Since we had the coffee cart advertised as being open Fri-Sun, we had to open it yesterday morning. We suspected that everybody would be anxious to pack up and leave for home and not care too much for a latte. We were right. Although the cart was open at 7 AM, we watched as the rigs exited one at a time from the park without stopping. By 8:30, it became obvious that the coffee cart was nothing more than a thought for people, so we closed it down at 9 AM. We did have one little girl drive up with her mother in an ATV and asked for a hot chocolate. We gave it to her for free since hot chocolate is not on the price list and Josie just used some chocolate from our Frappucino can.
The figures for the week for us were: 24 hrs on office duty (normal), 24 hrs on the coffee cart (paid), 16 hrs in the cafe (paid). So, we will get paid for 40 hours total for the both of us for the week. That is what we needed, but the chances of getting another nice stretch of paid days is pretty slim - at least until the Christmas week. We need to take a hard look at that situation.
The rest of our day was spent doing some things at home. I have been researching Medicare supplemental insurance for the next year. Since we changed our address to Florida, I need to get insurance for that area that will also cover me for our travels. We also checked out some interesting things to see while we are here and we will be sharing those as we visit them.
The storm has totally passed through and we are once again enjoying the mild temperatures and sunny skies. Until tomorrow...
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Crazy Day
We started our day yesterday at the coffee cart again, and for the third day, we increased sales. Yesterday we did a total of $24 - still not enough to pay any bills - but each day has been better. Today will be the last day for the cart for this weekend.
I mentioned in yesterday's post that, because I didn't work my scheduled shift yesterday, that I hoped to get some pictures of the crowd at the cafe/store today. Below are a couple shots of the crowd that was there non-stop the entire day:
This was an unbelievable sight all day. People were lined up outside the cafe/store all day and we had to have staff to do crowd control to let a few people in the cafe at a time. Josie worked one of the registers, and I worked outside on the ice chests. There were two chests filled with 10 and 20 lb bags of ice. People would bring out tickets that were purchased inside, and hand them to me so I could get their ice out of the chests. Green was for small (10 lb) and yellow was for large (20 lb). there were probably 4 large bags sold for each small bag. I filled my pockets with these tickets and had to refill the chests three times during my shift between 10:30 AM and 3 PM. Prices for items in the store were out of sight. The ice sold for $4 and $7, it cost $7.50 for a pack of cigarettes, $15.99 for a 12 pack of Bud Light and Coors - and they were the cheapest beer and $3.20 for a gallon of gas at the pumps, just to name a few of the items. In addition to that, the cafe served food all day and that was also amazing as people sat everywhere outside to eat their food. It was pandemonium. We were both happy to get off at 3 PM. It is a miracle that there were no injuries with all of these ATV's and bikes coming in and out all day.
To make the day even crazier, we had winds in the AM with a few rain drops and the temperatures dropped to the low 60's. We saw that it even snowed in Julian during the day as the evening news showed kids playing in the white stuff.
We decided to open the coffee cart one more time this morning so people could get a latte before heading out if they wanted one. Other than that, our day is open.
That's about it for our Thanksgiving weekend...
I mentioned in yesterday's post that, because I didn't work my scheduled shift yesterday, that I hoped to get some pictures of the crowd at the cafe/store today. Below are a couple shots of the crowd that was there non-stop the entire day:
This was an unbelievable sight all day. People were lined up outside the cafe/store all day and we had to have staff to do crowd control to let a few people in the cafe at a time. Josie worked one of the registers, and I worked outside on the ice chests. There were two chests filled with 10 and 20 lb bags of ice. People would bring out tickets that were purchased inside, and hand them to me so I could get their ice out of the chests. Green was for small (10 lb) and yellow was for large (20 lb). there were probably 4 large bags sold for each small bag. I filled my pockets with these tickets and had to refill the chests three times during my shift between 10:30 AM and 3 PM. Prices for items in the store were out of sight. The ice sold for $4 and $7, it cost $7.50 for a pack of cigarettes, $15.99 for a 12 pack of Bud Light and Coors - and they were the cheapest beer and $3.20 for a gallon of gas at the pumps, just to name a few of the items. In addition to that, the cafe served food all day and that was also amazing as people sat everywhere outside to eat their food. It was pandemonium. We were both happy to get off at 3 PM. It is a miracle that there were no injuries with all of these ATV's and bikes coming in and out all day.
To make the day even crazier, we had winds in the AM with a few rain drops and the temperatures dropped to the low 60's. We saw that it even snowed in Julian during the day as the evening news showed kids playing in the white stuff.
We decided to open the coffee cart one more time this morning so people could get a latte before heading out if they wanted one. Other than that, our day is open.
That's about it for our Thanksgiving weekend...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Winding Down the Workweek
Yesterday was the marathon work day of the Thanksgiving weekend - for Josie. Both of us worked the coffee cart in the AM between 7 and 10, and we more than doubled the business from Thursday. Our sales totalled $22.50 (wow!) and we had seven customers. We didn't give any away though, so the cart did better. The owner isn't going to pay many bills though from this business. After the cart, we both went over to the cafe to work there, and it seemed that my post was already being covered so I came back home while Josie stayed and worked one of the cash registers. She worked from 10:30 AM to 3:30 in the afternoon. Following a short break, we both then went to work at the office at 5 PM and worked until 9:30. Today is just the cart in the morning and the cafe from 10:30 to 3 PM and we are done until next Friday.
A storm moved in last night as we were getting ready for bed. Actually, there was no rain, but we got the strongest winds we've had since we arrived. There was a gust of 38 MPH during the night and it is still blowing this morning. We have sand and dust on everything, and it even gets into the fifth wheel -with everything closed. The good news is the temperatures are great here, and the bad news is you better like sand. It's impossible to keep your vehicles clean.
The plan was to get some pictures of the unbelievable crowds at the cafe yesterday but because I didn't work my shift yesterday, I'll try to get them today. The lines go out the door and you can hardly see the parking lot because of all the off road vehicles. Today is supposed to be like yesterday. We would rather have it that way as the time goes faster when your busy. We're looking forward to some down time tomorrow...
A storm moved in last night as we were getting ready for bed. Actually, there was no rain, but we got the strongest winds we've had since we arrived. There was a gust of 38 MPH during the night and it is still blowing this morning. We have sand and dust on everything, and it even gets into the fifth wheel -with everything closed. The good news is the temperatures are great here, and the bad news is you better like sand. It's impossible to keep your vehicles clean.
The plan was to get some pictures of the unbelievable crowds at the cafe yesterday but because I didn't work my shift yesterday, I'll try to get them today. The lines go out the door and you can hardly see the parking lot because of all the off road vehicles. Today is supposed to be like yesterday. We would rather have it that way as the time goes faster when your busy. We're looking forward to some down time tomorrow...
Friday, November 27, 2009
Coffee Cart and Dinner
We hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving.
Our first day on the coffee cart was about as we expected. Josie and I arrived at 6:15 AM yesterday to get things set up to open by 7 AM. Below is a picture of the cart at opening time:
Our first day on the coffee cart was about as we expected. Josie and I arrived at 6:15 AM yesterday to get things set up to open by 7 AM. Below is a picture of the cart at opening time:
The cart is actually pretty nice inside and roomy, as you can see below:
The business for the first day was kind of a joke. We did a total of 3 latte sales and we gave away 5 latte's to employees (Ha). Of course, there weren't many people in the park yet as most of them were scheduled to check in during the day. That, plus the word didn't get around to everybody that was already in the park. We got rave reviews though on all of the drinks we (Josie) made. I took orders and was on the register. We'll try it again today.
Our scheduled shift at the cafe between 10:30 AM and 2 PM was cancelled because the crowd at the cafe was small. The kitchen was closed for Thanksgiving, so they didn't need extra people. The store in the cafe was open until 2 PM, but the regular staff could handle that small crowd.
The dinner at the cafe was a success. There were 24 people and we had lots of food. Each family brought a dish or two, and we had all the normal turkey day fare, plus a few exotic dishes we never had before. The only dish that was missing was candied sweet potatoes - how did that happen(?). The picture below shows the seating for dinner in the cafe. The food was placed on the counter which is not visible in the picture, but it took up the whole length of the counter.
Following dinner, we went to the office to work our scheduled time there until 9 PM. It was a fairly long day and we get to do pretty much the same schedule today, but without the dinner. That time will be filled with more time in the office.
We also got a feel for what was going to happen in December, as far as cart operation and guests scheduled for the park. It seems that the week between Christmas and New Years will be a very busy one, but in the meantime, the cart will be closed and there won't be a lot of people in the park. This is not good news for us, as we need this place to start filling up so we can work for pay. Josie and I are seriously thinking of having a sit-down talk with the owner to discuss other options - right after the Thanksgiving Weekend. We'll keep you posted...
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our schedule yesterday was actually light for the start of the Thanksgiving weekend. We went to the cafe at about 1 PM where Josie was trained on the cash register and I was placed outside for crowd control and handling the ice machines. If yesterday was any indication, it will be like a zoo today. We could not believe that there were so many people staying out in the desert. It was non stop for the entire time we spent at the cafe. Eventually, after over an hour training at the cafe, we ended up at the office for our scheduled work time handling check-ins. We had 11 reservations scheduled to check in yesterday - the biggest day of the weekend. Only 9 made it in by the time we left the office at 6 PM. The other two were late check-ins. The empty black tank requirement for all rigs checking in really slows down the check-in time. It's a good thing everybody didn't show up at the same time or there would have been a lot of complaints. The whole check-in process is ten times slower than at Happy Jack. We can't imagine how this park is going to handle huge crowds, assuming they ultimately get huge crowds.
Our experience with the new coffee cart begins today. Josie and I will be opening the cart for business at 7 AM this morning. We're disappointed that there wasn't more preparation done by the owner since we only have a small amount of product left to sell after our training day last week, and there are no banners or signs on the cart. We'll do the best we can. After closing the cart at 10 AM, we will move over to the cafe and help out there from 10:30 to 2 PM. We get a breather after that until 6 PM when we return to the office for our scheduled time there until 9 PM. Of course, we have our Thanksgiving dinner scheduled at 4 PM in the cafe, where about 25 people are expected for the pot luck dinner.
The time that we spend in the coffee cart and at the cafe are supposed to be paid hours, so we are happy about that. It promises to be an interesting day and I'll try to get some pictures for tomorrow's entry. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all...
Our experience with the new coffee cart begins today. Josie and I will be opening the cart for business at 7 AM this morning. We're disappointed that there wasn't more preparation done by the owner since we only have a small amount of product left to sell after our training day last week, and there are no banners or signs on the cart. We'll do the best we can. After closing the cart at 10 AM, we will move over to the cafe and help out there from 10:30 to 2 PM. We get a breather after that until 6 PM when we return to the office for our scheduled time there until 9 PM. Of course, we have our Thanksgiving dinner scheduled at 4 PM in the cafe, where about 25 people are expected for the pot luck dinner.
The time that we spend in the coffee cart and at the cafe are supposed to be paid hours, so we are happy about that. It promises to be an interesting day and I'll try to get some pictures for tomorrow's entry. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all...
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Exploring Some Local Stuff
Since we have been using a lot of gas driving to all the places that are 30 or more miles away, we decided to explore some local areas that were within a few miles of us. There are a few older, smaller campgrounds in the area and we wanted to get info on those as they are our competition, so to speak.
While driving on rt 78 toward Borrego Springs, there were many areas off the road where groups of boon dockers were setting up for the Thanksgiving weekend. This picture, and the one that follows, shows these groups that set up in wagon train style, i.e. in circles, and create a huge ring where they all can congregate in the middle for meals, campfires, etc.
It is quite a sight to see miles and miles of open desert and every once in a while see one of these groups set up to enjoy their off roading.
There are only a couple of side roads that turn off of the main road, and there are three campgrounds that are tucked back in these areas. The first one we visited was a real dump, had only permanent spaces, and the trailers were all at least 15 years old. They did have a small store which carried most of the necessities - eggs, milk, bread, etc. This place was no threat to our new park. The second one, Leaping Lizard Campground was a bit better, and was more competitive with ours. They had nice spaces, some large, and all with mature trees. They charge $25 a night for their spaces - with full hookups. They aren't brand new, but they expect to sell out all of their spaces (about 50) for the Thanksgiving weekend. They are also just now putting in a swimming pool and we thought that, for the money, they were a much better deal than our place at $45-55. We pretended to be tourists and tried to get some info and opinions on the new park down the street - the Blu In RV Park. This guy told us a bunch - including that he heard that they were in foreclosure. That's news to us. Of course, he was trying to sell his park and its features over the "new" park.
The last place we went to was a smaller park about 3 miles in on one of the side roads. This place was in between the first one and the Leaping Lizard, in terms of amenities. It wasn't real nice, but the spaces were $20 per night with just electric and water with no dump. Not such a great deal. They also had a pretty well supplied little store that gives us an option to driving into Borrego Springs for basic stuff. While driving further down this side road we came across an area that looked like a whole, small town of old trailers. This picture shows a portion of this area that was like a sea of trailers on lots that sold, according to a nearby sign, for about $20,000 each - what a ripoff.
Today begins the big push for the holiday weekend. We don't start until 2 PM today, but from now until Sunday, we will be working about 10 hours per day. It may impact my schedule for doing the blog entries but I hope not too much. We'll see...
While driving on rt 78 toward Borrego Springs, there were many areas off the road where groups of boon dockers were setting up for the Thanksgiving weekend. This picture, and the one that follows, shows these groups that set up in wagon train style, i.e. in circles, and create a huge ring where they all can congregate in the middle for meals, campfires, etc.
It is quite a sight to see miles and miles of open desert and every once in a while see one of these groups set up to enjoy their off roading.
There are only a couple of side roads that turn off of the main road, and there are three campgrounds that are tucked back in these areas. The first one we visited was a real dump, had only permanent spaces, and the trailers were all at least 15 years old. They did have a small store which carried most of the necessities - eggs, milk, bread, etc. This place was no threat to our new park. The second one, Leaping Lizard Campground was a bit better, and was more competitive with ours. They had nice spaces, some large, and all with mature trees. They charge $25 a night for their spaces - with full hookups. They aren't brand new, but they expect to sell out all of their spaces (about 50) for the Thanksgiving weekend. They are also just now putting in a swimming pool and we thought that, for the money, they were a much better deal than our place at $45-55. We pretended to be tourists and tried to get some info and opinions on the new park down the street - the Blu In RV Park. This guy told us a bunch - including that he heard that they were in foreclosure. That's news to us. Of course, he was trying to sell his park and its features over the "new" park.
The last place we went to was a smaller park about 3 miles in on one of the side roads. This place was in between the first one and the Leaping Lizard, in terms of amenities. It wasn't real nice, but the spaces were $20 per night with just electric and water with no dump. Not such a great deal. They also had a pretty well supplied little store that gives us an option to driving into Borrego Springs for basic stuff. While driving further down this side road we came across an area that looked like a whole, small town of old trailers. This picture shows a portion of this area that was like a sea of trailers on lots that sold, according to a nearby sign, for about $20,000 each - what a ripoff.
Today begins the big push for the holiday weekend. We don't start until 2 PM today, but from now until Sunday, we will be working about 10 hours per day. It may impact my schedule for doing the blog entries but I hope not too much. We'll see...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
San Diego Trip
One of the main destinations while we are here has been San Diego. We decided to see how long it would take us to get there and also, stop at a campground that we had communicated with about Workamping that was right on the water at Mission Bay. It took us almost exactly 2 hours to get there. Most of the drive was through mountains and on curving, winding roads. Beautiful country, but slow driving. We left at just about 11 AM and arrived at 1 PM. The actual distance was 95 miles to the campground.
The campground was one that we actually had stayed in during our trip to Ensenada in the early 80's. We went with our family, boat, my mother and father, George's family and our friends Cot & Lois. A great trip. It looked very familiar and hasn't changed a whole lot since we went there. The campsites are all on asphalt and you get the feeling that you are staying in a parking lot. The advantage is that you are right on the water and in downtown San Diego where everything happens. We tried to talk to the Manager who had asked us to stop in when in the area, but Monday was her day off. We talked to an office employee and got a lot of information on their Workamping program and will be talking to the the Manager at some time in the near future. The employee indicated that the staff was pretty well set for the winter, but there may be opportunities for the summer season beginning in April. It would be an interesting place. Great location with a so-so campground. At this place it is all about location.
We used Mapquest to take us there and we used our GPS to bring us back home. They were very different routes but amounted to almost the same distance. Amazing. The AM trip had us turning south at the eastern edge of Julian and going south through the area where the huge forest fire was years ago when we came to Julian for the first time. It wound through the mountains and brought us out to I-8 in Lakeside, CA., about 35 miles from San Diego. The return trip took us north on I-15 through El Cajon and Ramona and through the mountains to the west end of Julian where the rest of the trip was the same. It was an enjoyable trip and we now know how long it takes, and the different routes to take. The next trip will be to do some things there and may include an overnight stay to do some of the things we want to do while there. There is a lot to see and do.
We are off again today and plan to stay close to home. Later...
The campground was one that we actually had stayed in during our trip to Ensenada in the early 80's. We went with our family, boat, my mother and father, George's family and our friends Cot & Lois. A great trip. It looked very familiar and hasn't changed a whole lot since we went there. The campsites are all on asphalt and you get the feeling that you are staying in a parking lot. The advantage is that you are right on the water and in downtown San Diego where everything happens. We tried to talk to the Manager who had asked us to stop in when in the area, but Monday was her day off. We talked to an office employee and got a lot of information on their Workamping program and will be talking to the the Manager at some time in the near future. The employee indicated that the staff was pretty well set for the winter, but there may be opportunities for the summer season beginning in April. It would be an interesting place. Great location with a so-so campground. At this place it is all about location.
We used Mapquest to take us there and we used our GPS to bring us back home. They were very different routes but amounted to almost the same distance. Amazing. The AM trip had us turning south at the eastern edge of Julian and going south through the area where the huge forest fire was years ago when we came to Julian for the first time. It wound through the mountains and brought us out to I-8 in Lakeside, CA., about 35 miles from San Diego. The return trip took us north on I-15 through El Cajon and Ramona and through the mountains to the west end of Julian where the rest of the trip was the same. It was an enjoyable trip and we now know how long it takes, and the different routes to take. The next trip will be to do some things there and may include an overnight stay to do some of the things we want to do while there. There is a lot to see and do.
We are off again today and plan to stay close to home. Later...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Busy Morning and Searching Health Insurance
Our scheduled morning at work yesterday turned out to be very busy. There were customers for storage, RV sites, dump station and water fills - plus, a few people coming in to tour the park. We always welcome busy days versus sitting and doing nothing because it makes the time go faster. Also, our managers had an opportunity to go to church in Borrego Springs for the first time since they arrived 2 months ago. Although the morning was busy, it was only a fraction of the business we did at Happy Jack Lodge in the summer. It's all relative.
I spent most of the afternoon researching Medicare Advantage and Supplemental Insurance options for next year. Currently, I have a free plan from AARP Secure Horizons but I don't know yet if it is best for me to keep that plan for nationwide coverage as we travel to many different states. Also, we are using Florida as our address and I don't know the impact on that insurance coverage yet. The renewal period began November 15 and ends December 31, so I have some time to study the different options. There are several agencies in Florida that I have helping to decide which is best for me.
The last thing I wanted to mention was that we got a new coffee maker since we have been having trouble with the one we got when we bought the fifth wheel. We were introduced to the Keurig coffee maker when we went to dinner at my brother George's home a few weeks ago and really liked it. Costco was having a sale on the unit so when we went to El Centro to fix Josie's prescription the other day, we stopped in Costco and bought one. Thanks, George, we are loving it so far. It really made sense for us since I drink decaff, and Josie drinks regular. Now we can each have our favorite without brewing whole pots of coffee.
Today and tomorrow are off days so we hope to do something interesting and enjoyable. We'll let you know...
I spent most of the afternoon researching Medicare Advantage and Supplemental Insurance options for next year. Currently, I have a free plan from AARP Secure Horizons but I don't know yet if it is best for me to keep that plan for nationwide coverage as we travel to many different states. Also, we are using Florida as our address and I don't know the impact on that insurance coverage yet. The renewal period began November 15 and ends December 31, so I have some time to study the different options. There are several agencies in Florida that I have helping to decide which is best for me.
The last thing I wanted to mention was that we got a new coffee maker since we have been having trouble with the one we got when we bought the fifth wheel. We were introduced to the Keurig coffee maker when we went to dinner at my brother George's home a few weeks ago and really liked it. Costco was having a sale on the unit so when we went to El Centro to fix Josie's prescription the other day, we stopped in Costco and bought one. Thanks, George, we are loving it so far. It really made sense for us since I drink decaff, and Josie drinks regular. Now we can each have our favorite without brewing whole pots of coffee.
Today and tomorrow are off days so we hope to do something interesting and enjoyable. We'll let you know...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Planning for the Thanksgiving Weekend
We had another meeting with the owner and managers yesterday morning and discussed the schedules for the Thanksgiving weekend. Josie and I are going to be very busy. Starting on Wednesday where we work from 2 to about 9 PM in the office. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we start every day working the coffee cart from 7 to 10 AM, Cafe from 10:30 to 2 PM, Office from 5 PM to 9 PM. All of the time outside of the office will be paid - finally. Of course, after Thanksgiving we will again only be paid for time running the coffee cart. It will be nice to have Monday and Tuesday off this week to rest up for the rest of the week. We also will bring a relish tray and bread to the Thanksgiving dinner that is going to be held in the Cafe on Thursday between 2 and 4. That will be a huge pot luck dinner with about 30 people scheduled to attend. The owner is really busy trying to get things ready for the big weekend. He had a big screen TV installed in the clubhouse and it is ready to go. The pool will be heated to 85 degrees and the spa, already heated, will be warmed to over 100 - it is now set at 95 and feels like bath water.
Our work hours in the office yesterday were from 4 to 9 PM. The time went pretty fast as we checked in some people for storage and the camp sites and performed the closing duties for the first time. This morning we are on from 9 AM to 2 PM and that gives the managers a chance to go to church for the first time since they arrived 2 months ago. They could have scheduled us on Sunday mornings before this so we don't know why they waited until now.
The winds stopped yesterday morning shortly after I posted the entry and became beautiful once again. Today is also clear skies and no wind and is expected to go to about 80. Until tomorrow...
Our work hours in the office yesterday were from 4 to 9 PM. The time went pretty fast as we checked in some people for storage and the camp sites and performed the closing duties for the first time. This morning we are on from 9 AM to 2 PM and that gives the managers a chance to go to church for the first time since they arrived 2 months ago. They could have scheduled us on Sunday mornings before this so we don't know why they waited until now.
The winds stopped yesterday morning shortly after I posted the entry and became beautiful once again. Today is also clear skies and no wind and is expected to go to about 80. Until tomorrow...
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Grit and Back to El Centro
After the post yesterday it probably seems like we are packing up and moving on. Not the case - yet. We will stay and do whatever we can to make things better at the park. We had a conversation with the owner yesterday afternoon and he was listening to the suggestions we had for improving the occupancy: set up a rally for charity, gift certificates, give out discount coupons at the cafe, have a "get to know us" month where all stays are 30% off, etc. He liked the ideas and he also showed us the drawings for the expansion he has planned within the next year. As we said before, this is going to be quite a place eventually. We will see where these suggestions go.
We have a meeting with the owner this morning to discuss the schedules for the Thanksgiving Weekend. We already know that he needs help in the Cafe as people cram the place on holidays and they have lines running outside the door everyday. Any hours we spend there would be on the clock for pay. That's a relief. Our schedule today has us working the office between 4 and 10 PM. We will actually be off about 8:30 since nothing happens after that hour.
We also made a trip back to El Centro yesterday because Walgreen's made a mistake on Josie's prescription. Her prescription called for 90 pills and they filled it for 30. We got that fixed and also had service performed on the Jeep which was overdo.
After bragging about the weather yesterday, we woke up to 25 MPH winds this morning. Oh, well...
We have a meeting with the owner this morning to discuss the schedules for the Thanksgiving Weekend. We already know that he needs help in the Cafe as people cram the place on holidays and they have lines running outside the door everyday. Any hours we spend there would be on the clock for pay. That's a relief. Our schedule today has us working the office between 4 and 10 PM. We will actually be off about 8:30 since nothing happens after that hour.
We also made a trip back to El Centro yesterday because Walgreen's made a mistake on Josie's prescription. Her prescription called for 90 pills and they filled it for 30. We got that fixed and also had service performed on the Jeep which was overdo.
After bragging about the weather yesterday, we woke up to 25 MPH winds this morning. Oh, well...
Friday, November 20, 2009
Lessons Learned and Weather
To continue a little bit on yesterday's entry, we have learned another lesson about our Workamping adventure. The lesson is never accept a position at a brand new park. At first, we thought it would be a neat situation, coming into a new park and helping to put it on a path to prosperity. That may be a great concept and thought, but the reality is that the frustration is not worth it. In our situation here, the owner has had no experience in campground operation - and admits it. The problem and frustration for us is that he doesn't take advantage of the knowledge and experience of his staff. Not that we all know everything, but there are obvious blunders we feel he is making. This park, or any park for that matter, isn't going to attract customers if the "package" isn't a good value. We are not able to convince him that one of the main reasons the park isn't filling up is because he is charging too much for the sites and the value isn't there right now. We have 185 sites and for the Thanksgiving weekend we have 27 sites reserved and the owner thinks that is a super crowd. The off roading crowd is certainly aware of this place by now - the owner is advertising in every magazine and off road newsletter. This is the only RV park within 40 miles and he certainly should be attracting more interest than he has so far. The problem for us is that we don't get paid for hours worked in the office until the park turns a profit. His plan, and the reason we are here, was to show a profit by Halloween. It now appears that wages are not in the near future - at least until after the 1st of January. What a shame. He could be filling this place almost every weekend with the right kind of package.
Now to the weather. It has been spectacular, with the exception of the one wind storm we had last week. We have daily highs of 80-81 and lows every night between 48-52. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky except for, maybe, 2 days since we arrived. Winter weather couldn't be better - so far. I'm sure that there are some rough days ahead, but for now it's perfect.
My scheduled work time last night was a joke. I was scheduled between 8 and 10 PM. When I got to the office, it was closed up tight and I had to chase down Mike to find out what I was supposed to do. It ended up that I just rode around the park locking gates and closing down areas. I was done by 8:10 and went home. Sheesh!
We have an off day today and as of now, we have no plans. We'll see...
Now to the weather. It has been spectacular, with the exception of the one wind storm we had last week. We have daily highs of 80-81 and lows every night between 48-52. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky except for, maybe, 2 days since we arrived. Winter weather couldn't be better - so far. I'm sure that there are some rough days ahead, but for now it's perfect.
My scheduled work time last night was a joke. I was scheduled between 8 and 10 PM. When I got to the office, it was closed up tight and I had to chase down Mike to find out what I was supposed to do. It ended up that I just rode around the park locking gates and closing down areas. I was done by 8:10 and went home. Sheesh!
We have an off day today and as of now, we have no plans. We'll see...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Short Trip to Borrego Springs
There were some things we needed to get from the grocery store, so it being the closest one, we headed to Borrego Springs. We drove around some different areas while in town and discovered some new homes and also a few farms that were growing palm trees. This town is actually very nice and if it weren't for the super hot summers, could be a nice place to live.
I had to complete a flyer and a price list for our coffee cart, so that was accomplished. Of course, we don't get paid for the time we spend at home doing work related items. We had a short conversation with Mike, the manager, about talking to the owner about at least providing free laundry to the Workampers. Almost all parks offer that - especially remote parks like this one. The laundry here costs $3 for one load to wash and dry. Josie did laundry on Tuesday and lost $3 as a result of dryer problems. She was reimbursed by Mike though. It is frustrating for us to do work without pay, or any free benefit outside of the site. The owner needs to step up and fix that problem soon. In the meantime, we are enjoying the extra time off and visiting new areas.
Today is a scheduled work day for me. I work from 8 to 10 PM in the office. Isn't that crazy? there is no business at all during those hours so my job will basically be to go around the park and lock up all the gates and restrooms for the night, including the pool area. There may be some hours for us at the coffee cart sometime during the day as we prepare to open it for business very soon. Those are paid hours so we look forward to those. More tomorrow...
I had to complete a flyer and a price list for our coffee cart, so that was accomplished. Of course, we don't get paid for the time we spend at home doing work related items. We had a short conversation with Mike, the manager, about talking to the owner about at least providing free laundry to the Workampers. Almost all parks offer that - especially remote parks like this one. The laundry here costs $3 for one load to wash and dry. Josie did laundry on Tuesday and lost $3 as a result of dryer problems. She was reimbursed by Mike though. It is frustrating for us to do work without pay, or any free benefit outside of the site. The owner needs to step up and fix that problem soon. In the meantime, we are enjoying the extra time off and visiting new areas.
Today is a scheduled work day for me. I work from 8 to 10 PM in the office. Isn't that crazy? there is no business at all during those hours so my job will basically be to go around the park and lock up all the gates and restrooms for the night, including the pool area. There may be some hours for us at the coffee cart sometime during the day as we prepare to open it for business very soon. Those are paid hours so we look forward to those. More tomorrow...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Salton City and Red Earth Casino
We finally made the short - 24 miles - trip to Salton City which we passed on the way here and wanted to check out.
The city sits right on the shores of the Salton Sea. It became obvious to us that this area was a popular coastal destination about thirty years ago. The Sea appeared to be in decline as there were dead fish just about everywhere on the shore, and the shore itself looked like it hadn't had water on it in at least that long. The city was also in decline. Almost all of the homes we saw were old and run down. There were a few pockets of new homes that were on sale and those were being offered at rock bottom prices. We took the drive along the coast in the city and came upon an area that had a boat launch and we could walk out and get some pictures. the first one below is of an American White Pelican and they were plentiful in the water:
The city sits right on the shores of the Salton Sea. It became obvious to us that this area was a popular coastal destination about thirty years ago. The Sea appeared to be in decline as there were dead fish just about everywhere on the shore, and the shore itself looked like it hadn't had water on it in at least that long. The city was also in decline. Almost all of the homes we saw were old and run down. There were a few pockets of new homes that were on sale and those were being offered at rock bottom prices. We took the drive along the coast in the city and came upon an area that had a boat launch and we could walk out and get some pictures. the first one below is of an American White Pelican and they were plentiful in the water:
Then there are these pictures of the "beach" area, which you can see is in decline:
As we finished the drive through town, we did find the grocery store and the post office (in the grocery store). The Salton Sea is an interesting story as you can see in the link above.
After leaving Salton City we went about two miles north to the nearest casino to us: the Red Earth Casino. This casino will never compete with Vegas or Laughlin, but it isn't too bad for a remote casino. It had most of what the other, larger casinos have, but a lot fewer machines. We played with just a few bucks to try it out and actually played for quite awhile. The other good part is that it wasn't very crowded - probably because it is so remote. It will be a decent place to get a casino "fix" if we need one sometime.
After returning home at about 5 PM we did some laundry and watched a little TV. It was a pretty busy day and we were happy to have discovered some new things in the area. Today will be a stay home day as we need to prepare a flyer and a price list for our coffee cart. Later...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Back to El Centro
Our day yesterday was pretty much dictated by our needs. Josie discovered that she needed a refill on one of her prescriptions plus some more vtamins and I discovered that we needed to have a form notorized for the DMV in Florida before we could transfer the registration on our final vehicle ( the Jeep) to Florida. These things can only be done in El Centro since that is the closest Walgreen's, Costco and the closest Bank of America where we can get the Notary for free.
We first went to the Bank of America and discovered that they will only notorize a bank related document. Laws in California forbid notorizing any other kind of document. That's a new discovery. We always had our papers notorized at the bank in Arizona - and also Washington where we lived before. Oh, well. The gentleman in the bank located a public notary for us and we then went there where we had the form notorized - for $10. What a scam!
We then went to Walgreen's and had another minor setback. The prescription that Josie called in to the pharmacy wasn't transferred from the previous location. That was going to take at least an hour so we told them we would return. That meant that we could probably go to Costco and get Josie's vitamins and a bite to eat. We like Costco's inexpensive menu at the snack bar and we each had a hot dog combo (including drink) that came to just over $3 with tax. Good value. We both were reminded while eating that El Centro is probably 90% Mexican since everybody sitting around us was speaking Spanish and there were lots of people there. This is not a town that we could live in although it's not a dirty place. Before leaving Costco I saw that they had put out their Christmas fruitcake. Of course, I had to buy one of those. They are fabulous! Finally, we went back to Walgreen's and finished our business for the day.
That about rounded out the day with the unscheduled trip to El Centro. Today is a laundry day and possibly a short trip to a place we haven't been. Later...
We first went to the Bank of America and discovered that they will only notorize a bank related document. Laws in California forbid notorizing any other kind of document. That's a new discovery. We always had our papers notorized at the bank in Arizona - and also Washington where we lived before. Oh, well. The gentleman in the bank located a public notary for us and we then went there where we had the form notorized - for $10. What a scam!
We then went to Walgreen's and had another minor setback. The prescription that Josie called in to the pharmacy wasn't transferred from the previous location. That was going to take at least an hour so we told them we would return. That meant that we could probably go to Costco and get Josie's vitamins and a bite to eat. We like Costco's inexpensive menu at the snack bar and we each had a hot dog combo (including drink) that came to just over $3 with tax. Good value. We both were reminded while eating that El Centro is probably 90% Mexican since everybody sitting around us was speaking Spanish and there were lots of people there. This is not a town that we could live in although it's not a dirty place. Before leaving Costco I saw that they had put out their Christmas fruitcake. Of course, I had to buy one of those. They are fabulous! Finally, we went back to Walgreen's and finished our business for the day.
That about rounded out the day with the unscheduled trip to El Centro. Today is a laundry day and possibly a short trip to a place we haven't been. Later...
Monday, November 16, 2009
We Got Him!
Since we weren't sure about the type or size of trap we should get to trap a Kangaroo Rat, we decided to go to Brawley where the selection would be better. We went to the Walmart there and got two different types of traps - a regular mouse trap and a "Sticky" board that captures anything that walks on it. After Walmart, we went to McDonald's and had a quick lunch before heading back. It was a relaxing day for us as we just stayed around the rig and did some catching up on small chores.
At bedtime, we set three traps to catch the critter. Two of the regular mouse traps and one of the sticky boards. They were all placed in locations where we know he has been - on the counter tops and one on the floor under the TV. Josie and I made a little bet on when the trap would go off if he was caught in one of those. I took before midnight, and she took after midnight. When I got up this morning I saw our "friend" lying on his back, under the mouse trap that we placed on the kitchen counter. It turns out that there was no noise - at least loud enough for Josie to hear - to be able to tell who won the bet. It doesn't matter. We got him! We believe there was only one since the other traps were untouched. He definitely was a Kangaroo Rat and was about 5" long with a 6" tail. Pretty good size. Our concern now is that we hope he didn't munch on any wires during the day while he was hiding. They are supposed to be nocturnal only, so hopefully he was resting and digesting the huge chunks of banana he ate the previous two nights.
Today is an off day and Josie said she had to do laundry so we don't know if we will have time for a trip somewhere. There are a couple places we can go that aren't too far from here, so maybe we can squeeze in a short trip. That's it for now...
At bedtime, we set three traps to catch the critter. Two of the regular mouse traps and one of the sticky boards. They were all placed in locations where we know he has been - on the counter tops and one on the floor under the TV. Josie and I made a little bet on when the trap would go off if he was caught in one of those. I took before midnight, and she took after midnight. When I got up this morning I saw our "friend" lying on his back, under the mouse trap that we placed on the kitchen counter. It turns out that there was no noise - at least loud enough for Josie to hear - to be able to tell who won the bet. It doesn't matter. We got him! We believe there was only one since the other traps were untouched. He definitely was a Kangaroo Rat and was about 5" long with a 6" tail. Pretty good size. Our concern now is that we hope he didn't munch on any wires during the day while he was hiding. They are supposed to be nocturnal only, so hopefully he was resting and digesting the huge chunks of banana he ate the previous two nights.
Today is an off day and Josie said she had to do laundry so we don't know if we will have time for a trip somewhere. There are a couple places we can go that aren't too far from here, so maybe we can squeeze in a short trip. That's it for now...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Kangaroo Rat and Work Day
We didn't mention in yesterday's entry that we suspect we have a Kangaroo Rat in our rig. We went to get a banana from a basket that we keep on the counter and discovered the end of one had been eaten. Josie first thought that we may have bought the bananas with the end already gone. No way! She soon discovered "droppings" around - and in - the basket, and we thought that maybe the high winds had driven a mouse into the fifth wheel. The locals here tell us it more likely the Kangaroo Rat because they far outnumber mice in the desert.
Our schedule included training on the coffee cart and then work later in the day. That meant that we didn't have time to go into Borrego Springs to the ACE Hardware store to get traps for the rat. That will be on today's schedule. Anyway, we trained on the cart for 2.5 hours. We all had samples of our latte's and other coffee drinks and I must say, they were pretty good. Watch out Starbuck's! The picture below is only a long distance shot because we have not opened the cart and I want to get a good picture of the cart after we get the banners and signs on it - by next weekend.
Our schedule included training on the coffee cart and then work later in the day. That meant that we didn't have time to go into Borrego Springs to the ACE Hardware store to get traps for the rat. That will be on today's schedule. Anyway, we trained on the cart for 2.5 hours. We all had samples of our latte's and other coffee drinks and I must say, they were pretty good. Watch out Starbuck's! The picture below is only a long distance shot because we have not opened the cart and I want to get a good picture of the cart after we get the banners and signs on it - by next weekend.
The cart still has a few minor problems that are being fixed. I have to design and make flyer's to hand out to park guests as they check in and also create a price list to display inside the cart. It is going to be a big operation when ready. It is placed right next to the office and will have tables set up for people to sit and have their coffee.
We made a switch with our managers, Mike and Sharon, so we worked from 2:30 to 6:30 in the office. We now have off until Wednesday so it will give us a chance to "trap" our rat friend and then visit some different locations - hopefully...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Staff Meeting and Work
We had a knock on our door at 9 AM yesterday and it was Sharon telling us that there would be a staff meeting at 10 AM to discuss schedules, procedures, etc. The meeting ended at 11 AM and we felt a little disappointed with the whole thing. We talked about schedules for Thanksgiving and, scheduling in general, and it seems like we won't be getting more hours until probably January. The only opportunity for us to earn pay is the coffee cart until then. It is different from what was presented to us before we accepted the job. We do understand that the park has to make money first but there are some things we feel the owner can do to accelerate the occupancy rate. Starting with the daily fees he charges. There aren't many people who would (or could) pay $55 for one night at a park that is brand new and doesn't yet have all its amenities ready for use. Coupled with the remote location, we feel he is about $30 high for his daily fee. We hope he sees the light before it's too late. It's a beautiful park, but not worth that fee - yet.
We did some work on the coffee cart in the afternoon before we had to start work at 5 PM. I will have some pictures of the cart today as we are scheduled to be trained on the machines this morning and we will open the cart soon. Our scheduled work hours have us working mostly in the evenings (aside from coffee cart hours), from 4 or 5 PM to 9 PM when everything gets closed up. We don't like these scheduled hours either. We like to have our evenings and feel that we are getting these hours only to accommodate the managers. We'll give it every chance to work for us though.
Our day is split today with cart training in the AM and work beginning at 5 PM. We look forward to our days off beginning tomorrow. We've talked about a couple things to do, so stay tuned...
We did some work on the coffee cart in the afternoon before we had to start work at 5 PM. I will have some pictures of the cart today as we are scheduled to be trained on the machines this morning and we will open the cart soon. Our scheduled work hours have us working mostly in the evenings (aside from coffee cart hours), from 4 or 5 PM to 9 PM when everything gets closed up. We don't like these scheduled hours either. We like to have our evenings and feel that we are getting these hours only to accommodate the managers. We'll give it every chance to work for us though.
Our day is split today with cart training in the AM and work beginning at 5 PM. We look forward to our days off beginning tomorrow. We've talked about a couple things to do, so stay tuned...
Friday, November 13, 2009
Julian Visit, and Winds Arrive
We had been to Julian several years ago and it was during a big forest fire that they had just south of the town. This time, there was no fire and we stayed north of that area so we weren't able to see the same area to see if it had recovered. Anyway, it is still a nice place to visit and we had a good time walking around and seeing the craft stores and all the history that is attached to Julian. Below are some pictures we took of the town, starting with the historical marker (plaque):
Then there is this shot of the main street through town:
There was even a horse drawn carriage that was taking people around town:
And finally, Josie wanted a picture of this church in its beautiful setting that was just on the edge of town. It must have really been a sight a few weeks ago when the trees first started changing into their fall colors:
The amazing part of the whole trip is that we escaped with only buying a piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream on it. The town is well known for its apple pies and it was worth the zillion calories.
We arrived back home in time to fold up our outside chairs and store them so the winds wouldn't blow them away. The winds started shortly before we got home and we got there just in time. It became very windy with gusts over 35 and steady winds at 30-32 MPH - all night. Even though we had all the windows closed and the air conditioner on last night, there still is a film of dust inside the rig. How does it get in?
Today is back to work day. We aren't scheduled until 5 PM but we probably will spend some time during the day at the coffee cart - for money. We hope so...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Dinner and a Show
Most of the day yesterday was spent just knocking around and getting the rig ready for dinner. The inside of our rig has to be rearranged when we have guests for dinner since the computer desk is the table in the dining area. We also reorganized the pantry since we stocked up on goodies from Costco and the store. There were a few items that we had to get for the dinner so we went to Borrego Springs to the market that is there. It is somewhere between an AM-PM market and a grocery store. Closer to the AM-PM though. Anyway, we got what we needed and returned home to get dinner ready.
Our guests, Mike and Sharon, arrived right on time and we had a nice dinner followed by watching a DVD of a show they went to while in Branson Missouri last Christmas season. It was a show of the Presley family who are, evidently, long time entertainers in Branson. It was a very good show and included 4 generations of that family entertaining a sellout crowd.
We never made it to Julian yesterday so we will make that excursion today. Jeff, the owner, returns here from his home in Escondido to spend the weekend. We already know that Mike and Sharon dread when he is on site here since he is so hands-on and sometimes gets in the way of doing business normally. So far, we don't mind having him around - after all, he is the one who will determine our hours to work for pay. It will be interesting to see the changes for the rest of the week. Later...
Our guests, Mike and Sharon, arrived right on time and we had a nice dinner followed by watching a DVD of a show they went to while in Branson Missouri last Christmas season. It was a show of the Presley family who are, evidently, long time entertainers in Branson. It was a very good show and included 4 generations of that family entertaining a sellout crowd.
We never made it to Julian yesterday so we will make that excursion today. Jeff, the owner, returns here from his home in Escondido to spend the weekend. We already know that Mike and Sharon dread when he is on site here since he is so hands-on and sometimes gets in the way of doing business normally. So far, we don't mind having him around - after all, he is the one who will determine our hours to work for pay. It will be interesting to see the changes for the rest of the week. Later...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Visit to El Centro
El Centro is a town that we went through briefly on a trip to San Felipe, Mexico, several years ago. This time, we drove around the whole town and found out where the important stuff is: Costco, Bank, larger stores, etc. We first stopped at a Skecher's store that was having a huge sale and, of course, Josie bought a couple pairs of shoes. We then located the Bank of America in town where we will do our banking while here and then went to Costco. The major discovery while stopping at these places is that the town is probably 90% Mexican. It is a clean town, but almost everybody was speaking Spanish to each other. They all spoke good English, too, so it wasn't so bad.
We got home at about 4 PM and spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching some TV. We really wanted to get out to visit another town today but since we have the guests coming to dinner tonight, we'll have to stay pretty close to home. We may just go to Julian which is only 30 minutes from here. That is a favorite of most people in this area. The weather is a lot different there though (cooler) as it is located at a much higher elevation than here. If I haven't mentioned it before, the elevation here is 23 feet below sea level. That's why the winters are very dry and mild here. So far the evening temperatures have been between 55-60 and the daily highs around 85-87.
More tomorrow...
We got home at about 4 PM and spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching some TV. We really wanted to get out to visit another town today but since we have the guests coming to dinner tonight, we'll have to stay pretty close to home. We may just go to Julian which is only 30 minutes from here. That is a favorite of most people in this area. The weather is a lot different there though (cooler) as it is located at a much higher elevation than here. If I haven't mentioned it before, the elevation here is 23 feet below sea level. That's why the winters are very dry and mild here. So far the evening temperatures have been between 55-60 and the daily highs around 85-87.
More tomorrow...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Work Day
Josie went into the office at 9:30 AM yesterday to get some one-on-one training on the computer system. She returned at 10:30 AM and we had lunch before heading back together to work the afternoon. Originally, the schedule had us working only Tuesday but Mike changed the schedule to have us working Monday also. The schedule changed again and now we don't work again until Friday afternoon. See, the first 12 hours each for us, each week, is counted as time for our site. In other words, we have to work over 12 hours per week to begin getting paid. Jeff (owner) has us scheduled to work on the new coffee cart and that time will all be paid. Mike is being careful not to schedule us for more than the 12 hours in the office. We plan to get a lot of hours on weekends in the coffee cart and Jeff is satisfied with that.
Our work day ended at 3 PM for Josie (as a result of her hour in the AM) and 4 PM for me. It would be nice to have this much time off all the time, but we need to work for money so we are anxious to get the coffee cart opened.
Today we have a planned trip to El Centro to get some things at Costco and to check out the town. Josie has invited Mike and Sharon over for dinner on Wednesday night - to return their favor on our arrival day. She plans to have chicken DiVan (?) so she needs to get some ingredients for that. Since we have three days off, we will probably do some exploring in other areas. Josie is anxious to see how long it takes to go to the beach in San Diego, so one day may be taken up for that adventure. Until tomorrow...
Our work day ended at 3 PM for Josie (as a result of her hour in the AM) and 4 PM for me. It would be nice to have this much time off all the time, but we need to work for money so we are anxious to get the coffee cart opened.
Today we have a planned trip to El Centro to get some things at Costco and to check out the town. Josie has invited Mike and Sharon over for dinner on Wednesday night - to return their favor on our arrival day. She plans to have chicken DiVan (?) so she needs to get some ingredients for that. Since we have three days off, we will probably do some exploring in other areas. Josie is anxious to see how long it takes to go to the beach in San Diego, so one day may be taken up for that adventure. Until tomorrow...
Monday, November 9, 2009
Discovering Brawley
We started the day yesterday with a trip to Brawley, which is the closest town (30 miles) with a full grocery store (Vons) and a brand new Super Walmart store. The town is really nice and it is very easy to find things since there are only two main streets. One goes south to El Centro and Interstate 8 - another 15 miles - and the other goes east to connect to all the off road sand dunes in the desert. We found a Carl's Jr in town and stopped and had a Big Carl for lunch - that also took care of us for dinner. It was unbelievable sitting there eating our sandwich and watching all the toy haulers with their ATV's riding by. The off roading crowd in this part of the state is huge. You have to wonder if anybody is affected by the poor economy because none of these people have been. We eventually made it to the new Walmart store which is one of the largest we've ever seen. It was a Supercenter and because it just opened recently was sparkling clean.
The afternoon was spent doing some more cleanup on the coffee cart that we are getting ready for next weekend. We are just about there in getting it ready and Jeff, the owner, is going to get all the permits, banners and product to be ready for the opening next week. Josie and I will be trained on the equipment on Friday. At least that's the plan. Right now we don't have water or power to the cart so a lot has to be done before we can open for business.
A schedule was finally prepared for the week. At least an attempt at one was made. It has already changed before we even started. Mike, our manager, stopped by last night while walking his dog to ask us to work today, in addition to Tuesday, so that we get more training on the system before they take their days off on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will have off on Wednesday and Thursday, work Friday and Saturday, then have Sunday off. The time we will be working on the coffee cart will be extra time and money. It sounds a little confusing now but will become clearer as we go. We hope...
The afternoon was spent doing some more cleanup on the coffee cart that we are getting ready for next weekend. We are just about there in getting it ready and Jeff, the owner, is going to get all the permits, banners and product to be ready for the opening next week. Josie and I will be trained on the equipment on Friday. At least that's the plan. Right now we don't have water or power to the cart so a lot has to be done before we can open for business.
A schedule was finally prepared for the week. At least an attempt at one was made. It has already changed before we even started. Mike, our manager, stopped by last night while walking his dog to ask us to work today, in addition to Tuesday, so that we get more training on the system before they take their days off on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will have off on Wednesday and Thursday, work Friday and Saturday, then have Sunday off. The time we will be working on the coffee cart will be extra time and money. It sounds a little confusing now but will become clearer as we go. We hope...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Trip to Borrego Springs
Since we didn't have a formal schedule yet, we decided to take the morning and go to Borrego Springs, about 30 miles from the park, and check out the post office and the town. The ride from the park out to the town was a new experience. There are RV's and off roader's everywhere you look. The country is beautiful with mountains all around and desert plants of all kinds. The Anza Borrego State Park is a beautiful park that we traveled through on the way. The city of Borrego Springs (below) is a town that, we are told, is like Palm Springs was about 75 years ago.
We drove around the town and came across a very small Mall where we stopped and had breakfast at a restaurant named Kendall's. It was excellent and we will definitely return some day. We also took a picture of the cafe as we returned and it shows just how busy that place is all day long and evening:
We returned home about 1 PM and went up to the office to see if we were needed. It is a little frustrating for us right now since we don't have formal schedules and don't know when we should be available. Our afternoon duty was to clean out the new coffee cart that is going to be used as a Starbuck's type kiosk next to the office. We expect to be the primary staff responsible for its operation beginning next weekend. That will definitely be a new experience for us. The plan is to sell coffee to park residents in the AM and have pizza available - by slice or whole - in the evenings. We'll see how that goes.
Today is really another unknown except that we need to complete the cleaning of the coffee cart. The park will empty out today as everybody goes home on Sunday. Overall, this weekend was a huge improvement, business wise, over any they've had so far. That's about it for now...
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Full First Day
Our manager, Mike, came by our rig at 6:45 AM to Pick me up and show me all the locks that need to be opened in the morning. We went to all the gates (3), the pool (3), the showers (3 out of 6), the clubhouse (1) and the office (1). He also showed me all of the components of the park like electrical system, water treatment center, pool cleaning equipment, etc. We spent about an hour and a half doing this and then Jeff, the owner, came by and wanted to take Josie and I around and show us the park. We did a lot of the same stuff that I did with Mike but it was good that Josie got to see everything. All of this activity took us to about 10:30 and Jeff took us to the Blu In Cafe and bought a late breakfast for us.
The cafe is one of the areas that Mike is going to improve. It is very small and always crowded because it is the only place to eat, buy supplies and get gas for about 20 miles in any direction. He will tear it down and rebuild a new restaurant and general store next summer.
Josie and I had a little break until about 2 PM and then we went to the office to learn the reservations and check in system. It is similar to the one we used at Happy Jack but they use Campground Master software where we used Campground Manager software at Happy Jack. It will be fairly easy to learn. The biggest difference we have here is that the holding tanks of every vehicle that checks in has to be checked to be sure they are empty. The state has a law that if certain chemicals (nitrates) are found in the system that they can close down the campground. That is only a law for campgrounds like ours that has a drain field over the Colorado River Aquafir (?). Pretty important stuff! The holding tank liquid that we use is called "Happy Camper" and is made from minerals and micro nutrients so it is safe to use. Stuff like "Aqua Chem" is not.
We finished up at 6:30 and went back to the cafe for a birthday dinner for one of the employees. We have been here for less than two days and already have eaten out for three meals. Our diets can't maintain this schedule for meals, that's for sure.
Today will be a more relaxed day as we are planning to go to Borrego Springs to check out post office and other local attractions. Our schedule (unofficial at this point) calls for us to spend a little time in the office this afternoon, but is otherwise an easy day.
More later...
The cafe is one of the areas that Mike is going to improve. It is very small and always crowded because it is the only place to eat, buy supplies and get gas for about 20 miles in any direction. He will tear it down and rebuild a new restaurant and general store next summer.
Josie and I had a little break until about 2 PM and then we went to the office to learn the reservations and check in system. It is similar to the one we used at Happy Jack but they use Campground Master software where we used Campground Manager software at Happy Jack. It will be fairly easy to learn. The biggest difference we have here is that the holding tanks of every vehicle that checks in has to be checked to be sure they are empty. The state has a law that if certain chemicals (nitrates) are found in the system that they can close down the campground. That is only a law for campgrounds like ours that has a drain field over the Colorado River Aquafir (?). Pretty important stuff! The holding tank liquid that we use is called "Happy Camper" and is made from minerals and micro nutrients so it is safe to use. Stuff like "Aqua Chem" is not.
We finished up at 6:30 and went back to the cafe for a birthday dinner for one of the employees. We have been here for less than two days and already have eaten out for three meals. Our diets can't maintain this schedule for meals, that's for sure.
Today will be a more relaxed day as we are planning to go to Borrego Springs to check out post office and other local attractions. Our schedule (unofficial at this point) calls for us to spend a little time in the office this afternoon, but is otherwise an easy day.
More later...
Friday, November 6, 2009
Arrival at Ocotillo Wells
We left the Colorado River Oasis Park right at 9 AM (8 AM Pacific Time). As soon as we crossed the bridge we were in California and on Pacific Time so we already gained an hour on our trip. It was an uneventful drive and we averaged 8.4 MPG with the truck for the 163 mile trip which still isn't too bad. We had forgotten how long and boring the long drive through the desert was. It was a welcome sight to get to the Coachella exit and head down rte 86 to our turnoff at rte 78 south of Salton City. Eventually, we made it to the campground at about 11 AM.
Josie and I both were wondering if we had made the right choice as we saw nothing but sand and sand covered hills on the last 10 miles of the drive. Suddenly, this park appeared and looked like an oasis in the desert. The manager and his wife were happy to see us and we talked for about 30 minutes before they instructed us to pull into a temporary site while they relocated their own rig to a site that was created behind the office building so that we could take their vacated site, site #101. We finally got settled in our site (below) and talked for another hour or so with Jeff, the owner of the campground.
Today begins our first day of work and we are scheduled to work for eight hours today. Most of the day will be spent looking over shoulders to familiarize ourselves with everything. Tomorrow is a short day for us - 4 hours - and then we have off until Tuesday or Wednesday. There is no formal schedule yet so we'll update our schedule as we go on. One thing is for sure - this is a very different and, hopefully, exciting stay for us...
Josie and I both were wondering if we had made the right choice as we saw nothing but sand and sand covered hills on the last 10 miles of the drive. Suddenly, this park appeared and looked like an oasis in the desert. The manager and his wife were happy to see us and we talked for about 30 minutes before they instructed us to pull into a temporary site while they relocated their own rig to a site that was created behind the office building so that we could take their vacated site, site #101. We finally got settled in our site (below) and talked for another hour or so with Jeff, the owner of the campground.
The owner is a very nice individual that explained the whole story about the Park and his plans for the future. This is going to be a destination resort someday as he is planning to add another clubhouse and pool and rebuild the adjacent cafe into a 7500 sq ft restaurant and store. The park is already beginning to look like a great resort as you can see that the sites are huge and he has planted trees everywhere which will someday make this park absolutely beautiful. There is a shot below looking toward the clubhouse and swimming pool and shows the size of the park
The clubhouse complex is in the center of the park so you can get a feel for how big it is.
The manager and his wife invited us to dinner at their rig, along with the owner which was very thoughtful. The owner actually lives in Escondido and is only at the park Thursday through Sundays. His wife doesn't arrive until Friday and they stay in a beautiful motorhome on the grounds. We discussed a lot of things about procedures, hours, duties, etc. and by the end of the evening we felt like sponges absorbing all this new stuff. The final picture is of one of the mountain ranges that surrounds the park:
Today begins our first day of work and we are scheduled to work for eight hours today. Most of the day will be spent looking over shoulders to familiarize ourselves with everything. Tomorrow is a short day for us - 4 hours - and then we have off until Tuesday or Wednesday. There is no formal schedule yet so we'll update our schedule as we go on. One thing is for sure - this is a very different and, hopefully, exciting stay for us...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Ehrenberg Arizona on the Colorado River
It was almost 10 AM yesterday when we left Camp Verde but we still arrived in Ehrenberg, AZ at exactly 2 PM. We stopped at 1 rest area on the way and averaged 9.2 MPG for the 231 miles we traveled which is pretty good considering the load we were hauling. Yesterday was also the first time that we traveled using the walkie-talkies and they worked flawlessly.
Because we were only staying the one night, we decided to leave the fifth wheel connected to the truck so we could make a quick departure today. Below is a picture of our site after we set up for the night:
Because we were only staying the one night, we decided to leave the fifth wheel connected to the truck so we could make a quick departure today. Below is a picture of our site after we set up for the night:
The site was not spectacular but it was very long which allowed us to keep everything connected and still park the Jeep behind. We took a walk around the campground and stopped outside the clubhouse and took the following picture looking west, into California:
We stopped and talked to a lot of people while on our walk and discovered that, as you might expect, everybody has a unique story about their travels. It makes it interesting.
The only problem we had was with our satellite TV. It took us quite a while to lock onto the signals and we discovered that the problem wasn't the satellite receiver but the DirecTV receiver which just needed to be reset. Once we did that the satellite receiver locked on in a couple minutes.
We are getting ready to leave on our final leg today. Josie is packing some munchies and getting everything ready to go so we expect to leave here before 9 AM. That should get us to Ocotillo Wells by noon - we hope.
We'll leave this post with a picture of the sunset last night over the Colorado River:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Heading Out
We had hoped to be on the road by 9 AM this morning but it appears that, with our slow start, we will probably leave closer to 10 AM. That's OK though. An hour is not going to make that much difference. Actually, all we need to do is put things away inside and load up the chairs and grill from outside, hook up, and leave. Everything else is ready.
We had 2 calls yesterday from our new manager in California. The first one was to make sure we got everything fixed on the rig and were still coming as expected on Thursday. The second call was to remind us of the "dumping" rules they have. Because of harsh chemicals that can be used in holding tanks, they make sure that everybody that comes into the park has empty holding tanks and receive a warning about the "forbidden" chemicals. Ours will be totally empty anyway since we will empty them to travel on Thursday.
We're getting excited to arrive at our new destination. We hope that it turns out to be a good experience for us and for our new management team. There are lots of things to do and places to go, so - let's get started...
We had 2 calls yesterday from our new manager in California. The first one was to make sure we got everything fixed on the rig and were still coming as expected on Thursday. The second call was to remind us of the "dumping" rules they have. Because of harsh chemicals that can be used in holding tanks, they make sure that everybody that comes into the park has empty holding tanks and receive a warning about the "forbidden" chemicals. Ours will be totally empty anyway since we will empty them to travel on Thursday.
We're getting excited to arrive at our new destination. We hope that it turns out to be a good experience for us and for our new management team. There are lots of things to do and places to go, so - let's get started...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Half Repairs Done
Our RV repair guy arrived at 11:30 yesterday and was here until 3 PM and only was able to do half the work. The ice maker was replaced (under warranty) very quickly but the water pump was a different story. It turns out that the ShurFlo pump that already replaced a bad pump under warranty has the exact same problem as the original had. The service tech said he had researched this specific pump for reported problems and it seems that the manufacturer has replaced many of these pumps with this problem. We could not locate a local source for another of these pumps so he took out the bad pump and will swap it for a new one (under warranty) and send the new one to me. He showed me how to connect the new one when we receive it in California - unless he can locate one in Prescott, his home base, and have me pick it up today and install it today. What a mess. We drained the fresh water tank since it does us no good to have that extra weight to tow. That created a nice mud hole next to the fifth wheel and everybody that walked by thought we had a water leak under the rig. So we will be without a water pump until the new one gets installed. As long as we can connect to water it's not a problem.
Since the RV guy was here so long yesterday we didn't get a chance to finish our errands so they have to be done today. We did get to Out of Africa and Josie closed that loop by returning her uniform and saying farewells. We also went to the post office and closed out the PO Box by returning the keys.
Today we need to gas up the vehicles and get them cleaned and ready for the trip. Josie also wants to get her nails done so we will go into Cottonwood and take care of our final errands. We plan to head out at about 9 AM tomorrow so let's hope we'll be ready...
Since the RV guy was here so long yesterday we didn't get a chance to finish our errands so they have to be done today. We did get to Out of Africa and Josie closed that loop by returning her uniform and saying farewells. We also went to the post office and closed out the PO Box by returning the keys.
Today we need to gas up the vehicles and get them cleaned and ready for the trip. Josie also wants to get her nails done so we will go into Cottonwood and take care of our final errands. We plan to head out at about 9 AM tomorrow so let's hope we'll be ready...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Nice Visit on a Beautiful Day
We had very little planned for the day yesterday except for the visit from George, Cheryl, Cot and Lois in the afternoon. They arrived around 1:30 and visited for about an hour and a half before they left for home. Following is a shot of us around the table outside on an absolutely beautiful day:
It reached 80 degrees for the first time since we arrived last week. We're not sure when we will see everybody again so it was nice that they stopped by to say goodbye before we leave for California on Wednesday.
Today is the day we hope to get our "fixes" done on the rig before we head out. They are expected to be here by 10:30 this morning to replace our ice maker and repair the water pump. I feel real nervous about this since we must have these repairs done today and the repairman has been working the last couple weeks without his wife who normally handles all the scheduling and paperwork for him. Evidently, she had to go to Florida on a family issue and hasn't been around to do this part of his business. Let's hope it goes according to plan.
Also, today is the day that Josie has to return her uniform to her manager at Out of Africa. That will end her short relationship with those nice folks.
That's about all for now as we make final preparations for our trip...
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Nice Lull Between Jobs
It was nice once again to just sit around the campground and do nothing. Although we did get out to the Walmart Supercenter for Josie's haircut, we pretty much stayed home and watched a couple movies and later the World series.
Josie did contact her manager at Out of Africa and explained to her the fact that we had an opportunity in California for the both of us, and she would be leaving on Wednesday. She was very understanding and wished us luck and indicated that if she were ever in this area again to look her up. Josie left on good terms and has that door open should she ever need to work there again. At least we got a chance to go through the park before we leave - and for free too.
We received a call from Lois yesterday afternoon and she said that they (her, Cot, George and Cheryl) were at the cabin this weekend in Munds Park and wanted to stop here on their way home today to say goodbye before we headed out to California. Of course, we're always happy to see them and they are coming today, sometime around 1:30 PM.
Other than that, it looks like another nice, quiet day of relaxing and visiting with family and friends...
Josie did contact her manager at Out of Africa and explained to her the fact that we had an opportunity in California for the both of us, and she would be leaving on Wednesday. She was very understanding and wished us luck and indicated that if she were ever in this area again to look her up. Josie left on good terms and has that door open should she ever need to work there again. At least we got a chance to go through the park before we leave - and for free too.
We received a call from Lois yesterday afternoon and she said that they (her, Cot, George and Cheryl) were at the cabin this weekend in Munds Park and wanted to stop here on their way home today to say goodbye before we headed out to California. Of course, we're always happy to see them and they are coming today, sometime around 1:30 PM.
Other than that, it looks like another nice, quiet day of relaxing and visiting with family and friends...
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