Sutherlin Oregon Timber Valley Escapees co-op

We have been busy exploring the area surrounding the Escapees (SKP) co-op in Sutherlin Oregon. 

 

The Co-op is within walking distance of Sutherlin's downtown area, and just north of thriving Roseburg Oregon with good shopping and medical facilities.    This park is another place where we can own our own long term (lifetime or until released) lot to live part time and eventually retire from our travels, and become part of a community of full-timing RVers. The waiting list here is running 3 to 4 years wait for a lot to become available to us. 

This is the spot we are renting right now. Most of the lots are the same except for different tastes in landscaping.

The lots are big.

The people here have been very friendly and helpful.

View down the street

So far, we love the location: close to the Oregon's coast and the mountains with plenty to do. It is nice to be surrounded by hills covered in green trees instead of desert sand and brush. Just two hours away and we can be back in one of the Thousand Trails parks along the coast or to the east. But, it is further away from our kids and grandkids than the co-op in Benson AZ where we are on the waiting list (6-7 year wait). 

What?! Eh?! Who?! Gobble?!

We also like all the critters. It is a regular wildlife preserve inside the park with deer, wild turkey, quail, and big jack rabbits on steroids. We were told that cougar, bobcat, bear, raccoon, and fox have also been sighted inside the RV park as well.

On our walk yesterday morning, we spotted quite a few deer hanging around the apple trees except for one deer.

He was busy munching on the greens inside someone's fenced garden.



Uh, oh! Humans!

Once we were spotted, the deer moved off towards the apple trees. This seems to be their favorite hangout.


No worries of apples rotting on the ground here!

One of the downsides is the town of Sutherlin. The bad economy leaves this town struggling a bit.   However  Roseburg is just 20 minutes drive south, and Eugene/Springfield 1 hour north for shopping and any future medical needs.  Roseburg has a large VA hospital complex for Dan.

The only major downside inside the park is the sheds. The sheds are all the same except for 3 different colors in similar tones. No bright or bold colors. No individual artistic imagination allowed and no Casitas or extra living space allowed in this park. The sheds cannot be expanded so basically they are used for storage and a few have workbenches in them. On the upside, the buy in is less here than many of the other co-ops.



 As in all the SKP co-ops there is a large community center, community activities, and a laundry facility.

There are several quilt shops and quilt shows within a radius of an hour's drive. Sutherlin actually has a small quilt shop. Sonja's Sewing Basket is more of a sewing machine and long-arm center, but she does have fabric and some supplies.



Another view down the street and the back side of this lot.

We plan to visit two more SKP co-ops in California and go back to the Benson co-op for one more comparison between the parks. We can add our names to as many park's waiting lists as we want, with a small non refundable administrative fee, and a refundable deposit should we change our minds.  All the co-ops offer the entire buy-in fee back when the lease is released by us, or upon our deaths to our estate for the kids.  

 

So after the buy in (refundable) the only cost to these co-ops is a annual fee voted upon by the membership to maintain the park, pay for roads and buildings, pay for water, sewer, garbage, cable tv etc.  Our cost would be this annual fee plus electricity used on our lot when we are present, and propane. 

 

 Annual fees are running $1,000 to $1,200 per year at both Benson and here in Sutherlin (includes water, sewer, garbage service, and cable tv).  For both this park and for Benson AZ, we can add our lot into the rental pool when we are not on site, and earn cash back split between the park and everyone in the rental pool.

 

So, for now at least, we are on two waiting lists:  Benson AZ and Sutherlin OR.  We may or may not drop one later, and could even add one more.  We do think though that when it comes time to buy the actual long term lease we will do only one  (some people have mutliple lots across the country).

 

Southward tomorrow for a two day run to Coarsegold CA.