Mandatory Fun: Xscapers Convergence in Salida, CO
One of the things full-timers talk about is that beautiful places are great, but the real joy is the bonds you form on the road. With so many places closed and events cancelled for COVID, it’s been hard to find community this year and experience that for ourselves. Really it’s been kind of lonely. We were eager to attend this event full of other RVers, ready to make friends and learn. And well, that happened, but almost despite the event and not because of it.
Convergences are RV rallies held at fairgrounds in various places around the country. They’re organized by the Xscapers, the working-age branch of the Escapees RV club which has been around since 1978. The events attract mostly singles and young-ish couples without kids, and many of the attendees follow the events around the country, connecting and reconnecting with the club community. If you’re truly full-time - sold the house and everything - such a community can be vital.
We came into this event sunburned, exhausted, and ready to rest after two sunny weeks in the water at Jellystone. Turns out that is exactly how NOT to arrive at a Convergence event, because it was a party scene right off the bat. Live music, late night dance parties, and kid-unfriendly events dominated the first days. The first night, with loud, live music playing just 300 feet from our RV, we felt like we had made a huge mistake. We contemplated other places to stay. There was crying. We tracked down the organizer to see what was the deal. He reassured us that it would settle down a bit after a day or two. We held on. What had we gotten ourselves into? How would we make friends on the road if all they do is party?
The next day was the 4th of July, and the conference event was inner tubing on the river in downtown Salida. My ankle was in no shape to go in the river, so we took in the sights and activity of the town. Salida is adorable, expensive to live in, and at the center of hundreds of miles of mountain ranges fit for fishing, rafting, and hiking. Independence Day is a pretty big holiday here, and the whole town shows up. It was a pretty fun scene, I do wish we were rested enough to enjoy it more. At night there was a bike parade for the families, with glow sticks and lights for all. We could see the town fireworks from the rally site, so all gathered round to watch the show.
The Lot Crawl is an event highlight if you like open houses.
Salida has something you would not expect - a thriving circus school. The conference organizers had the school teach circus classes onsite for the kids each day, which was really nice and gave the kids something to connect over every day.
There was also a “lot crawl” which is basically a progressive dinner for RVers, where everyone can open their rig for tours and also see other people’s too, with snacks all round. It was a blast, a great way to share ideas and stories. Each section is open for tour at a different time, so you can be around to serve your snacks as needed, then you also get to tour everyone else’s.
At the end of the week there was a big dinner served for everyone, and the kids got to show off their circus skills with a show - in full costume and makeup, even!
By the end of the week we could see the fun of it and had really enjoyed ourselves. Everyone there was very friendly, welcoming and helpful, even if they liked to stay up later than we do. The kids made good connections too, and we’re actually looking forward to the next event in Idaho later this summer. But for now… we need a break.
