Tubing down the river

20150728 113452 from Shelby Hudspeth on Vimeo.

Matthew and Benjamin tubing down the Raven Fork River that runs through Yogi in the Smokies campground. The water is very shallow and so the kids get stuck sometimes. Look out for Izzy running across the screen almost at the end of the video....LOL. We had to go rescue her from the bank because she go down but couldn't get back up.

Sugar Beet Harvest

The sugar beet harvest is now officially our next workamping job and will begin at the first of October. We are assigned to go to Fargo, ND and will be staying at the Lindenwood campground. During this job only Chris will be working because it requires that you work 7 days a week and 12 hours a day. I will be homeschooling the boys and attending college online while Chris does this short job. We have read accounts of other people's experience with this job and their opinions vary greatly. Some people absolutely love only working 3 weeks and making around $3-4 thousand dollars and some have said that it was the worst experience of their lives and they will never be back! We think that it is important to take each of their opinions into account but ultimately make our own decisions.

The only thing that I am worried about going into this job is the fact that the Lindenwood campground doesn't provide a sewer hook-up but we were promised that a honey wagon service comes around twice a week to empty the tanks for us.

I am excited for this new adventure and can't wait to get to North Dakota........another state I have never been to.

I know some of you out there would like more information so just follow the link :)

http://www.sugarbeetharvest.com/

Some People

While working at this campground there are some things I have learned about people. This, in no way applies to all people, just a select few. So this is what we have learned.

People are NASTY, they will poop in the showers, leave bloody women product laying in the showers, trash cabins, poop on the floor, poop in trash cans, leave dirty diapers everywhere and pee on every surface imaginable except the toilets. (Thank goodness Chris has a strong stomach because he gets all the nasty jobs...LOL)

People are WASTEFUL,  they throw away brand new items that they bought for one camping trip, leave food (unopened) in the cabinets and fridge of cabins. Leave bundles of wood not used and leave soap, towels, bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soap, shirts, shorts and underwear in the bathrooms.
 

People are RUDE, they think they should get special treatment above and beyond what you have already done. They think they whole world should bow down to them and kiss their toes. They will complain even if you give them EVERYTHING FREE!!

People are FRIENDLY, that old man or woman that you thought was grumpy end up being the salt of the earth people. People will go out of their way to help you fix an electrical problem, climb on top of your camper roof to fix your a/c, change a flat or loan you a BBQ lighter.

People are INTERESTING,  they have stories that will surprise,  frighten or amaze you. Each and every story is different and it is awesome to just sit and talk to people.

Out of all this, the MAIN thing I have learned is never to judge people. I now try and get to know everyone that is willing to talk. I will not like everyone but those that I do will be friends for life!

Museum of the Cherokee Indians

Today we went into Cherokee, NC to use some of our workamping perks and go check out the Museum of the Cherokee Indians. We get this free so we didn't have to pay the normal fee of $11 per adult, which would have cost us $44 in total. Here are a few pictures of the museum.

It was very educational, interactive and I highly recommend that you go!

Boys Being Boys

The boys have been super busy having fun also volunteering around the campground. They get free amenities such as free basketball,  bike rentals, ice cream, smores and so much more.

Benjamin worked everyday for about a week to catch some trout. They are harder to catch than you might think. It took the help of many locals to get him on the path.

Matthew played basketball everyday for about a week before he started to expand his activities. He finally went swimming this week but he was the first one to want to volunteer and help the maintenance men. They have him picking up trash, cleaning out fire pits and teaching him various other maintenance duties.

All in all, they are having a blast and are lucky to get these experiences.

Workamping

Well we have been workamping at Yogi in the Smokies for about 2 weeks now so I can give a good honest review of the pros and cons.

Pros: Our bosses are awesome and don't look over our shoulder at all.

The hours are great (7-4)

The pay and perks are great. We get a full hook-up site, free laundry, free park activities like free ice cream and smores, a 15% store discount, free local attractions, free cable ,wifi at the office and $8 an hour for all hours worked.

Cons: We are on the housekeeping crew which means we are cleaning all the bathrooms and about 6-8 cabins a day. It is hard work but it is easier because we get to work together.

All the other workampers are older couples and then there are a few locals that work here too. There are a few who constantly complain but anywhere you work there are going to be people like that.

All in all it is a hard job but with all the perks and considering we have never been to this area, the pros outweigh the cons.

Will we ever be on a housekeeping crew again?

Never say never :)