Mason-Dixon Travelers park close to home
PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Tom and Marilyn Skeel enjoy camping with the Mason-Dixon Travelers, a group dedicated to minimizing expenses by meeting at local campgrounds.

It doesn't matter that gas prices are up. Or that recreational vehicles average six to 10 miles per gallon. Some people just like to camp.

And so the Mason-Dixon Travelers compensate by camping monthly within a 30-mile radius of its members.

Tom Skeel, 3485 Buchanan Trail West, joined the club last year and was quickly elected Wagonmaster. He and his wife Marilyn favored the idea of camping locally and meeting like-minded people.

"These are wonderful people. They made us feel comfortable joining," said Skeel.

The club membership, once topping 100 families, now numbers 17. The group meets the third weekend, April through October, at Twin Bridge Campground in Chambersburg or Roxbury Holiness Camp near Orrstown.

The RV campers pull up in trailers, fifth-wheels or motorhomes.

"The camaraderie of this recreation seems to be the main attraction," said Skeel. "Camping is no longer a simple thing. Clubs make it easier to learn the ins and outs of camping."

The members teach new RV owners how to back into a site, level their units, operate the features, and conduct maintenance.

The mostly retired seniors then kick back and enjoy themselves.

"We just sit around and let the world go by," Skeel said.

The group socializes, makes campfires and shares a potluck meal on Saturdays. They also meet for a Christmas banquet in December.

John Frain, 1850 Shanks Church Road, agrees that the members are a great group of people. He and his wife Shirley were talked into joining in 1995 by their friends Tom and Helen Shook.

"Each Sunday we have a brunch of leftovers," he said. "There's about as much food on the table as when we started out."

Frain has served twice as club president, and once as vice-president. At one business meeting he was sent on an errand, and when he returned, found out he had been elected to an office. He good naturedly served his term.

The club was organized in 1967 and its bylaws state the purpose was 'for the enjoyment of God's outdoors, and fellowship by people of good moral character who are interested in camping.' It charges $20 per year for membership, primarily Pennsylvania and Maryland families.

The club was the first large group to stay at Twin Bridge when it opened forty years ago. The Wagonmaster makes the reservations a year in advance and the two campgrounds welcome them.

"We don't cause any trouble," explained Skeel.

The Skeels winter in Florida, and just upgraded from a 32-foot to a 34-foot motorhome. The 1996 Winnebago is their 'home away from home.'

Anyone interested in the club may contact them at 597- 2987.