Changes

The life of a fulltimer is full of changes, just like the weather…..you think you know what is in the forecast, then…bam, it all goes in another direction! After 9 years on the road, you would think we would know what to expect. Since I posted last, very remiss of me…….many things in our lives have changed, dramatically. We spent the summer at Heise, then were planning on going to our fall/winter position in Lousiana. During the summer, we had schedualed a trip to the western mountains of Idaho to check on some RV lots that were for sale. We own one already in So Cal, but wanted another. The second week of Sept, we took a few days and drove over to Cascade, ID to look. On that drive up the mountain from Boise, we had an epiphany, of sorts. When we began our fulltime adventure over 11 years ago, it was with the intention of finding that “perfect place”.  We found it. Lake Cascade is in a valley in the west central mountains of Idaho. While there we spent a lot of time exploring the valley looking for property. We found some really interesting prospects. While at the hotel one night, I called my Mom to tell her what we were up to. She is 87 and lost my Dad 4 years ago. My 3 siblings and I have tried to get her to sell her huge home and live with one of us but she adamantly refused. The last time I had mentioned it to her she went ballistic on me and I had decided to not mention it again. Sooooo, when I asked her if she would consider moving if... Read more

Different Paths

A bit of time has passed since my last blog entry….a lot of things have happened, and many more have changed. When we started our fulltime adventure, it was to find the "perfect place" to land. We have been looking for 9 years and seen most of our wonderful country. This past year has been a time of change. We were planning on spending last winter workcamping in east Texas. We were on the job less than a week when we were summoned to So Cal to care for Terry’s Mom (82), who had fractured her back falling off the roof of the house we had bought so she would not be homeless! Sooooo……we ended up moving her to an assisted living facility this past summer and putting the house on the market. It sold last month and is ready to close escrow. Terry’s Dad passed away about 2 years ago. My Mom is 87 and still active and healthy. She really should not be driving, so does very little of that activity. We lost my Dad four years ago and Mom adjusted well. We periodically asked her if she would like to come live with us.  We were willing to get a two bedroom fiver to accomodate her, or even to settle down and buy a house. She has always declined the offer, stating she was happy in her home of over 25 years with her memories and familiar surroundings.  The last time we talked about her moving was this past summer. We had been looking at property in eastern ID with the intention of getting something that we would have when the boys were ready to move and... Read more

First Flight

As fulltimers for nearly nine years, we have found that getting sufficient exercise can be challenging. I try to walk 8-10 miles a day at least 5 times a week. Not only does it keep me active and in somewhat good shape, it gives me time to solve the world’s problems, if only in my mind. I enjoy the quiet time with myself. Here, at Heise, I have a routine. I leave the cg at about 5am and walk the river road. At that time of the morning, there is nothing moving but me and some of nature’s critters. About two miles into my walk is an Osprey nest I have been watching for months. I saw the parents repairing the nest after the winter and watched them nesting. After the chick hatched I watched it grow. Mom and Dad were diligent, feeding and caring for it. For days the chick teetered at the edge of the nest, getting up enough courage to fly. Read more  Read More →

Late Snow in Heise Hot Springs

Is It Summer, Yet? This has been a strange year, for sure. Terry and I have been coming to SE Idaho for the past four summers to workcamp. Heise Hot Springs is 20 miles NE of Idaho Falls in the eastern part of the South Fork of the Snake River. We are on a channel of the river right against the mountain. In fact, the mountain goes straight up 50′ outside our door. We are protected on three sides by the mountain and trees on the other side. We don’t usually get much wind and the fiver gets some shade. Past years we have gotten here in late April and we have been greeted by fairly pleasant weather. I have been able to plant flowers and get to gardening within a week or so of arrival. By the first of June plants have been blooming profusely and I will have been spending hours every day watering. Read more  Read More →

Workamper Life: A Typical Day

Terry and I have been fulltiming for almost nine years and volunteering /workcamping for nearly 8 of those. Most of our jobs/positions have been fairly predictable. Several of those have been places that we have returned to for many years because we love the job, area, etc. Most times the jobs are predictable…set hours, duties and very routine. There is some degree of comfort in predictability, but to us, that is not why we became fulltimers! We like to experience new things and adventure is high on our list. One of our favorite places to work is at Heise Hot Springs in SE Idaho. This is our 4th season here and we plan on more. Terry and I are not the typical workcamper here. Those have set hours to work in the office, park campers, clean buildings and those type jobs. We, on the other hand, have no set hours and wear many hats. Read more  Read More →

RV Trouble

Just Another Trip…. We spent the past 4 months in So Cal caring for Terry’s 80 yo Mom who broke her back falling off a ladder while checking the roof. Don’t ask why…. We were finally able to leave on April 24 and head for our summer position in Idaho. This will be our fourth season working at Heise Hot Springs Resort and we are really looking forward to it. We made arrangements to spend some time in Salt Lake City to have our Motosat system refurbished. We were just outside of Cedar city, UT in the Virgin River Gorge and I was at the wheel. Suddenly I heard honking beside me and a lady was gesturing frantically. What was wrong? I pulled the rig off the road at the first spot I could find, and Terry got out to check things out. Sure enough, the right rear tire on the fiver was flat. This was the second tire to fail in 600 miles. He got the tire changed to the new spare and meanwhile I had phoned ahead to Cedar City to find tires. We have a Garmin GPS that we rely on heavily. Miss Elsie Mae (she may get us there, or may not! ) gave me three shops to call. The second had the tires we needed…how many?….6 Yes!!!!! We will take all of them…come in tomorrow morning first thing and we will take care of you! We were planning on spending the nite in CC anyway, so the timing was perfect. Read more  Read More →

Getting Ready To Hit The Road

Wow…I can’t believe that we have been here in Apple Valley for nearly 3 months! We were supposed to spend the winter working at a KOA in Texas. We were so looking forward to it and loved the area and the folks. 10 days into our position we received a phone call…Terry’s 80 yo mother had fractured her back, falling off the roof. (Don’t even ask … we won’t go there!!!!) We explained the situation to our employers and hit the road for So Cal. Four days and one blow-out later, we arrived. We own an RV lot in a resort in Apple Valley, CA that we bought 8 years ago. Both Moms live here as well as our son and family and we knew that at some point we would have to spend time here. We have used the lot very seldom, maybe 8 months total in 8 years, but we are glad we have it. We have been sitting here, trying to stay busy and not fret, but it is hard. His Mom was released for the Dr a week ago, so now we can start making tracks for ID. Read more  Read More →

What Skills Do I Need?

A good question was posed today on the Workcamping Forum….” Good skills to have for workamping” …Is it helpful to acquire some additional skills before hitting the road? We have found, over the years, that the skills we developed in our former lives were all that were needed when starting to workcamp and volunteer. Most everyone who decides to leave the world of stix and bricks to hit the road and volunteer/wc has these skills. Have you been a homeowner or lived in a s/b that required you to mow the lawns, fix a faucet, paint a wall? Can you clean a kitchen or bathroom, wash windows, make a bed? Can you wield a hammer and change a lightbulb? Do you know how to budget money, make change, keep records? Can you interact with people in a non-confrontational manner? Can you rake a path, plant a flower bed, build a stone wall? Clean a firepit, count vehicles and hand out literature? Certainly, if you can do any or most of the above, you can find a place in the v/wc world. Most of the skills you already have will apply. One of the best skills, tho,  is a willingness to follow directions. Many of us who have owned our own businesses, been in a position of authority or a professional  in some field may find it difficult , at first, to do this. One of the first positions we accepted was at a State Beach campground. Fortunately, the supervisors had put together a handbook for the volunteers which spelled out most everything that we would need to know.... Read more

It Pays To Be Handy…Part 2

In 2003 we purchased our Freight-liner truck. We had a 35′ fiver that was too heavy for the F450 we had at the time. We knew that when we got the fiver, but it took a few months to find the right truck. We love the FL60 and it has served us well. It has many great features such as air ride cab, seats and bed. We also have an air ride hitch. Another great feature is the huge electric mirrors. They are heated and terrific for defrosting the ice which will occasionally accrue in snowy weather. We try to avoid traveling in snow or ice, but occasionally we get caught. The first time with our current rig was going from Casper, WY to Apple Valley, CA in Nov, 2004. The weather dictated that we turn on the mirror heaters. The driver side mirrors worked well, but the passenger side mirrors would not heat. Darn…that air is cold when trying to scrape an icy mirror going down the road! Fortunately we did not need the heat for long. Read more  Read More →

How Do I Start?

I have often been asked about how to go about starting to volunteer and workcamp. I will try to help from personal experience. We had lived for 22 years in the middle of the largest state park in the States. We knew about camp hosting long before we decided to try it. When Terry and I retired, we were told that we would be perfect for the position. With Terry’s law enforcement background, my retail experience and decades of life on the farm, we had skills that were needed. Our seventh month of fulltiming was spent in Oxnard, CA at Port Hueneme Naval base. One day, while on a bicycle ride, we stopped in at McGrath State Beach and asked for a volunteer application. We talked to the ranger on duty and he told us what the requirements were for hosting there. We filled out the applications and sent them in. The next month we were in Grover Beach and recieved a call from the Park office in Ventura and were told that we were accepted, when could we start? It was just that easy! My suggestion to folks is to decide on an area that you would like to spend some time. Then start searching for likely locations that utilize volunteers or workcampers. Are there state, federal, county or city parks there? If so, contact them and ask about volunteer programs. Many times the information is available online. That is where I start looking. Pick the park, go online and find the volunteer page. If there is none there, the contact information will have email addresses as well as phone numbers... Read more

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