A *FREE Vacation

*Free - nothing is free :)
You will need to trade some hours of work for this *Free vacation

What does work-kamping mean to you?

Why do I "work-kamp"? 

This is a breakdown of my Cody, WY/Yellowstone "vacation in 2014"
May 5 to August 5, 2014
I left San Antonio,TX on May 5th and arrived in Cody on May 14th
archived blog posts can be found on the right side of the blog

                                                                            

Total Gross Wages...$3488.00   Travel Expenses*...$1496.00
Net  $1992.00

*Travel expenses are RV fuel and all RV campsite fees from
the time I started out in Texas in May until the time I left Cody in August
this includes the "job site rent" and trips on my days off 

I worked approx. 55 days/11 weeks
An 11 week working "vacation"
Note: this is the lowest paying workamping job I have had
I wanted to visit Yellowstone, so I agreed to it
My job: phone reservations
Bonus: meeting other work-kampers 

Where did I go and what did I see during these three months...

underlined titles will link to my blog posts

A benefit of working in Cody is that most of the attractions were free or discounted
Seasonal employees start with a tour from the Visitor's Center and then receive
 discounts/free passes to the attractions, including river rafting

I enjoyed all of these free attractions:

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Trolley Tour of Cody

Rafting the Shoshone River

Plains Indian PowWow

Old Trail Town

Heart Mountain Museum
Concerts in the Park
Music Revue


The Rodeo was a $10 annual pass, less than a single day admission

Cody Rodeo 

Along the way, or on my days off, I visited these towns and places

Texas

 Baird, Abilene, Amarillo
XIT Museum in Dalhart, TX

Colorado
Lamar, La Junta, Fort Collins
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site

Wyoming
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Yellowstone National Park

Circle of Fire Tour in Yellowstone 

Forest Service Wildlife Tour
Fishing Bridge Campground in Yellowstone NP

Casper, Cody, Wapiti, Lovell
Wind River Scenic Byway
Shell Falls in Shell Canyon - Bighorn Mountains

Buffalo Bill Dam
Wapiti Ranger Station
Shoshone National Forest Campgrounds
Pahaska Tepee - Buffalo Bill's Camp
Shoshone River Trail

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Montana
Red Lodge, Nye
Beartooth Highway - National Scenic Byway

Devil's Canyon Overlook
 Chief Plenty Coups State Park - National Historic Site
Cooney State Park, MT

As you can see from my list above and from the photos in my blog posts during the summer of 2014, this is a beautiful area of the country to visit. My RV is easy to setup/move and I would usually pack up and go camping on my days off of work.

If you plan to visit this area, you will need a week or more to see everything in Cody, you could easily spend 2 days at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Depending on where you stay in or near Yellowstone, you will want at least a week, if not more time, to explore Yellowstone.  The park is huge and it takes a long time to get from section to section. This is one of the reasons that I opted to take a bus tour while in Yellowstone.

It took some time to set up this list, looking back and reading my blog posts from 2014 to make the links.

I miss the big beautiful blue skies and open prairies of Montana. I plan to return to this area.

If you don't need to get paid, and don't mind kicking in $$ for some of the expenses, you can "google" - Volunteer Vacations - and find some great places to visit.

4 years

Looking back on my RV journey...

I purchased my RV in April 2011 and began my full-time journey in November of 2011.

1st night @ Lazydays RV in Florida

Although I had looked at some RV's at dealers in IL and checked out a few on Craigslist, I pretty much just jumped into this RVing life. I found my RV on a website. The dealer sent me measurements and videos of the interior. For a small refundable deposit they held it for me until I was able to get to Florida after tax season.

When I arrived in FL, I had never driven an RV. Luckily, Lazydays RV in Seffner, FL offered a free driving class. A few hours after finishing the class, I was heading down the highway.    

                            Mustang Island, January 2012

        May 2014 - leaving San Antonio - heading to Cody, WY

      Along a dirt road in Montana

                                                                       Texas State Parks

I would like to have a "home base" someday. A small piece of land to park the RV, maybe a few outbuildings. Just a place to stop and rest between travels. I really am not interested in owning a house again. Of course, I could change my mind in the future.

    Red rocks of Utah - near Bryce Canyon

I have overnighted in only a handful of states so far... 

Florida - Mississippi - Missouri - Illinois

Kansas - Colorado - Arkansas - Texas

Wyoming  - Montana - New Mexico 

Utah - Arizona - Oklahoma - Iowa and Louisiana 

                North Rim of the Grand Canyon

I've worked at Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Canyon North Rim and in the town of Cody, WY near Yellowstone.  I also worked at the South Padre KOA and volunteered at Laguna Atascosa NWR in South Texas.

It is an amazing experience to live/work for several months at a national park, most visitors only stay a few hours.

I work seasonally and I have the freedom to travel, explore and visit with family whenever and wherever I want. I am not limited to a specific number of vacation days and I do not have to worry about getting back to a home that needs to be taken care of.

My hopes and dreams are to travel to all the corners of the U.S. and Canada - Alaska is high on the list.

Wishing you Health, Happiness and Prosperity                                                       

Yard Work

Pulled weeds, filled 6 large bags,

and that's only in the front yard - still need to do the side and back.

It's been very hot and wet here - too many things growing wild.

Dug up, divided and transplanted perennials.

Spread around 12 bags of mulch, not enough, will have to get more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Some workamping jobs are looking 

for help with landscaping.

They ask for pictures of "you and your rig".

Should I send pictures of my yard, too?