So What Does A Camper Host Do?

 Good question. I'm glad that you asked. 

I would say that our job is to ensure that the sites are clean and ready for the next camper. We also answer questions and provide local information. 

For example, a typical day (so far) consists of...

Putting up site tags...

Cleaning ashes and garbage out of the fire rings...

And generally policing the site and picking up trash...

Most campers are pretty cool (so far) and leave a clean site when they depart. One ring this morning had nails and screws among the ashes. Personally, I would rather burn logs than 2x4's, but to each his own. You also have the melted gobs of aluminum that used to be Bud Light cans. 

I'll end this post with a riddle....

What do dog poop, cigarette butts and whitetail deer have in common?

Answer: If you see one, you'll likely find more. 

Our 2024 Summer Home

 Beginning April 1st, we began our adventure as volunteer camp hosts at Geneva State Park.

 

Normally, this position wouldn't begin until mid-May. Due to the large number of reservations for the eclipse, we pulled in and set up camp early. For the most part it has been cold, rainy and windy. 

As for the eclipse itself, it did not disappoint. The sky cleared just in time for the show. Most people watched from the amphitheater, beach or the marina. We opted to watch from our site, as did a family a few sites away. 

 

Apprehensions regarding birds falling from the sky, squirrels chasing bears out of the woods and our cell phones melting like chocolate in our hands did not materialize. 

All in all, pretty impressive.

And then everyone went home...

And then the rain resumed...

And I made some new friends...

Frost warning tonight, so protect your tender vegetation !!!

 

 

Back In Business !!!

 Hi again. Happy 420 to those of you who celebrate such occasions.

It's been 17 months since the last post. I lost my password to this blog and finally took the time to get back in.

A lot has happened since then. As we go forward, I'll try to catch y'all up on our activities. We have embarked on a new adventure...State Park Camp Host.

What We Did On Our Summer Vacations

 It's been more than six months since we last shared our adventures. We did get to stay in some of Ohio's most beautiful state parks. Anna got to spend a lot of quality time with her BFF from high school. Karen braved both the stifling heat and the bitter cold to camp with us on several occasions. 

Believeland is parked at the storage lot, all winterized and prepared to hibernate for the next few months. I would have been ecstatic to say we were slowly making our way to Quartzite right now, but that is not the case. As us Browns fans have said for decades, "Maybe next year".

So, for the next several posts, we'll review...

...What We Did On Our Summer Vacations !!!

24 Months Of Hell's Infomercials

 Last week, we backed Believeland into site 35 at Geneva State Park. 

On a previous visit, we watched a middle aged couple struggle to back a pop-up into this site. Back and forth, using 2x10's to level the rig. If it wasn't raining at the time, it had been or was going to. The husband then plugged their power cord into the pedestal. 

Based on their activities in the following 65 minutes, we concluded that the power was not working at that site. The Ranger came by and apparently gave them the OK to move to the next site over (#37). Again they struggled, and we were relieved to see their pop-up glow with amber light.

Last week, we plugged Believeland into a brand new 30 amp pedestal on that same site. It worked perfectly.

Being early May, the grounds were wet to the point of being soggy, or wet-clay slippery. The grass needed mowed, but mowing wasn't practical without creating a rutty, muddy mess. Our fire ring and picnic table had been moved to the driver side of the site. Aside from the inconvenience of  relaxing on the wrong side of the bus, it was much better than sitting in mud.

Being early May, the park was sparsely populated. During the week there were some 1 and 2-nighters, mostly out-of-state plates passing through on their journey east or west. A woman across from us was headed to a music festival in New Hampshire. She spend a couple days exploring the area on her bike, and slept in the back of her hatchback bearing Washington state plates. Another woman our age was in the aforementioned site #37 with her new camper van. Karen is married, retired and getting a little alone time. She lives 10 miles away. Kudos to the women that enjoy adventure! 

OH, and as for the title "24 Months Of Hell's Infomercials"...We cut the cable long ago for multiple reasons. Why should I pay good money to watch hate and fear and poverty and death? In the past 24 months, we have been able to watch these horrors for free, sometimes in person. 

We have a small Yagi antenna on the bus and on the house. Cozi, MeTV, Decades, Laff...

...and a NOAA Weather radio.

Back to Believeland...

I'll be attempting to get you caught up on our adventures and progress on the bus in the near future.

Any comment, even a simple "Hi" would be really, really cool.

It's nice to see green on (and under) the trees again !!!

Five Nights In Findley

We decided on Findley State Park. Not in Findlay, OH, but south of Oberlin in Wellington, OH.

We arrived Sunday afternoon (June 14). A couple of campers were in line to check in ahead of us. In just a few minutes, we were backing into our home for the next 5 nights. The gravel pad was fairly level and just big enough for the bus and the car. 

Our site was relatively small, but that was OK. Trees and brush surrounded our site, so we felt secluded even though the next camper was only 20 feet away. The ground was hard packed and covered with pine needles. There was a decent picnic table and a pretty nice fire ring with an adjustable grill that swung out from over the fire. Unfortunately, it had been pulled out of the ground and sat up high on three legs. I tried pounding it back into the hard earth with little luck. It was OK, but you could only see the base of the fire.

We were on one of two roads with electricity, ours being closest to the lake. The forest shielded us from being able to see the lake. The pines were so tall that we only had direct sun about five hours mid-day. Late day sun filtered through the trees and, along with a light breeze, kept us cool.

The site was near a loop at the end of the road, and inside the loop was one of the cleaner pit toilets I've seen. Park staff power-washed the inside roughly every three hours. Brightly lit, the white walls and grey floor looked like they had been painted recently. However, they could probably pump it out more frequently.

The shower house was a hundred yards or so up the road. It was newer and VERY CLEAN. Tile walls and nature-stone type floor. Roomy showers with benches and hooks. The ADA even had a hand-held shower.

I walked the Lake Trail from our loop to the spillway. For the most part it was wide and flat packed dirt surrounded by the most amazing forest that I had seen in years. 

The trail emerged into a meadow that surrounds the spillway. The area was designed to handle a lot of water, but was dry during our visit.

Some water must get through as there was a nice size pond at the bottom, surrounded by lush, dense forest. 

I wanted to hike to the dam, but spent too much time taking pictures and had to get back to camp.

Since this was only our second trip in Believeland (our schoolie), a lot of our time was spent tinkering with things and tweaking our construction plans.

We took a drive around the park on freshly blacktopped roads. Due to Covid-19, the concessions and boat rental were closed...

...as was the nature center, camp store and playground. The long sandy beach was open. Lots of canoes and kayaks on the lake. There were hiking trails everywhere. The Buckeye Trail passes through the south end of the park. There is also a mountain bike trail.

The dump station was perfect for RVs and campers, but proved to be a challenge to those of us using a porta-pottie. I had to hold the lid open with my foot while dumping the yuk down a hole. Hosing the area down afterward wasn't much easier.

An electric-only site is $29/night Sunday through Thursday nights. Our Golden Buckeye card got us a 50% discount on those nights, bringing the cost down to $14.50. Add the $6.50 online reservation fee, and our total was $79.00, or $15.80/ night. Not free, but WELL WORTH IT.

OK...This won't work

The original design for the bed was a queen mattress from the ol' camper topped with another mattress from a hide-a-bed centered in the back of the bus looking forward.

As we found out, that design left us only about a foot on each side of the bed. AND you had to navigate the wheel wells to get in and out.

Maybe 30 years ago, but not now.

So we decided to rotate the bed and put the headboard on the drivers side, leaving room for the "garage" in the back. Not being a firm believer in this concept, construction was for temporary use and still took way too long.

Let's take it on the road and see what happens!