Xscapers Annual Bash

January 12-19

Well, it happened. These self-proclaimed “not rally, convergence or large group” people went to a gathering with approximately 300 RVs and 500 people! Crazy I know. And guess what? Not only was it not nearly as overwhelming as expected, but it was so much FUN!

In the past we’ve avoided these type of RV gatherings because they tend to skew in the direction of retired folks both in terms of schedule and activities. However, Xscapers is an organization created specifically for working-age RVers (although anyone of any age is welcome to join) and as such their convergences are geared toward people who work during the day and party at night. And when I say party, I mean PARTY!

The week-long annual gathering took place in Lake Havasu, AZ at the local fairgrounds. It was extremely well-organized with a packed schedule filled with nightly food and beverage events in addition to fun things like the RVers Olympics, tons of live music, and even a rocking rave on the last night complete with a roover DJ set up and hundreds of neon glow sticks!

We went into the event knowing that we would get out of it what we put in. Neither of us are what I would consider party animals, and we both need out quiet time, but we attended as many of the events as we could and tried our best to participate and step out of our comfort zones. After all, the whole point of attending was to meet new people and maybe try some new things.

In addition to the evening events, there were also some fun activities both scheduled and unscheduled earlier in the day. Things like group hikes and bike rides, daily meditation, two excellent yoga sessions with a local instructor, and many other things that I’m either forgetting or didn’t attend.

In short, there was something for everyone, and the group Facebook page made it easy to create your own event. I put out the idea for a Stitch-n-Bitch and despite my fear that no one would show up, at least 20 people attended with their various craft projects. RVers are so creative!

Even though Xscapers has been around for a number of years now, we’ve never felt compelled to join in on the fun. I guess part of the reason was because after nearly 7 years on the road we feel like we’ve developed a really great group of close friends and didn’t have a burning desire to meet a lot of new people. But when we found out that many of our friends were already planning to attend the annual bash we decided to take the plunge. And I am so glad that we did. Not only did we have a blast hanging out with those we already knew, but we made some great new connections as well.

In short, the Xscapers Annual Bash was an absolute blast and if we are in Arizona next winter we will definitely go again. In fact, there are smaller Xscapers events all year long and if we manage to match our travel schedule to one of them this summer we may just attend.