We discovered one of the benefits of WBCCI membership last week on our trip over the Blue Ridge Parkway and through GSMNP - the Airstream parks. We stayed at both Virginia Highland Haven and Tennessee Cumberland Plateau; both were very, very nice and less than $15/night for full hookups! VA Highland Haven was the most perfectly manicured and maintained park I've ever seen; the scenery was beautiful; and the people were the nicest you could possibly imagine. TCPC and its guests and residents were very nice as well. Our traveling party was welcomed warmly even in our vintage trailers (one of which was my father's Argosy) and with our large Labs. I would highly recommend either of them.
We would seem to fit the prototype of those who may be disgruntled with the WBCCI experience, as we're both in our thirties, both still working, and we have only vintage trailers. However, we've found our local unit (Greater St. Louis) to be very warm and welcoming, and we've enjoyed the few unit events we've been able to attend with our busy schedules. In some ways, they're even more relaxing and low-key than some of the vintage events we've regularly attended, as they tend to be smaller and more intimate and lack the "we'd better re-polish the trailer" pressure of vintage open houses.
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Ben & Molly (but Ben never types, so it's always Molly )
We would seem to fit the prototype of those who may be disgruntled with the WBCCI experience, as we're both in our thirties, both still working, and we have only vintage trailers. However, we've found our local unit (Greater St. Louis) to be very warm and welcoming, and we've enjoyed the few unit events we've been able to attend with our busy schedules. In some ways, they're even more relaxing and low-key than some of the vintage events we've regularly attended, as they tend to be smaller and more intimate and lack the "we'd better re-polish the trailer" pressure of vintage open houses.
This has been our experience too (except we're more 40-ish). Our WBCCI unit (New England) has been very warm and welcoming, and extremely helpful. We jumped into vintage Airstream ownership with only a little idea of what we were getting into. Even before we bought, the local unit was helpful in offering suggestions for storage, local RV supply centers, and where to look to find a used trailer. At the first gathering we attended with our trailer (this past weekend) the members helped us with our fickle gas water heater, gave us encouraging compliments and suggestions for fixing up our Safari, helped us with hitching up and towing, shared stories of their own early camping experiences that made us feel not so stupid about things, and told us about great campgrounds in the area and which campgrounds we might want to avoid. Our local WBCCI unit has been a wonderful help to us getting started with our Airstream.
I've spent a good part of my day reviewing the older WBCCI related threads on this forum.Some have pointed out it is not for them,others counter that the club is what you make it.One thing that remains the same is that not a lot has changed.Threads started 3-4 years ago could be started today and today's posts both pro and con would mirror those made previously.I would not be overly concerned if the membership numbers remained the same over this period of time but they have declined which should signals something that is very clear to me.Change is needed and I don't necessarily mean the name as I don't see that as one of the problems.Membership has fallen from over 25000 in 1976,to 10300 in 1996 to the present day total of approximately 7200 while the RV industry has dramatically increased.Since starting this thread 7 months ago,I have recognized that to survive WBCCI will have to adapt and make some sweeping changes.If attempted,this will not be easy or a speedy process and will ruffle some feathers along the way but if done correctly a stronger,more vibrant club will emerge from the ashes.There are a lot of great folks in the organization volunteering a lot of their time to achieve 'a way of life' from the unit level and up.All want the club to survive and should be working and communicating together towards a common goal.At this time,this could be done more effectively. I don't want to sit idly by and let an organization that has given a lot to me over the years fade into oblivion.
Soapbox off...Flamesuit on.
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