Escapees July-August 2023

thoughts for the road

PHOTO BY RUTH AND TERRI HAGER #48315

We were shown to our parking space [at Park Sierra SKP Co-Op in Coarsegold, California] and given a map and a list of rules and events. We had just fi nished setting up our rig when a four-seat golf cart, driven by Ace and Barbara Mecham #8610, pulled onto our site. They got out and gave us hugs and told us they were the “unof fi cial” welcoming committee. They took us on a two-hour tour of the park and build ings, stopping to explain the history of things and answering our many questions. If someone didn’t want to take the tour, the Mechams still gave them a welcoming hug and answered their questions. Sometime during our conversation, they explained that they had once visited another SKP Co-Op and received a very cold reception. Instead of turning in their Escapees membership, this couple decided to do something about it. They were proud of their park and, if they could prevent it, did not want anyone to leave without being made to feel welcome. It became their mission. After being treated badly by someone at a park, many people react by harboring a grudge and bad-mouthing that park whenever the opportu nity arises. But the Mechams turned that same unhappy experience into a way to make sure no one who visited their beloved Park Sierra SKP Co-Op would ever feel unwanted. Stuff happens to all of us. It isn’t what happens to us that shows our character. It’s how we react—it’s what we do about it that counts. An excerpt from Escapees magazine July/August 2009

Co-founder

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July/August 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine