There are three other visitor service camp hosts on duty in the park at all times, who work in teams of two. While one team is off duty, the other team splits the day in half, working either the 6 AM-1:30 or the 1:30 - 9 PM shift.
Basically the job revolves around riding a golf cart around the 1.5 mile long campground road at the top of the bluff, answering campers questions and monitoring vehicle and campsite registrations.
We also help out in the kiosk during busy times and relieve the park aid employees for their lunch breaks. On busy days, I might clock 5-6 hours total "on duty" while spending the rest of the time at home in case the kiosk needs some help with something.
There are two additional "maintenance hosts" couples who assist the maintenance staff with the 10 bathroom buildings and campsite cleaning.
I don't consider the visitor service and maintenance host work to be work. I think it is:
- a pleasure. We get to work with people who are mostly happy (unless we are giving them a parking violation notice, of course) because they are on vacation, or working as park aides in the kiosk at the beach
- a fair trade. For the right to live at the beach for an extended period (campers can only stay one week at a time).
The other hosts must feel it is a fair trade as well,
since they keep coming back year after year like I do.
Hosts are not allowed to stay more than four months at a time ( good rule, since some would stay forever if allowed - it is a good place to live at a fraction of the price that homeowners across the street pay to live in the area), and some stay only one month. This is my fifth year working in this state park, and I stayed three months (Feb - April) but all the previous years Mike and I stayed four months. There is always a mini reunion at the end of each month when on duty hosts pack up and leave to make room for the incoming hosts.
This is Jerry and Rose who I just met and hope to see again in Oregon this summer when we are both up there.
During February, I allowed myself lots of time for R & R. When I was not on duty I took frequent beach walks. I had the bittersweet memory of the feelings I had here last year immediately after the loss of Mike, my life partner.
I can tell that I am in a different place one year later. The feelings and emotions are still powerful, but not as all consuming as they were last year. I am looking forward to the future, but not quite ready to move out of this initial grieving period so being here at the beach has been a very healing experience again.
Most of the photos I took in February looked something like this:
and this is one from our first year camp hosting here in 2014. We were just beginning to wonder what was wrong with Mike.
Sister Wendy was in San Diego visiting her son Dustin and they came up for a visit.
Good memories abound.
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