Workamping has a way of doing that—fulfilling dreams, that is. My first step to the Oregon Coast started with an ad on Workamper News’ daily Hotline from Oregon State Parks, describing a volunteer position for a lighthouse attendant. I answered. My husband, Lee Smith, and I had a specific month to volunteer, and unfortunately, the vacancy did not fit our schedule. A few days later, a park ranger from Cape Lookout State Park called to offer us one of two positions open for May—campground host or wood host. With no hesitation, I chose the wood host job.

We were required to send an application to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in Salem. Within a couple of weeks, a confirmation packet arrived in the mail, outlining basic information about specific job duties and the location of Cape Lookout State Park, only an hour and a half west of Portland, and 11 miles west of Tillamook. A popular campground and day-use area, Cape Lookout Park nestles against a backdrop of green coastal mountains on a sand spit between Netarts Bay and the ocean.

We arrived on April 29 to begin our duties on May 1. Our assigned site, a ribbon of asphalt slipped into a pocket of blossoming bushes, afforded us full hookups and friendly neighbors. Less than a city block away, a sand dune separated our motorhome from the bottle green Pacific, rolling in white waves across a broad sandy beach. The ocean’s steady roar blended into our daily routine.

Ranger Dan Quigley oriented us to our duties, acquainting us with the park’s woodshed packed floor to ceiling with fragrant-smelling bundles of firewood. He instructed us on driving and fueling the gasoline-powered cart with an ample bed for carrying the firewood around the three phases of campsites in the park. We were issued vests and caps with Oregon State Parks logos, as well as leather gloves and stickers for our vehicles that waived a day use fee when we visited other Oregon State Parks.

Our flexible work schedule ran from 4:00 to 8:00 each evening, five days a week. We had the option to sell directly from the woodshed or load the cart and park it at our site for our on-duty hours. We opted to keep the wood cart at our motorhome. Two times during each shift, we drove through the park to make firewood available at the campsites. While working, we took a dinner break. Customers often appeared at our door. At the end of each shift, we counted the money, filled out a report, and dropped the paperwork and receipts into a designated slot at the entrance booth.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, another volunteer covered our duties, affording us full days to sightsee. Workdays were free until mid-afternoon, which allowed time to attend Sunday church services in Tillamook and hike or explore museums in the area.

Our busiest times occurred on weekends. Families with children and dogs trekked into the park and onto the beach, chasing Frisbees, building sand castles, flying kites, and hang gliding from Cape Lookout’s steep slope. Tents sprouted like mushrooms in campsites sheltered by stately old firs and hedged for privacy with shrubbery too thick for a bear to cross. Throughout the campground, towering trees perched on sturdy legs, evidence of their growth on a “nurse” log that eventually rotted from underneath the gnarling roots. A storybook forest shaded most campsites in an ominous shroud, cool on sunny days, but mysteriously dark in a drizzle.

On roadways and mountain slopes surrounding Cape Lookout, vibrant yellow scotch broom splashed the hillsides, creating pockets of beauty throughout the late spring. Within the park, delicate yellow leafy skunk cabbage peeked over fallen logs. Wild ferns covered the forest floor, sweeping down hillsides to lapping ocean waves or creeping up trees to claim extended limbs for window boxes.

On days off, we headed north on Highway 101 toward Astoria, hugging the coastal range and paralleling the ocean. Along the way, we explored picturesque fishing villages and quaint museums and shops. From Oregon’s numerous state parks, waysides, and lookout points, we accessed beaches, trails, and lighthouses, lingering at the ocean’s edge until the last glimmer of sunset dropped behind a distant horizon. On a slender finger of land jutting into the mouth of the Columbia River, we spent several days at Fort Stevens State Park where we caught up with other Workampers volunteering in various roles.

Fran and Velden Fothergill drove 2500 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to volunteer in Oregon State Parks. They led daily walking tours of the Historic Military Batteries at Fort Stevens, trading off with other volunteer couples, who also led walking tours. Armed with flashlights, Velden took the lead for a group of fifth graders, explaining the history of Battery Mishler, which was built in 1900. Fran walked behind making sure no youngster strayed from the circular gun pits with 360-degree fields of fire. At the end of World War II, the guns were removed. Interior tunnels were transformed into the harbor entrance control post for all military forces at the mouth of the Columbia River. Battery Mishler is the only facility of its kind open to the public in the United States.

Erv and Ginger Johnson took turns at Fort Stevens driving an old U.S. Army Cargo and Personnel Truck, touring guests around the once strategic fort. A narrated tape described the historical sites.

“The old trucks are difficult to steer,” Erv says. “Yet, Ginger loves to drive and insists on taking her turn.” During the summer months, the park offers four tours daily and two couples alternate duties.

Approximately 56 to 70 volunteers work for Oregon State Parks in Fort Stevens during the summer months. Cindy and Wayne Wright from Colorado are typical of adventuresome RVers who look forward to meeting new people and enjoying the natural beauty and history, as well as the mild climate, of Oregon. The Wrights serve in Fort Stevens’ museum and general store, dispensing information and selling books, postcards, and souvenirs of the area.

Dick cleaned the full bathroom and the outside of the cabin, often washing the outside of the windows. He scrubbed the stainless steel outdoor grill and cleaned out the fire pit, picked up trash, and swept the porch. Penny cleaned out the refrigerator and microwave. She mopped the wooden parquet floors and sanitized mattresses on the bunk beds and one Futon.

Prior to Memorial Day Weekend, three nights weekly, Penny and Dick held keys for reserved cabins and yurts, or rented any available. On the holiday weekend, the rangers began manning the registration booth at the park’s entrance and eliminated self-registration. Prior to Memorial Day, the Weidls were basically on duty 1:00-8-00 for three days a week, then from 1:00 until they finished cleaning cabins on the other two days.

Another summer month, the Weidls volunteered at Champoeg State Heritage Area on the Williamette River near Salem. Again, they served as camp hosts with basically the same duties, which for the most part, follow similar guidelines in all of Oregon’s State Parks. Dick also agreed to do some maintenance in the park and they both helped with Junior Ranger programs.

Prior to Memorial Day Weekend, Larry Zeller handed out keys for reserved yurts five nights weekly. Cleaning the yurts was his primary daytime duty. Although the park has 13 yurts, he typically cleaned eight or less on a single day. He sanitized beds with a spray, and wiped them down. He dusted, checked light fixtures, dust mopped, and wet mopped floors.

“We have a large house and yard in Salem,” Larry says, noting that although he retired from banking, Evelyn continues to work for a reverse mortgage company catering to seniors. She travels most of Oregon and joins Larry on weekends. “Volunteering a month at a time gives me the time to maintain our home and do some remodeling,” he says. “However, it’s a neat experience to be in the parks for a month. Evelyn comes and goes and gets some needed rest from her stressful job.”

Larry first volunteered at Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park on the central coast three miles south of Florence. “I fell in love with the environment, the people, and especially, the rangers and park manager,” he says. ““Volunteer jobs are what you make of them. We didn’t know what to expect, so we just planned to enjoy the experiences as they came.”

Oregon State Parks offers basic options for volunteers under the headings of campground hosts, program hosts, and caretaker hosts. Benefits include living on-site in the midst of Oregon’s natural beauty. However, various volunteer opportunities are continuously on the drawing board. Folks interested in Workamping on an Oregon dream can check out opportunities at http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/VOL/volunteer-hostdesc.shtml. Applications to volunteer at Oregon State Parks are available for download at http://www.prd.state.or.us/volunteer-results.php