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Beating the Odds: The Story Behind the Founders of the Escapees RV Club
We are the result of all our experiences.To know us, you must know our stories…The Escapees RV Club was founded by Joe and Kay Peterson in 1978. Originally there was no detailed plan—the Petersons were simply two working travelers who wanted to make the RV lifestyle the best it could be for themselves and for fellow travelers. They had no idea that over 100,000 Escapees members would eventually join the club! With a magazine, an RV park system, a licensed adult day care center, and the largest mail service under one roof, the Escapees RV Club is now one of the largest in the industry. It provides a total support network for all RVers. The Petersons have inspired countless others to follow their dreams and discover the joy of this traveling lifestyle.Along their journey, Joe and Kay learned lessons in resilience, compassion, and an understanding that it is people—not places—that are important. In Beating the Odds, Kay Peterson shares the memories of their mistakes, disappointments, and heartaches. She shares her family’s history and how it all led to finding Joe, her soul mate, and the lifestyle that gave them so much happiness.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2012
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March 7, 2025
Anyone who's decided to live the full-time RV lifestyle, especially if they joined the Escapees RV Club along the way, would appreciate this book. With her husband Joe, Kay founded the club after years of RVing, meeting people around the country, and discovering she was answering the same questions about living on the road over and over. Her decision to start a newsletter to provide help to fellow travelers eventually led to the formation of the RV club.
Since the club began with a small group of friends in the late 1970s, the Escapees (SKPs, pronounced "skips," to its members) have multiplied into the tens of thousands, expanded to include membership parks around the country, and given birth to numerous sub-groups (called Birds of a Feather). My husband and I joined about the same time we struck out in our fifth wheel on our own full-time RV adventure, about fifteen years ago.
Despite our long-term membership in the club, I'd never read Kay's book until now (I hear you, fellow SKPs: shame on me, I know). Kay's voice comes through, and her willingness to share even the worst details of her life resulted in this five-star rating. Perhaps it's an indication of how personally connected she'd always felt with others. While many readers might wonder why she stayed in a horrible marriage for so long, I kept in mind how different things were for women those years ago. Crisis hotlines, domestic abuse shelters, and an understanding public were not yet common, and she had few choices. So stick through that long section if you get bogged down, knowing that a better story is yet to come.
The highlight of the book, for me, was learning about the origins of the Escapees, but I was grateful Kay told her (and Joe's) full story so I would better understand why they would go on the road and eventually create the Escapees.
Since the club began with a small group of friends in the late 1970s, the Escapees (SKPs, pronounced "skips," to its members) have multiplied into the tens of thousands, expanded to include membership parks around the country, and given birth to numerous sub-groups (called Birds of a Feather). My husband and I joined about the same time we struck out in our fifth wheel on our own full-time RV adventure, about fifteen years ago.
Despite our long-term membership in the club, I'd never read Kay's book until now (I hear you, fellow SKPs: shame on me, I know). Kay's voice comes through, and her willingness to share even the worst details of her life resulted in this five-star rating. Perhaps it's an indication of how personally connected she'd always felt with others. While many readers might wonder why she stayed in a horrible marriage for so long, I kept in mind how different things were for women those years ago. Crisis hotlines, domestic abuse shelters, and an understanding public were not yet common, and she had few choices. So stick through that long section if you get bogged down, knowing that a better story is yet to come.
The highlight of the book, for me, was learning about the origins of the Escapees, but I was grateful Kay told her (and Joe's) full story so I would better understand why they would go on the road and eventually create the Escapees.
Displaying 1 of 1 review