WORKAMPING

Patty leaving, on her 15 minute walk to work

There are countless numbers of people who travel in their RV's, and work at various locations around the country. Often, these jobs are seasonal, and they can range from hosting at campgrounds, to driving buses at the Grand Canyon. These folks are often referred to as Workampers, and there is a publication of the same name called Workamper, that publishes an online list of jobs, and a monthly magazine. Of course their is a subscription required, and even though we're not subscribers any longer, we were for years, and that's how I first heard of the bus driving job that I now have here at the Grand Canyon.

Our last workamping gig was during the summer of 2008, when I worked as a supervisor for the Glacier National Park Transit System. The last 2 summers we decided not to work, and traveled all over the U.S. and Canada. For me, there are several attractions to workamping. One is the fact that many of the jobs are seasonal, and only require a 3-5 month commitment. About the time the job becomes either boring, or drudgery, it's time to pack up and move on down the road. One of the obvious attractions for folks like us, is the fact that you get to travel, and live temporarily at some of the most beautiful, and scenic places in the country. For us, the fact that we don't have to work unless we want to, makes choosing a job all that much easier. Some of the better jobs, or better locations, are often very competitive, and require a more complete resume.

These pictures of Patty were taken yesterday, as she departed on her short walk to work. It was my second day off, and I stayed at the motor home, taking care of several chores that had been put off during my work week. Today, I'm back to work, driving the most scenic route in the park. The entire 16 mile roundtrip out to Hermits Rest is along the rim of the canyon, so in essence, I'll be getting paid to look at the canyon for 8 hours. Yea, I know, I do have to look at the road most of the time, but there will be occasional glimpses as I drive, and talk to the folks about what they're seeing, and where we'll be stopping.

Yep, we really do have jobs here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These pictures of Patty show her very exotic uniform, consisting of a T-shirt. The other clothing is not furnished by her employer. On the other hand, my employer furnished me with 5 golf shirts, 5 pairs of pants, and one jacket.

Now, I could be making this all up, when it comes to my job, and all of this previous talk about training, uniforms, and scenic bus routes. Perhaps, this is all just a way to make myself look good, and to disguise the fact that I'm a "kept" man. The reality might just be that I'm nothing more than a motor home driver, who gets us to these exotic places, then sits back and lets the little women support our lavish lifestyle. Could it be? You don't see any pictures of me in my work uniform do you? Ooops, there I go daydreaming again. Back to reality, time to go to work.