CAMP HOST Jobs

RV Park REVIEWS

2016-08-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

02 - August - 2016 RV Park Reviews News

Thousands of RVers depend on honest reviews to help them find their next great camping spot. We would like to encourage you to leave a review for every stay at a campground. You may leave reviews for the campgrounds you've visited in the last 6 months (even if it is a campground you have reviewed in previous years). Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences. To submit a review please visit this link.

	Lakeside RV Park Livingston, Louisiana Headed anywhere near Livingston, Louisiana? Members consistent rate Lakeside RV Park with 4 to 5 starts!
	Bomb Squad Detonates Bombs in Campground Once inside the RV, the bomb squad found and detonated numerous improvised explosive devices. They also removed 40 pounds of bomb-making materials kept inside the RV.
	New Sights to See on the Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula offers many great destinations for Rvers but exploring these trails means taking in history and breathtaking scenery.
	Traveling to Nova Scotia? Concerned about Confederation Bridge? Join this discussion about the best route to Prince Edward Island, roads to avoid, where to stay and more!
	Have You Reviewed Any RV Parks Lately? RV Park Reviews is such a valuable resource to RVers because so many members like you contribute. Please consider posting reviews for every stay at a campground, together we can continue to build this wonderful research tool.
	Best route from CO through UT? On member asks if this route from Colorado through Utah is a bad decision. Got feedback?
	The Effect of Altitude on RV Living Altitude's effects on RV camping can be as minimal as an exploding bag of chips or as major as a cerebral edema.
	Decent Campgrounds Near Denver, Colorado? Any other suggestions for a decent campgrounds in the Denver, CO area that wouldn't break the budget? See what members are saying in the forums!
	Emerald Beach RV Park, Navarre, Florida Planning a trip to Florida? Consider Emerald Beach RV Park. RV Park Reviews members give it an Excellent rating!
	Free E-Book of 5-Star RV Parks Take RV Trip Wizard for a test drive to see how easy it is to plan your route and download your free e-book now!
	Prevent Blowouts by Monitoring Your RV Tires For long distant travelers or those seeking weekend refuge, a pressure monitoring system for RV tires ensures safety from devastating blowouts.

See the Post after this one for PHOTOS of Juniper Springs...FLORIDA's Best

2016-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

We need a hosts or host couples immediately for our Juniper Springs Recreation Area near Ocala, Florida. This is a beautiful, all-year facility -- so with a good work record this summer you will already have a warm and sunny spot for this winter! Hosts may be driving a company vehicle so a clean driving record is a must. The position pays wages plus a host site and utilities. You can find pictures and information here.

We ask you to take two steps to apply:

1. If you have not already done so, apply for a 2016 camp host position at this link. If you have already put in an application, you do not need to do it again, but you will not be considered without an application.

2. Please contact Samantha and Daryl Rolando by email at RRMJobsEast@camprrm.com to communicate your interest. Our jobs database has lots of people in it, so make sure they know that you are interested in this particular job. Please do not contact them until you have completed an application.

Note that after completing the application, you will be asked to take a short personality profile assessment so we can learn more about you. This will help us ask better questions in the interview process.

If you have any difficulties, each page of the application should have a button says "Technical Difficulties? Get Help Now." By clicking this button, you will reach representatives of Applicant Pro, the company that hosts the application, and they should be able to help you complete the process.

Your application will be considered at any of our campgrounds, but please only contact the Rolandos if you are interested in this particular position (they do not have information about any other locations). Please do not contact us for winter work only, our winter jobs go to our proven summer employees.

Thank you for your interest in working for Recreation Resource Management.

Sincerely,

Warren Meyer
Recreation Resource Management

One of our FAVORITE Job Sites - JUNIPER SPRINGS!!

2016-05-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

We need a hosts or host couples immediately for our Juniper Springs Recreation Area near Ocala, Florida. We are looking for hosts to help manage the day use area at the Springs and we are also looking for someone to help with security (a class D security license is preferred but not required for the security position). Hosts may be driving a company vehicle so a clean driving record is a must. The position pays wages plus a host site and utilities. You can find pictures and information here.

We ask you to take two steps to apply:

2. Please contact Samantha and Daryl Rolando by email at RRMJobs@camprrm.com to communicate your interest. Our jobs database has lots of people in it, so make sure they know that you are interested in this particular job. Please do not contact them until you have completed an application.

The job of camp hosting in state parks usually only requires 3 or 4 days of duty....for a total of 20 hours a week...maybe 24 max. So the obviously nice benefit is your freedom to roam. We took advantage and explored Juniper Springs for a day. The Chateau has claimed site #9 in the "Tropical Loop". It's a mystical and foggy morning. We can't remember Florida being more humid or more still.

A wondrous trail starts at our site.

There are small springs everywhere, so this jungley path soon crosses a bridge.

The signs warn that you are about to become gator bait, and you'd better not fight back...because this is a national reserve and everything in it is protected.

Who can resist a boardwalk into the wilds? Just ahead, under the bridge, is a large pool of green water. What's that about?

A peek into the pool from the bridge shows "boiling" sand that looks very much like the mud pots that bubble away in Yellowstone Park.

I turned around and about lost my breath.... What an unusual series of dreamy pools. They were riddled with sand boils. How fascinating!

The oak branches growing over one pool were almost too tempting. They were plenty big enough to walk on...and perfect as a platform to jump from into the warm water. How exotic!

I just kept taking pictures because it was so surreal...isolated...peaceful. There was no one else around...no sound but that of moving water and wildlife.

I decided to follow the boardwalk along the spring run to its source.

And here it is...Juniper Springs! Bob jumped in with his clothes on. That's how irresistible it was. He was floating face down looking into the spring just like he was a glass-bottomed boat. I knew he was harking back to his childhood, which was filled with joyful days splashing, diving, and exploring in the stream behind his home in State College, Pennsylvania.

Bob swam around and around, so I went to explore the rest of the area. He was totally alone in his own "Blue Lagoon". I returned after the sun had set...and he was still paddling around, marveling at his "best experience of the year so far". So what's so special about perfectly clear, warm water surrounded by bright green ferns and well-done CCC rock work? Come see for yourself!

FREE Camping at GORGEOUS Natural Springs in FLORIDA

2015-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

We need host couples immediately at Juniper Springs Recreation Area near Ocala, Florida. The positions pay wages plus a host site and utilities. You can find pictures and information here.

We ask you to take two steps to apply:

1. If you have not already done so, apply for a 2015 camp host position at this link. (The application may say "AZ" but it is good for all states). If you have already put in an application, you do not need to do it again.

Thank you for your interest in working for Recreation Resource Management.

Get SMART about Camp Hosting--not STUNG

2014-09-20T12:35:00.002-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WorkampingReviews.com Provides a Needed Resource for the Workamping Community

A Voice for the Thousands of U.S. Workampers

On the road, Wyoming – September 18, 2014

A new website has been launched giving workampers and traveling volunteers a voice. WorkampingReviews.com is an easy-to-use free website that allows workampers to share their experiences. Users will help their fellows to avoid possible bad situations, and encourage the organizations that provide positive employment and service opportunities. This website equips workampers and volunteers with information so they can determine which opportunities are best for them.

Each year, thousands of workampers and volunteers cris-cross the country filling vital roles in short term and seasonal positions. By all accounts, full-time RVing and workamping is a growing lifestyle. “A website like this has been needed for sometime,” said Christian Dunn of WorkampingReviews.com. Who, along with his wife, is a full-time RVer and workamper. “Most workamping and volunteer experiences are positive, but when a situation is bad, it can be a tremendous drain on time, money and emotions,” said Dunn. “Prior to developing this website I had often wished there was such a resource. A situation this past year prompted me and my wife to do it ourselves, in the spirit of community.”

The website relies on users to review and share their experiences. “We wanted the website to be free, easy to use and allow users to post reviews anonymously. Hopefully, people will come to the website regularly, and share honestly without concern of employer blow-back,” said Alayne Dunn of WorkampingReviews.com. “So far there is not much in between, people either really enjoy their experiences or not,” said Dunn. WorkampingReviews.com is the only website of its kind and is solely dedicated to the workamper with no other interests. It is free, requires no registration, and users can begin posting and searching immediately.

Christian & Alayne Dunn, also known as the TheRVNomads.com, are non-retired aged full-time RVers that have been traveling around the US with their two cats since March 2013.

Contact:

Alayne Dunn

TheRVNomads@gmail.com

TheRVNomads.com

443 794 4596

BOONDOCKING...vs. CAMP HOST JOBS

2012-06-13T14:01:00.002-07:00

Honestly...it takes a LOT of faith to get a great camp host job or to otherwise find your perfect "free spot". We lucked onto a terrific ebook on free camping sites at: www. frugal-rv-travel.com, "A Frugal Shunpiker's Guide" by Marianne Edwards. It cost a few dollars, but was so worth it. [Click on our Amazon link at the top-right and get your own boondocking books.] True to Marianne's word, she sends detailed updates and/or corrections. We have also tried our luck by "surfing the web" for free spots...and the truth is, even web pages where the author seemed quite knowledgeable and the information very detailed, we'd be off on a wild goose chase most often. BLM camping spots would have new development, if they were close to "civilization"; and roads to some destinations were mere figments of some one's imagination (or poor memory). We learned the hard way its best to talk with someone who has camped-4-free very recently and can give you reliable information. Let's give you a recent example of one of our "goofs":

First, we went on internet info on a road west of Tucson that went from rough to sandy dirt and then to desolation. We felt we needed "protection", especially after reading the "welcome" sign below. Bob had never fired his bit of a gun, so he decided to see if it actually worked. It did, and I took a bit of film to prove it. Then check out the last photo of our actual camp site. Seriously...what is there to do at this spot? It was coming into focus: These spots are free because that's what they are worth. We locked ourselves into the RV and waited for first light. It was the very next day, in the nearby Arizona Sonora-Desert Museum, we happened to run into an officer who did border patrol in the area. He told us we were crazy to have camped where we did....that there were regular shootings in the area as it's a hotly contested drug trafficking route. The sign with the bullet holes was not even close to being a sufficient warning for the risks involved in being alone at night (anywhere) in the area. Ahhhh.....crap!

The above shadows belong to two lonely, nervous campers.

So....what about free camping as a camp host? We got a job offer at St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, a preserve for open grassy forests of longleaf pine that were once commonplace throughout Florida. Their brochure reads, "The pine flatwoods form a backdrop for other biological communities, including cypress domes, scrubby flatwoods, sandhills, a beautiful strand swamp, and over 50 protected species. Photographers, bird-watchers, and nature enthusiasts can explore miles of trails on foot, bicycle, or horseback. Canoeing, boating, and fishing on the St. Sebastian River are popular activities. "

The job offer came with the following attachment explaining the cost of a "free" camping spot.
Responsibilities of camp Volunteers
In exchange for a free campsite, volunteers are expected to perform 20 hours of service every week per Camp site [that's 20 hours for each of us, 40 hours total]

Duties include:

Open gate every day at 8am. (Rotational with other volunteers as available)
Close gate every night at sunset, check trash at spillway.
Respond to visitor questions regarding the preserve.
Work the Visitor Center as per scheduling (Fri – Sat, 10 to 4:30, Sun 12 to 4:30)
Clean Visitor Center and North office each week (take trash to dumpster)
Clean bunkhouse
Check shop (sweep and take out trash)
Check camp sites (clean out fire pits and pick up trash)
Pick up trash along roadways.
Mow and weed eat: Parking lots, shop compounds, camp sites and camp host areas.
Trail maintenance (may require operation of heavy machinery)
Miscellaneous projects to be assigned

We came close to taking this job, as the preserve was not far from Miami beaches, but isolated and "wild"...actually too wild, as we couldn't get the internet there...and there was no church or grocery store close by. As much as we love camp hosting, there is no such thing as a FREE SITE. Nope...you pay, but almost to a person we hosts love the work and would do it for free.

If you have your mind made up you must have a free site, then just park on the road in front of a good friend's house. That's just what we're doing in the following pictures:

Now...because I need the money, please notice my gorgeous stone necklace and then get curious enough to look me up on ebay. Just click "Advanced" to the right of the search box and then go almost to the bottom of the page and type in my seller name: RunningHorse48 ... and then you can see all of my astoundingly gorgeous diamond polished stones set in hand-crocheted adjustable necklace bands. I'll give you a 20% discount if you mention you visited my blog. Appreciate you!....and thanks, sincerely.

GEMS, Necklaces and My Best Buddy!

2012-06-12T19:44:00.002-07:00

YES, I am selling these on ebay...for a fraction of their value. Do I need the cash? Yes. Appearing on the left is old-stock Tiger's Eye Agate with mesmerizing heliotrope chatoyancy. It also goes by the name of Iron Stone, and this particular chunk was formed in Australia. Fascinating as its ever-changing bands are, it's over shadowed by the crystals in the Ocean Wave Jasper and the finely colored spiderweb turquoise teardrops. I offered my best-ever childhood friend any of my hundreds of necklaces she wanted...and she shunned these two stunning creations and went for a dozen of my simplest treasures. She deliberated for quite a while. She's modeling one of her choices below, a "Dragon's Blood" agate.

It was hard work deciding. Can you see how my Buddy struggled? See if it's easier for you to decide which is the nicest. Just look me up on ebay using the "Advanced Search" and type in my Seller Name: RunningHorse48...and see what's currently offered. (It changes all of the time.)
Both my Buddy and I have a long history of admiring, collecting and now wearing beautiful stones. I had to part with my gem, fossil and rock collection to move into the RV. The hardest to give up were the geodes, particularly the Thunderegg collection. Having so many Thunderegg Slice Necklaces helped me survive the separation crisis. So how did we get our energy back from our decision making? ...by going to The Olive Garden, where the menu asked us for much simpler choices.

I had my own hard choices to make. I would love to stay with my Best Buddy in Arizona forever, but it was time to fly to Salt Lake City to visit my children and the growing-up-to-fast grandkids. The views during my flight almost overwhelmed me with their intriguing geology. The one above is of an area in a protection battle right now.

This view from the plane is THE GOAL: Hike Mountain Timpanogos with as many of the family who can stand the all-day hike. I signed up at Gold's Gym as soon as the plane landed to get closer to this goal!

The grandkids look so grown-up compared to my last personal assessment. And they seemed more interested in the big screen than their grandma...except baby Zeke. He's made of love!

Can you read the words on this cake? Maybe they did miss me after all. They still like chocolate cake, I do know that. Look at the picture below to see how little chocolate missed their mouths.

The grandbaby who changed the most while I was off camphosting was baby Izzy. She was now bigger than her baby dolls!

So...It's wonderful to be among my extra-darling family again...but there's still the hard matter of making a living. As a grandma, it's so important to buy toys, and more toys. Please remember to look me up on ebay using the "Advanced Search", type in my Seller Name: RunningHorse48...and see if there's something that interests you. Thank you!....sincerely.

The AMAZING Desert Museum - Tucson's BEST attraction

2012-03-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

We heard the Desert Museum is the best in the west, which makes you curious; but experiencing it makes you want to bring the world here... especially kids! Clearly any child would learn beyond measure, without even knowing it amidst their fun. It's a huge adventure with garden after garden, a zoo with natural habitats, and many inviting interactive exhibits. You can dig for fossils, go underground to see how critters live there, or go underwater to visit beaver, otters and fish.

I couldn't get myself out of the Earth Science section, with minerals that had me drooling and mystified by their local history. It's the first time I saw big chunks of minerals displayed as they might have looked when discovered in the country rock. Pictured are Wulfenite and Mimetite (the yellow crystals) and Vanadanite (reddish).

The blue of course is Malachite (found near Bisbee, Arizona). The Vanadinite was found in the Superstition Mountains. It's part of one of the finest collections of regional minerals and gemstones found anywhere! But the limestone cave trumped them all with its running water, pools full of crayfish, and inviting exhibits that explain the formation of caves and the earth itself. They made the speleothems out of a foam base, and then carved and painted it. Most people think they are in a real cave with real decorations when they enter. Fun.

I was excited to see how many of the cacti I could now name in the cactus garden (after my fine walk with Ed the Naturalist). I was just admiring the displays when sure enough... despite my precautions, a cactus got me again! By now I had even more tricks for dealing with the pointy hitchhikers (click here). People who harvest cacti or hike around cactus plants are bound to get stung from time to time, but I still felt pricked on.

It was time to look at safer exhibits, like the giant ram that kept eyeing me.

The exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and rattle snakes. Within the Museum grounds, you get to see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautifully alive desert. I lost Bob in the maze. Maybe the mountain lions got him! The video clip shows just how vicious this pair of cougars could be.

My guess is this is a Guilded Flicker, or maybe the state bird...a cactus wren...not a woodpecker. But then the only bird I actually know is the robin. I need more lessons from Naturalist Ed.

If you visit this fine museum give yourself some hours to take it in and you'll be rewarded with some insight into the abundant, complex, and varied life in the area. A careful exploration helps put this special and rich environment in a much better context... beyond consumption tourism. Photo ops are tremendous.

You gotta know when to hold 'em...know when to fold 'em...

2012-01-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

Know when to walk away, and know when to run! That's our RV in the photo, parked right by the covered hot tub we just enjoyed. The latest information on our Colossal job [from an employee of the park]: The maintenance manager is supposedly an alcoholic, along with his wife and brother, who are also on the payroll. There is not a penny for improvement, due to mismanagement, it would seem, but we were told the manager has been tucking money into his own pocket. Were any of these allegations true? [Stay tuned.] Martie kept saying there was no money, but we'd seen all kinds of people taking the cave tour and buying things in the park. We believe Martie. She is a kind, gracious, noble person...completely dedicated to the park. So why is there no money for maintenance?

We needed to get away. A week had gone by and our host site was still not accessible, so we needed to go somewhere to empty our tanks and fill up with water. We decided to explore Benson, Arizona. We checked out our competition, Kartchner Caverns State Park. Then we checked out RV parks, thinking we might need to live in one if we didn't have a hosting job. These pictures are of Chochise Terrace RV Resort from our site, #256. We parked next to the camp host. They usually make the best neighbors. Below is our host, and his dutiful dog.

Business had seriously dropped off. Competition is huge among the parks, We paid $33.41 for the night...but there were less expensive places down the road. But this is the only park far enough away from the railroad tracks to sleep undisturbed.

We thoroughly checked out a co-op with very individualized lots, like the one above (which is for sale). We heard hosts complaining in this park--that either the management liked you or not. If not, it was a tough haul.

The co-op is considered boondocking because it's only $5 to dry camp on the above section. It's like a Walmart parking lot...except you can join in on the planned activities. Check this place out at SKP Saguaro. You do have to join Escapees to get this price, though... we discovered after parking and starting to enjoy the park. Ah, well. We found out some fellow RVers settled in at Benson on 5 fenced acres with a like-new 2,000+ sf home with a wrap-around porch and a garage complete with workshop....for...get ready.... $111,000.

No S&Bs, please.... I just want to be FREE....to run like a wild horse. Thank you.

Our Job at Colossal Cave Mountain Park

2012-01-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

We are still excited about our new job, even though they aren't ready for us...after a month?? So we were left waiting...and adrift. Justin and Li (the doctor friends) fed us a delightful dinner, including the most flavorful and varied salad I'd ever had. Since I think of a vegetable salad as dessert...it was the best treat possible for me. They had about 5 acres that came with their gorgeous mountaintop home, and they invited us to park there overnight.

Their home is next to a preserve, and protective zoning has changed, so they will remain the only home at the top. There were javelina and deer tracks among the cacti, so I hoped for visitors.

This is the sunrise the next morning. Do Arizona skies behave like this often?

The Schmidt's home is steel frame with hay bale insulation--brilliant considering the climate... with no heating or air conditioning required. The side of the home facing Tucson has a glass-walled family room with a grand piano and large, peaceful spaces that invite meditation. The "official" family portrait is shown below...a fascinating holographic image. It's the actual family that anyone would find ultimately fascinating...and gracious. Tucson is so fortunate to have them!

Justin and Li told us the story of how they met in China and eventually married (in Tucson). It was clear they should write a book. We were so spellbound we missed church!

Can you tell we love Li and Justin? We could stay forever, but on Monday we had an appointment with Martie and the park maintenance manager to figure out just what our duties would be. This pic of the host site can be enlarged to see the nature of the road. This is the only good section. We learned in our meeting there were 3 maintenance people, but no work had been done. The person who was to bring a grader in was "busy" and he'd need Martie to buy him a new blade, anyway ??? Why would you have to buy a blade before renting equipment??

We had to wait some more, so I decided to unwrap this great gift of nature. The canyon we were parked in led up to a wild campground called La Selvilla. The road to it had been washed out, but instead of fixing it, they had posted signs directing you to drive up the dry river bed. I picked up trash as I walked and threw bigger rocks out of the "road" just to feel useful. I discovered the Arizona Trail crossing the campground and followed it for a while, delighting in the rock formations and plants it led me to.

The next day we found La Posta Quemade Ranch, which is run separately, but Martie gets a percentage. We saw two full wagons departing the ranch in the rain with the happiest passengers you'd could imagine. They were all older, but as giddy as little kids getting a pony for a birthday.

I think I'm giddy, too, having always been horse crazy. Living in a park with a real, working ranch was going to be great! But what about getting busy with camp hosting? There's signs posted (BIG ones) saying you can only camp one night. Martie was not aware of that. The bathrooms needed cleaning, but one of the maintenance people, Skip, said the boss told him there wasn't any money for cleaner. ??

What me worry? No, we just went on a tour of this dry maze cave they call Colossal. I had already read so much about the cave that I'm sure I could have given the tour myself. In fact I was so enamored by the Indian and robber history of the area as well as the flora and fauna that I was consuming information wholesale.

Meanwhile...no likelihood of the roads being fixed...and Bill, an arachnid researcher working in the cave, informed us of many things that were less than satisfactory in the operation of the cave...including a maintenance team "that did nothing". I said I'd start working on the road if I could get a shovel and a wheel barrow, as I'd found a pile of road base...but that just brought chuckles. We may be dry camping for quite a while, just dreaming of FHUs on those cold Arizona desert nights.

P.S. Dr. Bill Savary is not only the wild cave tour guide, but a good friend of Justin Schmidt (Bob's friend). As a herpetologist, he has been allowed to go into the park's pristine caves and has discovered new species of critters. These caves are so delicate they are even closed to researchers now. You may contact Bill through tucsonherpsociety.org or if you'd like to know more about reptiles, email him at: bsavary@mindspring.com

Tucson Mountain Park lures you in...YES!

2012-01-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

The trails of the Sonoran Desert lure you in, hold you captive, and make you grateful that you came. Nothing is more tempting to me than a clear view of a trail. Where does it go? What will I experience? But I was distracted by the litter at the beginning of this trail. True to my Mom's training, I have my own grabber (blue) to aid my compulsion to pick up garbage, especially cigarette butts and anything plastic. Bob takes this as odd behavior, and he took the following pictures...to prove I'm wacky. Does anyone else do this?

Ewwww... more butts. Notice that by now the trail is forgotten...and I deposit the trash in our RV's basura.

Every mountain has Saguaro growing to its top! The fuzzy cacti are Buckhorn Cholla, and I already had spine wounds and fine needles still paining my hands from a fall 2 days ago. I didn't know these tricks for removal (click here) and threw away the needle-infested gloves I'd been wearing when I fell, and I wished I could throw away the pierced flesh of my hands as well. But it's incredibly beautiful in the park. We were excited now to find Gilbert Ray Campground. Click here to see an excellent description (with photos) of this premium camp. Volunteer jobs are for 3 month stints, but there were no openings...in case you were looking.

The campground has one trail, so I happily followed it to Rattlesnake Trail, which I decided to cross because I saw Old Tucson Studios in the distance. I knew John Wayne movies had been filmed here, so I let myself get curious. The bright paint and kiddie rides betrayed my expectations, but it's still a fun, fun place.

On the way back to camp I got to celebrate the beauty of the area by raising my own arms with so many others in praising God's creation. What an evocative area for the imagination and the spirit! It certainly resonated with my eternal nature.

I found an ad posted in the bathroom of the educational group site for a walk on the Brown Mountain Trail. I watched a film on YouTube of a crazed biker riding down this mountain trail, with hairpin turns and huge sharp shards or rock flipping up as the bike bounced over them. But the crazy part to me would be the risk of falling into that cacti and being injected with the tiny, fine spines called glochidia. The glochidia are the most difficult cactus needles to see and remove, and will cause dermatitis if left in the skin. (I should know.) I took a chance the 9 o'clock walk was on and rode my bike to the trailhead in the chill of the desert morning.

Parks and Recreation Volunteer Naturalists Ed Bartlett and John Scheuring were prepared and ready to take a mob into the desert for a fabulous learning experience. We waited together as exactly not one other person showed up. I was not surprised, and let my new friends know they could cancel the walk...but I had a few questions about the crazy cacti I'd met on my own walk. Ed graciously said he'd take me on the walk. Later he said I had so many questions that the walk had taken twice as long as it usually did....but, boy, did I learn a lot! Again my theory was verified...you learn so much more and retain it much better if you experience your learning. Nevertheless, I was presented a gorgeous book at the conclusion of the walk to help me retain the excellent instruction I had just received. Ed deserves the Volunteer of the Year Award!

Buckhorn Cholla standing in a Row with Rhyolite Peaks in the background.

Every Saguaro has its Story

Why grow arms at all? So many seem tortured by the elements. More arms equals more surface area for photosynthesis plus more places to grow flowers. Each fruit may have 2,000 seeds! If the Saguaro cannot reproduce itself (at least once) in its lifetime, it has failed...and that may be after putting out 40 million seeds! Saguaro babies can grow to be as tall as I am in 35 years...if conditions are ideal. Usually it takes 47 to 67 years to reach my height. Adult weights are in the tons.

The SECRETS of Colossal Cave's JOB Offer

2012-01-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

Got a whale of a tale to tell you lads.... This one HURT. With wandering awe we finished our trip from Orlando to Vale, Arizona, and met Colossal Cave Mountain Park. The spirit of this cactus-covered land was pure peace and inspiration. The pictures are of our temporary parking spot at the first camp site. Even though we'd been offered the camp host position a month ago, the existing 5th wheel on the site had not been moved and the road had not been graded (anywhere in the campground) so we couldn't drive up to the host site anyway.

Then we met our boss...the wonderful Martie Maierhauser, who had been overseeing the park for 50 years. She lost her husband, Joe, in 2008... but he still had a strong presence and even a desk in the main office. Martie explained the rare beauty and biological diversity of the park, and its fascinating history. But we soon found we had a problem: There was no vehicle to help us do our job. The sizable distances between the 3 camping areas, the ranch, and the cave (high up on the side of a cliff) made it out of the question to manage the area on foot. And the RV could not travel the washed out, rocky roads. We decided to visit Tucson while Martie saw what she could do about preparing the host site. We started with the Pima Air and Space Museum. They were having a marvelous educational event centered on a paper airplane competition.

All of the kids had a cool shirt that said, "I folded, I flew, I made history". But I was looking for my favorite: the SR-71.

So...I couldn't get even half of this stealth machine in the picture frame...so I tried making a movie.

I found out all of Arizona is in the middle of a SciTech Festival. I just adore the "doing" of science. There's even an Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” Symposium next month at this museum.

We walked through the 5 giant hangers with our mouths open. The interactive displays were phenomenal with excellent histories, photos of the planes in action and actual period artifacts.

This NASA Aero Spacelines 377-SG Super Guppy was my favorite. It was built big to move segments of rockets, including much of the Saturn rocket that powered the Apollo Program.

We walked our legs off and then went back in the main hangar to check out how the paper airplane races were going.

We had walked ourselves numb, so Bob took a nap out in the RV. He suddenly woke up and said, "Let's go see my childhood friend, Justin Schmidt." I had no idea who that might be, but we headed across Tucson to find him.

It turned out he's Dr. Justin O. Schmidt, a research entomologist at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson. He studies apiculture- the science of beekeeping- with an emphasis on bee nutrition, chemical communication, physiology, ecology and behavior of bees. And his wife, Li, is a very talented doctor, a Family Practice Physician with 14 years business, and about to open her own practice. They are both fascinating to listen to. Justin has ongoing experiments right in his backyard. They are both celebrities in their fields and in our eyes, certainly. They are generous, very kind people. Their two sons are extremely bright and original...and well loved. Click here to read an article by Scientific American Frontiers about Justin.

Caverns of Sonora Job Offer

2012-01-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

We were on our way to our new job at Colossal Cave Mountain Park when we got a call from the Caverns of Sonora. It was Bill Sawyer on the phone, a life-long aficionado of caves. I had sent out a flurry of applications just before our trip to Mexico. I'd worked hard on them, and Bill said they were ready to hire us. We couldn't believe we were almost to the cave when the offer came in. We said we'd be right there. In the above photo is a sample site in their hookup section of the cave campground. We'd stayed here before, loved it, and did not want to leave...unless it was to get family to come see this special spot.
This was a paid position...besides being camp hosts, we'd get to give cave tours! We soaked up information in their well-endowed "visitor's center", which had a massive collection of minerals, fossils, historical memorabilia and antiques. Bill's photo albums of stunning cave speleothems at this site were unbelievable. Nothing that fanciful could be real. But we were soon in the warm and humid and living cave. We found a meeting room. You could be married or meet with the spirits or have a family reunion here....or maybe take a nap??

We found detectives were needed. There's a $20,000 reward for the return of the signature feature of the cave...a gorgeous, but very fragile, "butterfly" (a bladed helictite). Read this compelling article about the theft. Bill told us they now know who did it and they intend to sue him for millions, but he has not been located. He must be on the run, like the many wild-west robbers who used caves as their hideouts from the law.

We were distracted from our robber story by the deepening beauty as we descended with 4 other guests, who were true cave lovers. Since the group was small, Bill said he'd take us to a wondrous part of the cave...that was even more delicate and beautiful, with a natural tunnel that hummed to a certain pitch and glorious white celestial rooms. I was in helictite heaven, as I had done college papers on these gravity defying structures.

Nothing prepared me for the Celestial Room...all decorated in White.

There was no end to the beauty!

I took my own movie and also bought one at the gift shop...but nothing captured the exquisite delicateness and perfection of God's own creativity with ordinary calcium carbonate. This you have to experience yourself...on the small-group tour.

We were wishing we'd never heard of Colossal Cave, but we had made a commitment to be there and we had been told work had gone into preparing us a site with full hookups. But we knew we'd found something so much better!!

We met with Gerry Ingham, a co-owner, and her daughter, along with Bill and learned even more of their passion for preserving and enhancing this invaluable geologic gem. We wanted to be a part of this. They'd even pay us more than the usual minimum wage, which was remarkable in this market with floods of hosting applicants. The staff were all wonderful, and we knew we'd love working with them. During our meeting an exasperated worker came in and said the plumbing was backed up in the restrooms. We went out to the RV to talk this out. We'd be working with wonderful people in a top-notch attraction...something you could dedicate yourself to. There'd be a lot of interaction with eager-to-learn school children. The job would be demanding...probably more than full time in a month or so. But the big factor had to be we already had said "Yes" to what we thought must be a super job at a cave resort.

We decided to say Bye-Bye to the BEST job offer we've had so far...and farewell to the "singing cave". (Play the above film clip to hear the cave humming...a natural feature that we'd never imagined even existed.) Please visit this cave and see its wonders for yourself. Anything on the internet does not let you experience what comes very near to being divine.

Temple Time...this time in Dallas,Texas

2012-01-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

I declared this to be my most spiritual visit to a temple. We had an adventure on toll roads where we didn't know where to pay and back roads that had overhanging branches that "tickled" us as we passed. But, as usual, it was incredibly satisfying to complete an ordinance for someone who wanted it...for sure. I just missed the 1 o'clock session, but several sisters asked if I wanted to do initiatory... and they were so excited when I replied, "I certainly did". The love flowed...and I met Phyllis Stott from Louisiana. She and her husband drove 3 hours to work in this temple...and more than loved doing it. She completely broke down as she tried to help me in the new-name booth. I wasn't sure what was happening, as she cried and apologized with, "This is so unlike me." How wonderful it was to know Aunt Marie was there.

There is no finer destination on this earth than a Temple of our Lord. I am extremely grateful for this day in Dallas.

Go to Church in San Felipe, or Play in Vegas?

2012-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

We are having breakfast in the church parking lot, which also serves as a basketball court. I forgot to pack my dress, but of course no one minded. What a treat!....both the breakfast and the Sacrament Meeting...which turned out to also be a testimony meeting....as it was New Year's Day. We toasted 2012 with glasses of premium fresh-squeezed from a street vendor and gobbled up giant cookie-breads from the local paneria. San Felipe had a new LDS chapel, sitting like a light up on a hill. In fact, one of the members (a Catholic from the Bronx) told how it had drawn her inside where she found truth after truth and asked the missionaries to explain how that can be. It turned out to be modern revelation through modern prophets. This woman gave up everything, including her family (who rejected her and her baptism) to follow Jesus Christ.

Luke 18:29-30 reads: "There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."

With a prayer for safety, and a carload of Chinese-Mexi food, we crossed the border at Mexicali (the only city in Mexico with a real "China Town"). Beggars worked the lines of waiting cars, so we shared our stir-fried and the rest of our pesos with them.

Newel, the machine, drove straight to The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, where we were dazzled by rows of chandeliers and tanks of brilliant tropical fish. Our new rooms were so posh we didn't want to touch anything. So we just stared at the opulence and curled up in the most comfy beds we'd ever met. It was the formula for perfect, instant sleep.

Monday morning was a bit chilly for a swim, so we started off with the hot tub. That's Maya in the Tinkerbell suit. She flew everywhere, even down the twisting, see-through water slide that zipped through the shark tank. Here Daddy tried to keep up.

Amazing! Once we were warmed from the hot tub, it was into the pool to swim with the sharks. With your nose pressed to the tank it really was just like you were swimming with these giants...with no scuba gear required. Perfect for a claustrophobic. It was enthralling...really! Arden is at the firepit, getting some BTUs...then back to shooting the shark tank on the slide.

Engineer Newel had to get back to his project and Arden needed to get himself back in school... so what do we do without them? Why relax on the giant stuffed lounges and take pictures of shiny buildings and then climb them to get "aerial" views of downtown Las Vegas and the "original strip".

I struck gold! "The Hand of Faith" was right in the lobby, all along. This is the biggest nugget known at 61 lustrous pounds. How did the Golden Nugget ever afford to buy it? RU kidding? Bob talked one gambler into quitting while she was ahead, but most seem to think their faith in their bets will make them winners. Read more about this nugget here. So did I gamble? No. But I did put money in a slot once on a field trip with some of my Earth Science students. I was trying to give a lesson on what a waste of money it is, and the pull of the handle resulted in the sound of coins dropping and students laughing.

Swimming with Sharks ...in Las Vegas?

2012-01-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Resolution: Go down the 3-story water slide. I've never been down even a 2-foot water slide in my life. Bob nixed the idea: "Act your age; you'll break your back and be an invalid for the rest of your life!" Actually I was only worried about my feet. If I don't keep them perfectly warmed, I get frost bite...that's how inferior my circulation is. But it's a new year, and it's time to stop living in fear (my miserable enemy). When Bob wasn't looking, I did it!! When I came up from the water I realized all kinds of fears had been washed away. The sharks had liberated me!!

I took off exploring (on my own). Upstairs was another pool with in-water lounges, surrounded by double beds, complete with pillows. Need I say this was an "adults only" area?

It could be busy during the day, but I found out "The Retreat" was open late. When the sun was setting, I had the pool and cabanas to try out all on my own.

I hastened through the casino next, trying to hold my breath to limit the damage from second-lung smoke. Outside the half-dome cover over Fremont Street was lit up with ads. Zip-line enthusiastics went by squealing overhead. I was invited to be a street magician's assistant. Fun. He was from Switzerland and was loaded with charm and talent. Then I watched spray paint artists create fascinating art with unimaginably quick strokes and clever shielding of areas they wanted free from an added color. But I was undeterred in my quest. Focus, Eileen... focus. I wanted to find... chocolate...the darker the better. Walgreen's had just the fix I needed.

I couldn't resist taking the above picture of this Fremont Street classic. You really can eat free if your are 350 pounds (minimum). "Nurses" are your waitresses, because you will clog every available artery with the food they serve. At the "Heart Attack Grill" you have to walk in on your own, but they have an ambulance to assist in your departure. As glitzy as Vegas gets, I kept being drawn back to the shark tank and the giant aquarium at our Rush Tower registration desk. It had a wondrously well-designed, high-end restaurant wrapped around behind the aquarium. It beckoned to me each time I walked by. The fish and I became fast friends, as we had to stay for 3 days before we could get a plane. They raised the price of our room $20 each day we stayed. Intertesting.

With plenty of time, I made a movie of Las Vegas chandeliers. Really! Ask me, and I'll share it.

I took one last swim, but this time all of the way around the shark tank. I thought the water would be cooler on the back side (the shaded part of the pool) but it wasn't. The coldest part was standing under one of the water falls. I hadn't been swimming in so long...it was a truly FREEing experience.

Below is the poster the hotel has hung outside to lure visitors in. Come shoot the tube!

We finally flew out...to Minneapolis and then to Orlando. We flew right over our kids' home on Lake Fredrica. What a beautiful sight. Let's play tigers and go fish on the dock!

Saguaro Cacti fill Valley of the Giants

2012-01-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Hey, hombre... Necesitamos bebidas...we need lots of liquid refreshment for our trip into the desert in search of the world's largest cactus. It's Christmas vacation, and we want to be alive to meet year 2012.

We followed a dirt road to a rusty piece of metal fence guarded by a cartoonish Mexican pirate who took $10 to let us pass. "Dirt roads" in the area of San Felipe are really loose sand tracks, so the level of interest was high in whether we'd survive the trip. But since Mexico chopped down the biggest cactus (17 meters high and 10 tons heavy) and shipped it to Spain in 1992 for the International Exposition, Rancho Punta Estrella has become a curiosity. How did something so big grow here on this dry, dry Rancho? Time....maybe 200 years of it. How did it get to Spain? On a Russian jumbo jet.

The natives love the fruit of the Gigantic Sahuaro. It tastes like a fig and is juicy. So the Papago Indians learned to dry it, make candy, marmalade, syrup and alcoholic beverages...used as "ceremonial wine". But you have to beat the coyotes, ants and birds, who also love to feast on it. A Saguaro produces 20 to 40 million seeds in its lifetime but is lucky to get a baby or two out of it. Saguaros grow slowly and need the protection of a "nurse plant" such as a bush or small tree when they are young. It takes about 15 years for a young saguaro to reach one foot in height, and 40 years to reach ten feet in height. It is about then that they begin to bloom.

The gatekeeper gave us a sheet that said it took 50 years to grow as tall as our son, Newel, and 75 years before it gets arms and produces its first seeds. So we made a game of trying to guess how old the above baby saguaros might be.

We did some cross-country hiking, which made us water hungry, so we put in some beach combing time. Karen was going to use her special shells to decorate picture frames...which is a great souvenir idea.

We continued our journey along the beach and got a lesson on how to quickly separate a fish from its bones. It made us hungry enough to stop for hot chocolate and deep-fried churros. The drink was as thick as honey and the churros were dense with well-used grease. Within 30 minutes I was not well, but everyone else was ready to start eating all over.

Visiting San Felipe, Mexico......Risky or Fine?

2012-01-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Posh, huge suites, all brand-new.... on a beach without boundaries filled with shells and sea treasures...would you say San Felipe's Playa Del Paraiso has it all?

While we kids played in the sand and attempted to identify the parts of dismembered crabs, the parents checked out the suites a bit more carefully.

Ahhhh...all rooms have balconies with views out over the infinity pool to the sea. And look at the perfect red tiled floor! Well....Ok, maybe the pool is more exciting.

We walked the streets and checked out all of the rooms at each resort. We should seriously rewrite the San Felipe chapter in the Lonely Planet Baja Guide. We finally settled on El Cortez as the best value for the money...and the best location for seeing everything on foot. Not having to buckle the kids in a car to see the sights is always fine.

The Malecon (pictured above) was just a bit up our private beach.The shops and vendors (especially the carts with fresh food) make the waterfront an exciting spot.

The best thing about our rooms had to be the purple chair. It was FINE. Arden concentrated on the sea life and adopted a crab as his new roommate. He also fashioned a worthy habitat for his new friend.

So where's the best place to eat in San Felipe? “Riquisima comida en el restaurante Chuy Place."

Chuy's Place is FINE. We were serenaded by The Street Tiger and his electric guitar....but regardless...we loved this place so much we had to come back. If you haven't had a Baja fish taco before, then read this and get one...soon. They are FINE.

We loved our resort. Everything was kept so clean...the pools, the beach...

We walked on the beach every night to get to the Malecon. Fisherman were dragging in their boats loaded with shrimp and huge fish they filleted on the spot for George's fresh seafood restaurant. We walked in the dark past RV parks and shops and never felt anything but safe. So what do you think? Is Saint Phillip Risky or FINE?

Just in case you can't make up your mind, let me borrow your imagination. Let the peace of your own balcony overlooking an inescapably lovely body of water enter your soul. Then marvel at the nearby geologic testaments of the area's volcanic past and earth's rupture as the tectonic plates jostled and bullied each other around...and you should be able to sense the true power and beauty of the area. If not, you'll need to visit for yourself. Buena suerte!

Baja Trip of a Lifetime! Viva México!

2012-01-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

Vamos a México!

When hungry - what else could you possibly want - but FUD? The nearby Rancho Santa Ynez RV Park only charges $8/night. Get yourself to Baja! You simply cannot find more warm-hearted people this close to home.

We endlessly enjoy our son, Newel and his family, and thank them and thank them for letting us tag along on yet another foray into México...this time to the Sea of Cortés side of Baja California.
The sun was setting after we crossed the border and a mystical fog softly settled over us so it was like driving into a forbidden land. Newel had Arden turn off his light in the van because we didn't want to draw attention to the fact gringos were on the highway "alone". There's probably only a risk near the border because (like aways) we felt perfectly safe ...once we were 20 or 30 miles from the border. The Mexicans themselves seem more than tired of the violence among the traficantes de drogas. Any Mexican we talked to about the drug wars said they would not got near border towns themselves...and they seemed much more disturbed by the violence than anyone in the U.S.

Arden wanted a picture showing how the cactus clung to the stairway at our hotel, "El Rey Sol". This is a great place to stay in Ensenada if you want to walk to everything. Our first and favorite thing to do is to walk the streets and discover all of the delicious things to see and do...and to eat!

WARNING: A trip to the fish market always results in a helpless, hopeless craving for "Feesh Tacos". Even though it was dark and the streets were empty, our senses led us straight to the best fish in town.

Soon every dish was empty and we had to order more!

Then it was time to roam the streets to experience everything we could about this country we love so much. Our next quest was for elote, Mexican corn on the cob Read more: How to make Mexican corn on the cob. Another street and beach favorite is Mexican Ceviche. Click here for a recipe.

Ok...so we love the food...but the ultimate treat was the perfect breakfast that we had the next morning at El Rey Sol Restaurant. The interior was plush, elegant and filled with Spanish antiques. The dining area on the street is more suited for energized kids, including myself. I tried to take pictures of the food, but it was such a perfect dining experience that even our frequent glowing description of the moment did not convey the pure pleasure of this gift of premium food in a premium location. México, baby.

Fresh squeezed...and naturally sweet....ummmmm-yum.

It's time to go in search of new territory: San Felipe...! The I-pad knows where it's at and anything else you'd like to know. I asked the internet about the geology. My nerd stuff: Here's a hint of what it took to create the place many San Felipeños think of as Paradise.

The Paleozoic Era - Among the several tectonic plates forming Earth's surface, the eastward moving Pacific and westward moving Continental plates collided in such a manner that the smaller Caribbean and Cocos plates were sandwiched between them causing the formation of southern Mexico and Central America and, ultimately, causing a change in the direction the Pacific plate was moving. Subsequently, as a direct result of this collision, the Pacific began a counterclockwise rotation largely responsible a) for the distribution of the Hawaiian Islands; b) for the creation of the San Andreas Fault; and c) the creation of the Baja California peninsula (a splinter of the Continental plate now attached to the Pacific plate and extending as far north as Point Reyes (north of San Francisco).

The Mesozoic Era - During the creation of southern Mexico and Central America, volcanic islands appeared in what may be called the ancient sea. At least one of those islands is visible today at the southern edge of Baja California's Laguna Salada. Colored black by an estimated 200 million years of exposure to the sun, the remains of a once proud volcano stand along the east side of the highway where it connects to the land after crossing the Laguna. Another part of that same ancient volcano can be seen about a mile west of the same highway. Judging by these remnants, it is fair to estimate a volcano somewhat more than twenty miles in diameter.

The Cenozoic Era - The San Andreas Fault tore through the stalled Cocos Plate resulting in a portion of that plate becoming permanently attached to the Pacific Plate. We now call the most visible portion of the Cocos "Baja California.".

The pre-batholithic sediments were intruded by at least two periods of batholithic emplacement, with the later being the mid-Cretaceous emplacement of the Peninsular Range Batholith, which was the more extensive of the two. Post-batholithic strata range in age from Paleocene (?) to Recent. Paleocene (?) strata are only locally exposed and consist of clastic deposits derived from local granitic and metamorphic terrains, and a single andesite flow dated by the potassium-argon method. Eocene conglomerate at a single locality in the Sierra San Felipe-Sierra Santa Rosa basin contains clasts that resemble Eocene conglomerates and gravels from the Sierra Juarez to the west. Sedimentary rocks of volcanic derivation (post-Eocene conglomerate) may be of Oligocene age as they predate the oldest Miocene volcanics in the northwestern part of the study area. The Miocene Epoch has the most diverse representation of strata. Basic, intermediate, and acidic volcanic flows and volcanically derived clastic deposits from the bulk of the Miocene strata; however, a sequence of marine strata of late Miocene age are exposed in the south-central part of the study area. The Pliocene Epoch is represented by a widespread fanglomerate unit, locally intertongued with marine deposits containing locally well-preserved molluscan faunas. Various Quaternary units were also differentiated. The Quaternary deposits include fanglomerate, marine strata, older alluvium, beach ridges, lacustrine strata, dune sands, and alluvium. Four periods of faulting were recognized as occurring in the Paleocene (?), late Miocene, late Pliocene, and Quaternary. Three periods of folding were determined to be Eocene to pre-Miocene volcanics, late Miocene, and late Pliocene to early Pleistocene (?). In conclusion, geologic evidence indicates the regional paleo-slope was generally westward through the Eocene Epoch. Extensive vulcanism and tensional faulting during the Miocene Epoch suggests the beginning of dilation of the Gulf of California. The sedimentary evidence of eastward transportation of coarse clastic sediments indicates that depression accompanied dilation. During the late Miocene (ten to seven million years ago) the Gulf of California opened to the south with normal marine circulation as evidenced by fossiliferous marine strata.

Generally, the geological history of the Baja Peninsula is a Wagnerian opera-- full of Precambrian mountainous low tones, oceanic high notes, lots of heat, pressure, violence and finally separation.

Science tells us Baja California will eventually become an island. And then this slow moving boat of stone and sand will head north to Alaska, where a trench leads the Pacific Plate back into the Earth’s mantle. At the present rate of movement, we won’t get there for tens of millions of years. The movement of the plate, however, tickles many faults, creating numerous small and large earthquakes in the Californias.

If you read this far....I love you...you are a nerd!

Honestly...despite the drug wars, we never felt uncomfortable in Mexico. We jogged alone, wandered the beach at night, did fireworks... Hey, it was all good.

How NOT to get a Job; Allatoona Lake, 4 Job Openings

2012-01-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

The Army Corp of Engineers runs wonderful campgrounds. We've heard so much good about them that we applied for camp hosting positions near Atlanta, Georgia, at a lake held behind Allatoona Dam. A ranger accidentally forwarded a letter from a couple who applied for the same positions. We stand by our advice that you give yourself the best chance of being chosen by selling yourself based on specific skills or aptitudes you have that fit the job requirements. It's not about what you want, but about what the park or campground needs. Simply answer the question: "How are you going to solve their problem(s)? So what's wrong with the following letter (sent from the applicants i-phone)?

To: Bjornson, Virginia E SAM
Subject: Lake allatoona app.

I would like to apply for the summer positions.
I'm just retired 62 and my wife is 59 she is a RN current in Georgia We have
a 5th wheel and would like to use it and still be close to home.

Best regards, Ed

The usual problems a park might have are: sub-standard restrooms, not enough positive contact with guests (answering questions, solving problems) and all kinds of maintenance issues. In the above letter nothing is said about how this couple will benefit the park, but their own needs are addressed: "We have invested in a rig and want to use it, but don't want to drive very far."
Along with the 4 job offers we received from Ranger Virginia (Ginger) Bjornson at Allatoona Lake, we received pages of regulations and duties for hosts. Requirements include: mandatory 7 hour shifts in the gatehouse, with 4 days on and 4 off. This is besides all of the normal camp host duties of cleaning and regulating the campground and day use area. Both of the hosts must be in the park during weekends, no exceptions...which means no church. They only use couples, which means a minimum of 50+ hours a week...in return for a place to park.

What are the perks? Warm Georgia weather and hospitality, a cheap baseball cap and name tag..…no uniform, not even a shirt, and no reimbursement for propane or the use of your personal vehicle. You are, after all, a volunteer. If you are treated well, you could have the time of your life. But how do you know that ...unless you spend the money and time to actually go to a job site and try it out? It will cost you a 6-month commitment to find out.

P.S. We received these US Army Corp of Engineer job offers while we were on our family vacation, discovering Baja California. We'd already accepted a position in Arizona camp hosting at Colossal Cave Mountain Park.

Balboa Park at its BEST

2012-01-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Balboa Park was more of a park when I was a kid. Now it's a fascinating maze of shops and museums and developed gardens...and so of course we lost Arden right off the bat. Upon finding him, we decided to confine his explorations to a museum.

San Diego Natural History Museum - Manatee Section

What's better than doing Science with Beatrix and Arden?

We were excited to find a mini version of the giant sculptures that greet you at the Birch Aquarium. Tabitha missed getting in the photo, so we took another. What kind of whale is it? ....a gray. We decided to try the movies in the 3D theater. "Ocean Oasis" turned out to be a gem, as it showed aerials of where we were headed next: The BAJA! It explained why The Sea of Cortés is so rich with life and the Baja California desert struggles to support life. We also watched "Sea Rex 3D: Journey to a Prehistoric World"...which was a bit tedious after the brilliant photography of "Ocean Oasis".

“The Sea of Cortez is a marine aquarium with the largest diversity of life we can find on earth.” -- Jacques Cousteau

This sea is considered to be the richest body of water on Earth. So why is it such a highly productive ecosystem? One reason you would not guess is the softer, more porous rocks such as Coquina limestone, rhyolites, granite, or diorite (igneous rocks) support sea life. But the big reason is the geology of the past 5 million years, which has resulted in the upwelling of cold, nutrient rich waters. Nerd Stuff: The Sea of Cortés is too small to have much of a real lunar tide of it's own. Even though it has no tides the sea does produce a very strong tidal flow. The lunar tides of the Pacific cause strong currents in the sea which actually occur as a lifting motion. The speed of these currents is determined in part by the width of the shore, the depth of the water and the contour of the bottom.

Near the Midriff islands, in very deep water this lifting action creates vertical currents know as upwellings. A funnel like effect can be caused also, depending on the bottom and the currents. Because of severe changes in the bottom contour there can be an upwelling and a whirlpool very close together. These radical movements move fish, plankton and other nutriments around as if in a washing machine. The nutriments are affected by different currents and movements throughout the sea, keeping the fish population very well fed and very happy to be in the Sea of Cortés. Happy fish make for happy fishermen! The fish stories that have come from this sea often seem unbelievable, when in fact, most are true.
<>

15-foot Oar Fish, taken Sea of Cortés

Back to the Museum....please. Sorry...Geology is such a favorite topic for me. We went outside for lunch, and then dived back in for more.

Arden simply loves bugs, so we had to have a picture of him impaled by a giant rhino beetle. And Beatrix wanted the above picture of an ice-aged giant beaver skull (Castoroides) that was probably once as big as Paka!
Kristen found her "best spot" at the Spanish Village Art Center. Craftsmen had made the perfect jewelry for her of Brecciated Jasper...and each shop had even more artistically presented gems. There was even a pure gem shop. The kids took off and enjoyed the mini-railroad so we could concentrate on shopping. Delicious!

Look on the bench for a hint of what the rest of the team was up to during our art appreciation time. Newel has actually gotten very good at making raps with his new i-Pod ap.

Ohhhhhh, yah.....

Then we remembered the old Balboa Park Carousel with its original military band music. This 1910 hand-carved example of European craftsmanship had a brass ring you could grab for. Arden tried! ...and he tried...!!! It is one of the few in the world still offering the brass ring game for everyone taking the 5-minute ride.

Arden was a good sport about almost getting the ring...and it was time to say "Good-Bye". (If you catch the ring you get another ride.) We wandered through the main avenue of architectural wonders, and stopped to see the performers (juggling, joking and amazing all)...and sad, sad, sadly said farewell to half of our contingent. I think they were somewhere amonst the tons of travel necessities in that van!

Hasta la Vista...vaya con Dios

San Diego's World-Famous ZOO 'n Hotel del Coronado

2012-01-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

The kids took to Coronado Island's beaches, but the adults were weary of the wet sand messes...and there in the background the magnificent Victorian Hotel del Coronado beckoned from "somewhere in time". It was like prying barnacles off of the Midway to get the kids to give up their circular trenching in the sand...but we adults had already wandered off...drawn on my curiosity. A closer look disclosed Dr. Seuss statuary surrounding an ice rink...ice, sand and palm trees...?? We tried to separate the wet sand from the children's flesh as it got colder after the sun set. Losing battle....but they were all good sports about it.

We discovered exotic gardens and a mystifying Dragon Tree for Zoe.

...This all-wood National Historic Landmark was built in 1888 to be "the talk of the Western world." It is not only a living legend...but it's said that a ghost is a permanent resident. What Victorian resort would be complete without a resident ghost? Kate Morgan checked into the resort on November 24, 1892, and never checked out. Reports of ghostly happenings, all thought to be connected to the death of this beautiful young woman, have been circulating at The Del ever since. We had to check it out. One step inside and it was as elegant a Victorian Moment as imagination allows...yet too dreamy to be real. In this altered state you could definitely imagine both ghosts and Saint Nicholas were very, very real.

Somewhere in Time - Merry Christmas!

San Diego Zoo Polar Bear Exhibit

So...what of the zoo? Oh, my camera's battery died after filming the pygmy hippos. But the rap about Paka getting lost from us in the parking lot lives on!

"I'm a Problem", original rap by Newel and Paka after Bob's traumatic wanderings in the Zoo's vast parking lot - Click Here to listen: http://iamtpain.smule.com/trackid/1788064?did=23205269

San Diego Christmas Vacationers are all WET

2012-01-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

The first dip was in the hot tub at Tuscany Suites and Casino in Las Vegas where we had a BIG gorgeous rooms for just $20 each. The exercise room had top-notch equipment, which we needed because the on-site restaurants have great food. Corro-VanSuch entertained with a saxophone that could "send you" in the Piazza Lounge.

Our San Diego Resort had a hot tub and heated pool, too, as the girls quickly discovered. Izzy is too tiny to use either.

Keeping wet, we next took over the living coral reefs at Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

Amazingly, "B", Izzy and Arden turned into sea horses.

Newel says it's time to get even wetter and go to La Jolla Beach. First a picnic at the spot where Craig proposed to Tanya. Newel was the engagement coordinator.

La Jolla has the highest home prices in the nation. Why? For one thing, the average daily temperature of 70.5 °F (21.4 °C) and that's year round! Below Ruth-E is about to be washed out by a rogue wave. Zoe survived the dousing. Remember...this is supposed to be winter.

La Jolla Cove (Spanish for “the jewel”) had power swimmers trying to outdo the seals and sea lions. The sea caves and beautiful green (in winter) made for a surreal experience.

So...what does one do when wet, sandy and cold in San Diego?.... Why get more wet!... at the nearest hot tub, that is.

Splash attack!

USS Midway Museum - San Diego Invasion!

2012-01-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

We "walked the gang plank" (the left one shown above in the front)

We went to sea without leaving port!..and without checking into our resort rooms. We stumbled straight from our long drive into the USS Midway Museum. Having no idea what to expect, we entered a floating city and walked in the footsteps of 225,000 Midway sailors who served our country beginning in 1945. Meticulously restored aircraft – from World War II to Operation Desert Storm – were parked everywhere. Paka was reliving his own pilot and Air Force days. The rest of us were stunned by the size of the ship and the tightness of the quarters. The passageways formed a disorienting maze that kept separating us from other team members.

They offered headsets to tell the story, but we didn't want to keep track of them and the grandkids as well, so we asked our son, Newel, to give us a spontaneous tour. It was FAST....so I filmed as much as I could for later viewing. Below is our first view inside the USS Midway (CV-41).

We had to duck everywhere we walked in the crew's quarters ....or you could count on a close encounter with a bulkhead. Factoids The Midway was the first US warship that was unable to utilize the Panama Canal due to her size. In 1947 she test fired a captured German V-2 rocket from her flight deck, the first such launching from a moving platform. Below is the ship's liquid oxygen plant. Paka loved this part because he had built such plants in Korea and knew their stories. In 1980 the Midway collided with the Panamanian merchant ship Cactus. The collision occurred near the liquid oxygen plant and two sailors working in the plant were killed and three were injured. In 1990 the Midway participated in Operation Imminent Thunder, an amphibious landing exercise in Desert Storm which involved about 1,000 U.S. Marines, 16 warships, and more than 1,100 aircraft. She became a museum in 2004.

Enlarge the Oxygen Plant by clicking on it

We quickly found out in our tour this ship had everything. Our grandson did not enjoy the Brig, but we were fascinated by the chow hall and the officer dining room, named "The Bowling Alley". Ten tons of food were prepared daily for the crew. (See film clips at the end of this post.) It was Christmas, so the ship was decorated like it probably never was before. I should have remembered from my brothers' models of aircraft carriers that the fighters' wings would fold up, so they could pack more onto the ship. Below Newel is standing by the TMB Avenger.

Rarely landings on the Midway went terribly wrong. This Corsair II caught a wicked downdraft in 1984 which resulted in a Ramp Strike. The pilot did not survive this one, but click here for a video where a Midway pilot miraculously survived.

Arden is investigating options in case the Midway sinks. Below is the ship's original 2-man version of a lifeboat. It has everything, it seems, except adequate room for the overboard sailors. No wonder this unit comes with a bailing bucket! Just imagine yourself adrift in high seas in this little bit of a pea pod.

Paka was blown out of the refueling pit by a Phantom F-4 back in 1970

Grandma by a Desert Storm aircraft, the A-6 Intruder

Getting ready to Walk the Plank!

Watching Troy's sun set on "The Plank"
(At the end of this post is a picture of The Plank after the sun went down)

The ship was anchored by this park showcasing the "Unconditional Surrender", a 25-foot sculpture that brings to life a famous black and white image of a sailor kissing a young nurse in Times Square, New York City. For you young kids, there was a spontaneous eruption of joy and euphoria that swept a worn-out nation when the public announcement was finally made that World War II was over. Zoe wanted to head on down to explore this park....and play among the weird "Elephant Trees" that were growing there. But by the time we got our crowd down off of the ship, it was too dark to play.

Above are clips of: Dining for officers and enlisted men and the lovely Ward Room.

Above are clips of: Ship's Cafeteria, and our onboard Dining Experience. Who wouldn't be famished after seeing the chipped beef in the Midway Cafeteria? Sailors called it: "S___ on a Shingle"

So who showed up at the Midway after us? American Idol. Just use the key words: San Diego Auditions at http://www.americanidol.com/ It was great to see the Midway get so much media exposure. It won't be too long before it's not possible to tour these giants of wars past.

BEST Destination in Florida....so far....

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Bob at The Orlando LDS Temple

The RV took us on a sacred path to our Florida Temple. We have been here many times...with the most special (and exciting!) trips being to see our two youngest sons married and sealed to their Karens. Yes, their wives are both named Karen and have been good friends for a long time. It was good to be back and to participate in sacred ordinances for deceased family members. To read an explanation of marriage in a temple, click here. If you want to read the rest of this story click here.

If you want to drive to this temple get directions here.

One of the first things we saw on this trip was a security man in a John Deere Gator like the one we use in our campground work. You can see where it is parked in the bottom of the above photo. The best-ever security person is pictured here, Wilber Alfaro, de El Salvador. He was sealed in this temple to his wife, who is de Puerto Rico. He will visit his mother in his homeland so she will soon have the blessings of the temple as well. Joy!

The crèche....It's only 5 days to Christmas~!

No overnight parking at the Orlando Temple....sorry....but....
There's a campground just a few miles away that will astound, amaze and alter your mind!

Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is the formal name of this Orlando city park. It's beautifully maintained with the best 18-hole Disc Golf Course I've ever seen. The farm is darling, with activities galore for kids...and the impressive pool overlooks the lake. We had to stay in overflow but it's the best value we ever had for $15. It's only $19 for shaded camp sites with electric and fine showers.

Pie, a retired race horse at the park's Farm.

Overflow RV site with view of Turkey Lake

Miss Becky has fed the livestock at Turkey Lake for 12 years! You can rent her (and the farm) by the hour for kid parties. Trails leave the farm to outdoor musical instruments, paved bike trails and playgrounds.

It doesn't get any better than this!