THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY

Our Summer of Workamping 2001

A Retrospective  

The Setting:

In late spring, while surfing through some favorite RV sites, I happened upon an ad for a workamping couple to help with a new lodge & established campground in the San Juan Islands of Washington. What particularly caught my eye was the fact that they needed a supervisor to help with the final phase of construction on the lodge—perfect for Marc!  

Since I had the opportunity to be close to that area while doing another RV trip anyway, I ferried over to talk with the owners and look it over. Rachael was with me, and to be perfectly honest, we weren’t that impressed. Marc knew he would be quitting long-haul driving by the end of June so we were debating whether to work or just travel all summer. The owners initially wanted someone to commit to stay for over a year; a commitment we just couldn’t offer. We turned them down. Further offers on their part upped the ante to the point where Marc said it was worthwhile for us to go, but only for the summer.  

Rachael’s plans for spending the summer with her father in California fizzled out, so she joined us & would be given the opportunity to work. Marc took the big rig to the islands over the 4^th of July; almost two weeks in advance of when it turned out Rachael & I could join him. Returning from a trip to Minnesota to visit a friend, Rachael ended up with strep throat so we waited out her illness in Bend. We finally arrived on San Juan Island to Lakedale Resort on July 18^th.  

                     Beautiful Neva Lake at Lakedale Resort

Marc had camp all set up for us and our lakeside spot with water and electric was one of the better ones. Rachael made her home in the camper parked right next door to us, allowing us to use her bedroom in the Travel Supreme as our office/storage room.

                                                          Our rigs at camp                                                                                                         See how close to the lake we are!

Marc had been working long and hard hours finalizing construction of the lodge since a wedding party was booked for the latter part of July. It was a madhouse! As things turned out, the lodge didn’t get completed on time, but the wedding party was allowed to stay anyway. Things were so frantic the final week before the guests’ arrival that both Rachael and I jumped in doing things like hauling & stacking construction debris, placing furniture in the rooms, & helped make up the rooms with all the bedding, etc. In the end, the rooms turned out beautifully.  

                      Loading the room's mattresses into the lodge                                  The stone mason finishes up the 30' fireplace                              

               Nearly completed lodge from Neva Lake                                                           Believe it or not, the day before opening!

                 The lodge's back deck & lakeside setting                                           The decorators completing the furnishing of great room

                    The completed lodge from the front                                                                      A view of the rooms

                                     The view of Neva Lake from room 10

Initial plans had been for me to work on some marketing ideas and building a database for direct mail campaigns for the new lodge. As it turned out, I got to do very little along those lines. However, it ended well (sort of) with me having spent much of the time actually working the reservation desk, learning that computer system, the lodge’s front desk activities, check-ins & check-outs, answering multi & very busy phone lines, and inputting & building the needed database.  

The lodge foyer where Claudia worked (before completion)

Rachael had her first real paying job working in the campground store and checking in campers. She met many wonderful people (Boy Scout groups were a big hit with her) and seemed to thrive on the hectic pace and remained levelheaded even when facing disgruntled campers.  

           Rachael at work with Karen in campground store                                 Pat, Rachael & Karen during a moment of relaxation

And disgruntled people were everywhere. I’m sure the owner’s intentions are to provide a quality experience for people wishing to enjoy all the bounties of those beautiful islands. Unfortunately, the ideal fell far short.  

The campground is spread far & wide over approximately 60 acres or so, and there are three small private lakes offering fishing, swimming, and small rental boats. Visually, it’s a lovely area. The campground caters primarily to tenters and has only about 15 RV sites with water & 30 amp electric & uneven dirt spaces crowded tightly together. There are over 123 sites with one shower house. Porta-potties were provided in the outlying areas of the campground. Lack of manpower seriously hindered upkeep. In August the shower house had to actually be closed, as the septic system would no longer absorb the water flow.  

                     Campers in rental boats on Neva Lake                                                                              Tent camping at Lakedale

Since the showers cost $2 for 5 minutes & were not included with site payment, it was considered that the campers weren’t really losing anything by the closure anyway. However, that’s not what most campers felt about it! The nearest showers were a four-mile drive away in Friday Harbor at the marina. Many campers arrived on bicycle, having chosen not to bring a car to the small island. The thought of bicycling eight miles round trip for a shower made many of them furious.  

Meanwhile, on the lodge front, we dealt daily with a magnificent building opened before its time…construction delays had been rampant & continued as Marc did his best to get subcontractors out to finish up or do repairs.  

In the end, we appreciated the opportunity the owners gave us to gain this experience. It was a tragedy that most of the RV workampers hired left well before their allotted time period with bad feelings. The general consensus was that things were not as they had been told to expect.  

For all that fell short about this experience, there was a good portion as well. We met other workampers we will never forget, some we will continue to stay in contact with, all with whom we really enjoyed spending time with after work hours around the campfire and at our impromptu get-togethers for birthday parties and socializing.  

          Alan's birthday cake & this doesn't say "Happy B-day"                            Olivia, Nancy, Michelle, Alan & Marion at birthday party

Marion, Nancy, Allison, Brannon & Claudia at birthday party

The cast of characters:

It starts with Bill & Pat, who had been there already over a year, living in their motorhome with their two dogs. Bill was supervising the construction of the lodge but quit for greener pastures. Unfortunately, his new position didn’t work out. Pat had stayed behind to help with the lodge opening & her knowledge of how everything ran was indispensable. Really loving the island forced them to reconsider & at the time we left, they were both back at it full time, stepping into the shoes they had worn such a short time before.  

Jeanine & John were the next to leave early. New to the RV lifestyle, they were living in a small travel trailer that the owners provided, having been hired as managers. They decided after only two weeks Lakedale wasn’t for them & headed for Lyndon, Washington to look for other employment.  

Karen & Jim, originally from southern California, will remain until after Labor Day. Jim worked long & hard at campground chores & maintenance, while Karen diligently taught Rachael what she needed to know about the store & registration. When they leave Lakedale in their motorhome, they’re headed to the Corpus Christi area of Texas hoping to buy a home for their retirement.  

Lola is a single full timer who hops around the country following jobs all over. A perky personality combined with more grit than most people ever thought of having, sent her on her way in early August after she tired of the Lakedale hours. She headed to Georgia and new work with the Southern Cross Gas Company. Since she worked on cabin & lodge reservations, she said she never wants to have to answer another phone call!  

                                 Lola with birthday cake for Sue

Tony & Sue, retired, also from Texas, pulled out early in their fifth wheel after their passports came in the mail one day. It’s what they had been waiting for—a necessity for their trip to China in November. Sue was a whiz at campground reservations and Tony had the unfortunate “honey pot” duty amongst others. They full time in their fifth wheel but still maintain their home in Texas, which is rented out. We gained a lot of good advice from them regarding workamping experiences they have had & some of the better areas to work.  

                              Tony & Sue on Sue's birthday

Brannon & Michelle, young Rvers almost by accident. Both had dream jobs traveling the world setting up seminars for renowned motivational speaker Anthony Robbins, when they tired of it & quit. Bought a motorhome, got married & have traveled this past year. Just happened upon the workamping at Lakedale while visiting the San Juans & were made the new managers within a couple weeks. Both extremely bright, motivated, upbeat--& unfortunately, very quickly beat down. They too, have given notice & will leave shortly. We became very close friends with this couple and had the best of times with them. Their future plans are up in the air with the exception that they’ve been asked to spend six weeks starting in November helping to manage a resort in Fiji with some friends. Obviously the motorhome will not be making that trip!  

               Ivan, Yvonne, Marion, Michelle & Brannon                                             Brannon, Michelle, Brannon's brother Brad, & Ivan

Alan, Nancy & their two-year-old son, Ivan, from parts back east. Actually, Alan is a Pittsburgh native & Nancy from the rural end of Long Island. Unbelievable free spirits, they rode the Grey Dog out to the island to live on site in a tent for the summer so son Ivan could enjoy the outdoors. Alan & Nancy primarily worked the store and taught Rachael a lot. Nancy will return to cooking school in New York this winter, Alan will probably bartend when he’s not playing his guitar on street corners crooning songs by Leonard Cohen & Hank Williams.  

Marion (back to us), Alan, Yvonne & Rachael at Sue's birthday

Marion & Yvonne, the two young male Czechoslovakians & Joann & Allison (not their real names), Taiwanese foreign exchange students—all hired by Lakedale to be onsite workers. All were very hardworking & delightful personalities to be around. The boys ended up spending many hours with Marc, both on the job & off (helping Marc haul in the crab pots). The boys will be leaving Lakedale on September 13^th, driving across the U.S. sightseeing the Grand Canyon & other spots they wish to see before their return flight home on the 28^th. The girls left Lakedale prematurely in a dispute with the owners but gained other employment on the island immediately. They too, fly home in September. Thanks girls, for being so sweet as to hear Marc was leaving & at the ferry dock, & making a point of coming out to say goodbye. We enjoyed hearing about tales of life in their homelands & commend these young people for their tenacity in sticking through difficult working conditions, always with a smile on their face. All four are looking forward to reading this post & seeing their pictures featured here when they return home & can show their families.  

                         Tony, Sue, Ivan, Yvonne & Marion

The good:

The islands are drop dead gorgeous. Very rural, bucolic, restful. If you want a job, go there: there is virtually zero unemployment. The weather during our tenure was great for the most part. Many days off we had terrific fun exploring the winding island roads on the scooters, which proved to be the perfect transportation. In fact, scooter rentals are big business on San Juan as the highest speed limit is only 45 mph & many of the roads are actually between 25-30 mph. There is very little traffic to contend with. Bicycling is also big—folks come from far away to bicycle all the islands, as the inter-island ferry system is free to walk-ons & bicyclists.  

                                 Rolling farmland                                                                                Bay near Roche Harbor

                                  Cemetery view                                                                          Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan

                View from Mt. Constitution, Orcas Island                                               American Camp view, San Juan (Nat'l. Park)

               Ferry arrival as viewed from Orcas Hotel deck                                                         San Juan Alpaka ranch

                      What's up doc? The Alpaka close up                                                                   Bucolic scooter roads

              Favorite island transportation, 3 wheel scooter!

Opportunities for ocean recreation abound. Whale watching tours are numerous and so is ocean kayaking. Our favorite is crabbing, and with our little boat, Marc & Brannon were able to place four crab pots out daily. We supplied everyone with all the fresh crab (big ones too!) they cared to eat. We ate it, we gave it away, we froze it, and we canned it. And still at the end had enough to serve an “all you could eat” feast fresh to 17 people who attended our going away get-together.  

                                Sea kayakers heading out                                                              Friday Harbor wharf fish seller

                             Are the crabs big enough?                                                                             Yvonne's ready to eat!

                                                          So is Marion!

The island living and welcoming workampers who became friends will live on in our memories as a real highlight of this lifestyle. We can hardly wait to move on to other adventures of workamping as our time and Rachael’s school schedule might allow. Thanks, all you cast of characters, for making our summer one of our best ever. We hope to cross paths down the road again!  

What We Learned:

·        It’s possible to eat high on the hog for virtually almost nothing. Many days the market value of all the crab we were catching exceeded well over $100.