My retired life and my camping habits afford me a wealth of information about people and life in general. I want to focus on the pleasures I am enjoying in this phase of my life.
Being a work camper host means that when I visit a campground, I work for my keep, generally speaking I have to work between 10 and 25 hours a week, for free camping (let me point out here that I really like state and federal sites,) and those places need volunteers like myself.
Camp host jobs vary I like to volunteer at grounds that offer full hook ups thats water, electricity, cable tv and internet. Now I am not into ruffing it I have all the conviences that I have at home, just smaller. But then I have all that new open space. Many Georgia state parks offer all this for about 30hours a week work or if I don't want to work it cost me between $10 to $20 a night with my federal Golden Age Pass.
Now I meet some of the most wonderful folks, retired people like myself, just loafing around. Young families with energetic children just having fun with their bikes, skates and swimming attire. I meet all age groups, people just out in nature, partying, cooking out, eating and having all kinds of fun activities.
As a camp host part of my job is to socialize and to insure safety. Another part is be familiar with the area and provide information.
Forget about taking a vacation and spending it in a hotel room, that's not for me
In your mind, come take a walk with me as I preform my camp host duties, we can walk or we can ride in a golf cart, we'll take the cart and pick up trash as we go along. This campground is full with 80 sites to care for. There are mountains full of waterfalls and small rivers that empty into a lake with a beach. The air is so fresh, wildlife is abundant, and everybody is so friendly, relaxed, unstressed and just busy enjoying life and the good things it has to offer.
At the very first camp site we come to, we meet a young family with two children and they are just getting ready to eat a meal of hot dogs and hamburgers, and of course the husband grilled enough to feed half the campground. And it is imperative that we sample the special sauce on a burger.
Now when it comes to eating, I am not modest and gladly accept their offer. The conversation is very interesting. The husband is a shipping clerk and his wife is a waitress. The children are in school. They are on a two week vacation and traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway. They have a large tent and a small tent for the kids, which is set up, but we all know that when it gets dark those kids are moving in with Mom and Dad. Especially when I tell the family not to leave any food outside because this is bear country and we have those pest called skunks and raccoons. Boy what a mess they can make.
I spend a wonderful hour with that family, they were so interesting. Now if I spend an hour with each camper it will take me about 80 hours to make my rounds. But that is no worry, I am a volunteer.
The next site we come to is a retired couple that lost most of their savings in the wall street rip offs. But they just cut this huge watermelon and boy it does look good. Of course when it come to food, I am not modest. I spend an hour and fifteen minutes learning from them. 78 more camp sites to cover. The next 10 campers were gone so I am making up time.
But my goodness here is a group of local people camping out, playing guitars, banjos, fiddles and dulcimers. We are invited to eat, sing and dance. They are dancing, singing and there is a row of tables 20 feet long with any kind of homemade food you can think of. Ice chests chucked full of coke, beer and some homemade squeezings. Good healthy food and remember I aint modest about chow.
It is getting dark time to quit anyway so I think I will wait till Monday to clean up the campgrounds, most everybody will be gone. And it will be quite and peaceful till next weekend.
I have to make sure that it is quite at 10pm and all the sites are secure.
Campers are so cooperative. I have been doing camp hosting for about 10 years and even the worst drunk I ever met turned off his music and went quietly to his camper when I asked. I am glad about that because he sure was a big fellow.
I wish I hadn't eaten so much and did I mention that Molly's, my dog, belly is so full of spare ribs bones, treats and even ice cream.
There is no reason for a camp host to make coffee or breakfast in the mornings because everybody else is cooking. And did I mention modest around food.
Now it is Monday afternoon and this beautiful place is almost vacant and there is very little cleaning up to do. Everyone has left their site better than it was when they came. I better check the bathrooms for toilet paper. Then I need to take a hike along this 4 mile trail to make sure there is no litter.
“Come on Molly us go for a walk”
