Camping from the workers point of view

Okay, I have been doing the work camping thing now for about six  months and I have developed the opinion that anyone that owns a camper should have to experience what it takes to facilitate the operation of a campground so that the guests have a fun filled weekend.  Until I did this gig, I never really thought about just how much time and  effort go into the operations and  maintaining of campground facilities to help insure that those that visit have a good and safe  time.  I never really thought about why the speed limit is posted on every tree and sometimes, just to get your attention, the limit is an amusing 7.5 miles  per hour or something off the wall like that.  I never gave a thought as to why the fire ring  is  located were it is, why the park supplies all those dog disposal bags and the dog park, or a lot of  other things that happen at the parks.  I have to say that when we start traveling again I will have a whole new understanding as to why the rules are posted everywhere, why every post has a speed limit sign, why there are so many dog bag and refuse areas and so many more  things.

First, I would like to dis-spell the myth that all work campers are either old  retired people or people that maybe had a bad turn in life and have to work at the campground in order to have a place to live.  Granted, I am old and retired but I am not here because I have to be, and neither are any of the other workers that I have met.  Each worker I have met does this job for their own personal reasons.  In my case, I am doing it in order to make sure my grand daughter is cared for while her mom goes to a school that will enhance the families quality of life.  I am not alone in this cause.  I have met other camp workers that are doing this job for their kids or grand kids.  I have met some that are doing this  job so that they can be close to their family without being a burden on them and by retaining their independence by living in their own home while still being close enough to visit the family. I have met work campers that are doing this just to do something different.  I have  met work campers that are owners of  homes, farms, ranches and businesses.  They just wanted to live the nomad life for a while, leaving their homes, farms, ranches or businesses in the  hands of others while they themselves set out for a different life style, be it for a long time or in some case just a month or so.  I have learned to not pre-categorize the people that make the camping experience a fun one for those that may be just an over night guest or the full time traveling RV'er that is out to see the US, one campground or national park at a time.

Let's face it, campgrounds are a business.  They are there to provide a service to the public and in order to continue to provide that service, must operate within a budget and operate to make a profit.  While there are still many mom and pop campgrounds around, the majority are owned  by corporations, companies that are out to make money by providing a service.  These corporations hire a camp host or in business terms, a manager.  For some reason, people adopt the mindset that since  they paid rent for a  camping spot or for any service, that they should be in control and things should  be done the way they want them done, after all, they are the customer.  I really have no disagreement with someone wanting to get the most fun out of their dollar whether it be at a campground, amusement park, hotel or any other  service industry.  What I do have a problem with is the person that wants to blame their lack of skill, lack of planning, lack of knowledge or just simply their own lack of comprehension as to just why they are responsible for being grown up and taking responsibility for their activities and the consequences of not  being prepared, not  being skilled, not being knowledgeable of  what they are doing.
I can truly appreciate the plight of the first time camper.  I was once one and I admittedly am by no means an expert now but I am thankful for those workers in campgrounds that took the time to answer my "dumb" questions.  I am thankful for those other  campers that enlightened me with their knowledge and in some cases have shared their mistakes in order to help me avoid making the same ones.  I do have a  bit of a quandary with the person that goes out and buys a camper, and immediately is now a camping expert.  I guess the easiest way for me to relate to this is to put it in terms of my professional past.  Just because you go out and buy the finest tool box with all the latest  tools,  you are not a mechanic.  You have to learn to use those tools.  You learn from others that are experienced, you learn from books, and you learn from your mistakes.  Just like the auto repair business, so it is  in camping, you don't have to have the biggest or best set of tools to be the  best at what you are doing.  Learn as much as you can from where ever or whomever  you can.
Every time I purchased a new tool, the  first thing I attempted to do was learn how to operate that  tool as it should be operated in order to get the maximum benefit from that  tool.  This is so true in the camping world!  I don't know how  many times I  have heard that this unit  is  our first and  it is  brand  new, followed almost immediately by a phrase that is worded many ways but  essentially is  always the same, " I paid all this money for  it, have no idea how to operate anything  on it and  (my all time favorite) I can't navigate  this  big camper into that  small spot or I can't back this  into there."  I don't know how many times I have had people with very nice rigs try to get me to park or back their rig for them.  Yes, it would be very simple for me to do so but for liability reasons, camp workers are not allowed to operate your rig and the majority of  us feel that  if you can't safely operate your rig under all conditions, perhaps you should have purchased something smaller or in some cases, you should not have  purchased one at  all.  Number 1 thing to do upon purchasing an RV, learn to drive  it!  Now I don't expect you to master the art of backing or maneuvering into tight spots immediately, no one does, what we do expect is for you to listen to those that  can maneuver or back up when they are  trying to help you.  Work campers are technically not even supposed to help guide you in the parking  process, again for liability reasons, we are simply supposed to make sure you don't run over and damage any of  the camp facilities.
Okay, enough about all that.  Let's talk about all the things that make the camping experience fun!  There is, of course, the site itself.  The grounds are mowed, the utilities are working, the pool is operating, the play ground is safe and  all is right with the world.  OR, maybe the grass is a bit tall around your hook up area, maybe the picnic table could use a coat of paint, maybe the play ground is closed  for repairs.  The  business of a campground is to maintain to the best of it's ability the facilities in order to provide the best service possible for it's customers, right?  I ask you to consider a few things next time your camp site is  not perfect or the play ground is closed or something else is  not  just the  way you thought it should be. Camp workers are  people just like you.  They have the same number of hours in a  day as you.  Most workers  want you  to have a good time and want everything to be perfect but time or assets just don't allow it to be.  Let me give you a couple examples.  Some previous campers decided t o do damage to the massive playground at Basswood, making it unsafe for children to play on so for the safety of all, the play ground was closed.  The decision had to be made by corporate whether to spend the approximately $32000  (yes that is the number) that it would take to get this play ground back into safe operating condition or just remove it from the  park.  The playground was renovated, only to be damaged again within a few weeks by campers that did not care about those that  would come after them.  The grass around your utilities may not have gotten trimmed to your liking because that  worker was  assigned to a task that had more importance, like making that playground safe again for all to enjoy or repairing a faucet that just broke or removing a  downed tree that was  blocking a site that  another  camper was coming into for their weekend  of  fun.  Many people have the impression that there is an abundant supply of work campers.  Guess what, there is an extreme shortage of people willing to do  this type of work.  A second factor to the limited number of workers is that  corporate or profit thing again.  If a business is  not profitable  it doesn't remain a business for  long.  I am not making excuses for  things that can and  do go wrong at campgrounds, I am simply pointing out that campgrounds, like any other business, have operating issues that just happen and have to be dealt with.
I have this to say in closing, please enjoy your time out camping, please follow the camp ground rules, and most  of all, please remember that  the  people working to make your time  of outdoor fun as enjoyable as possible are just that, people and they are and have done their best to make sure that everything that could  be done has been done.

I guess, as long as I'm on this tirade, I should say one more thing.  Park rules are  in place for the safety and protection of those people and the  maintaining of park assets that are within the confines of  the park, please don't speed, there are numerous children at play and adults that are not paying  attention, please be a courteous camper and respect your neighbors boundaries, please don't deliberately damage park property  or equipment and my "pet" peave, if you will, if you are traveling with a pet, please clean up after them, it is not only a health issue, it really pisses me off when I step in it while working to keep the park in customer appealing condition!

You Think I Would Have Learned By Now....

Sorry I haven't posted for a while but you know how it  is, life  happens!  We went on to our destination of Abita Springs, Louisiana and had a blast.  We attended a few Mardi Gras local parades and since it is within an hour and a half of my aunt's place, Cindy got to go back twice and play dominoes with friends and relatives. 

Cindy at a Mardi Gras Parade in Slidell, La

We also went on a swamp tour at Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tour.  I don't usually mention names unless I have something good to say or in some cases something poor to say.  I strongly recommend this tour to anyone that has an interest in going on a swamp tour.  The guides were very good and very knowledgeable of the of the swamp and made the very affordable tour simply fantastic!  Considering we were there during the "cooler" time of  the year, the guide made sure that we got to see as much swamp wild life as possible.  We also learned that gators and wild boars simply LOVE marshmallows. The guides would throw marshmallows to the gators and wild  boars to bring them closer to the watercraft.  There was a raccoon that managed to be just crafty enough to steal a few from the boars.  It was as comical as it was interesting to watch nature interact.  We'll do this again next time we're in this area.

This guy managed to steal a few marshmallows

Natural Camouflage

Wild boars and gators absolutely love marshmallows

We had a very nice  site at Abita and this was a very nice campground.  The lakes were well groomed and the clubhouse was very clean.  I did a little fishing, caught a few and just relaxed. 
It was during our stay here that Cindy and I decided to put our travels aside for a bit when we get back to the Kansas City metro in order to help care for our granddaughter while her mom goes back to school to become a CRNA, (certified registered nurse anesthetist). 
They live out near the airport so in the interest of economics I decided that I would try to find a place closer to them to minimize travel expenses.  I put together a work resume and emailed it off to two local campgrounds in the area and amazingly one of the campgrounds thought I had a skill or two and called me back in less than fifteen minutes.  The result of this call was that now Cindy and I would be within 10 miles of Ben and Katie for the three year duration of her schooling working at Basswood RV Resort, which will begin May 15. So if  you are in the area and looking for a great place with a great staff, come on by!
Now, on to finish our planned outing, which still had a couple months to go.
We went on to our next destination, LA!  Lower Alabama was equally exciting.  The next couple weeks would find us at a campground in Roberstdale, Alabama.  This was very convenient to the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama as well as within 30 minutes of Pensacola Beach, Florida. 
Our itinerary here found us taking in some more local Mardi Gras activities as well as going to the nearby beaches.  This is also where the new camper bug really sank it's teeth into us.  We went into a RV sales lot and found a floor plan and RV that is just what we were looking for.  My mind immediately started planning and  working on a way for us to achieve this new dream. 
Now, those that know me know  that I feel that  all things happen in order for us to utilize these opportunities to achieve and further life.  When I committed to Basswood for three years, the original deal was to exchange x number of hours per week of labor in exchange for a place to park our home and have hookups, so essentially it was a place to live at no charge while we helped out our kids.  Cool deal for us and I got a phone call that made it even cooler, if that was even possible.  Seems the resort was changing ownership and the new  owners wanted x number of hours in exchange for our site AND they wanted to pay me for hours worked as well.  Now the wheels were really spinning in my head!  Since this was un-anticipated income and not figured into our budget, we decided to make it work to help us achieve the dream of a new home when we resume our travels.
Well, enough of the dream part for now, how about some pictures from the Gulf Shores and beaches of Alabama and Pensacola?

Water tower at Orange Beach

Working on my tan.....

Mardi Gras from The Wharf at Gulf Shores

Our time in LA was done so now it was on to the sands and sights of Florida, the area near Destin.  We didn't stay but a few days in Florida but we did visit more white sand  beaches and stayed at a very nice campground.  We had been out since the second of January and between our Ocean Canyon membership and our Coast to Coast membership had only had to pay for our campsite when we stayed a night in Texarkana, until Florida, we didn't have a member campground on our route so for the first time this trip we paid for a multiple night stay, and Florida is very proud of it's campsites. 
We left the warmth and beaches of Florida and made way for our next destination, Mountain Lakes Resort in Langston, Alabama, a beautiful place right on the shores of Guntersville Lake, high in the mountains of northeast Alabama. 
Needless to say, it was a bit cooler here but we had a site that was front row facing the lakeshore.  The vegetation was just beginning to come to it's spring colors.  It was very pretty but next time I will schedule this area for a few weeks later in the year.  Guntersville Lake is a huge lake that  is fed by the Tennessee River and is well known for it's bass tournaments. I did a little fishing but really did more sitting than fishing.  One of the highlights of this  area is the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro.  It is a huge complex where all the unclaimed airline baggage ends up.  They sort it, clean it and  sell it.  There are a few really good deals, mainly on clothing but when it comes to the really cool stuff like watches and unusual items like kayaks, there are no real deals.  It was  interesting to see the vast array of stuff that people didn't claim.
Now it was time to depart the quiet of the mountains and head for our final scheduled stop before heading back to the Kansas City area and the beginning of achieving our new RV dream, one of my wife's favorite places, Natchez Trace Park and the Pin Oak Campground just west of Sugar Tree, Tennessee and just ten minutes from my Mom's house.  We stayed here for a week and it was a very fun week.  We had Mom and my sister, Ruth, out for a cookout and did some unsuccessful fishing and just chilled.  One of the things I really like about this campground is that none of the electronics work here so no phone, no facebook, no life interferences, just peace and quiet.  Now there was something that was very unlikely to happen here that the odds were very slim of happening but nonetheless, it happened.
We had stayed at this park back in November and I even commented about how nice the guy that was camped across from us was in one of my previous posts.  Well, we got the exact same site as before and the exact same neighbor as before!  What are the odds?  He was setting up as I was setting up and I noticed that he had got new wheels for his  truck.  (I guess this sort of thing is just normal for a guy that spent  his life with cars).  I went over and told him I liked the new wheels.  The look of amazement on his face was unforgettable. He did not know who I was and had no idea how I knew  he had bought new wheels.  I told him about our November encounter and he was just amazed that I would remember the wheels on his truck.
Our time on the road was drawing to a close for this time in our lives.  Life happens and adjustments are made.  The adjustments  we make now are positive adjustments, we get to spend time with not just one grandkid but all 8, we  get to start realizing our dream of a new home on wheels and we get to be paid to live our dream of being full time  RVer's.
I'll continue to make additions to this blog, though they may be a bit farther apart and from t he same part of the country but rest assured the dreams and trips are ever active in my head.  The fact is I have already laid out our first trip in our new RV and set the date of June 15, 2020 as the departure date!

The view from our front door in Langston, Alabama

I close with a few more pictures of this outing and the wishes that you would check back for future posts of what life is delivering for us as we enjoy our time with our kids, grandkids and friends.

A Florida rest area featuring the world famous Blue Angel's

Brutus and Matilda in Florida

Happy 2017!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

(and all that other stuff)

New Years Celebration complete with horns and balloon drop

Welcome to 2017!  We celebrated, well Cindy and two of the grandkids did, in style.  They welcomed in the new year with a big party in Matilda while I sat by making the final adjustments to our first quarter travel plans.  Our first stop was to be Branson, Missouri for a couple weeks.  That would have been okay except one of the reasons we wanted to travel is that we wanted to avoid the cold and we found out after arriving in Branson that we just hadn't traveled far enough south to get "warm."  We stayed in Branson for a few days but the weather report one night was my warning sign to head farther south.  The prediction of ice, snow and bitter cold prompted me to contact my brother and his wife to check out whether or not we could come down a bit earlier that planned.  Nancy told me to come on down so off to south Texas we went!
Now, the last time we went to Cut-n-Shoot, Texas, I was accused of bringing the cold with me so in true obligation to my reputation, I brought the cold with me.....again.  We got to the suburb of Conroe and parked in my brother's yard.  That next morning found this little community facing freezing cold (by their standards) weather that managed to hold on for a couple days.  The original plan called for us all to go to a campground on the 15th so Cindy and I just hung out at Bob's place until then.  On the 15th we all loaded up and headed for The Preserve of Texas, just outside of Cleveland, Texas.  By this time the weather had warmed to what was expected of this southern Texas area and Bob set up his camp and we set up ours right next to his. 

The campground that we had chosen on this complex had been utilized by Bob and Nancy before and I do have to admit it was in a gorgeous area and the only company we had was two empty camping trailers that had been on site for quite some time without any attention.  One was adjacent to our spots, the other (thank goodness) was at the very far end of the campground. 
Cindy was excited about all the wildlife that was right outside our door while Bob and I had become very curious about some wildlife that wasn't very welcome.  Seems that the camper at the end of the grounds had been claimed as home by some 75 plus vultures.  We were okay with the huge menaces as long as they stayed at their end of the park.  Every morning we would awaken to all these vultures surrounding and roosting on that camper.  I even reported it to the security person at the gate and they told me that the vultures had been there for quite some time and that the camper owners could not be reached to get it moved.  Now, most RV resorts we have had the pleasure of staying at had a policy that if you were even going to be away from your camper even overnight you had to inform the main office, Bob said the policy here allowed people to leave their camper vacant up to two weeks but not any longer.  Bob said that this particular camper had been there since October.

Just a few of the "neighbors"

We left the vultures to tend to their business and we set about just enjoying being out and just relaxing.  We had our campfires, sat outside, talked a lot and helped the Coors Brewing Company pay off some its bills.  The time went very smoothly and without any concerns, UNTIL Sunday.  The people that owned the camper came in Saturday night to discover that they had left some food in the camper that had obviously ruined and that was what had attracted the winged crowd.  They, (the owners) for some reason, proceeded to clean the contents of the camper out and put several huge garbage bags out for collection.  Since the collection services weren't scheduled to run again until Monday, the vultures decided to empty all the garbage bags and it appeared that they devoured everything that was in the bags.  This was still no big concern to us, but that was soon to change.  Now, I do have to admit that this did actually become a very valuable learning experience for both my brother and my self.  We witnessed first hand just what kind of damage a vulture could do to a camper.  This camper had massive holes eaten in the roof, resulting in lots of water damage, topped off by the slimy mess that this huge number of vultures had "deposited" inside.  The law of  nature when it comes to vultures is that they follow the food.  The food supply had been depleted at their normal place so it was only logical that they move on.  Let's just say we weren't prepared for where they decided to move on to.

Vultures were upset their free food was gone

I was awakened at the break of light by Ginger barking continuously.  I figured she saw a squirrel or armadillo or something.  Imagine how I felt when I raised the shade and all I could see in front of my camper was a sea of black feathers!  Seems the vultures thought I was responsible for their next meal.  It only took a few minutes to scare them off then we went to the front gate and informed them that we wanted new  camping spots at another campground, the vultures had become far to close for comfort, not to mention that since the food supply was gone, they had now become very violent and were even fighting amongst themselves.  We were granted new sites.  Just a side note here; this particular campground, like many in the Coast to Coast network, sold properties so any Coast to Coast member that came to stay here would, in my opinion, be a prospective customer so the presence of these vultures and the parks lack of concern about even getting that camper out of there definitely turned this prospect into a non-prospect for sure. 

Cindy and her new friends and a view from our front door

We did see some very interesting wildlife while we were here.  The lakes had an abundance of white cranes, blue herons, some huge turtles that could be found sunning each day and even saw an alligator out sunning on one particular day.  Cindy made  friends with some horses that were residents just a few hundred feet rom our original campsite.


January 29 came and it was time for us to move on.  We sadly said goodbye to my wonderful brother and the woman that I give full credit for saving his life, his wonderful wife, Nancy and pointed Brutus and Matilda east towards Mississippi.  Brutus' first trip with Matilda in tow was to my aunt's house in southern Mississippi and that is where we were heading again.  We had a spot out under that huge old oak tree in her front yard just calling our name. 

Cindy and My Aunt Rie (and me)

My aunt lives on a limited income so whenever I visit, I try to help her with something I know a little bit about, her car.  This time was no exception.  I had to move the car for some reason and even with my hearing issues could hear an unwelcome noise from under the hood.  I replaced the a/c clutch and bearing for her and she paid me very well for my service with not one but two home made, none better anywhere pecan pies.  Now mind you, I don't offer deals like this to any one else, so don't ask, besides, no one else could make a pecan pie as good as her anyway.  We only stayed a few days at Aunt Rie's house but they were, as usual, a few days that were well worth it and will never be forgotten.  We loaded up Brutus and Matilda and pointed them south, towards New Orleans and our next camping adventure in Abita Springs, Louisiana. 
That is where I am going to end this segment.  We arrived at a very clean, very hospitable and very comfortable camp site and set up for the next two weeks.  I look forward to doing some fishing in one of their extremely nice fishing lakes and even promised Cindy I would go to the Valentine's dance with her and if the Coors company is willing to help, I might even get on the dance floor....time will tell.
Until next time I will close with our new found slogan discovered carved into a shelter at a camp site of ours in Beaver Lake, Arkansas "Gypsy Life= Destination Unknown"

Just wanted to leave you some pictures of our home for the next two weeks, Abita Springs RV Resort, Abita Springs, Louisiana