some benefits, but are they worth $80?? For a magazine? And most of the SKP discount parks offer discounts on other systems....most but not all.

Each can make their own decisions, but I agree with you on one thing for sure....investigate the club and decide if it is worth it to you. It is to me - I'm a Lifetime member.....

Thanks Jack,Danielle & Kirk.
You both have good sensible points. I know that I am certaily enjoying the conversation and support that is offered by members. Once we make our first trip (actually our second as we went to the Shenandoah Vally in March)and put things into perspective we will become members. We know two couples, one of whom is even greener than we are, that will be travellling across the Southern States to Texas in November. I have given them the Escapees website.
Regards
Brian

I live in the NC mountains just south of Roan Mountain, TN. You can bet your life I won't be here this winter. Weather here is very changable. One day it will be sunny and 60 degrees. The next day there will be a foot of snow and strong winds with a temperature in the single digits. The coldest I've seen it was minus 28 degrees. That was in the 80's but I've also seen the Rhododendron bloom in January. In 93 or 94 (The memory is the first to go and I don't remember what the 2nd thing is) we got 4 foot of snow over night and couldn't get out for nearly 2 weeks with no water, electric or phone. Livingston, watch out, here I come.

We were South Carolina, by the NC/SC border in the Spartenburg area last Nov, Dec. We left just after new years due to the cold inclement weather and headed south to FL. It seems to be a raw cold here. Had a number of nites with the garden hose freezing up, and the furnace running non stop.

Oh, I have to admit I am a whimp for cold weather now!

We are here again this year now, and plan on leaving earlier this year.

Keep your options open in case you want to head further south.

Having spent a March in both South Carolina and in Alabama I'd recommend Summersdale for a place to winter.

Had an ice strom come through Columbia, SC, and it was so cold it was snapping trees in two! I'm sure that was unusual but it happened.

Steve Ball
USN Ret.