Another Benefit of Volunteering

The Forest Service Resource Manager came by this morning with gifts for us: some real nice Gortex, fleece lined jackets from LL Bean. They have a patch on them that says "Forest Service Volunteer", and are sooooo nice and warm! And they are ours to keep! Gotta love it!.

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.

Our Newest Assignment

Everyone has been asking me where we are going for the next season. Today, I am happy to announce that we are to Payne Lake Campground in the Talledega National Forest, about 35 miles south of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  It is about 185 miles from our hometown in Georgia, so that we will be able to visit our family and friends there over the winter. We will arrive around November 1, and will be there until about April 15, 2010. We are really looking forward to being there. See that lake? We haven't seen that much water in over a year! I can not wait to go fishing. Their website says there are Crappie, Bream, Shell Cracker and Channel catfish in that lake. I am ready to get out my fishing pole!

(photo sent to me by the forest service ranger)

The job we will be doing is volunteer camp hosts. We will live onsite, make sure the campground is neat and clean, and check people in and sell sites to people who want to camp there. We have been volunteers before, at Unicoi State Park, and at Tanner State Park, both in Georgia. We have found that each park has differerent duties expected of volunteers, but they are usually about the same at each place. We pick up litter, clean fire pits, give out information about the area, advise people of the rules of the facility, and call for a ranger if someone gets out of hand. 

In exchange for our duties there, we will receive a full hook up campsite, free propane, a telephone line, and free satellite internet service at our site. We will be provided our uniforms and a truck to drive while we perform our duties. It is a win win situation for both sides.

(photo sent to me by the forest service ranger)

We'll be leaving the North Rim on Sunday. It will be about 1800 miles to reach our destination, but I am sure we will find lots of neat things to see on our way. Can't wait to be on the road again!  Oh, and if you are in the area over the winter, come on by and visit for a spell!

It's Getting To Be That Time Again...

The weather is feeling chill all day, the leaves on the aspens are beginning to turn, and I am cleaning out drawers and closets. That means one thing--that Fall is right around the corner, and FabGrandpa and I will be rolling soon. In just over a month we will be going down the road again.

We won't be going to Georgia this winter, as originally planned. Our next home will be just a short way down the road, to Phoenix, from about mid-October until Christmas. We will be helping our friends, Charlie and Lynn, sell pumpkins and Christmas trees. While we are looking a little bit forward to the new gig, we are mostly looking forward to spending some time with them.

We met Charlie and Lynn when we worked in Virginia two years ago, and feel like we have known them for a lifetime. Last year when we worked in Gettysburg, they did too, at a different place. Whenever we had the same days off, we tried to get together and do things with them.

After the Christmas season is over, we are all going to Brenda, Arizona, to a campground there for three months, maybe longer, and just take a vacation. We have been working either for pay or as volunteers without a break for 8 years. I think it's about time we had a little fun.

Counting Cactus, or The Day I Was An Environmental Consultant

(Here I am with Robert Frye)

Have your ever volunteered to do something totally off the wall, just for the experience? I had the opportunity to do just that on Sunday. Ok, I was not exactly a volunteer because I got paid to do it. But I did volunteer for the job. I was hired as an Environmental Consultant for one day. And what a day it was!

I got up really early on my day off to drive the 43 miles down to Jacob Lake, where I met Robert J. Frye, a retired professor from the University of Arizona; Sarah, who is a biologist from Bryce Canyon, and Courtney, one of my co-workers. Robert has been tracking this rare cactus for several years. After the introductions were out of the way, Robert he told us a little bit about what we would actually be doing.

(This is a different species of cactus, a little bigger and rounder than the pediocactus)

We drove about half way down the Kaibab Plateau on Hwy 89A towards Page, then parked on the side of the road and walked a short distance through the woods to the first plot.

A plot is an area that is 10 meters in diameter, where pediocactus have been found in the past. If you are wondering at this point just exactly what a pediocactus is, click here for more information. This particular pediocactus only grows on the Colorado Plateau in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

(That's Courtney placing flags in the last section of the plot)

So, here is what we did. When we first arrived at the plot, we had to look for a metal rod sticking out of the ground, which marked the center of the plot. Next, we looked for another metal rod, which marked the north side of the plot. Then, we laid out measuring tapes in an “X”, with one going north and south, and the other one going east and west, measuring 5 meters in each direction from the center of the plot. Then the real fun began.

We crawled around on our hands and knees, looking for either the cute little cacti or a tag or a nail to indicate where a cacti used to be. At every location where something was found, we placed a little flag, somewhat like those used to mark utilities before digging.

After all the flags were in place and we were fairly certain there were no more to be found, we started collecting data. One person sat in a folding chair with a notebook and pen, while the other three people crawled from one flag to the next, calling out the angle of the location from the center of the circle, the distance from the center, the nail or tag number. If there was only a tag or nail, it was simply “nail found”. But, if one of the cacti was there, we used calipers to measure the size of it. These are little bitty cacti.

(This is a pic of two tiny pediocactus with a flag marking their location)

The measurements were in millimeters. We did find a few, but, sadly, the numbers are declining.

(Out in the desert near Vermillion Cliffs. Isn't it just beautiful?)

After we finished collecting all the data, we picked up all the little flags and the tape measures, and drove to the next plot site.

(This is a different kind of cactus. It was huge and looked dangerous.)

The second place we went was out in the desert. It was fun to go in the four wheel drive vehicle out across the desert to find the plot.

(Notice that you see no road in this picture.)

I even had to crawl under a barbed wire fence, twice. (Sorry, no picture to prove that interesting fact.) I had a lot of fun, and learned a little bit about how scientific data is collected. And, if I get the chance to work on another study, I’ll be out there in the desert—you can count on it.

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?

It Must Be Karma

We have been planning to go to Alabama to a National Forest Service campground to work as volunteers for some time now. We have had this planned for months, and even confirmed with them last week. The only thing is, we got an email from the volunteer coordinator at Payne Lake telling us that we would either have a site with water and electricity but no sewer, OR a site with sewer and electricity but no water. We have been trying to decide for a couple of weeks which would be easiest to handle.

In the meantime, Jim's Mom called and asked us to come up to Unicoi State Park for a little while to be close to them. Unicoi is the park where we have volunteered for the last two winters, in north Georgia, in the mountains. Since we have been there before, we know what the volunteer responsibilites are so it wouldn't be hard for us to do it again. But, the day that Jim's Mom called, I hung up from talking to her and called the volunteer resource contact at Unicoi and reached her voice mail. Since we had not heard back from them we just assumed they didn't have a need or a space for us there. We were both wanting to go to Alabama, but also wanting to go to Unicoi because that would be the right thing for us to do.

Today, we got a call from Unicoi saying that they do have a volunteer space for us. And Ellen, the resource person, said that even though she has had other people call wanting to volunteer, we were her first choice, since we had been there before. So, tomorrow we will be going back up to Unicoi until the end of March.

Now, the karma part. We have been applying for jobs out west since before Thanksgiving, and had not heard back from anyone. Not ONE. Until about 10 minutes after we agreed to go to Unicoi. Then, the phone rang and it was a park near Bryce Canyon in Utah. As soon as the man started telling me they were "very interested in hiring us" I told him that we had had a change in our plans since I sent the application last week. We would not be able to come the first week of March because we had just committed to someone until the end of March. And he said, "That is even better for us, because we don't need you until the first week of April" Is that Karma or what?? We don't have a confirmed job yet, but we are closer than we were before that phone call. As soon as we get a firm offer, I will post a link to the place. It is gorgeous!