On Ralph Feller’s Awesome Applicant, his history of hosting Karaoke at various service and night clubs, senior centers, and specialty schools around the Phoenix area caught manager Steve Browning’s eye. In the Old Barn Theater on the Parry Lodge property, Browning hoped to recruit a Workamper to show films that were produced in the area. During the 2006 season, Ralph fit the job role, introducing the movies and telling some history of Parry Lodge. Ralph also entertained guests with stories and trivia about the cast and crew who stayed at the Lodge. With his Karaoke experience, he started a pre-show from 5:00 till 7:30.
Marilyn Feller worked at the front desk, giving out information about the Lodge and the surrounding area attractions. Parry Lodge is a centrally located hub within one to two hours driving time to the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell) National Recreations Area, Zion and Bryce National Parks, and The Grand Escalante Staircase and Pipe Springs National Monuments. Tour groups visit from all over the United States, as well as from Europe and the Orient, adding the benefit of meeting interesting people to a Workamper’s job behind the front desk.
“The foreign guests ask lots of questions and are surprised that we are full time RVers and our Class A motorhome is our house,” Marilyn says. “When we say we are Escapees, they ask what we are escaping from. We laugh and explain how it works. One couple from Germany called us gypsies and wished that they had our lifestyle.”
The Fellers started RVing in 1996, traveling around the country selling music and concert posters, pictures from the 1950’s and 60’s, and costume jewelry at auto shows, auctions and street fairs. In 2004, they hosted in Washington for Thousand Trails during the summer and headed to Phoenix for the winter. Cradle of Forestry read their resume on Awesome Applicants and invited the couple to host in Hoosier National Forest near Bloomington, Indiana. After their stint in Indiana, they sold their home in Phoenix, giving them status as full-time RVers.

On their Workamping jobs, Ralph and Marilyn never lack for places to sightsee. At Parry Lodge, they often visited nearby national parks and monuments with fellow Workampers, Chazz and Tonne, nicknamed TBone, Radford.
The Radfords worked as breakfast chefs at Parry Lodge, meeting and greeting from 60 to 200-plus patrons each morning. Together with the prep-cook and dishwasher, they both cooked and served the breakfast buffet four mornings a week. They also cleaned and kept the kitchen going in cooperation with a second Workamper team, who cooked and served the buffet three mornings a week.
While Workamping in El Centro, California, the Radfords heard about opportunities at Parry Lodge from other Workampers who were employed there. Neither Chazz nor TBone had ever visited southern Utah. Additionally, they were seeking a fun environment where they could interact with people. Workamping at Parry Lodge provided the experiences they envisioned with spectacular scenery as a bonus.
“Chazz is a passionate hiker and backpacker, and thoroughly enjoyed traveling the many trails, mesas and canyons in the Kanab area,” TBone says. “He’s also an avid genealogist and frequented the local Mormon Family History Center.”
Kanab is within an hour to three hours, of Page, Arizona, Cedar City and St. George, Utah, and Mesquite, Nevada, TBone continues. “Visiting these cities on our days off gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my black belt in shopping!”
She discovered a mix of excitement and relaxation in traveling through the panoramic landscape of the counties surrounding Kanab, noting that that the Utah countryside has a unique aura.
Parry Lodge offers no RV accommodations on property. “The nearby park we chose for the season was quiet,” she continues. “Chazz and I enjoyed sitting outside under the awning in the very early morning or the long twilight evenings after the heat dissipated. The days began as they ended; the ridges of the mesas looming dark and somber with the sunrise and the sunset.”
Chazz is a gypsy at heart, having retired as a Navy Chief Warrant Officer with 36 years in Submarine and Submarine/Surface Navy Operational/Personnel support. Since military retirement, he had worked in retail sales and service, managed various fraternal clubs, and worked as a licensed/bonded Casino Cashier. He had also worked as a full-service chef covering breakfast, lunch and dinner, in addition to ordering, inventory and cost control, and menu planning, giving him experience for the job at Parry Lodge.
In addition to raising eight children while Chazz was at sea, TBone held positions in retail sales/service, restaurant management, bartending, newspaper distribution, and Bond Processor for various insurance agencies. While she misses being near their children and grandchildren in the Puget Sound-area, she totally immerses herself in the concept of Workamping.
“With the high gas/diesel prices, we find it necessary to supplement our retirement income and support our RV lifestyle,” TBone adds. “Workamping provides income, varied destinations, and new friends.”
Courtney and Kathy Cobb did not choose Parry Lodge as a Workamping location. “It chose us,” Kathy explains, adding that they are new to RVing. “We quit our jobs in May 2006, and became full-time RVers in July.”
The Cobbs started their jobs at Parry Lodge in mid-season. “We were in Tucson. Manager, Steve Browning called us out of the blue. We didn’t even know where Kanab was—but since Courtney is a huge movie buff, he was in ‘film heaven,’ so to speak.”
Two days a week, Kathy helped Marilyn Feller at the front desk. Courtney worked in maintenance. Three days a week, they both did housekeeping for the Lodge.
“We are not retired,” Kathy says. “We just decided to RV while we can enjoy it. We don't have children, so it was easier for us to pick up and go. That's exactly what we did!”
The Cobbs departed Indiana on their adventure. Kathy had worked at the Purdue University Alumni Association in the tour department. She also worked with alumni returning to the University for their 50th Anniversary of graduation. Helping to host three of the eight bowl games in which the Purdue football team played is a highlight of her former career. Since the age of 14, Courtney had worked in the field of surveying and engineering.
“The RVers we’ve met since we started this lifestyle have been very helpful,” she continues. “Many have literally taken us under their wings and provided us with great advice.
“The experience has been the most spiritual, emotional, and at times, physical, journey we've taken and we would do it all over again. We’ve had no regrets in taking this step into the Workamping world.”
All three Workamping couples express enthusiasm for their summer jobs at Parry Lodge. Their unique skills and experiences enhanced the guests’ visits, and the mix of scenery and movie history made their summer a rootin’, tootin’ RV adventure.