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!