First Workamping Vacation

Phew, we are exhausted from all the working--we need a vacation. A roadtrip to Ocean Shores on the coast will be perfect! We'll make a big loop around the Olympic Nat'l Park--Ocean Shores up to Cape Flattery, east to Port Angeles and south to Olympia. We're looking forward to eating some fresh salmon.

The mountain pass had fresh snow, but it was a clear day and we could see Mt. Rainier perfectly!

The north Pacific Coast is WILD and CRAZY! The tides are drastic and the beaches are pounded so hard the state of Washington considers them state highways. Vehicle traffic on the beach is normal. Ok, that was odd. The biking was fun and easy--even in the gale winds. The tide brings in many, many sand dollars. We had much fun hunting for the best ones.

Ruby Beach is not ruby-looking at all, but cool nonetheless. This certainly is not a swimming beach, but the huge sea stacks provide nice wind breaks. This part of the coast is rugged, remote and devoid of development save a few run down little towns.

Next stop, the Rain Forest to see the largest spruce tree. Of course, we didn't park in the parking lot ADJACENT to the largest spruce tree, so we donned our finest rain protection gear and hiked THROUGH THE RAIN FOREST TO THE LARGEST SPRUCE TREE! The Timber Museum sign in Forks lured us inside for an enjoyable tour of western logging practices. (A Forester can hardly ever pass by a Timber Museum without stopping.)

It was a long, long ride up to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the contiguous U.S. The area is actually a Makah Indian Reservation. Although, in my humble opinion, it is worthy of National Park status, all one gets is a half-mile boardwalk out to the point...and that is it--no fanfare, no buying of commemorative souvenirs, no "congested" areas. Otherwise, it reminded us a lot of the Maine coast, particularly, Acadia Nat'l Park.

We returned to Prosser laden with smoked salmon--cajun, garlic and lemon flavored. All yummy!! On the way home, we stopped at Hoodsport Winery to taste, and we found Bob and Jenny Cope's house right across the street. It looked a fitting place for Bob to have spent his retirement time fishing off the back porch with a winery only a few steps away!

It's time to get back to work at the RV Park.

Klickitat, WA

Al wanted to visited Klickitat, Washington, which, at one time, was home to a thriving Champion Int'l sawmill. Sadly, it now stands idle and suffers the disrepair of the long-abandoned buildings. Looking through the chainlink fence that surrounds the property, I know Al could imagine the bustling mill yard in the center of town, as it once was, if only in his mind's eye.

The town is nestled amongst beautiful mountains which are covered in dwarf mountain lupines and pine trees building their new cones beside the Klickitat River where salmon will soon make their way upstream. The Native Americans still net the salmon from platforms alongside the gorge. It is all picture postcard pretty!

Workamping

We're happily working our two half-days a week at Wine Country RV Park in the wild west. Al is focused on getting control of the underground irrigation system and stopping the frequent leaks, attending to camper requests, cleaning the pool and filling propane tanks. His work vehicle is...a golf cart! I work in the office taking reservations, checking in campers, selling wine and hoping for a balanced cash register at the close of business. The software that makes an RV Park tick is called Campground Manager. Learning new software is always a challenge...and I've not operated a cash register since the hand-crank model.

I've never seen so much wine. We talk about it, make recommendations, drink it every day and sometimes more than once a day, sip it, share it, drink it alone or with someone, drink it with meals, visit the local wineries for a glass of their best... and when we have a free afternoon, we go for a ride and stop for wine tasting. Many of the local wineries are small, family-owned businesses. You'll not buy their wine off any shelf but their own. However, the mega Columbia Crest Winery is close by. Their vineyards stretch for miles, and the grounds and buildings are beautiful.

Well, I was wrong about harmony reigning over the Workampers. Some have already left and replacements have arrived. Workampers are not necessarily the same happy, easy-going RVers we have encountered over the past year. Living and working in the close proximity of an RV Park with ones co-workers--some past, some present and some future, along with the Park managers, creates some interesting circumstances.

The Togetherness Meter waxes and wanes as our schedule requires we go our separate ways to work...and Al has friends to go on frequent hardware store excursions. Someone is always knocking on the door looking for him. What a charmer!

Local alpacas gave their wool...and I got a rug. Beautiful!!

Asparagus has hit the stores, the markets, the street corner vendors and the local Chinese restaurant. Creative cooks do amazing things with asparagus--even deep-fry it. I'd never before seen asparagus growing. It looks like a field of pencils. Apparently, cherries will be the next crop to harvest. Yummy! I can't wait.

Prosser, Washington

The high desert is such unfamiliar landscape to us. Prosser sits 700 ft. above sea level in a wide valley between the Horse Heaven Hills and the Rattlesnake Hills. The hills have no trees! There are no trees in the valley save for the few that have been planted. Tumbleweeds blow over a dry, parched landscape. That said, a lot of irrigation turns eastern WA into a lush, green agricultural mecca. Vineyards thrive...nine wineries are within walking distance of the Park and dozens of others in the immediate area. Huge, hillside orchards produce cherries, peaches, apricots, apples, plums and pears. Hops for making beer grow on sturdy, tall, wooden frames. The Yakima River meanders through downtown Prosser providing the much needed water. Wine is plentiful, reasonably priced and ever-flowing. Thrown in for fun, a chocolate-covered-cherry factory is around the corner from the Park and right on the paved, bike trail. What a great summer we're going to have!

I've been in denial; we are actually here to work. Egads, did I say work? During our year of glorious travel and never-ending freedom, we encountered many full-time RVers involved in this thing called "workamping." Loosely defined, workamping requires a few hours of work, usually at an RV park, in exchange for a full-hookup site...and some extras. We perused the Workamper.com web site, sent in our resumes, had a phone interview and wala we're hired. I think Al and the kitties have become dizzy with the traveling and conspired to spend some time stalled in one place. :)

The sun rises in Prosser, WA as it does in other places, and I'm not usually witness to it. Ok, I never witness it. You can imagine my surprise at being awakened by a blazing light at an obscene hour of the morning. I have only to lift my head slightly off the pillow to see the glorious sunrise every day!

Lilacs are blooming beside rhododendrons and beautiful dogwood trees. Trees, plants, bushes, flowers, fruit and vegetables that I associate with specific parts of the country seem to all be growing here. The word on the street is the asparagus harvest will be any day now.

There appears to be some discontent among our fellow workampers. I'm sure it will work out.

Idaho & Oregon

As we climbed out of Salt Lake City, we climbed into winter. Darn, the weather is going to be a problem...

For the next two days, as we finished up the Nevada Barr book we've been reading about winter on Isle Royale, we were rained on, sleeted on, hailed on and snowed on. We camped both nights on the Snake River where the wind blew white caps on the water. We're wondering if we should have delayed our arrival in Washington until the first of May instead of April. Too late now. Al scraped the ice off the windshield, and we hoped for the best.

It is a little scary pulling a 40' RV up a mountain in heavy snow that is accumulating on the ground...and there is the coming down the other side!! We stopped at Dead Man's Pass coming across the Blue Mountains in Oregon to play in the snow. Al thought it a good time to revisit my poor judgement in disposing of his tire chains along with the house in Pensacola. I pointed out my good judgement in keeping one ice scraper in the truck...the one with the snow brush on one end!

All's well that ends well. We left the snowy mountains behind and descended to the high desert of eastern Washington state. Wine Country...our home for the next 6 months.

Antelope Island

As we traveled north to Salt Lake City, the temperature began to dip and the mountains became snow covered. A stop for fuel provided us a view of a beautiful snow-capped mountain.

We chose an RV Park close to Antelope Island where we planned to bike for a day and then be on our way. We love it when the view out the Bighorn window is picture perfect!!

Antelope Island, true to its name, is home to hundreds of antelope and numerous herds of buffalo. The biking was hard! The hills are steep and the trails are covered in loose gravel. Al had a crash that would leave him black and blue and hurting for several days. I am more cautious! Aside from the tumble, it was a great day of biking, stunning scenery and wildlife viewing. What more can anyone want in one day?

Our route to Prosser, Washington will follow the Snake River into Idaho and Oregon over the next two days. We should arrive at Wine Country RV Park as scheduled on 31 March.