The two RV Gypsies joined Thousand Trails as a member in 2008 because
Clermont Florida was their home base. They chose this as their home
base because it was the closest Thousand Trails campground to their
son Brian Duquette's house. The two RV Gypsies even put their new RV
in storage here before they became full-time RVers in 2008, and found
the storage price quite reasonable. They stayed at this Thousand Trails
several times in 2008. They really loved the campground. Sites were
adequately spaced apart.
As in most Thousand Trails (at this time -but that
changed in the future), the two GV Gypsies got to drive around the campground
and pick their own site. The campground had an adult-only hot tub, two
heated swimming pools - one of which was adult-only. Roads were paved.
Some sites were hard gravel and some sites were grass.
Lee and Karen Duquette rented canoes and their grandchildren
canoed with the alligators. The canoes were not in the best of condition,
but it was still nice. There was a catch and release fishing pond, and
a lot of other amenities that the two RV Gypsies did not use.
Two months later, tragedy struck and their
son Brian Duquette was murdered in
his own home At that time, the two RV Gypsies returned to Thousand Trails
in Clermont to settle Brian's affairs. The people at the office were
understanding about extending the time that the two RV Gypsies could
stay on their site (at extra cost of course) and the two RV Gypsies
rented a cabin for other family members. But the cabin was not satisfactory
to them, although there were other available cabins that looked a lot
nicer, that their family should have been assigned
during this time of tragedy.
 As time passed, and for obvious reasons, the two RV Gypsies did not want to return to the Clermont area anymore, but they did return June 2014 to find a lot of changes in the campground. Their favorite site was now an annual site. They no longer got to choose their own site like they did in 2008. The office assigned a site. The hot tub was no longer for adults only, and there was no longer an adult only pool. THE BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE WAS THAT "FAILURE TO DROP OFF YOUR CAR TAG IN THE CHECK-OUT BOX AT THE GATE OR IN THE OFFICE BY 11 A.M. WILL RESULT IN A $32 LATE FEE."
One nice change was that the pool was open until 11
P.M., but the pool will be closed whenever thunder is heard and for
safety reasons the pool will not reopen until the thunder has stopped
for at least 30 minutes.
Karen Duquette was very unhappy that Lee Duquette booked
this campground in 2014 (just because she does not want to be in Clermont
or Orlando ever again, because of the loss of her son). So the two RV
Gypsies will not be returning.
Below is a photo taken of the picnic table at the
site in 2014 and it was not in good condition. But the two RV Gypsies
seldom eat outside and especially not in such hot weather, so they did
not care. And looking around, most other picnic tables did not seem
to be in any better condition. Things change and this is one reason
why the two RV Gypsies say that comments are only of their own experience
and do not make campgrounds good or bad in general. |
