It’s Only Camping!

As a teen, I had dreamed of making it to California. I thought it was the land of cool people, surfing, tree huggers, and forward-thinking people. Now don’t get me wrong, California is so beautiful. We went from being in the desert during the winter, to finding a working camping job in NOCAL for the summer. I was super excited to see that area and be less than a mile away from the beach. The thought of eating fresh seafood when I want, and fresh salmon being sold on the side of the street.

I was excited to be working with some like-minded people who were living the same lifestyle, and looking to potentially make friends. The thought never occurred to me that things would turn out the way they did.

Our journey to NOCAL

We left on a Tuesday and started making our way north, Brian had planned out the route from a really neat place from us to camp for the night. The general store we parked at had a wine tasting and an In and Out burger place in the same center. we browsed the store enjoyed the wine then had dinner before resting for the next part of the drive the next day. We drove past some of the most beautiful farms with so many fruit or nut trees and small towns. My dream of seeing such beauty was coming true.

When we interviewed for the position they told us that driving up Highway 1 would be a little slower due to the curves, hair pins, and twisty road. Once we reached Highway 1 we didn’t expect it to be quite like it was. I don’t think you can prepare anyone mentally, even though you tell someone doesn’t mean it actually registers until you are experiencing it firsthand. The scene of the ocean and the cliffs was breathtaking, and the back end of the camper looking like it was going off the road was also, breathtaking.

The drive was longer than we thought, it took an hour in a half to drive forty miles which seems crazy but maintaining a lower speed was important. Once we reached the campground we were greeted by the staff manager and his wife. While Brian and the manager were getting us parked I was entertained by the wife. She was giving me the rundown of their lives and probably gave me too much information I really didn’t need at the time.

I just figured whatever. At some point, this lady informs me she doesn’t do stuck-up. I thought, I don’t know why she decided to say that but moving on to getting my kitty cats in the camper and getting it set up for the next five months.

Let the Work Camping Begin

We arrived two weeks before the campground would open. The famous words spoken were “It’s just camping”. I thought it would be a laid-back environment and it would be somewhat easy work. So over the next two weeks worked to learn the system and how to handle the reservations. The training they offered was good training and went over the system very thoroughly. Up until this point, we are still getting used to being in the redwoods and getting to know the other people we would be working with. I know that I can be a little awkward especially when getting to know someone and things don’t seem to flow.

So we met the two general managers of the campground who actually had some ownership of the campground. But it wasn’t clear exactly who they were, it wasn’t not even talked about, but later on is when I learned that there was an older couple who owned it. So this younger couple actually managed the campground and hired this man who had worked camped a couple of years with them ( the guy who greeted us upon arrival).

My first impression of him was he seemed laid back and just generally nice and his wife was a little bitchy. Figured since we are the same age she might be entering that next stage of life since I too am in that phase. But the next couple of weeks I had no idea what would transpire. In the beginning, I felt something was definitely different, and couldn’t put my finger on it.

Full Swing Work Camping Disaster

The work was easy and the people coming to camp were nice once the park opened up. It really didn’t feel like work and the only weird thing was working with this individual who seemed unhappy with her life. I tried to connect with her several times on different levels but would only turn her telling me she didn’t care what other people thought. I worked the most with her and she just didn’t seem happy. One day a person who was camping came up to the office and asked me if they could move into another spot. I looked and it was available so I moved him into that spot.

Now from the office, there is no way of seeing the actual spot or knowing which one this man wanted to move into. I only know what he asked for. So the next day I came into work and the staff manager came in and told me that I had moved this guy into the wrong spot and the computer showed something different. I was so confused, then he turned to me and said that when his wife would come in she would play bad cop. Still confused I thought ok, If I made a mistake at least let me know next time.

This crazy lady came in and decided she was going to raise her voice at me and inform me of how wrong I was. I thought is this really happening? I stood there in shock for a moment, then just let it roll. I ended up a couple of days later asking the higher-up who exactly is my boss. She informed me that she was not my boss but the husband was. Before I knew it the husband was now micro-managing me and raised his voice at me a couple of times. The last straw was him talking to me very harshly like in front of another co-worker.

The Lies of Work Camping

It became a mess, Brian decided he would take it into his own hands and speak to Mr. higher up. Mr. Higher Up came to talk to me and ask what was going on. I explained to him, he agreed that it was a bit much but also started blaming me for talking to other work campers about what had happened, which I had spoken to one person about it. Told me they thought she and I would be good friends due to us being the same age. Told him “You guessed that shit wrong!”. Just because you are the same age as someone doesn’t mean you are going to be besties.

Then it became he said she said, then he approached Brian the next day and offered to change my schedule so I wouldn’t have to work with her, I told Brian to ask him to send the schedule over so we could see if it would work for us or not and to make the decision to leave. So Brian did and then the next thing we know, they are bringing a red folder to our campsite.

They said it was best we parted ways and then started saying things that were not necessarily true, gave us forty-eight hours to leave the campground. The thing that bugged me the most was how they handled the situation.

All Work Camping Jobs aren’t Equal

I think for me the work camping lifestyle that best fits is a small two-couple band, We haven’t tried that yet but it just seems less like a problem. Working opposite shifts would be ideal. Not really having to put up with anyone else’s drama. Even working in a firework store, beet harvest, or the oil field. You can read more about our different experiences here.

Now Onto The Good Part of Work Camping

While in Northern California we did experience some delicious seafood. Bodega Bay has some of the most flavorful oysters around. We ate some fresh fish at the Fishetarian and hung out by the water one day when we went into Santa Rosa to grocery shop. That was one of the main things we had to travel almost two hours to buy groceries at a decent price.

With the sea lions hanging out at the docs looking for their own fish, it made for a great time. A sunny day with the wind blowing in May made for a great post-birthday lunch. I loved watching the sea lions swim in and out of the bay, their barks are so loud. While watching them bully each other off the planks.

Bodega Bay also is famous for the filming of The Birds an Alfred Hitchcock movie. There is a coffee house located in the area along with several shops. The town isn’t very big but should be an on-the-list destination.

Some of Our Memorable Moments Camping in NOCAL

Hiking the Russian Gulch State Park in Mendocino County, was a six-mile hike up the side of the mountain with a beautiful view of the ocean. With a campground in the state park. The area is remote and a great getaway from everyone. There is a beach not too far from here where we witnessed plenty of people dry camping.

The Sea Ranch Chapel is a non-denominational sanctuary for prayer, meditation, and spiritual renewal. Spent my forty-ninth birthday praying and meditating here. The stained glass is beautiful along with the perfect woodwork that offers peace and serenity. It is open at any time of the time.

During my time in the area, I visited it a couple of times. There is a creek that runs alongside and has a hiking trail off to the right. When I was getting ready to leave after my quiet time I spotted a wild turkey coming up the open field. I watched him move gracefully and tried to get a picture of him but he moved too quickly.

During Andrew’s visit I took him to the chapel as well, said he felt so peaceful and found it astonishing.

During our time in Gualala, there were banana slugs everywhere. Had no idea they existed until we or what they were until we had one at our campsite. They would be on the camper window, on the side of the camper. Fun fact they eat dog poop, often times when I used the porta potty next to the office they would be inside.  The Pacific banana slug is the second-largest species of terrestrial slug in the world, growing up to 25 centimeters (9.8 in) long. The kids camping loved counting just how many they found.

The sunsets on the Pacific coast were pretty amazing, with several areas for viewing. On some of our days off, we would hang out at the local beaches, most you have to take a trail down to the beach due to elevation being forty-something. The ocean water was pretty cold. Every once in a while we would spot a water fountain in the ocean from a whale traveling north after being in the south and giving birth.

The redwoods are beautiful trees and provide so much shade while holding moisture, the amount of humidity the camper held we weren’t ready for. We had to run the dehumidifier often in the camper.

In the picture to the left, you’ll notice a  fairy ring was formed once the mother tree died. The owners named their Fairy Ring,  Cathedral Tree, We had several requests from visitors just wanting to come into the park to see it. This adorable couple came up one day wanting to exchange their vows are the tree, they were able to for a fee of seventy-seven dollars, the fee for a campsite.