|
Park host Minnie Walker cleans the women's restroom at the Lake Anna State Park while her husband Bill Walker keeps watch.
In return for working and helping out around Lake Anna State Park, Bill and Minnie Walker are given a free campsite and utilities for their RV. The couple has been involved as camp hosts for about 15 years.
As a park host, Bill Walker makes sure campers stay within their designated campsites.
Bill and Minnie Walker live in Florida |
BILL and Minnie Walker have a home in Florida, but they are spending three months this summer as camp hosts at Lake Anna State Park.
There, they'll welcome campers, keep bathhouses tidy, dispense advice and serve as extra eyes and ears.
In return for a minimum of six hours of work, five days a week--the Walkers and many others work longer--camp hosts in Virginia's state parks can save hundreds of dollars with free campsites, free utilities and access to park amenities.
Some in the long-running program, like Maida and Edward Costello, working at Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County, are full-timers in their RV with a permanent spot for winter.
Others, like Marge Wood at Westmoreland State Park, take their RVs from park to park, making camp hosting a full-time life.
MR. FIX-ITS ABOUND
Bill is like many of the hosts you'll find in the Virginia state parks.
Retired from the Navy, he's handy with tools.
One night, a young Lake Anna camper having an orthodontic emergency needed special pliers.
Other times, campers need an air mattress or bicycle tires inflated, an air conditioner fixed or simply a Phillips screwdriver.
Minnie's assistance ranges from dispensing baking soda for bee stings to giving out dish soap or sugar to campers in a bind.
The couple, in their 60s, got involved in campgrounds and RV parks when a visit to one 15 years ago resulted in a job offer.
They had worked at parks in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, then landed Virginia Beach. They began at Virginia parks in 2006, working first at Smith Mountain Lake.
The hardworking pair start their days early, cleaning the bathrooms and showers before breakfast.
"We pride ourselves on keeping them and the campsites straight," Minnie said.
The appeal: The camping's free and the couple gets to meet an endless stream of interesting people.
"We love seeing the kids and families camping," she said. "It keeps us young."
SELL HOUSE, HIT THE ROAD
The Costellos are typical camp hosts. The couple, also in their 60s, took a deep breath when they retired in 2004, sold their home, bought an RV and took off.
After some cross-country traveling, they decided they needed something to keep them busy.
The camp host program was the ticket, with their 36-foot RV parked for months this summer at Belle Isle. Winters take them back to a Florida RV park.
"We take pride at trying to keep the campgrounds neat, inspecting campsites when people leave and making sure everything's ready for the next campers," Edward said.
Taking two days off during the week, the Costellos and all camp hosts are busiest on weekends.
"The big draw for us is the people we get to meet," said Maida. "Ninety-eight percent of them are great, fun people."
The only downside to the lifestyle, said Edward: "The price of gas. It cost us $450 to get up here from Florida. It'll cost $600 to get back."
FULL-TIME HOST LIFESTYLE
Marge Wood, a 69-year-old host at Westmoreland, has taken her travel trailer to Yosemite, Arcadia, the Everglades and more.
Her year-round abode this summer will also spend months at Pocahontas State Park near Jamestown.
"After selling my parents' house in New Jersey, I decided to live in the trailer full-time," she said. "Aside from phone, propane, gas and insurance, I don't have many other expenses."
She likes meeting people, staying busy and the natural beauty and wildlife that come with her new lifestyle.
She has seen pronghorn elk, alligators, grizzlies and wolves.
"Westmoreland's draw is a great staff and the beauty of the Potomac River," she said. "But I consider Pocahontas my home park because I go back there so often."
PROGRAM WORKS FOR ALL
Kathy Shrader, who manages the host program for Virginia's state parks, said trading a free campsite and utilities for 30 to 90 days, from spring through late fall, is an arrangement that benefits both parks and hosts.
She said most hosts in the 20 parks are between 60 and 80, but there are younger exceptions.
"Some are local to the parks, but many come from out of state and travel from park to park," she said.
dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/camp host.shtmlRob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com
