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...
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