“The earnings and amenities are a bonus that defrays our living expenses,” Richard says. “But meeting folks, keeping in touch via e-mail, and then meeting again as we travel to another place is the most fulfilling part.”

Richard retired after 34 years as an analytical technician in the research center at Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Reta, who grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas, worked in accounts payable for Phillips Petroleum, but also held jobs in quality testing for a pump company and with a Federal Credit Union. In their blended family, the Averills raised four children.

“When our kids were young, we camped with a tent and pop-up trailers. Later, we bought a Class C motorhome, but started full-timing with a fifth-wheel,” Richard says. “Now, we have a Class A See Ya to call home.”

Taking jobs for two winters at amazon.com in Coffeyville made sense for the Averills. “Seven of our eight grandchildren live in that area,” Reta says. “We like to travel there and stay until after the holidays.” However, in the eight years Richard and Reta have claimed highways as home turf, their eagerness for new experiences has led them to many different Workamping situations, including both volunteer stints and paying positions. By accident, they fell into their first job at Big Bend National Park.

“We started in March 2002 and went to Florida and traveled up the East Coast to Richard’s home, a dairy farm outside of Watertown, New York,” Reta says. “We spent the rest of the summer in New England where I had a knee replacement. During my recuperation, we spent two months traveling to Washington to spend time with our daughter.”

Merely passing through, they arrived at Big Bend National Park’s Rio Grand Village Campground in late afternoon. Because the park was full, the host permitted them to set up in the alternate host site. “The host mentioned they needed alternating Workampers,” Richard says. “We had the time, so we asked if we could volunteer. Within two days, the district ranger and volunteer coordinator ran background checks on us. We filled out applications and went to work.”

Big Bend National Park, bound on the south by 118 miles of the Rio Grande River, encompasses more than 800,000 acres in southwest Texas. Richard and Reta experienced the park’s three environments: low desert, river desert terrain, and wooded mountains in the center of the park. They worked four days on, three days off, watching the campground, counting the number of open sites every two hours.

“From either entrance, campgrounds are about 50 miles inside Big Bend,” Richard says. “We radioed the count to the National Park System office so incoming campers would know if sites were available.” He goes on to say that regular campers receive no hookups, but have water and a dump station available. However, volunteers are provided full hookups and reimbursement for propane.

The second time the Averills volunteered at Big Bend National Park, they began in October and worked at the Visitor Center at Persimmon Gap, which is the north entrance to the park. They kept shelves stocked with tapes and books, greeted visitors, gave out information, and sold permits for back-country camping.

“We loved the personal interaction with visitors,” Richard says. “One lady had lived in the park when her dad worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps. Many others shared their personal history with the park.” On their days off, they hiked trails and drove many of the back roads, photographing wild life and dessert blossoms. Alpine, Texas, about 130 miles away, is the closest town to Big Bend for major shopping.

After Big Bend, Richard and Reta volunteered 14 hours each per week in exchange for their site at Belfair State Park on Hood Canal across Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington. Park administrators encouraged them to spend their off time sight-seeing. “We toured the Olympic Peninsula, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, and the Yakima valley during our stay,” Reta says. “Our oldest daughter lived close to Belfair, and we were able to spend time with her family and attend our granddaughter's high school graduation.”

The Averills spent two summers working at private campground in New York. “The Yogi Park at Mexico, New York, was our first Workamping-for-pay experience,” Richard says. “Three years later, we accepted jobs at Associational Island, a 65-acre island with a causeway that provides access from the mainland. Reta worked in registration using Campground Manager software, and I worked in maintenance.”
Association Island www.associationislandresort.com is located in the scenic 1000 Islands Region, on the eastern shores of Lake Ontario near the quaint town of Henderson Harbor, New York.

“In another year, we worked at Riverbend Motorcoach Resort in Florida (www.riverbendflorida.com), a Class-A motorhome resort with lots for sale and lease,” Richard says. “Reta worked in the office and I worked in the guard station operating the entry gate. We worked 40-hour weeks with pay for all hours plus a full-hookup site, wi-fi, cable, discount at the clubhouse, and full use of the facilities. If not for Workamping, we could never afford to stay at such an upscale resort.”

Another winter, the Averills volunteered at Matagorda County Birding and Nature Center at Bay City, Texas. ( www.mcbnc.org.) Sharing duties with one other Workamping couple, they opened gates to the 34-acre preserve at 6:00 a.m., and closed at 6:00 p.m.

“We worked 20 hours per week for our site and hookups at the back of the preserve on the Colorado River,” Richard says. “During the day we kept an eye on the ponds and flower gardens that draw the largest variety of migratory birds in Texas. We also helped out with small projects and mowing. We observed birds we’d never seen before.”

For the Christmas season in 2007, the Averills worked five days a week at Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri. “We dressed in 1890’s costumes and managed a concession for ‘smores,’” Reta says. “A covered wagon held our supplies and we had a table with hot chocolate and two charcoal pits. Guests toasted marshmallows on long skewers, and then placed them on a large chocolate chip cookie covered with fudge.”
Silver Dollar City offers no accommodations for its Workampers, so the Averills stayed at a nearby campground. On weekends, they worked from 11:00 a.m. until closing at 10:00 p.m.

For the summer of 2009, Richard and Reta returned to Branson and worked at Compton Ridge Campground. Reta, experienced in Campground Manager, Camis, and Ros programs for campground registration, fits into any office setting. Compton Ridge, under new ownership, also has a spacious and attractive store. Reta helped with stocking and guest purchases, and she also made to-order pizza. Richard delivered the pizzas to campsites, shuttled visitors to Silver Dollar City and Branson Landing, and kept ice machines stocked and wood boxes filled. Typical of their conscientiousness in Workamping, they stayed a few extra days at the request of the owner and ended their contract at Compton Ridge on October 31.

After spending a few days with family to celebrate an early Thanksgiving, Richard and Reta traveled to Admiralty RV Resort in San Antonio, Texas, for their winter jobs. They each work 12 hours a week for their 50-amp site, utilities, wi-fi, and cable, leaving them ample time for relaxation and sightseeing in and around San Antonio. Reta works in the office and Richard escorts guests to their sites and shuttles some to attractions such as Sea World.

When their winter assignment ends on April 15, 2010, the Averills plan to head for Door County Camp Retreat in Door, Wisconsin. They have worked three summers (not consecutively) at the campground where they made close friendships with other Workampers, the resort’s owners, and many of the seasonal campers. Reta works in the office using ROS 2006. Richard does outside maintenance, pool care, and dispenses propane. Richard also helps with the building of new sites.

“Door County is a great place to spend the summer with cheese factories, cherry orchards, fresh vegetables, apples, and numerous small villages and local restaurants,” Richard says. “Many restaurants have evening fish boils, a local dining activity that provides visitors a unique experience.

“Egg Harbor is only three miles from the campground so we go often for shopping,” he continues. “Once on the peninsula, we find no Walmarts, K-Marts, or chain stores, only local businesses, which makes for a quaint setting.

Workamping continues to provide interesting experiences for Richard and Reta in their chosen retirement lifestyle.