Work-Camping in Westport, WA

We are settled in Westport, WA until spring – when we may decide to head for Alaska. We started work-camping for American Sunset RV. We will be working two 6-hour days every 7 to 10 days. I know it’s rough but someone’s got to do it, right? The only thing we are not looking forward to is rain. It can rain up to 16 inches in some winter months, but we are prepared with rain gear. It is not unusual to have standing water from heavy rains. The standing water does go away as the tide goes out, but that will leave a wet and muddy area. Dan made a porch out of a pallet and outdoor carpet so we can wipe our feet and will not be stepping out the door into puddles.

The town is small and doesn’t offer a lot during the off season, but the beach, two state parks, and the marina will keep us entertained. We have already spent some time watching surfers and kite surfers. The kite surfers are very good, cutting through the waves at high speed and occasionally rising more than 10 feet into the air. Lot’s of energy flowing in the waves and winds. Oh, and there is a quilt shop within a mile of the campground. Guess where Sandy will be when she disappears. If you love to fish or clam dig or eat seafood or just watch sunsets, you could not pick a better spot.

We met our co-workers and they are very nice. They are all full-timers. Most of them have more experience than we do with the work camping.
We spent one evening sitting around our fire with a couple of our new friends on a beautiful evening. We have been going for walks along the docks looking for sea lions and seals. One dock system is over 1/3 mile to the end. Sometimes we go to the state park to walk along the beaches and look for whole sand dollars and shells. There is also a 2.5 mile pathway between Westport’s lookout tower and the lighthouse state park. The path is a lot of fun to ride our bikes. This is the first lighthouse we have been to that allows people to climb to the top.

It is so nice to go to sleep at night listening for the sea lions barking, the fog horn, and crashing waves.

Wheels Waves, Seaside, OR

Ah the smell of salt air mingled with car exhaust, the crashing thunder of waves blending with rumbling car engines vibrating off Seaside’s downtown buildings. Even the weather was cooperating – no rain! If you love cars, this was the place to be. Most of the cars were older than 1962. Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge – you name it, they were probably there. Most were modified hot rods and hand built customs. They lined the streets, the alleys, and the convention center’s parking lot.

Starting around 1 pm, our plan was to spend a couple of hours looking at the cars, have an earlier dinner, and go home. It took us almost five hours and I don’t think we saw all of them! Around 6pm, the cars started a Cruise parade. It was a blast! Taking us back in time to our teenage years.

We also drove down the coast of Oregon on Hwy 101. We stopped in Cannon Beach and at Hug Point so we could walk the beaches. Sandy has uploaded pictures of the Wheels & Waves car show along with a couple of the beaches we visited while staying in Seaside, OR.

Olympic Peninsula, WA

Since leaving La Conner, we have been staying in the Olympic Peninsula area of Washington and hiking the trails in the Olympic NP. We started with Hoodsport, WA, a very small town on Hood Canal. We spent one evening visiting with Sandy’s sister, Shirley who lives nearby. They have not seen each other for a long time so they had a lot of catching up to do - including meeting Sandy’s niece, Christy.

~On top of Hurricane Ridge

We hiked a couple of trails on the east side of the NP, but some were closed due to fires or washouts. Washington’s west coast has been suffering from a drought.

We found our next home to be more interesting. We stayed in Sequim while visiting Port Angeles and Forks. We hiked the trail to Hurricane Ridge on a crystal clear day. We saw Mt. Baker, Mt. Olympus, and across the strait to Vancouver, BC. Beautiful views! We also went to the Olympic NP beaches just south of La Push. We walked through old forest, down a very steep hill to rocky beaches. Like the sign said, “where mountains meet the sea”. There is no better description! The beaches were unchanged by man and so beautiful. After La Push, we ate lunch at Forks, WA. We saw only one sign that vampires do live – exist? – here and that was a treaty sign outside of La Push and Forks. Yep, Sandy got a picture of the sign as proof. (The book series Twilight used Forks as the setting.)

We also hiked through the rain forest. It is very, very green, and moist with lots of huge trees that we could not fit into a photograph.

We have less than two weeks left before we start work camping two 6-hour days per week in return for full RV hookups in Westport, WA. We will use our remaining time in Long Beach, WA and Seaside, OR. We are less than a quarter mile from the beach. We can smell the salt in the air and hear the ocean waves at night. We are going to be work camping in Westport from September through April at American Sunset RV. This will be our first experience as work-campers. Dan will be helping with outdoor assignments while Sandy will be working in the store/office. It’ll be interesting and we will keep adding to our blog while we are there.