Utah to Wyoming

At last post, we were in search of a hosting job, North of Moab Utah near some water.  We found that place and left Moab on July 11th for Keyhole State Park near Moorcroft, Wyoming.

We planned our route so that we could visit friends along the way. 

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Our first stop was Glenwood Springs, CO  to visit friends,

Jim and Berne, whom we met hosting at an Oregon State Park.

 

 

They set us up in the church parking lot across the street from their house.  It was quiet, convenient, and FREE is always good!

 

 

They took us to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

 

Glenwood Springs is beautiful, and we could have stayed busy for a few days...

but we had a camp hosting job to get to... and other friends to see first.
 

 After a delicious breakfast at Jim and Berne's, we set out for a 350 mile drive to Torrington, WY.   The days drive was very enjoyable... we drove to an elevation of over 11,000 feet,
and drove through the Mile and a half Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel.
 

We stopped for fuel in the afternoon, and a thunder & lightening storm hit.  The timing was great.  We just stayed put until it passed.

 We started by sitting outside under the awning, watching the lightning.  But then it poured!  So we moved inside to watch.  It wasn't long before we had a flowing river out our front door.

By the time we got back on the road, we found ourselves tired of driving.  We couldn't imagine driving another 3 hours, so we looked for a place to stop for the night.  Just a few miles over the Wyoming border, we saw a Welcome center with a big parking lot.  So we took the exit and were thrilled that they had no problem with us staying overnight!  We rolled our slides out and kicked back!

We rolled into our friends place in Torrington, WY in the morning, with plenty of time to visit and play.  They have a bit of property, so they had space for us to park.

Friends, Don and Dona, with visiting friend, Carol.

On the 14th we arrived at Keyhole State Park, where we had a camp host job

 at their Pronghorn campground. 

It's a beautiful campground on the lake. 

We're surrounded by Pine trees and thunder & lightning showers every day or night.

Problem is... they don't have much of anything for us to do! 

We stock and wipe down the vault toilets, and pick up litter... but that's it!

Consequently, we've found ourselves really getting bored. 

 

Gillette is the nearest city at 45 miles away.  We went there shortly after arriving, to do some shopping and look around, but the drive took longer than seeing the "city".

 

Devils Tower National Monument is within sight of the park, and only 21 miles via back road from the park.  So we took the dirt road and visited Devils Tower.

 

Back Road Sites

Devils Tower

 

A closer look...

 

An even closer look...

Can you believe these guys?



 

 

 

 

 

Last week, on the slow mid-week campground days, we went on an overnight trip to

Deadwood, South Dakota...

an old historic town, which you may have heard of in stories of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. 

 

Wild Bill was shot playing poker in a saloon here.  Both Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried in the Mt Moriah cemetery here.

We drove home via Sturgis, SD... where the annual rally is set to begin in a week.  We visited the Full Throttle Saloon... now famous for its tv show.  

 

We wont be going to the Sturgis Rally this year, even though we are this close, for 2 reasons.  

#1 We can't handle crowds...

and there are crowds in the hundreds of thousands in this small little town during the rally.

 

and reason #2...

 

What's wrong with this picture??

 

We sold the Harley the day before we left Moab!

 

Yep... we had advertised it for sale, to simplify our travels East. 

Then when we found out we would first be spending a month in Wyoming, we decided to hold on to it and try to sell it later. 

But the day before leaving Moab, a guy called from New Mexico, saying that he was on his way with the cash... he wanted the bike. 

And he did... He came, paid us the cash and rode it away.. 

So now we are pulling around an empty Swivelwheel trailer, and trying to sell it!



We had to settle for this in Sturgis this year.
 

 

East Coast or Bust!

We're really getting excited for our travels East.  We're looking forward to seeing new places.

We have the route planned, just not the exact timing... which is fun traveling that way. 

We will travel around the Great Lakes, into upstate New York and the New England States,

then down the East Coast, cutting over to Tennessee, then to Florida for the Winter.

That's the plan... and its getting closer!



Moab Week 2

New Friends
Jim & Sherry moved in next to us the same day we arrived.  We made fast friends, and enjoyed our time together.

The above photos were taken last Sunday before I worked my first shift by myself.
I went to the office and worked while they continued their fun time.  When I arrived back at 9:00, we all continued where we left off... until Midnight!

They flew their kids and grandkids in from Missouri to vacation with them for a few days.  So we had several opportunities to doggy-sit Molly.  She finally started warming up to us.

Since my last post, our next and last Ride was to Colorado, via a beautiful scenic mountain route.

We road to the Ghost Town of Bedrock, Colorado.  Inhabited in 1881 and Established in 1883.

The only thing we saw in town was the still active Post Office.

 

 

Workamping
Work is going well for both of us.  Jeff works a few hours in the morning doing maintenance, then helps me out in the evenings for whatever I or the guests need.

I've enjoyed my work so far.  They had just purchased campground software when we arrived, and I've enjoyed helping them get it up and running.

Our friends left us today... the time had come. They kept extending their reservation, but they have other places they want to see, so they have to leave sometime!

So we had the good-bye group photos, and waved good-bye.
But we plan to see them again soon.  They have extended an invitation for us to park on their 10 acre property in Jackson, Missouri.  I pulled up their property on Google Earth (So Cool) and they showed us around their place.

We look forward to seeing Missouri as well as many other States we have not yet experienced.

Let me leave you with an Electrifying Photo...

Ya think we have some static electricity going on here?
We have been getting shocked touching everything in our RV since getting here... why??

Work & Rides in Moab

Hard at work, maintaining the park...

 

Leslie works full-time in the office.  She is wonderful... she is so friendly and accommodating to the guests.  We can all take lessons from her... and I do!  She has been training me.

 I work my first shift by myself, this evening.

 

 

Harley Rides...

 

 

We've only begun the rides.  We have many routes planned.

 

The ride yesterday took us along the river, through the canyon, over the mountain, through the woods... it was Incredible.

 

 

We passed this group of riders, stopping for a group photo.

 

We rode to an elevation of about 8000 feet.

 

Look at these Views!

 

Off Road Vehicles... Visitors either bring them, or rent them. 

Moab is full of off-road trails everywhere... and these RZR's, or the like, are everywhere.

 

 
Our neighbors, Jim & Sherry, brought their RZR with them, from Missouri.
 Jeff was lucky enough to get an invite to ride along with Jim on a little outing.

Of course, Jeff came back saying "we need one"... and I would agree, but there is a limit to how much we can pull.  Isn't there?

We're even lucky enough to get to doggy-sit Molly for them.

 

 

 

More to come of our adventures! 

Dude! Seriously??

WEDNESDAY
Can you believe it??
We just started our new workamping job today...
... and our other partner workampers left today!!
REALLY???

For those of you who have been following our blog... you may remember that this happened to us at our last workamping job.  3 TIMES!!

So we will do what we can... and see how it goes. 
We don't know yet what exactly they will be asking of us.

It’s All Good…

New workamper park managers came in, and its good!  They are fun, friendly, and competent.  We’re all Smiling!  Norma is delightful!



We get our days off again… and the weather continues to be incredible!



The Redding area has a lot of good roads for a relaxing motorcycle ride… and we’ve enjoyed a few.



Like I said…. It’s All Good.

“NEXT...”

We have been here just 4 1/2 months… and here we go again!  We are soon to be onto the fourth round of park “managers”.  Couple #3 is out of here today.  The time they last seems to be getting even shorter!  The first couple lasted 2 months.  Second couple 6 weeks.  Third couple 5 1/2 weeks.  Shall we place bets on how long couple #4 lasts??

They have all left, whether voluntary or involuntary or mutual, for different reasons.  But one thing is for sure… they all came here with an unclear picture of the job.  After they got here, it wasn’t what they “expected”… whatever those expectations were. 

When we inquire about a workamping or camp hosting job, we ask a lot of questions, and we make sure we get clear answers… preferably in writing.  I like to summarize my understanding, with specifics about the issues that are important to us, and put it into an email… then I make sure I get an email response.  This way if it doesn’t turn out to be what we agreed to, I have my “letter of understanding” to back us up.  It may not change things, but if we decided to leave early because it wasn’t what we agreed to, we wouldn’t be in the wrong.  I also like to get a picture of our site… this will be our home for a few months, so we want to be comfortable.  We like to keep to our commitments… and park owners, business owners, host coordinators all like to find people that will keep to their commitments. 


So if we were ALL (Owners/Employers AND Workampers) honest and clear about the details and expectations… this hiring, quitting, firing, rehiring wouldn’t keep repeating itself!

So what does this latest change mean for us?  We’re sticking it out. 

The owners have hired another couple who will be coming here from Washington in a week or two.  They have experience, and hopefully they have clear expectations.  Either that or they have a “go with the flow” attitude… an attitude far from the personalities of the last 3 couples who have come and go.

Workamping is not for people out to make lots of money.  nor is it for people on a power trip.  Workamping is not for people with something to prove.  Workampers are usually full-time RVers.  If you’re old enough to be a full-time RVer you should have proven yourself by now.  If you haven’t by now… you may need to give up on that.

Full-time RV life is suppose to be fun!  But it doesn’t have to be playtime everyday.  Some FT RVers are workampers or park hosts because they just like to have something to do, a little responsibility a few days a week.   Some are workampers because they need a few extra dollars to live this dream life!  It IS a dream life… and we should be thankful we are able to do it, however we are able to do it.  If we want it to work for us we need to make it work for us.  If we need to prove ourselves or make lots of money… maybe we should just go back to sticks & bricks, rush hour traffic, and the 9 to 5 rat race.  But NOT US… We choose to make the best of every day we have this life!  and we will do what we need to do to keep this life!

Ok… I’m stepping off my soapbox, now.

Aaahh... WARM SUNSHINE!!

At last... some REALLY Warm days!  The weather the past several days has been amazing!

Soaking in the Sun... Motorcycle Rides without bundling, Warm Walks in shorts & tank tops, its all good if its in the Sun!

I recline in the Sun and watch my man work!

This past week the schedule was changed yet again!  Now Jeff will work 4 days each week.  We will both work our 2 days, then Jeff will work 2 extra days, every other day, to assure that the park is well maintained.  It means a few more dollars to apply to future travels, so its all good with us.

We plan to give it until mid-March here, then go to Southern Oregon for a week, before traveling further South and East.  We have several friends to meet up with in Arizona before settling in Utah for the Summer.

We have friends to meet up with in Iowa after we leave Utah... then we may travel together to the New England States in the Fall.  We've talked about the possibility of Wintering out in Florida... perhaps getting a workamping job for the Winter.  Never know what the next year will hold!

We had a dinner get-together at the park Friday night.  Deven, one of the monthly tenants, agreed to make clam chowder for "us" at the request and expense of another monthly tenant, Jim.  But somehow, Jim forgot!  Deven had the meal ready, guests had arrived, but Jim was not here!  So I called Jim and found him to have gone for a drive... he was up in the snow and said he would be back in a couple days.  Hmmm... Okay... well Thank you Deven for all your hours of hard work on a very good home cooked clam chowder, delicious garlic bread and a beautiful salad!  This guy should have been a Chef!  The other guy... well, thank you for your generosity... but maybe we should get you a day planner.
It was an awesome meal and we all had a fun time.

Today we worked, but also made sure to watch the football game.  My throat hurt by afternoon, but way to go Niners!  what a game!!

Not where we're at... but where we're going!

It's not YET where we are at...

But it IS...

where we are going!

 

 

 

Our 2013 Summer Gig

 

 

Moab, Utah