May 24, 2016
Quick review- Our first workcamping experience last summer was
paid employment at Geneva Point Center on Lake Winnipesaukee in New
Hampshire. The second was paid employment also, at Amazon Camperforce
in Jeffersonville, Indiana from November 10th thru December 23
rd.
Then we migrated south for the winter and volunteered at Kissimmee
Prairie Preserve State Park north of Lake Okeechobee for January
through March.
This summer, being new grandparents, we were looking for paid
employment close to Maryland so we would have the opportunity to
visit family during the summer. That meant staying in the
mid-Atlantic states and we thought that Bethpage Camp Resort in
Urbanna, Virginia might be our best option. We interviewed at the RV
show in Tampa in January and secured positions starting the middle of
May through September 9
th. We are attending a family
wedding after that, and will start at Amazon in the beginning of
October, but this time in Campbellsville, Kentucky.
I was hired to work the front desk checking in campers, while Greg
is a Host driving a golf cart while escorting big RV's to their
campsites, and doing other odd jobs as they arise. We checked out
Bethpage's website which is very professional, and discovered that
this is one of the largest RV parks in the country and that they have
won best RV park in the nation in 2006 and 2012. We kept our fingers
crossed about our choice since we had never camped there and never
camped in this type of park before.
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| High security front gate |
We arrived a week early to get set up in our provided campsite.
Our water, sewer, and, cable hook-ups are free, but we pay electric
and laundry, which is unusual for workcamping. We'll be running the
air conditioning with the hot, humid Virginia summers, so our small
RV will be an advantage. We have had almost constant rain, so we
have been sitting in a bit of a swamp. “Workcamper Row” is brand
new this year. Instead of being on regular campsites in the park as
in previous years, we are at the far end of this huge park and back
up to the maintenance yard with its high chain link fence, lots of
engine noise early in the morning and all day, and the landscaping
workers house trailers inside the fence as well.
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| Our campsite is level and sunny. |
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| Workamper Village |
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| Greg making hay around the rig after many days of rain. |
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| We back up to the maintenance yard. No need for an alarm clock! |
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| Dense woodland across the road - full of noisy woodpeckers and owls. |
After parking and hooking up the RV, we stayed two nights and then
went back to Maryland to babysit our 14 month old grand-daughter so
her parents could have a much deserved break. Three days and nights
of chasing her just about did us in, but we loved it! Then we
returned to Bethpage with a day to rest up before we started work on
May 16
th. The night before, we joined some workcampers for
the weekly half price margarita night at the local Mexican
restaurant. It wasn't worth it for the food, but we'll probably go
again sometime to socialize. We're looking forward to trying some
other restaurants in the area. This is blue crab and oyster country,
but we saw a restaurant in our small town that smokes its own meats
and specializes in Neanderthal (?) food!
Now that we have been here a week and are preparing for the first
big holiday weekend coming up soon, we have discovered that this is a
huge RV resort. There are over 1,000 sites. Many are permanent or
seasonal which means that the trailers have been installed
permanently on sites the owners have purchased, or they are paying a
fee to rent a site for the whole season the resort is open, April
through the middle of November. The rest of the sites, over 400 are
rented out. Most people stay at least the three night minimum that is
required for holiday weekends, or a week or longer and spend their
vacation here.
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| The entry road. The nearest hill is about 20 miles away. |
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| The lakefront area and snackbar. |
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| The pools area |
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| More pools and the water park |
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| The store and rally center |
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| The marina - empty before the season starts |
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| Overnight campsites - 450 RVs arriving in the next 2 days |
There are also 35 large cottages rented out, as well as golf
carts, (though many people bring their own), canoes, kayaks,
paddleboats, and bikes. There are pools and a small waterpark, a
marina, and a lake with a beach and a water trampoline. Every weekend
has a theme with lots of activities. The group and rally center
hosted a prom last weekend, and there is a well supplied camp store.
A large recreation center is being built. There is also dry storage
for boats and RV's. Open to the public is an ice cream shop and mini
golf course. Adjacent to the property is the 17
th-century
Hewick Plantation which has been restored and hosts weddings and
festivals.
A 120 seat restaurant just opened by the pool, and there is a
snack bar at the lake. The rally center has a full kitchen for
catering. The whole resort is gated and any guests you have come to
visit you must be registered and paid for. The idea is to have you
never leave until it is time to check out! Lots of money to be made!
The other workcampers as usual are very nice and friendly,
although Greg and I haven't really “clicked” with anyone the way
we have in other places. The front desk job is almost all computer
and phone work. Everything that gets sold or rented, as well as the
reservations have to go through the very complicated Campground
Manager reservation computer system while you have someone on the
phone or standing in front of you and three lines and computer
stations are going at once. (Reserveamerica.com, that I used in
Florida was a piece of cake compared to this!) All you're really
doing is taking their money. No chatting, no giving them interesting
ideas for what to do here or in the area. Frankly, it's not what I
expected. I've been determined to learn it all, but last night my
boss asked if I wanted to move over to the off site reservation call
center, and I think I will. I normally thrive on the customer
contact, but, to be honest, this is “NASCAR America” and I am
struggling to relate to the clientele. The call center will give me
regular hours, which neither of us have now. I have to remind myself
that I am here to make money to reach our budget and to have the
chance to travel occasionally to visit family.
Greg has been spending lots of time being drilled in leading the
big rigs into their campsites. Every RV that stays in the park gets
an escort to their site. This coming Memorial Day weekend he will be
working non-stop on a golf cart doing escort duty. In the past there
have been long lines stretching a half mile back to the state road as
rigs wait to check in at the front gate. Today he is washing golf
carts to get the rentals ready for the weekend.
The biggest surprise we had when we arrived was seeing Mike and
his dog Winston strolling down our road. We worked with him at Amazon
and thought he was on his way to a gig cooking in Yellowstone.
Instead, he is here cooking for the new restaurant. There are several
other couples that have worked for Amazon in the past and are friends
of friends from our time there. It didn't take long to tune into the
drama. Couples have already quit and more people left since we
arrived or are leaving soon. Workcampers who are dissatisfied, for
whatever reason, have little incentive to stay at a minimum wage job
when your home has wheels.
Well, today the sun is shining which makes everything better! I am
looking forward to getting out of the impending chaos of the weekend,
so hopefully my move to the call center will work out. Greg at least
gets to be outside all day, which makes him happy. This is a
beautiful rural area with historic old tidewater towns, so we look
forward to doing some exploring. I'll report back later family and
friends!
