Paradise? The majority of camp hosts say "YES"...

 There are 3 camping areas.  We've only been trained in this section so far (with the RVs in Buttonwood Campground)... as of Oct 8, 2011.   In the very center of this picture is the camper marina where Bob has been doing his fishing.  It's wildly alive with fish.  Don't try to count them.  Hundreds of hosts apply for Bahia Honda SP...and keep trying for years.  You are supposed to have a minimum of 500 volunteer hours to even apply.  We came with zero.  We just happened to submit an online application at the exact time another set of hosts had to decline their "place in the sun".  We work 3 days on and 4 days off.  We've explored the other keys this week and are well satisfied we landed in the best one!

Take your shoes off and relax a while....

How to get a Camp Host Job (State Parks)

We got serious about looking for a state park job when we remembered our fabulous tour of Florida parks the winter of 2010.  We tried for Wekiva Springs (pictured) because it was the closet one to our youngest son, who lives with his family in Orlando.  It was a recreational bonanza, but our call to the nice volunteer coordinator revealed half of it was closed to put in a sewer system...and so there's be no openings until 2012.  Our call saved us putting in an application.

We called the next closest one, Lake Louisa State Park , and the coordinator, Jenny, was super nice and helpful.  She had no openings, but she explained the best way to apply:  Don't just fill out the ap (by clicking here:  Volunteer Opportunities ) ...but call the park you are interested in and then follow up with a hand-written ap.  You can get the contact info at the bottom of the home page for many campgrounds by going to ReserveAmerica.com or Recreation.com and searching the campground or area you are interested in.  Here's a link:  Campground Addresses and Phone Numbers   According to Jenny, the campground managers get a steady stream of emailed applications...and they often just get lost in the deluge or deleted.  But a good application that comes in the mail (especially with a picture and a friendly note of introduction) gets filed for when an opening does come up.  We followed Jenny's instructions and mailed our explanation of what we hoped would happen...and sure enough....the next month she called with an offer to work for a one-month opening she had.  We wanted something for the whole winter, but she promised to hang onto our ap in case something "bigger" opened up.  [If you need help doing any of this, just email me at camphost.white@gmail.com ]

Our Old RV turned into a Hippie Wagon

We found our much-loved Winnebago at Carpinteria State Park. It was parked right on the beach with a bold sign in its window pointing out the entrance all hippies were to use. We found it locked, but later found the owner and her boy friend and their two dogs. We got to tell them how we loved the changes...especially the purple velvet curtains and the comfy couch where the dinette had been. Bob was joyful over the discovery (see photo closeup). I was nostalgic and thinking of our many adventures with the gas-guzzling beast. Here's some photos from the Winnie's album.

San Clemente State Beach - Health Spa Hosting

With the bikes fixed, this park became our own "health spa". You could soak in the ocean, chase and be chased by waves, bike the beach and the gorgeous bike trail along the coast. The bluffs here are an erosional wonder. The trails wander through bunches of flowers. You don't even realize you are getting in shape as you explore the canyons. Wonderful!http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/San_Clemente_Sb/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=CA&parkId=120082&pstate=CA

P.S. California's state park hosts are strictly volunteer....no pay/no stipend. You do get a spot to park your rig and hookups (if available). We don't know if it's true, but we heard that management tends to not treat the hosts very well in Southern California. In Northern California it seems you have to apply and wait at least a year or two for a spot...so hosts must have a better time of it there. On the up side, you can volunteer for as little as a month. There's complete information on all of the host jobs at this link: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=911

Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk

Tell everyone who will listen to you that you are interested in camp hosting. We decided to visit as many state parks and national forest campgrounds as we could while driving up the coast. At Pismo Beach everyone in the shops, the streets and the beach knew we were interested in campground management.

Networking - Job Search Contacts

We drove ourselves from Arizona right to the California Coast, landing at Leo Carillo State Park. Lovely!...but it was winter and the days were short. We thought by traveling south we'd find summer...but Southern California enjoyed their coldest and snowiest winter since the 40's. But we weren't there for the beach. We talked with every camp host we could. They all loved their jobs, and their happy faces showed it...especially when they zipped around on their electric carts! On February 25, 2011, it was raining like crazy...so instead of paying for a day at the park or the beach....we camped out at Walmart. Everyone has to try it. We asked if it was OK first, because it's not true that Walmart "doesn't care" if you stay overnight. We found the stores near tourist spots do not allow it at all. Even though we got permission, we were asked to move in the middle of the night...because only one spot was set aside for overnight use.