Campground Host

[OneMoBear]

Have any of you been or considered being campground hosts in your TM? There is an old post about this that isn't exactly what I'm talking about . . .

We have no desire to have someone knocking on our door at 10pm because their neighbor is annoying them but there are some opportunities for interpretive hosts who do their thing during the day (elsewhere) and then lay low the rest of the time. We are in communication with a park manager and Oregon State Parks about the possibility for a month there in October once I'm done here in Colorado. It isn't going to make anyone Donald Trump but it sure would make the trip cheaper at the end of the road as well as extend the stay. :p

Malinda

[scrubjaysnest]

Did something like that for three years on the Ocala NF no thanks. The hosts at Brushkana, a BLM CG in Alaska were real nice folks but it was 7 days a week.
They were supplied propane, a generator and gas plus a stipend. State park hosts seem to have the best deal.

[OneMoBear]

This would not be like that . . .

"The shifts are very flexible. If we have enough staff to run two shifts a day then volunteers can chose to work together or opposite shifts during the same day to care for animals, grandchildren etc. Depending on staffing you usually are not scheduled more than 16 hours of programs time. The other 4 hours are spent getting to and from and doing a small amount of maintenance (litter pickup, cleaning, etc)"

Malinda

[OneMoBear]

We just got confirmation that we will be interpretive hosts at Heceta Head Lighthouse the month of October! :D

It is so beautiful there and we are VERY excited!

Malinda

[Wavery]

We just got confirmation that we will be interpretive hosts at Heceta Head Lighthouse the month of October! :D

It is so beautiful there and we are VERY excited!

Malinda
That looks magnificent......is there a CG there? All I see is a B&B.

October is a good month (Aug-Oct). They get rain but not constant .....about 6" for the month. Nov avg is 14", that's nearly 1/2" a day....every day.

I can't wait to hear more about it. My wife and I would love to do something like that (in about 3 years).

[OneMoBear]

That looks magnificent......is there a CG there? All I see is a B&B.

October is a good month (Aug-Oct). They get rain but not constant .....about 6" for the month. Nov avg is 14", that's nearly 1/2" a day....every day.

I can't wait to hear more about it. My wife and I would love to do something like that (in about 3 years).

We will stay here http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_123.php

There aren't words to describe how beautiful it is. It's history is pretty darn interesting too. http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/center/history.php

Malinda

[Scott O]

We spent some time there last summer and you should be very excited. It is truly a magnificent area! An overnight at the assistant lightkeepers house B&B is on our bucket list to do. Congratulations!!!

[OneMoBear]

Thanks! Gene's daughter and her husband live in Portland and we hope to arrange for them to stay at the B&B while we are there. I'd be delighted to get inside for a few minutes with my camera! :p

Malinda

[Wavery]

We will stay here http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_123.php

There aren't words to describe how beautiful it is. It's history is pretty darn interesting too. http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/center/history.php

Malinda
The lighthouse appears to be ~3-4 miles from the CG. Will you be working at the CG or the lighthouse or both?

I would love to work at the lighthouse.

When I was sailing. I made it a point to climb into every lighthouse that I saw, all over the world. I've been in so many that I couldn't even begin to count them....US ~20, New Zealand 6, Australia ~13, Africa ~10, St Helena Island 1, Europe 20+. Then there are "lighthouses" that are erected on shipwrecks in so many of the islands..... :new_Eyecr. ....OMG....I'm getting dizzy just thinking about them.

Please keep in touch about this........I am very serious about pursuing this.....unless, of course, it's just a slave labor camp.

[OneMoBear]

The lighthouse appears to be ~3-4 miles from the CG. Will you be working at the CG or the lighthouse or both?

I would love to work at the lighthouse.

When I was sailing. I made it a point to climb into every lighthouse that I saw, all over the world. I've been in so many that I couldn't even begin to count them....US ~20, New Zealand 6, Australia ~13, Africa ~10, St Helena Island 1, Europe 20+. Then there are "lighthouses" that are erected on shipwrecks in so many of the islands..... :new_Eyecr. ....OMG....I'm getting dizzy just thinking about them.

Please keep in touch about this........I am very serious about pursuing this.....unless, of course, it's just a slave labor camp.

I'm pretty sure it's not going to be a slave labor camp. The earlier quote from the park ranger is a copy and paste. When we were there last fall we never saw any volunteers who seemed to be suffering too much. :p

We will ONLY be yapping at the lighthouse, with some light cleaning of it and litter in that area. NOTHING at the campground.

I imagine you won't be able to shut me up :p

Malinda

[Lesherp]

You will love it. The first time I was in Oregon I camped near there and watched from the beach below the light house as a full moon was eclipsed one July night. The week I spent camping there was magical time and influenced my decision to move here. I moved to Oregon almost 40 years ago and lived in the Coast Range close to there for over 10 years. I think it is the nicest beach area in the state. You will find it a little cool though, be sure and bring some warm cloths. I tend to go to the coast in the spring and fall as it is cool and windy a lot in the summer. If you want to warm up or go swimming take a run inland up the Siuslaw River (above Mapleton). Lake Creak, where I lived, runs into it and would be a little cooler to swim in; that time of year as the coast range rivers get like bathtub water. If you have time before or after I would recommend trying camping on the McKenzie River or No. Fork of the Ompqua in the Cascades. Oregon is an amazing sate. Have fun!

PS. The Metolius River (not far from Camping on the Mckenzie) is another place I love and a completely different ecosystem. There is camping there also.

[OneMoBear]

Thanks so much for the great advice! I'll be done at the park here the middle of September so we'll have plenty of time to get out there and then we just want to be home for Thanksgiving. I'm printing your email and putting it in the truck.

Malinda

[scrubjaysnest]

Found a campground on Grand Mesa we like so much that we took the CG host job to stay pass the 30 day limit.

The good: so far
Most campers are a great bunch of folks.
We get a lot of questions on the TM.
The stipend covers beer money.

And the campground is really great!!!!!!!!!!

The bad:
Cleaning out burnt cans, bottles and cigarette butts from the fire rings.
Cleaning old style vault toilets, out houses.


The ugly:
Trying to get comatose drunks to turn down their radio after 10 pm.
(had to reach into the car and turn it off.)
Telling someone with a CPAP they are not allowed to run their generator all night long. (90% of the campers are in tents).




Did I say the campground is really great.....and the good out weighs the bad and the ugly:D

[rumbleweed]

If it is a state or Fed campground, I suggest you get the number for the local Natural Resources Police and call them for the drunk enforcement ( after one or two polite warnings)

[scrubjaysnest]

That is the procedure, let the Area manager know and then call the local sheriff. Problem is no cell service or land line.


on the good side did have a pair of bull moose in the campsite the other morning.:)

[Redhawk]

That's pretty cool Scrubjay, heck with the drunks....you better just hope the mooses mind their manners!!!

May I ask the name of the campground? Thanks

[rumbleweed]

That is the procedure, let the Area manager know and then call the local sheriff. Problem is no cell service or land line.


on the good side did have a pair of bull moose in the campsite the other morning.:)

Depending on your relationship with the Ranger, they might loan you a radio to use in that situation. Since you are not a LEO, they can not expect you to do anything except the polite warning. If that is not enough and you have no way to get support, my suggestion is to let it be. Although you might drop off a flyer warning campers that Moose are attracted to alcohol and if you are drinking you better be sober enough to run at 10MPH or the moose will outrun you.

[ELM-JLM]

Hey Bob, I would like to copy your flag but don't know how!

[rumbleweed]

Hey Bob, I would like to copy your flag but don't know how!

It is on other computer. I will send you the gif file tomorrow.
Bob

[scrubjaysnest]

Depending on your relationship with the Ranger, they might loan you a radio to use in that situation. ................snip.

Have no idea who the ranger is, the one LE hasn't found her way out of Grand Junction yet. If I knew the LE's radio freq for Grand Mesa I would just reprogram my hand held.

We will know better after the holiday weekend coming up but it looks like hosting a CG through a concessionaire isn't the best way to go. They do pay a little unlike USFS hosts that don't get anything other then site, maybe electric, maybe propane, or maybe a gen set. At least with USFS there is generally a land line and or radio.

[PopBeavers]

The campground we go to the most often it is about a 4 mile drive to the nearest place where a cell phone will work.

In the mountains, any communications that requires line-of-sight will not work.

Satellite would be the way to go.

[happybeebob]

It certainly looks like the secret is out now with all the postings. I was
A. Born in Chicago
B. Left for the lights of L.A.
C. Escaped to Oregon after visiting some my wife's relatives back in 1977.
Sold our home quit our jobs and arrived here with our first daughter that was
one month old. One of the scariest times but it all worked out and have
never looked back with absolutely no regrets. That's what "Oregon" will do
to you if you let it.

[scrubjaysnest]

That's pretty cool Scrubjay, heck with the drunks....you better just hope the mooses mind their manners!!!

May I ask the name of the campground? Thanks

Redhawk,
I missed the question on the CG, it is Spruce Grove. A mile past the Mesa Lakes rec area when coming up SR 65 from I-70.


So far its all mostly been good
Got to see a Northern Pygmy Owl after listening to them for over a month.
Been watching a fawn grow up all summer.
Survived Labor Day weekend.

The bad
those that miss the hole and make their deposit all over the seat.

The ugly

keeping the cow herd out of the the CG
shoveling cow dung:mad: