Camp Hosts and RV Art

If you take some time to look at the world around you, you would be amazed at the things that go on everyday (haven't you heard that before from a teacher somewhere down the line?). You know, those kinds of things that one simply never notices. Some years ago, we were fortunate enough to learn about the world of Camp Hosting. We aren't camp hosts but in our older years, who is to say, we just might give it a whirl (speaking of "whirling", one of the traditional jobs of a camp hosts is cleaning toilets). Ewww, sounds gross but let me take a stand here.

There are probably thousands of people that spend some amount of time visiting state parks around this country. Have you ever wondered just who is responsible for cleaning those bathrooms? Who is responsible for blowing leaves off the camp sites in the fall? Who is responsible for picking up trash and debris? And what about directing traffic during craft shows and other events? What about the person that switches the little name tags on camp sites so people know which site is open? How about the person you look for when something is going wrong or you just need some directions? A camp host does all of these things and then some.

It is from my observation that a lot of camp hosts are people that are near retiring or have already retired. All of these people own their own RV (or camper). They have the time to spend "camping" and hosting. I have even heard of some people that camp host year round. When their time is up at one camp site, they spend the rest of the year at one or more other camps.

There are some retired individuals that I have heard of, that sold their homes, bought the most expensive travel trailers or motor homes that they could afford, and do nothing but move from their favorite camp sites from year to year.

So why would people actually want to clean public restrooms? Think about this. The average camp host probably spends a minimum of one month hosting. They are getting free power, free water, free yard maintenance (except for the leaf blowing they may or may not have to do themselves), in some cases, free cable tv, and all they have to buy is their food. They don't even have to pay for their campsite. In return, they preform the maintenance duties that each park may assign them. Not to bad a deal I would think.

Some people love to camp. Some people don't. For those that do like to camp, hosting is a fabulous opportunity to live the "good and slow" life. Could you imagine waking up every day in the great outdoors but still have the comforts of home? Wow.... (Can you tell that I wouldn't mind at all, having a camper?)



In a larger park that a lot of RV's park in, there are a lot of interesting things to see. Each person adds a little individuality to their campsite. Take Mr. Tin man here. Isn't he awesome? I spotted him right away and asked his proud owner, Mr. V, if I could snap his picture. He gladly said, "Snap Away". Notice Mr. V's doggy under the camper. Mr. V has definitely personalized his, "home away from home". Did you happen to notice that awesome little light beside Mr. Tin man? I happen to personally know the creator of that cute little light. That light is a hobby of that someone.


Here is another version of the decorated light. It's official name is, "Bucket Light". If you can believe it, bucket lights are popular at campsites of serious RV'ers. They emit a soft light that lets you see but doesn't draw a lot of bugs to your site. This bucket light was made and decorated by Mr. P.

Mr. P decorates his bucket lights with all kinds of pictures, colors, and designs. If you happen to be a friend of Mr. P, chances are, you are already the proud owner of a "bucket light".



Art in the park. I like that..... Great job Mr. P!