Yo S KOA - April 08 - July 08

So we began working again at Yosemite South KOA. This was a fun job for many different reasons. One, was our schedule. Two, was our job description and duties . And three, was the location of our motorhome within the park.

When we began working, the season hadn't really started yet. (What's considered the On-season is Memorial Day to Labor Day.) Since we started in mid-to-late April, we helped the managers get the park cleaned up and ready. We spent a good, four or five weeks: cleaning the clubhouse and kitchen, repairing and painting a 16x8ft outdoor movie screen, and cleaning and reorganizing a concession stand. Once all of the other workampers arrived, we got our official schedules, uniforms (t-shirts) and name tags. Our name tags said Activities Team. We were scheduled to do pool maintenance and work on projects on Weds and Thurs. On Fri and Sat nights we ran a BBQ dinner at the pool/clubhouse, followed by concessions and a movie. Then on Sat and Sun mornings we ran a pancake breakfast.

This was all so much fun! We got to interact with the guests in such a great way. The girls enjoyed serving the guests and helping with the sales at the concession stand. They also had a tip jar out at breakfast, dinner and the concession stand. Some weekends they would make $15 or more. We ate a lot of pancakes, bbq chicken and tri-tip (a popular cut of beef in California), popcorn and snow cones during that time. =)

The great part was that our motorhome was right next to the clubhouse/pool area. We took, maybe, a hundred steps to work each day. The clubhouse had a full kitchen with a serving counter, a fireplace with conversation area, a big screen tv and stereo, low game tables - with a variety of boardgames and puzzles to choose from, several dining tables, a pool table and restrooms. The clubhouse sat atop the highest point in the park with views of the pools and the Sierra Nevada Mtns. Just outside of the pool area is where the movie screen, concession stand and basketball court are located.

At this park, we met some of the nicest people we know. Our girls and their girls hit it off - right from the start. We met while hanging out at the pool (between pancakes and bbq). They extended their stay and we all became fast friends. They even visited us in Cody this past Fourth of July. Perrymans - you Rock!

So the honest truth is - life is life - it's all what you make it. Just like anything in life, if you see an image or hear an idea and you idealize it then you've missed out on the depth of the story. Nothing is "perfect" in life but it can be ideal - it all depends on where your head is.

During the time we stayed in Coarsegold, CA, we lived in a 27ft camping motorhome. I say camping because that's what it was meant for - camping, not living. We were bursting at the seams but we didn't mind. We were busy having fun and appreciating the ability to live like this. We were still amazed that this was our life. We felt like we were on an extended camping trip. But during our stay there, not everything was perfect. One night after work, it was about 11:30pm, we were just settling in to bed for the night when we discovered it. It - being a leak. When we started watching tv, I noticed drips landed on the bed in front of me - at a rather rapid pace. The worst part was that the area above our bed was where we stored ALL of our clothes. So, if you follow the dots backwards ... are you starting to form the picture? Our clothes had been absorbing water for two or three days during a torrential downpour. (Mind you, just weeks later wildfires were only 8 miles away.) By 11:30 on that specific night, they had absorbed their limit, thereby allowing it to rain on our bed. After a failed attempt at catching the water in a container, we went to plan B. This consisted of bagging and removing all of our clothes. Then we put every towel we own in its place. What followed was a LOT of laundry and the new knowledge of repairing and maintaining a motorhome roof. ;)

The point is, regardless of lifestyle, life is life. Never perfect but always our own ideal. We all handle our blips and dramas in our own ways. But as we learn to appreciate and have perspective on our own lives, we also learn to just enjoy the journey.

Don't turn blips into dramas!

Happy Travels!

D

Starting Out - April 2008

Ok, I'm new at all of this but I'll do my best to share and explain my story as I've experienced it.

This may not be the beginning of the journey but it is the beginning of this blog.
(Pink Floyd should be playing in the background right now "...is there anybody out there, just smile if you can hear me, is there anyone home..."
I can't quite define the beginning of the story yet. It's like a fine thread that has been woven over time. Instead, I'll begin at the beginning of the Ultimate Road Trip.

My family and I lived in a small mountain town in SW Colorado. We sold all of our belongings in a month long string of garage sales, then hit the road on April 1, 2008. This may sound like an April Fools joke but it wasn't. We started out in an OLD 27' class A motorhome. We had three thousand dollars cash, no bills, no job set up for our journey, and no plan as to where life would take us. This may sound scary and even a little irresponsible - but I assure you, we knew in our core that we were finally doing what we were meant to do.

We pulled our three girls out of school (kindergarten, first and second grade) and began homeschooling them. The girls always wanted to see California and the beach - so we headed West. We began by traveling through the Four Corners, Grand Canyon, Yuma,AZ and San Diego. San Diego, the first time through, wasn't very impressive.(Later, we stood corrected.) We then headed up the coast of California. A great little town, NW of Santa Barbara, is Buellton. It's situated among three other small towns, nestled along the inland side of the mountains from the coast. One town, Solvang, has a Danish heritage and architecture.

We continued north, passed Napa Valley, stopping at Clear Lake. A gorgeous lake with small towns tucking in all around it. We knew some people who lived there but were unable to make contact until after we left. During our stay at a campground on the N end of the lake, we received a call from a KOA campground manager (thanks, Dennis) in Coarsegold, CA.

Now let me backtrack for a moment. Prior to leaving Colorado, I did nails for a living. A fun job that can be profitable and allows you to meet all different kinds of people. I had a client that told me about workamping. She and her husband lived in their motorhome while their house was being built. They lived at an RV park in town and worked there to offset their living costs. So, two or three weeks before we left, I put a resume online at work@koa.com. That brings us back to where we left off - with a call from the campground manager looking for a workamping couple. Since we had stayed in ALL kinds of campgrounds and RV parks up until that point (and believe me - there is a difference) we decided to drive through the park before we responded.

So, we drove down to Yosemite South KOA. This is a beautiful park located in a small town just N of Fresno. As soon as we pulled in, we knew we would stay. It became a whole new way of life. Not just a trip, or vacation, but work-camping. We had been on the road for nearly three weeks when we began to work again. And this kind of work was not work at all!
So there you have it. The "beginning".
I'll continue to tell the tale and go back and fill in as needed.
I hope to soon have links, to helpful and associated sites.
Farewell for now!
D