In May 2021, I packed up Hunker Downs in Washington, hired a transporter from Uship.com, and started a new full-time RVing chapter – volunteering for California State Parks.

I didn’t blog very much, figuring followers wanted travel tales, not stories about sitting still. I used that time to write a book instead – more about that in a minute.

I am returning to Washington at the end of May (to Fort Vancouver, near Portland), so now is a good time for a recap, and a preview of things to come.

Camp Hosting

Camp hosts live on-premises in their RVs, working in exchange for the site, hook-ups, and in some cases, wages. There are many different ways to be a host. Campgrounds are operated by municipalities, counties, states, the federal government, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, mom and pops, and national brand corporations, like KOA.

Each location has its own set of rules, requirements, responsibilities, compensation (if any), and maximum lengths of stay. Single? Part of a couple, but only one of you wants to host? Live in a rig more than 10 years old, or in something less traditional, like a tent, skoolie, or van? Have pets? If you look long and hard enough, you will find the opportunity that best fits your particular situation and needs.

My go-to online hosting resources are states’ websites, HappyVagabonds.com, Kamper Jobs, Facebook groups like Workampers and Workamping for Singles, and volunteer.gov. Paid membership sites like Workamper News and CamperGigs help you build a resume, connect with employers, and get the latest job postings.

I prefer volunteering, no more than 20 to 25 hours per week, with at least three consecutive days off (four is better). The ideal position is more than four months long, making getting there cost-effective. Full hookups, including a sewer connection, are a must. Cleaning toilets is a hard pass, and selling firewood is not my passion, especially during the part of the evening I call “Camp Host Aerobics,“ running in and out of the rig, but I’ll do it, if the location is worth it. I need good data connectivity, and nearby shopping, so I’m not a fan of remote locations, unless they are a jaw-dropping, like the Grand Canyon. I’ll host there, if I’m lucky, one of these days.

Hosting is the perfect fit for me. I enjoy performing camp checks in the golf cart, waving to everyone while handing out stickers to the kiddos and treats for the dogs. I support park staff and improve visitors’ experiences, and if Crohn’s disease strikes, I have a plethora of public restrooms and a set of keys!

You are in instant fellowship with other hosts and park personnel, and the experience makes you appreciate even more what state park employees do on a daily basis. Please be kind to them, and patient too.

(Pinkie with her favorite person, Shane the Lifeguard)

If you’re wondering if there any downsides, there aren’t too many. Varmints in the campgrounds, like raccoons, skunks, and vermin, can be a pain to deal with, but the humans are on vacation, so they are generally in a pretty good mood. As an extra added bonus, whenever I research new RVing equipment, I find at least one example in the campground, and campers love giving tours and answering questions about their kits. The vast majority of visitors are pleasant, and the problematic two percent are just having too much fun – being too loud, overuse of alcohol and drugs, etc. I can always call a Ranger if things get out of hand.

Almost Heaven, California’s Mid Coast

When I discovered I enjoyed hosting while at Belfair State Park in Washington, Santa Barbara immediately came to mind as the next place to go. I went to UCSB from 1986 to 1990, and the cost of living was high, even back then, so living there rent-free, by the beach, didn’t sound like a bad idea.

I volunteered predominantly at El Capitan State Beach, just north of Santa Barbara, staying there a total of 15 months, in three separate stays,

spending another two months at Gaviota State Beach, 12 miles up the coast from El Cap.

I am currently hosting at Morro Bay State Park, by San Luis Obispo. More about that in just a sec.

Taking Advantage of What California Has To Offer

It was great to be back in Santa Barbara, where highlights included a reunion with my old college roomies, who all live in the L.A. area,

and touring Lotusland in Montecito – one of the most beautiful private gardens I’ve ever seen.

There were many trips to two of my favorite restaurants on the planet – Brophy’s in the harbor,

and the Boathouse, at dog-friendly Hendry’s Beach.

Sea urchin is a Santa Barbara specialty. Here it is served over scallops on Stearn’s Wharf – heavenly!

The pups got plenty of beach time,

and I cherished visits from friends near and far.

(Nathan & Darren from Hollywood)

(Marsha from Seattle – more than once!)

(Andrew from Long Beach)

(Beverly from Michigan)

(Alice & Joanne from Minneapolis)

(Ward & Gail from Charlotte, North Carolina)

(Carli from Ohio)

(Daryl & Barbara from Detroit)

(Donna from Pennsylvania)

(Sue & Gary from Fox Island, WA)

(Alicia & Ken and friends from L.A.)

(Clinton & Susan, full-timers from Dallas)

(Michelle & Gage from Oregon)

(Margaret from Vancouver, Washington)

(Dave & Teresa from Sequim, Marsha & Doug from Mill Creek, WA)

(Olive oil tasting with Annmarie from Seattle)

(Kathy, en route back to Houston)

(Erika from Seattle)

Deep Dives

I visited all the towns near Santa Barbara, some new to me, and some not, but when you stay longer, you can dive deeper.

(La Purisima Mission, Lompoc)

(Solvang)

(Los Alamos)

(Buellton)

(Los Olivos)

(Carpinteria)

I made many new friends.

(Ranger Ericka)

(Camp Hosts Tex & Barbara, and Camp Store Clerk, Terri, celebrating my birthday)

(Refugio Camp Host, Mary from Wisconsin)

(With Park Aide Jennifer in Carpinteria)

(Vivian and Camp Host, Cindy, at Gaviota)

(The Vong family invited me to dinner in D Loop, and we are still in touch!)

There were first-time trips too, to Catalina,

Yosemite,

and the Channel Islands.

Los Angeles is an hour and a half south of SB, and while I got away for some day trips, I still have much more to see and do there. I’ll get another chance, when I return to the Santa Barbara area in the fall, volunteering at the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Lake Cachuma.

(The first McDonald’s, and the Wigwam Motel – San Bernardino)

(With Ranger Ericka)

 

(Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall)

(Santa Monica)

(The Getty Villa and Neptune’s Nest in Malibu)

(Glendale Neon Museum)

(Cemeteries of the Stars)

(The Huntington Gallery with my former client, Wanda, who passed away. So grateful for the time we had together.)

I camped out on Colorado Boulevard for the Rose Parade,

then decorated a float the following year.

Our float, for Snapchat, wasn’t very pretty, so here are some photos of ones nearby.

Volunteering also, I attended the Monterey Jazz Festival for the first time – a big bucket list item for me,

(Dave Clark’s sons)

and I took Vinny Van Go-Go to some of the most beautiful oceanside parks on the west coast.

(Carpinteria)

(Jalama)

Evacuation, Again

You may have seen my post about the Alisal Fire in October 2021, resulting in my evacuation from El Cap.

In January 2023, I was evacuated again, this time due to flooding. Amospheric rivers and bomb cyclones turned the dry creek bed by my campsite into a babbling brook,

then a fast-flowing creek,

and finally a raging river,

(1/9/23)

taking out a huge part of El Cap’s entrance road, and one of the water pumping stations. The park is still closed to campers, at least until June 30.

(The path to Surfer’s Point)

I left Hunker Downs behind, spending what was supposed to be one night at my friend Jennifer‘s house in Goleta, where she lives with her family. But one night turned to eight as it continued to rain, and there was no access to fresh water at the park.

Bless Jennifer and her parents! Despite the circumstances, we had such a good time, cooking dinners, playing Scrabble, ordering pizza, eating ice cream sandwiches, and watching movies. We went out to dinner on my last night, promising to get together again when I return to the area in November.

The Move to Morro Bay

Luckily, I was already scheduled to host at Morro Bay State Park beginning in February 2023, so I moved to the park two weeks early. Several guests stopped by, including Michelle from Sacramento,

friends from Santa Barbara,

and folks from Sequim, Washington, who introduced me to Morro Bay in the first place.

I fell in love with the area the year prior, when they passed through on their way to Arizona in their RVs, inviting me up for a few days.

I enjoyed it so much, I left a note for the Ranger in charge of hiring camp hosts, then bugged him for months until he cried uncle, offering me a four-month stint.

Morro Bay is a community of approximately 10,000 people, 12 miles from San Luis Obispo. The park is directly across the road from the marina, and a short distance to town, where there are lots of shops, restaurants, and an adorable, restored movie theater showing first-run films.

The brackish water of the Morro Bay estuary is home to both land and sea birds, and the town is an official bird sanctuary. Quail scurry around the campground, a single feather sticking straight up out of their heads like a mohawk, fluttering in the breeze.

Wild turkeys roam the golf course next door. Herons drop in – literally,

turkey vultures fill the skies every night at sunset,

and owls roost in the eucalyptus trees.

(Photo by Park Aide, Trae Lynn Neal)

Montaña de Oro State Park, “the mini Big Sur,” is in the same district, eight miles away, in Los Osos. It is breathtakingly beautiful.

Hearst Castle is also in the district, and volunteers get free tours! I last visited 36 years ago, when a boyfriend and I made the trip from UCSB on a motorcycle. This time I took three separate tours on two different days, seeing more of the estate.

Elephant seals are a couple more miles up Highway 1 from there.

The SLO Life

San Luis Obispo is fifteen minutes away from Morro Bay. It’s a college town (Cal Poly), so there’s always something to see or do.

(My disco outfit for The Bee Gees tribute band, Stayin’ Alive)

I also enjoyed getting to know neighboring communities, like Pismo Beach, with a Monarch butterfly grove,

Atascadero, 

Santa Margarita,

Arroyo Grande,

Oceano, where you can camp on the beach,

Avila Beach, just oozing charm with beaches, hot springs, restaurants and shops, and a lighthouse, 

Baywood/Los Osos,

Cayucos & Cambria,

and Paso Robles – wine country.

(Sensorio light installation. I wear that shirt a lot! HaHa)

My Love Affair with The Madonna Inn

One of the very best things about living near San Luis Obispo is the Madonna Inn, founded by Alex Madonna and his wife in the middle of the last century.

If you like kitschy flamboyance, boy, is this the place.

(Do you see Marsha?)

Mrs. Madonna liked pink, and, as is often the case with themes, the decor ran amok. We returned during the holidays, expecting the decorations to be gaudy, but they were quite lovely.

I enjoy taking unsuspecting visitors there, like this dinner with Margaret. By the way, the steaks are excellent (old-school relish tray first!), and the service is impeccable.

But the pièce de résistance at the Madonna Inn for me was Easter weekend 2023, when filmmaker and arbiter of good, bad taste – John Waters – hosted a two-day party, including screening his filthy masterpiece, “Pink Flamingos” (50 years old this year), providing live commentary with actress Mink Stole.

People showed up and showed out, and what a fabulous bunch of misfits we were.

(Musical Guest: Peaches)

On the first night, I dressed as a hausfrau in homage to Divine,

And the second night I wore black knee-high motorcycle boots with hot pink laces, and a pink leather jacket.

(With Devon, Ericka’s daughter)

The John Waters Easter Weekend is going to be an annual event at the Madonna Inn. John also hosts a camp-out in Connecticut every September, and you and I both know I need me some of that. Wanna go?

Without Further Ado, A Update On The Book!

The book is going well, thanks for asking. The manuscript is on a second professional edit as we speak, and I plan to attend the San Francisco Writers’ Conference in February 2024, on the hunt for a literary agent. Know anybody?

As I await the edits, I have already started my second novel, entitled “Send No Money Now,” set in Morro Bay.

Many of you have asked if the first novel is about travel, and it isn’t, although I could see writing one at some point. For my first outing, I took the advice of actress Carrie Fisher, who said, “Take your broken heart, make it into art.” The novel is loosely based on my life.

Here’s a synopsis:

When a promising young Seattle lawyer commits an act of seemingly senseless violence, she is forced into mandatory counseling, where a therapeutic technique inadvertently transports her back in time to the Mississippi of her youth, giving her the chance to prevent the abuses she endured as a child. But when the magic begins to take its toll, she must find a way to make peace with the past, her estranged sisters, and herself.

“The Time of Her Undoing” is set at the turn of the Twenty-First Century in Seattle, Washington, and the 1970s in fictional Cooper County, Mississippi, where secrets and grudges run deeper than the roots of the Basswood trees.

Tammy Williams is a retired litigation attorney, living on the road full-time with her two dogs in an RV. This is her first novel.

The Constant Companion

In November 2022, Stelara stopped effectively treating my disease, throwing me into a flare. I happened to be in Seattle at the time, for annual healthcare, so my doctor prescribed a synthetic steroid until we could come up with a new plan.

Real steroids, like prednisone, are very mood-altering for me, and I swore I would never take them again. This drug, however – Budesonide Extended Release – helped, without any of the nasty short-term side effects. I went from over 10 urgent bathroom trips a day, back to my usual three or so. Unfortunately, it is not a long-term solution.

There’s always good news, if you look hard enough, and two things come to mind. First, I will be in Washington for many months, giving the doctor time to develop a different treatment plan. Second, I have pharmaceutical options. When I started Stelara, it was the last remaining drug approved by the FDA to treat my condition, but now there are two more. If a re-infusion of Stelara isn’t successful, there are new drugs to try. I gotta say, I have the Cadillac of chronic medical conditions. The amount of research and innovation in the autoimmune and inflammatory disease world is impressive, and encouraging.

What’s Next?

I will be volunteering at Fort Vancouver from June through the end of October, in either the Welcome Center or the Pearson Air Museum. Come winter and early spring, I’ll be back in Cali, at Lake Cachuma, as a volunteer with the Neal Taylor Nature Center, where I believe I will be working on fundraising, and getting ready for the annual fishing derby, held each April.

After May 1, 2024, who knows? I don’t have any solid plans yet. I’m considering a return to the East Coast, maybe by taking Vinny Van Go-Go across the Trans-Canada highway. Perhaps I’ll go to Silver City, New Mexico, which I want to scope out as a possible place to settle down one day. I have a few applications for additional hosting out there as well, in fun places like Tahoe, and near San Francisco. Maybe I’ll just rent a spot at a park somewhere in San Diego and stay for a year or so. I do love that area. Another idea is to travel the country in the van, staying in friends’ driveways for a few days at a time, which I’m calling The Great American Moochdock.

Which one do you like? Any other ideas?

As always, thanks for reading!