This is our 6th year being retired. We began volunteering in the parks a few years ago and thoroughly enjoy it. In addition to the altruistic reasons, we get to experience what it's like to actually LIVE in another area of the country. This year we signed up to camp-host for two month at Spencer Spit, a Washington State Park on Lopez Island in the San Juans. The campground is DEEP in the forest but the activities are on the beach. We packed up our water toys and arrived ready to play.
The
first thing a retired person notices is the cost of living in a new place.
Lopez Island has one grocery store (not a supermarket), one hardware store,
and two gas stations. You can tell from the prices that everything you're
buying includes a substantial shipping charge. The Park Rangers go "off-island"
for medical and dental care. Not only does that make each visit an all-day
affair, it adds a $30 ferry ride to the cost. Cellphone coverage is sporadic
throughout the island and nonexistent at our campsite deep in the forest.
Our dial-up ISP (Earthlink) doesn't have a presence here, so the only way
that we can pick up email or surf the net is via a charge-by-the-minute 800
number connection. It feels like we're more remote than we are.
Spencer
Spit is a triangular-shaped sand spit that juts into the channel between Lopez
and Frost islands. It is at least 1/4 mile long and stops about 100 feet before
reaching the other island. They say it will never reach the other island,
however, because a strong tidal current rushing both ways through the channel
scours it clean. A lot of boats moor off the spit and the people use their
dinghies to come ashore. Several walk-in camp spots are located at the base
of the cliff that are often occupied by boaters looking for a little land-time.
The
30 camp spots that we're hosting are located high on the hill and deep in
the forest. You can't see the water from these spots. In fact, with the heavy
brush and tree cover, you can't even see another campsite from these spots!
Every one of the sites is large and really private. 5 of the sites are walk-in
and 10 are drive through. The long drive-through spots are kind of wasted
though since RV's are a rarity due to the cost of bringing them over on the
ferry. Campfires are necessary in this cool, damp climate. There is a stack
of firewood behind our campspot and the campers come around every evening
to get some at $4/bundle. We also have is a resident deer
family in the camp that keeps everybody company.
This
is the most laid-back of any park that we've been to. Maybe it's the island
environment (some refer to Lopez island as "Slowpez"). The park
has 2 rangers, 3 park assistants, and 1 volunteer in addition to us. This
is also the friendliest park we've been in. The park staff has group crabbing
and clamming sessions; they then get together for a community meal made from
the harvest. Larry, the other volunteer, showed us how to prepare
crabs: hold him by the legs and claws, get his attention by rapping his
nose on a rock, then tear off the shell and rip him in half. No thank you!
The clams are a lot easier, just steam them until they die. Their muscle relaxes,
the shell opens and they're ready to eat.
The
island doesn't get a lot of visiting tourists, at least not by California/Nevada
standards. Fourth of July is the season's busiest holiday, and the only day
(so far) that our 30 camping spots were filled. The park entered a float in
the 4th of July parade (I think half the people on the island were in the
parade). Our float was built on the Park's dump truck. Every now and again
the truck would stop and the performers would jump off to line up in formation
brandishing their water guns. The bed of the truck would rise to expose
a catapult that would then launch candy into the crowd. Bob's job was
to attack the formation as they returned to their
duty stations. We were all soaked from the water gun battles.
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