Innovations, Excitement and Some Fantastic Changes!

Well it's a little past January 2 and we have been on the road having a good time! I want to begin this blog with a huge congratulations to my wife for a great accomplishment, an accomplishment that will now forbid me from accusing her of getting lost going around the block, an accomplishment that has enabled us to have more fun when we travel, She has successfully navigated this trip with her GPS and without assistance from me (as in she has always followed). She has learned to use the GPS and now just takes off ahead of me on her own. The day she drove right through the heart of Houston without any issues and without my help was the day that she convinced me that she can do anything she sets her mind to.  With that being said....on to the travels!

Cindy with Krystal Blue in Ashdown, Arkansas

We departed Hollister on the 9th of January and having already decided that there was no need to drive excessive amounts in a day (unlike my motorcycling days) had ours days journey set on Alma, Arkansas for a night then on to Ashdown, Arkansas, where we would stay for a week.  On this first leg of the trip Cindy followed me and since her Mustang was far quicker and more maneuverable than my truck with 42 feet of home behind it, that night we decided that she should just drive to the next destination and we would meet up there.  I have to say that doing this even made the driving easier for me because with her following me I would try to time the stop lights so that we would both make it and so on. Our home is 13 feet, 6 inches tall and this made it difficult for anyone following to see the lights or traffic that lie ahead. I am proud to say that upon my arrival at Millwood Landing RV Resort in Ashdown, there she was.  We both celebrated this achievement and agreed that she should just go at her own pace from now own. 

I got to do a little fishing while we were at Millwood and managed to land one decent sized sunfish. I also had a complete bonehead event that I am sure (at least I hope I'm not alone in this) has happened to others.  The first night at Millwood I decided to not hook up the sewer connection so therefore the tank valves were all closed.  Well, I rinsed a glass in the kitchen sink and got called away or distracted or just simply had an old man moment, either way I managed to awaken to a really strange chirping noise and step out of bed onto a wet floor! No damage done, just a kick myself moment for being such an airhead.

This one was about the size of my hand.

Well, other than my own stupidity, we had a good week at Millwood, mostly just chilled and relaxed then we headed out for our next destination, Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, Texas. This was very close to where my brother lived so it would be a great opportunity to spend some time with him and his wife.  Normally we would just set up in his yard for our visit but I decided this year to go to the state park.  The sites were ample in size but the amount of money it cost to stay there weighed against the amenities offered I can say that we will most likely not stay at this park again, we will instead spend the same amount or most likely less money and have more amenities to enjoy.  Huntsville was a good week, just not anything to write home about. The weather was rather dreary for the most part so we didn't even get to do any cruising in the convertible.

Our site at Huntsville State Park

We left Huntsville and headed on to our next destination, one that we were both looking forward to because it was on the Texas Coast and we were going to connect with some friends from our time at Basswood, Rod and Kay.  The drive south was un-eventful except for the hard headwind for most of the trip.  Brutus did a great job as far as power but that wind killed my fuel mileage.  I guess a second thing that would be noteworthy is that Cindy made it to the Copano Bay RV Resort with absolutely zero problems while I, the one that always was talking about her getting lost, made a wrong turn and had to backtrack in order to get to the campground. Now keep in mind the hard headwind and this wrong turn, they become a humorous punch to the face in a bit.

We got in a lot of convertible time on this leg of the trip, cruising from Rockport, Texas to Port Aransas, Mustang Island and Corpus Christi. We got together with Rod and Kay for a day out on the island.  They gave us the grand tour via golf cart with Rod revealing one of his favorite activities on the island, belt sander racing!  That looked to be a very fun and economical way to get your competitive rush!  The RV resort was extremely nice with concrete pads that were level, a nice heated pool (haven't figured out why they had a heated pool in south Texas but they did), We made several trips to Port Aransas and the island, got to play in the ocean and just have a whole lot of fun.  We headed out of there just in time, just a few days later that part of Texas, as well as the entire state of Texas saw record breaking low temps accompanied by SNOW.  Talk about good timing! 

Remember the hard wind and wrong turn I mentioned earlier?  Well it helped to create another stupid moment first for me.  When we get to our site, I unhook the truck and parked it for the duration.  On the next to the last day of our stay I drive into town and fuel up the truck so that I don't have to deal with it loaded.  I knew that I was very low on fuel from the aforementioned events but didn't realize just how low.  You guessed it, I got about a mile from the campsite and ran out of fuel.  I walked all the way back, got the car and proceeded to go buy a fuel can (that now resides in the back of the truck full of fuel) got fuel, took the car back to the site, walked back to the truck and then back to our site.

Our home for a week in Rockport, Texas, Copano Bay RV Resort

The "heated" pool

Krystal on the ferry to Port Aransas

Krystal on "Mustang" Island

A thousand year (plus) oak tree. Big tourist attraction here

Cindy holding Rosy Boa at botanical gardens

Some of the beauty at the gardens (the flowers aren't bad either)

Toes in the sand, Mustang Island

some beauty (and a statue) botanical gardens

A belt sander drag strip

Great friends, Rod and Kay

One night at Boomtown RV Resort, Vidor, Texas
This was a stop over and the campground was one 
of the nicest I have seen. Definitely on our radar
next year for a longer stay!

 

From Vidor we headed east, on to Abita Springs RV Resort in Abita Springs, Louisiana.  Normally we would go to all sorts of Mardi Gras activities while here but thanks to the covid 19 BS, those activities were greatly reduced.  I'll do another chapter about the good times we did have here including a visit from some more great friends soon in my next blog.  Thanks for reading and please follow me if you enjoyed this.

Life, as we knew it has changed....or on the road again.....sort of.

It has been a while since I have written anything to add to this traveling blog but the time has finally come for Sierra, Brutus and Krystal (the wife's blue Mustang convertible) to take up accomadations  at someplace other than the Kansas City area.  My daughter has graduated and is now working her dream, so our time and the need for us to remain in KC has expired.  We did spend almost three and a half years at Basswood RV and the time there was memorable as well as educational.  Even more noteworthy and most important to me is the time I got to spend with my grandkids and family.  

May 19, 2020....We finally were ready to just GO!  Southward ho to Branson, Missouri where we will be until January 2, 2021, then its off to the gulf coast for the winter! The original plan (we all know the original plan almost never works out) was to work for the entertainment and amusement park in Branson, Silver Dollar City.  I had driven to Branson back in February for a job fair and had a job all lined up beginning on June 1, 2020...then came this covid BS....then the phone call that the park had no idea when they would open.  My happy demeanor dropped!  We had been in the same place for all that time and I just wanted to be somewhere different and this BS was now going to stop that dream....or was it?  

Intent on leaving and going somewhere, I landed another job working for a very good friend of mine in Branson, I was going to be a snow cone production engineer, in other words, I got a job at a snow cone booth.  Off to Branson we went!

We got to Branson and I remembered a great RV spot that was right on Lake Taneycomo that I had once pulled my friends park model RV to.  It was a very beautiful place, very quiet and did I mention it was right on the lake?  The site was available and the price was very right so I rented it.  I can literally walk out my door and go about 25 steps and I am standing on the shoreline of the lake.  We have all the daily visitors one would expect living on a lake, you know, the ducks, the geese, a family of groundhogs, and I can see the fish swimming in the clear water in the mornings when I go out and drink my morning coffee.  Cindy really likes this site as well so we decided to make this site in Branson our summer home for a while.  We'll keep this site and return to Branson in May for the summers.  Cindy likes the setup because it is close enough to the grandkids, in fact, she has driven to KC by herself to visit and actually enjoyed the trip.

You may have noticed that I changed the header of my blog.  I figured it was time to retire Matilda form the limelight and let Sierra be the star.  During the down time in KC I was able to make a few modifications to Brutus to help pull Sierra down the road and I am really happy with the improvements.  I added rear air springs and an Adrenaline high pressure oil pump so now I have more power and an air ride suspension.  On the way to Branson I decided to weigh my loaded rig. With full fuel tank and our normal load the rig came in 220 pounds shy of 26,000.  The upgrades made a huge difference in the trip.

Life here is so much more laid back than in the city, people are friendly and we both feel fine.  I guess one of the reasons I decided to write this is that we are getting to do what we have worked so hard all our lives to do, travel. Just this week the harsh reality that tomorrow is never guaranteed, a lesson I almost learned first hand almost 11 years ago, again made itself evident.  A very dear friend, a man that was within a year of my age, a man that had plans to retire and travel and spend time with family, came in from working in his yard, went to his chair, sat down and passed into heaven from a heart attack.  May you rest in peace and travel the clouds, Warren. 

There hasn't been a whole lot happen here to write about.  We have had visitors come, I guess that since this is such a fun place to be people enjoy coming to visit. 

I'm going to close with some pictures of our view and new location.  I most likely won't create another post until we hit the road for the winter.  But then again, I might.  I would also like to say congratulations to my daughter on her outstanding achievement and to thank her and her family for letting us be such a close part of  their lives during the last three plus years, I wouldn't have missed or changed it for anything, congratulations Doctor!

The view of Lake Taneycomo from our front yard

Happy Independence day from Branson!

Sunset on the lake

The Itch Is There, Just Can't Scratch It Yet...

257, Yes two hundred fifty seven days!  We are drawing closer, day by day, to getting back to traveling.  Back in August we took Sierra to Branson and took our two youngest grand-daughters with us.  We took them to the big Bass Pro Aquarium in Springfield and had a lot of  fun with them for a few days.  This was also a test  trip for Brutus, after having done a few modifications to him.  I am very pleased to say that putting on the  new high pressure oil pump and the new rear air springs was definitely worth the  time and effort!  The new pump delivered more power than I could have hoped for and the air springs saved  me the expense of having to buy an air ride  pin box for Sierra.  Between the two improvements alone, the trip was sheer delight!  Even though it was a short run, it was a fun run!
This  past weekend we got another chance to get away, 9 miles away, but still, away.  We spent three nights at  Smith's Fork campground in Smithville for a music festival.
Hopefully on the agenda for Brutus this fall and winter is to get him rust free and painted, maybe even build a custom aluminum bed for him.  I am really looking forward  to being able  to write these blogs from the road.  One thing I have been contemplating is changing an old habit.  I have always been one to sit down and map out and plan my trips to the last detail.  I am going to try, try to just take my travels as they come along and minimize the  planning process.  There is already an exception to this new idea.  I have our first outing planned.  I kind of did it so that we could hit all the parks  in our Ocean Canyon network and decide on which ones we want to frequent.
Well, I know this wasn't  much of a blog but it did make  me feel better and it did help to set the stage for the future, a future of travel, of fun and togetherness with my mate of 41 plus years.  With that being said I will close with one of her favorite sayings "Adventure Awaits"

What do you do when you are sitting still? You Light It UP!

Cindy and I have come to really appreciate the space and comfort Sierra (yes, I named the new home Sierra) has afforded us.  It is very comfy and seeing as to how we are going  to be stationary for the next 367 days (as of the writing of this blog, but who's counting), I decided that we needed to do something to make the outside more useful, and a bit more safe for old farts like me.  The contour of our site basically made my outdoor kitchen and grill useless because the ground just falls away at that corner of our home.  The solution was to build an 8x20 deck out front.  That would give  us a lot more  usable space and allow me to utilize my outdoor kitchen and grill.  This was the end  result:

While this did accomplish the original task, allowing me to use the kitchen and grill, it had a couple of issues.  The number one  issue was that I just would not be  comfortable with the grand kids  playing on this.  The drop off at the rear was about 6 feet.  I also did not feel this was going to be conducive to the well being of old, cripple guys (namely me).  Matter of fact, I was positive that the construction was not going to be friendly to old cripple guys, let's just say I have first hand knowledge of what could be.  Faced with the dilemma of having a useful deck, which meant spending more money, or just taking the chance was now upon me.  I came up with a logical solution. (imagine that)
We had done some remodeling in the store and I was told to get rid of the doors from the old  cooler.  These doors are aluminum framed with dual pane safety glass.  I thought that these would make a very good, very sturdy and very CHEAP addition to my deck.  There may have been a challenge involved, something along the lines of someone telling  me that this could not  be done.  Challenge  accepted!  Here is a  picture of my deck Memorial day, 2019.

I'm happy to say that this addition did just what it was needed to do, it allowed us to entertain safely, it kept the furniture, the grand kids and the clumsy old man from falling  into the trees below.  I don't know about the intoxicated yet, I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to test that someday though.

Having finished the deck, I needed something else to do, after  all, it's  not like I work 50 or 60 hours a week....yea.  Enter project number two, LIGHTS!

You might remember that on the maiden voyage of Brutus and Sierra, we arrived at our campsite in the pitch of darkness and I backed in using a flashlight out the window. Well, we can't be having a nice rig like this backing up by flashlight so, I made a few modifications (oh how I love the old Tim Taylor of Tool Time Fame).  I got on ebay and  found a few lights to mount under Sierra, 10 LED flood lights with 6 very bright bulbs per flood light for a total of  60 LED lights, 30 per side.  Now you all know I  couldn't just wire  these to a switch and call it done, I had to do Tim Taylor honor and go all out with the installation.  I bought a 6 gang weather proof, illuminated  switch panel (to allow for expansion of the light phenomenon).  I have this set of lights as well as all the other lights, switched from this gang and controlled by relay to avoid heating the switches.  The reverse lights, or ground lights, depending on what I want to use  them for, are  switched from the gang panel, a second switch is under the overhang to allow me  to turn them on without opening the compartment and they are connected to the reverse light terminal of the trailer harness so that when Sierra is connected to Brutus and I put Brutus in reverse, I can see without having to get out of the truck and turning on any switches.  Here's a picture of the finished reverse lights.  You think I can see to back up now?

Okay, functionality accomplished, now for the good  ole chicken light effect!  I decided to add, simply for mood (and because I like blue) 16 blue led lights, each with 6 bulbs each to amplify the effect of the factory blue LED strip lights on the front of Sierra.  These are also operated by the gang switch with relay.  I think I achieved just what I wanted, a nice shadowing effect.  Check it out.

Those light look really cool reflecting off the front of the mustang, don't you think?  By the way, Cindy named the mustang Crystal, as in Crystal Blue Persuasion.  

Now you all know I am not one to go overboard with lights (and water is not wet) so I am in the process of adding 24 smoke yellow marker  lights, 24 smoke red marker lights, controlled by the gang switch as well as activated when connected to Brutus and the lights are on.  I think that may be enough....NOT.  I have some  really nice LED markers that I am adding to the front and rear as well as  some real sharp tail/brake lights.  I'll have to post pictures after the installation is complete.

That about wraps it up for this  time.  Just another day in Fixitfrank's world of lights and function.  I'll post another blog when I'm done of Brutus and Sierra all lit up and no place to go...

I Finally Have Something New To Write About!

It's been a while since I have had anything interesting to write about.  At my last writing we were in Platte City and I was  working at Basswood RV Resort while we were  caring for our granddaughter, well, that  much is still the same.  We haven't been traveling because I didn't want to pull Matilda without putting new tires on her and  didn't want to spend the money on new  tires  because I was set on achieving the dream of acquiring a new RV for us to live  in.  Basically, my mindset was that Matilda wasn't going  to leave our site until I had to move it out to put our new one in.

It is with great joy I wish to share that our dream of a new RV became reality on August 11 of this year!  I picked up our new, 2019 Sierra 379 FLOK at Camping World of Grain Valley!  Cindy and I had already planned a vacation to begin Sunday, August 12 utilizing cabins from our Ocean Canyon membership but with the new RV, I just had to change our plans and utilize  some RV sites instead.
That  Sunday morning we transferred our basic needs from Matilda to our new home, got all connected and  headed south!  Our first stop was Pin Oak Landing campground in Tennessee.  We got set up, which is now super easy because our new home is equipped with all sorts of electronic aids.  Basically, I back it up into the site, lower the front landing gear (which I control from the air conditioned comfort of my truck via my phone), get out and pull the fifth wheel release, pull out from under (still trying to think of a name for her) the RV and again, from my phone hit auto level and wait.  Once she is all level I put out all 6 (yes SIX) slides with my phone.  We stayed at Pin Oak for a  couple nights.  Pin Oak is just minutes from my mom's house so we had mom, Ruth and Ann come over for a grill out, utilizing our outdoor kitchen, complete  with refrigerator, microwave, sink with hot  and cold water, cabinet space and a cooking grill.
We left Tennessee and headed for Percy Quinn State park in Fernwood, Mississippi, just a few minutes from Aunt Rie's front porch, where the welcome mat is always out.  We got set up and settled in for a good nights rest with absolute comfort from the high 90 degree heat provided by our two air conditioners with programmable thermostat.  Did I mention we have a king size bed so sleeping is fantastic because now I don't get kicked and jabbed  when someone has a restless night or just decides to move around a lot, which with the quality of the mattress doesn't happen anymore.  We have far more living space now.  Matilda was 30 feet long with one slide, our new home is (depending on which brochure you read) is 42 feet, 9 inches long with 6 large slides.  Cindy is extremely appreciative of our 20 cubic foot residential refrigerator complete with an ice maker.  She (and I) loved being able to drink iced tea without the hassle of buying bags of ice.  It is also real nice for storing good ole ice cream.  We got up Wednesday morning and headed on to have a visit with Aunt Rie.  We spent a few hours at her house the headed on south to our next destination, Abita Springs, Louisiana.  This is  one of our member parks that we  had stayed at for a couple weeks back in early 2017.  It is a very nice park with large sites and lots of  quiet.  While we were here we upgraded our Ocean Canyon membership, which came in very handy on the way home, allowing us to utilize one more of our member parks that was previously not in our plan, Millwood Landing in Ashdown, Arkansas.  I'll have more on this park later in the story.  We spent most of our time in Abita just sitting at the spacious dining table and just talking.  We haven't been able to sit and eat or talk for quite some time, and it was fantastic!
We packed up and left Abita, (tear down is also done via my phone) and  headed for Conroe, Texas and some quality time with my brother and his darling wife.  I was really happy with Brutus and he was  performing perfectly.  Matilda had a maximum gross weight of 11,900 pounds with and  approximate pin weight of 1200 pounds.  When I pulled Matilda, you felt every bump and the ride was less than optimum.  Our new unit has a pin weight of 2500 pounds and a maximum gross weight of just over 16,000 pounds.  This weight was just perfect for Brutus and the ride quality was superb!  The trip was going  just great until we got close to the Atchafalaya Basin.  For some reason the interstate was closed in both directions so we had to take a detour.  This detour did afford us the opportunity to take advantage of yet another feature of our new home, the second entry door.  You see, when Matilda was  in travel mode, access to anything inside, restroom included, was impossible.  Our new  home has two entry doors, the rear one opens into the hallway (yes we have a hallway) allowing easy access to the bathroom, and since you don't just pull into any location with 43 feet of trailer in tow, a wide spot on the side of the road becomes a restroom stop when the  need arises.
The two hour delay caused by the detour was no big deal, after all, we weren't on any schedule.  We got to Bob's before dark, got backed in and set up, and began our pleasurable time visiting him and Nancy.  We didn't do a whole lot while we were here, just kicked back and  relaxed, and ate!  Nancy is a fantastic cook and she fed us very well!  We enjoyed many hours of just catching up, sharing a few beers, and having some  of the best southern cooking ever.  The only dismal part of this phase of our trip was the reality that we had  to leave and  head back to Platte City.  I always enjoy any time I get to spend with my brother and the hours spent with him and  Nancy this time were golden, but the time came for us to head back.  We still had to transfer the rest of our personal belongings into our new home so we shortened our time in Texas in order to get back and finish "moving" in.
This is where our upgrade made it's first payoff, in a sense.  Ashdown, Arkansas is about halfway home so I decided to call and get a site for the night.  I was overjoyed when the reservation was handled rapidly and we were welcomed in to the park.  Millwood Landing is a very nice, clean park with a pool and other amenities, the biggest attraction for Millwood is the 18 hole  golf course located on the grounds.  Maybe one of these days, after we get  to traveling again, I might just try the game.  We left Ashdown and headed north again.  We made our way through the Boston Mountains of Arkansas and I decided that we  would make one  more  overnight stop before completing our two week excursion, so we stopped at a really quaint, extremely clean and superbly groomed RV park in Carthage, Missouri, Coachlight RV park.  What this  park lacked in amenities it made up for with absolute beauty and grace.
We slept extremely well, we ate well, again utilizing our outdoor kitchen and rose the next morning to complete our trip back home.  We were glad to get back and started moving our stuff to our new home. This trip really stirred the longing to get back to traveling and we will very soon.  I did tell Cindy that since this new RV is  so easy to set up and tear down, next spring, we  will go somewhere close by at least once a month on my days off.
We are both looking forward to traveling in our new home and eagerly await the arrival of October, 2020, when our life  of travel will begin again! Now comes the task of getting all those Texas mosquitos off the front …...

Our first night in our new home, Pin Oak Landing Campground, Natchez Trace Park, Tennessee

We didn't get a lot of pictures on this trip but here are a few of the new home.

This is at the dealer, waiting for the walk through

I guess you could say we are very pleased with our new home

Percy Quinn State Park, Fernwood, Mississippi

Setting up with the help of my phone, oh such a hard task it is!

Ginger likes all the windows

Set up in Bob's yard.  That area in the rear slide is the outdoor kitchen.

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!