A Work Day At Payne Lake

This post is an experiment to see if I am going to get bumped off by Hughesnet when I upload my normal amount of photos for a post. Keep yer fingers crossed that I don't.

When we arrived here at Payne Lake last week, we discovered that the entrance office was a mess. There was a lot of trash and stuff that looked like it hadn't been cleaned up in years. Our first task was to get that cleaned up and ready for us to work in. This is what it looked like before we started:

 

(The work counter. What the heck???)

 

(a storage shelf)

 

(the floor)

 

It took us both working about four hours to get it in order, but look at it now:

 

  

  

Today, while we were working at the entrance station again, we decided to do some clean-up of the grounds. FabGrandpa used the backpack blower:

 

And I used the rake:

 

You'll just have to trust me on that. Someone had to take the pictures!  And even though I still have that palpable mass, that still flares up and makes my arm hurt if I do too much, I also still have my friends the Lortab and Naprosyn, so I did push that rake around quite a bit.

 

By the end of our shift, we had the place looking very nice! We'll be doing this same thing in the campground in the coming weeks, to get it cleaned up, too. I love it when a plan comes together.

Our Sweet Home In Alabama!

After a trip that took us  six days to drive 1810 miles, through 6 states and 3 time zones, we have arrived at our winter home in Greensboro, Alabama. Payne Lake Campground in the Talledega National Forest is where we will be spending the next few months.  The folks we'll be working with are very glad to see us, and we are just as glad to be here. 

 

This place is gorgeous. We have a really nice campsite, up on a hill, overlooking the lake. There is a washer and dryer, and a freezer for us to use while we are here. A golf cart, and a riding lawn mower, and best of all, satellite internet service right at our site! We feel really loved already and we just got here. 

 

This is the entrance road to the campground and day use area. We stopped here to wait for Joe, the forest service guy to meet us there and show us where we our campsite is. 

 

Another view of the entrance road. The closest town is 16 miles away in Greensboro. It is very quiet here.

One more view of the entrance road. 

  

This is our front yard at our campsite. There is a huge oak tree, a picnic table, a fire ring, and you can see the lake across the road. 

  

The West Campground has 18 sites, 9 of them have water and electric hook-ups, the other nine have only water. At the East Campground there are  32 primitive sites for tents with no hook-ups. The East campground is closed right now, as they do not have water over there at the moment. That is coming, and there will be another camp host couple over on that side in a couple of weeks.

  

More of the campground. This campground is really nice, we would recommend it to anyone. The larger sites with water and electric look like they could accomodate a 30 foot RV or trailer. 

  

 This was on Saturday--it was a beautiful day, with sunshine and puffy clouds. These geese probably don't know there are alligators in that lake!

  

 There's our trailer, up on that hill. Doesn't that look nice?

 

And this was taken from the dam. The fall colors are just starting here but it is already beautiful. I know soon it will be winter, so we are enjoying this view while we can. 

Today, Joe came over and took us on a tour of the place, showing us where to get supplies, what we are expected to do, and such as that. Tomorrow, we go to town to pick up some personal supplies, then the next day we'll get to work getting things in shape for campers who will be coming in soon.

A Day In The Life Of A Volunteer Camp Host

So, just what is it that a volunteer camp host does? And why do we do it? Here at Unicoi State Park in north Georgia, we are required to work 24 hours per week. The things we do vary from week to week, depending on what they need done. Most often, we do the normal campground duties, like cleaning out fire rings at the camp sites. We are amazed at the number of people who burn their trash in their fire rings. It is hard to believe that they enjoy the aroma of burning plastic. We wind up cleaning out all the leftover paper and plastic debris, so that the next person who uses that site won't get toxic fumes in their wieners and marshmallows.
We also pick up all the trash left behind. All of this rubbish came from one site. I know to some people it doesn't look like a lot, but if everyone left this little bit behind and it wasn't picked up, the campground would soon look like a dump. And no, those cigarette butts don't break down and disappear. They are still just as ugly to see next year when you come back if someone doesn't pick them up. And what about all those little bare feet running around next summer? If they stepped on those bottle caps it could ruin a nice vacation.
One of the camp hosts does a site check twice a day to document which sites are occupied and by whom. We give this information to the front desk at the lodge, so when they have new arrivals they will know which campsites are available, and so that they will know where each guest is camping in case they need to contact them.
The is always a project list of little things that need to be done. Here, Jim is attaching colored reflectors to the sign posts so that campers will know what color campsites are available on each road in the campground. The sites are color coded to designate what utilities are available and/or how long a of a camper will fit into the site.
In the camp store, called The Trading Post, there is always something to be done. Keeping the t-shirts folded and neatly stacked, stocking shelves, and sweeping the floor are things that need to be done every day.
The volunteers who are assigned to the trading post also ring up sales, give out trail maps and hiking information, and directions to other points of interest in the area. We meet a lot of people who come in for the day or to camp with us over the weekend.
The park hosts a huge arts and crafts show every year. The show takes place in a couple of weeks. Getting ready for it means a lot of very important, but little, tasks need to be done. We stuff envelopes, make name tags, and prepare parking passes for the show.
Although not a part of our official duties, we like to help guests when they need a hand. This young couple, Brian and Jude and their cute little dog, Russ, hiked down the mountain from Anna Ruby Falls, a 5 mile trip one way. It was getting late in the day, so Jim and I drove them back up to their car at the top of the mountain. They are a very interesting couple--she is from England and he is from Atlanta. They are getting married soon, and going to the Phillipines where she is going to teach in a British school there. Cool!
We do a lot here, but the Georgia State Parks give us a lot of perks, too. In addition to that spiffy black hat Jim gets to wear, and a certificate good for five free nights of camping at any Georgia State Park, we get a very nice full hook up site. We use the Toro cart to get around the park while we are on duty.
We get to use the laundry facilities free of charge to wash our clothes, and we get a 50% discount at the lodge restaurant, where the buffet features fried trout every night of the week. And, oooh, that dessert bar is quite yummy, too.
Best of all, we get to work with all the nice people who are on the paid staff. This is Scott and Ellen. Ellen is the person we go to with any questions, and who assigns the jobs we do. We have already signed up to come back next winter. They have five camp host spots here, so if anyone wants to come, let me know, and I'll send the info on how to sign up. Oh, and did I mention that we get to live in this beautiful place for a few months, where most people only get to visit for a day or two?