Leaving the coast
We are going to try and answer a few questions people had about our experience so far as camp hosts.
Oregon has many types of hosts including visitors center, lighthouse tour guide, kayak guides, and the list goes on, requiring only a month long commitment. Every state park has different expectations for each position. For us, the hours we work are more important to us than actual job. We prefer morning or evening work so we can have a bigger chunk of time off to hike, bike ride or sightsee. Some people prefer being inside a visitors center or lighthouse but 10am to 2 just cuts into our fun time and is a deal breaker.
We haven't seen much of a down side to the hosting experience so far. Our orientation consisted of handing us a set of keys and a binder to figure it out on our own. We are bright and figured out our own game plan. There are always people who complain because they did it differently somewhere else or know a better way to do things. When the negativity starts, we just nod, say "have a nice day" and move on. Sure, we were frustrated when we ran out of wood. We just put the "Out of Wood" sign up and went home. Nights could get cold in the wood shed. We put out our "see host in site 1" sign and went inside to read a book. If they wanted wood, they knocked on our door. As you can see, the signs are very important. Most things in life really aren't worth stressing over. If it is too stressful, move on.
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| Trail along the Columbia River in Warrenton. |
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| The rhododendrons in bloom early |
We had signed up to work a 2 hour shift at Astoria's Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival allowing us to avoid paying the $15 each entry fee. Standing in line to taste wine and eat in a crowded hall isn't our thing even if a band is playing. Another volunteer was so happy when we passed it on to her. Astoria had school bus shuttles to the campgrounds since the parking in town is limited and the 500 campsites were full along with all of the other campgrounds in town. We would hear the people whooping and singing while returning with their purchases as they walked back to their campsites. Then they would get quiet as they settled into their wine laden slumber by their fire. Everyone was home by 10pm. The extra security the park paid for was not needed.
Staying in a beautiful place and saving over $1000 per month in fees was worth the little time we spent "working" four hours a day, five days a week. Keeping our cash inflow greater than our outflow. Allowing us time to take in the area. Also, moving every 5-7 days can get wearing over a period of time.
The volunteer appreciation potluck was nice. We passed on the gifts. No place to put them. We don't see ourselves returning to Fort Stevens even though Marlo, host coordinator, invited us back. We loved the area. Been there, done that. Too many places to see.
Our drive into Oregon's Coastal Mountains was only 67 miles after we washed the pollen and sap off the truck and trailer in Seaside.
We pulled into Camp 18 restaurant and logging museum, the most popular stop on the way to and from the Oregon Coast between Portland and Cannon Beach. We lucked out and didn't have to wait for a table. As we were leaving, the Sunday morning crowd was lining up.
Our next stop was LL Stubb Stewart State Park in the coastal mountains to be relief hosts for the hosts of the east and west campgrounds. We will take care of the sites once the campers leave and change the post markers for the incoming people. We post our "see host in site 55" sign on the wood shed door as we are available to sell wood and ice two evenings a week. It isn't physical at all and frees us up in the early afternoons for a few hours. We will see if we like this job as the month goes on but so far, so good.
We are in a great place to ride our bikes and hike while we get our toes wet.
