Our Summer

How we spent our summer.

Okay, we are back in Iowa and here is the straight skinny on what our summer at Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA of the Rockies was REALLY like. Please read through to the end. ;-)

First off we arrived the last few days of May and it was cold and rainy. The campsites were all unlevel and it took much maneuvering to find one even remotely level. We had to gather wood blocks and make many adjustments to get it right. Not level means many things to an Rver that may not be apparent to others. The refrigerator does not operate properly. Doors will not stay open or shut etc. Rv's are not designed to sit on their skinny little leveling legs with their tires off the ground but we saw that many times throughout the summer.

Once it dried out the dust was awful. The speed limit was 5 MPH in the campgrounds and while not many obeyed it even at that low speed the dust permeated every nook and cranny of the RV. I finally did battle with it by getting out a hose and wetting down the road in front of our place. It helped a little for a short time.

Next the electricity was 15 amps! Yes, I typed it correctly 15 amps!!! In this day of “enlightenment” we were inadequately lit!! Not many people can run their entire household on 15 amps of electricity and we couldn't either! To run the microwave we had to turn off the heater. To run the washer we turned off all other things and running both washer and dryer at the same time was simply impossible.

The rarefied air of the Colorado Rockies took more than a little getting used to. My throat, eyes, nose and skin were exceedingly dry. My lungs screamed for oxygen. Ascending the slightest hill made me huff and puff. To feel a little acclimated took about two weeks and I did feel I might live to tell the tale after two days.

The water was good and fairly soft. It tasted great if you let the water run for awhile before tasting it. That may have been peculiar to our RV. We could never quite figure that one out.

We had a sewer connection so that part of our RV needs was not a problem either.

Until mid to late June we wore blue jeans and jackets. From late June through late August short sleeved shirts and shorts were comfortable but we needed a light jacket in early morning and late evening. The dryness of the air made it very comfortable once the adjustments had been made. There were perhaps three days whereby air conditioning would have been turned on had we been able to do so and then only for a couple of hours. All night time temperatures were never higher than the 40's. The furnace/heater ran most nights. It was great for sleeping.

Laundry was easy. I washed clothes in my washer and Butch rigged up a clothesline for me and I hung them outdoors. They dried in minutes! Much faster than the drier.

And now onto the JOB. Campground Attendants. I plan to insert a list of our actual duties at this point.

Campground Attendants

Check restrooms:

Pick up paper scraps from floor.

Pick up hairballs from shower mats.

Check stools for code browns etc.

Check toilet paper and paper towel dispensers

Give sinks a quick wipe down

Pick up Arrival and Departure sheets from Admin

Pick up supplies from housekeeping if needed ( before 9:00AM)

Fill out work sheets:

Coordinate our work sheet with admins A and D sheets

Mark A & D with last checkout date.

Place used A & D sheets in folder under desk

Put arrival name cards on site posts AFTER departures

Fill empty hummingbird feeders

Water all plants and flowers including sanctuary

Check and clean firepits

Check cans for garbage pickup

and place orange sticks on those that need picked up

Watch that departures depart by 12:00 noon- Remind if necessary

Call Base when all have departed and sites are ready for arrivals

Clean Restrooms between noon and one or when there is low use.

Take all supplies to area

Place cleaning in process signs outside area to be cleaned

FIRST sweep floors

Take shower mats outside, spray with disinfectant, rinse with hose and place on garbage cans to dry.

With broom, push down paper towels in wastebaskets-change if full enough

Place small amount of Spic n Span in stools and brush with toilet brush

Wipe down all toilet surfaces with cleaner

Spray shower stalls with Spic n Span and brush with square blue shower brush, rinse

Clean mirrors with glass cleaner and paper towels

Clean sinks and counters with cleaner

Take entry mats outside and shake out dirt- Hose down if muddy

Mop floors -(use small amount of Spic n Span in mop water)

Replace entry mats

Place wet floor signs out if needed

Repeat procedure for each restroom- Hopi mens and womens, handicapped and Geronimo mens and womens

Refill supplies

Rinse out mop and bucket

At first I thought it was difficult but before long Butch and I established a routine and it went like clockwork. None of it was hard after learning what was expected and getting our routine established.

After watching others work in various positions on the grounds we decided we had the best job!

Our boss, Marilynn was easy to work for and an extremely hard worker herself.

At first Butch grumbled, about the unlevel sites and the inadequate electricity etc.,etc.,etc. I finally told him I had had enough and to decide he liked it well enough to stay or lets get on the road. No, he said let's stick it out for awhile longer and see if it got better. It did. He finally made peace with himself and his surroundings. Some people have a learning curve. We had an adjustment curve.

We each worked three eight hour days a week.

On our days off we did take part in staff outings and other outings on our own. Butch did pay $100 for the privilege of playing golf for an additional $34 to play after 2:00 PM . He played once a week, sometimes twice. It is pricey and he does not plan to do that again. That is what he says now...we will see.

The food was fantastic...for about the first five weeks. It was still fantastic after that but we were tired of it. But it was part of our perks so we still didn't do much cooking at home and eating out in the mountain resort areas is costly. So we stuck with the food at the Commons and grumbled some about the lack of variety. For the people coming for the weekend or even the week I am sure they were very happy with it. After all it did take us five weeks, three meals a day to become grumbly.

We made many new friends at Snow Mountain Ranch and plan to stay in touch with all that we can. We played Bridge many nights with Lum and Donna. Mealtimes were as much a social time as a time to eat. And we looked forward to the conversation as much as the food...sometimes more so!!

There are many things the Y does right and we appreciate those things a great deal and we enjoyed being a part of many of them.

The International students are a wonderful part of the Y and what better place to get acquainted, at least a little, with people from many different countries.

Another wonderful thing that happens there are the heritage camps where children from other cultures who now live in the USA for various reasons can come together and learn about their birth culture. The Chinese heritage camp was the last one this year and I noticed that many of the little China dolls were females and I was reminded of China's views on girls. I am sure their lives are very different than they could have been and yet they have a need to know their roots.

The Y also gives ordinary families a chance to tighten their bonds through activities such as hiking, fishing, camping and crafting.

There are many other great things at the Y and we enjoyed them too.

**** I forgot to add that the hummingbirds and wildflowers are awesome!! There are pictures circulating all the time with hummers eating out of people's hands. I did not realize how easily that is done until this summer. And the wildflowers blew me away!! Everywhere you look there are flowers and they are not planted. They grow on their own and you would think they are carefully tended gardens. I was constantly amazed by this beauty...and of course the mountains, always present, always beautiful but never the same.****

As the season ended it was time to decide if we wanted to fill out “Rehire Papers”. I left that decision to Butch because of earlier grumbling. He filled them out and he put the dates in so we do plan to return to Snow Mountain Ranch next summer and reconnect with all the new friends we made and get to know some newer ones I am sure.

The Y needs volunteers in many positions throughout the summer season so if you think it is something you would like to do too let me know and I will steer you in the right direction.