Devil's Punchbowl State Park,
near Newport, Oregon.
Photo by Dave Houser.
From the high desert over
the towering Cascades and
on to the sandy shores of the
Pacific, a glorious road trip
reveals the wonders of
Oregon—and some fine TT
preserves along the way.
Towing the Line
If you’re interested in keeping
your tow vehicle and
towable traveling together as
a team, give the innovative
products from Reese a look.
By
Steve Savage.
Turn off that Rock 'n' Roll
Today’s RV aftermarket offers
a wealth of suspension products
that can help reduce that
old swing and sway in your
rig.
While camping is a wonderful
way of life and a great
family activity, it pays to follow
some common-sense
rules to keep yourself and
your valuables safe.
We would like to announce our
first
Dues winner for
2008!
It is Carla Gustafson
from Tillamook, Oregon.
Our Copper Canyon RV Vacation
winner is Pam Moe from
Everett, Washington.
Congratulations to our winners!
Member News...
TTN & Leisure Time Family News
The idyllic rural countrysides of Ohio and Pennsylvania lure
members to the Kenisee Lake, Wilmington and Hershey preserves;
new tools that allow members to evaluate service quality
are now available online; Trail Team members Harley the Bear
and Philbert the Squirrel say howdy to Club Blazer kids; armies
prepare for a Civil War reenactment at the Soledad Canyon
Preserve; and Outdoor World parks are opening and getting
spruced up for the season.
Message From the CEO
Making Your Member Experience the Best Possible
Teams are working behind the scenes for you.
As the preserves are gearing up for the busy camping season, I thought now would be a good time to tell you about some of behind-the-scenes work we do to make your member experience the best possible. It actually started months ago when the preserve teams began extensive spring training. The preserve managers attended regional meetings with other preserve managers to discuss quality standards and ways to improve member service. Recreation directors got together with their respective regional recreation coordinators to learn and share new programming ideas. Rangers within each region met to train on the reservation system and to hone their customer service skills. And, all the preserve staffs participated in member relations and quality training, as well as safety courses.
Working in the background in a support role is our crew of eight recreation coordinators. Their job is to assist the preserves within their regions to provide top-notch recreational programming. They focus on developing activities in five different areas: 1) Social; 2) Educational and cultural; 3) Hobbies, arts and crafts; 4) Sports and recreation; 5) and Entertainment. With their help, each preserve was able to develop fun and diverse theme weekends for the entire summer season. So, kudos to our recreation coordinators below!
Southwest: Scott Woolley, also Verde Valley Preserve Manager, University Recruiting Manager, creator of Club Blazer
Northern California: Corby Clemens, also Manager in Training, Ponderosa Recreation Director
Southwest Washington and Oregon: Denise Schaecher, also Whalers Rest Assistant Manager
Northern Washington and British Columbia: Whitney McCulloch, also Grandy Creek Preserve Supervisor
Midwest: Amy Bass, also Wilmington Preserve Manager
Northeast: Sonya Grant, also Moody Beach Manager
East Coast: Don Craemer, also Lake and Shore Assistant Manager
Texas and Florida: Linda Wooten, also Resort Operations Manager, Frisco
Just for Kids
In addition to his other duties, Verde Valley Manager Scott Woolley has been working hard to develop and expand our Club Blazer children’s programming. He’s created a fabulous new TT website devoted entirely to kids—www.ClubBlazer.com. And, this summer, you’ll see more Club Blazer activities at the preserves. The new website introduces kids to the Club Blazer animal characters, and children can listen to their stories, hear their theme song, play games and more. It’s fun yet educational, and it’s all centered on teaching kids about outdoor safety, conservation and how to respect and appreciate our preserves and our planet. So, log on with your kids and take a look!
How you can Help TT
If you love Thousand Trails and want to help us continue to grow and improve, there a few things you can do to help us.
1.) Refer your friends and family to Thousand Trails. Your friends will enjoy a great three-day, two-night package and you will be entered to win a trip to Hawaii. If your referral becomes a member, you will receive free dues in 2009. To learn more about the member referral program see the ad on pages 12 and 13.
2.) Tell us your opinions with our new online surveys. Your feedback is vital to improving our services. It lets us know when things are working right and when things need some help. So the next time you visit a preserve—or call Member Services or Reservations—log on to the Members Only page at www.thousandtrails.com and tell us how we are doing. For more information on these online tools see the Tips from the Trail article on page 24.
3.) You can join the Thousand Trails team. We continue to seek experienced, mature, high quality, personable, customer service-oriented individuals to become part of our preserve management team. To find out more just visit the Career Opportunities link on the Thousand Trails web page. And if managing doesn’t appeal to you but working on a beautiful preserve does, see the Help Wanted section of the Preserve Services Directory on page 65; and don’t forget, you can apply online for member worker positions around the country!
Until next time,
Joe McAdams
President, Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.
Owner, Privileged Access LP