Moving Day Lemonade - (Canyonlands NP, Utah)

I'm starting with the solar update for today.  :)

Yesterday afternoon was cloudy and the temps dropped rapidly.  Our panels couldn't charge the batteries past minus 65 amp hours because of the clouds.

By the time we did our normal routine last night and this morning and ran the furnace this morning in the 30 degree temperatures, we were down 175 amp hours.  Reluctantly, we kicked on the generator for about an hour for a little recovery.  That took us down to a 120 amp hour deficit.

From the time we turned off the generator and inverter until the time we arrived at our next destination, our solar panels charged our batteries - even while traveling.  By the time we actually set up in a site (much later than planned as you will see later), our batteries were charged 100 percent - no deficit at all!

We made up 120 amp hours and we were thrilled.  It was a bright spot in a somewhat disappointing day.  :)  

Well, it was one of those weird days in our journey.

We were looking so forward to getting to the Squaw Flats Campground in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

The campground is a strict first-come, first-served campground.  You have to get there early in the morning to claim a site when people vacate.  Until they are gone, the site is still theirs.

However, since Canyonlands and Arches are both part of the Southeast Utah Group of national parks, we were told (by three different people) that we could have a couple sites set aside as a favor for our service as volunteers.

It seemed like such a little thing since we put in over 850 hours per couple in our two months of camphosting.  You wouldn't think it would be asking too much, especially since we were not asking for free sites, just a hold until we got there.

I went through the proper channels, tried to get it organized a week ahead of time, and did my best to confirm each day.  And ... you guessed it.

We drove 100 miles to find that we only had one site.

We listened to the explanations of what happened and were trying to be flexible even though we were extremely frustrated.  All we were looking for was a little understanding and a willingness to work with us to come up with possible solutions.

From a few of the staff and the campground host, we got that attempt at cooperation, but the person in charge treated us like we were just a burden.  It was basically "We tried, it didn't work out". She said there never was a guarantee that we could be accomodated.

Well, we knew there was no guarantee we would get the sites we requested, but there was actually a commitment that two sites would be available.  Otherwise, we never would have driven our two large rigs into this remote location in the afternoon hoping it would work out.

It's been a long time since I was as angry as I was today.  Not so much because we didn't have the sites - things happen.  But the lack of respect shown for our predicament by one person was insulting.  We deserved better treatment than that.

Our plan was that the four of us would stay at least four days and enjoy the park.  Because we worked opposite shifts at Arches, we didn't get to do much exploring together.  We were really looking forward to being able to do that here.

We thought we had things worked out with a ranger and the camphost until the person in charge asked to speak to me again.  I thought maybe she came up with a solution or compromise.

But no.  She had called our supervisor at Arches, whom we had not involved at all, to tell here what a hassle we were, and that they would not assist with this kind of thing in the future.  And she laid out our choices which were simply not acceptable.

One of us could take the site set aside for us and one of us could stay in the vacant group site for tonight and grab another site in the morning.  But whoever took the group site would have to pay the group site rate at more than double the regular site fee.  I don't think so.

Jack & Danielle ended up leaving the park and finding a spot on BLM land - almost four hours after we arrived.

We took the one site available to us, but even though it is one of the best sites in the campground ("it" factor and everything) ....

the day was pretty much ruined to that point.  We couldn't enjoy ourselves.

We feel like we are not wanted here, so we only paid for one night.

We went to visit Jack & Danielle's site to discuss our options for the next few days.  It turns out they are very happy with where they ended up.  They have beautiful views, their internet air card works, and it's free!

Ultimately, we decided we will leave the campground tomorrow and join Jack & Danielle at their BLM site (which ain't bad!).

We will explore the park from there and it will be a true boondocking experience and .... it's free!

Now, if I didn't think it would be a complete waste of time and energy, I would fire off a letter.  Believe me, there is a lot more to this story than is being told here.  But I prefer to sleep on it and let this pass so we can get on with the enjoyment of this beautiful country.

You know the old saying "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade".  Well, we're going to squeeze a lot of juice the next few days.  :)

 

Comments

[Paul Hildebrant]

Howard good idea to sleep on it. Just remember those people do not have the people skills of Howard and Linda and Jack and Danielle. Boondocking is good.

[travelinbob]

Howard, doesn't your TV charge your 5er batteries while you drive down the road ?
Also 850 hours worked per couple ? That comes out to a 53 hour work week !!
Concerning your CG mixup... your first statemnet was it was a strict first come first served. Bob

[Cindy T]

Wow! What an amazing overreaction by the person in charge! Calling your supervisor seems completely ridiculous. As polite & considerate as both you & Linda are, I have no doubt that you were not being a pain in any way. I hope this memory fades quickly & you enjoy the rest of your time in that beautiful place!

[Ken and Fran]

Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story (as the line goes)...

As I suppose most of the RV-Dreams family of readers will also be thinking...none of us want to encounter those kind of attitudes in our travels...

Either in hosting opportunities or as a visitor...

What are they thinking? Or not, as I suppose.

They obviously do not know how many RV'ers seriously read your site...

Anger is so energy draining...sorry you had to experience that...glad the four of you have found a better place to be...from the photo the (BLM) site is much better anyway!

Glad also you got the panels operational and they are exceeding your expectations...

Happy travels....

Blessings,

Fran

[Teresa]

Howard,

Write the letter. I know you have now slept on it and you are trying to make lemonade out of lemons, but still that person who treated you badly is an employee. Most of us pay taxes and those taxes pay the salaries of park employees.

It isn't always what happens to us, it's how we are treated that is the most annoying.

Until someone says something, that person will end up running people off as a result of her poor people skills. It amazes me how some people cannot even FAKE IT and PRETEND they are sorry for the situation. It's not always the job you do..........it's the job people THINK you are doing. Her supervisor needs to hear from you. Something tells me it's not the first time she has annoyed someone.

There, now I FEEL BETTER :)

[Ray Scrafield]

No good deed goes unpunished. Kind of makes you wonder how that person got put in charge. It is a shame that for all the good you and Linda as well as Jack and Danielle have done that you have to put up with someone that has a "too much power" attitude. I would take the time to fire off that letter just to let someone know that this particular person should not be in an authoritative position. Maybe she needs a little sensitivity training. Like I said before, it's a good thing you're doing it and not me. She'd be skinned and hanging from the side of a shed somewhere. But that's just me. Stay happy.
Ray

[Sandra]

It's very obvious that not a lot of campgrounds have your people skills and are willing to do their best to accommodate. Remember that and carry on!

[Laurel]

I'm sorry you guys had such a challenging experience. That supervisor could learn from you and Linda how to be welcoming, compassionate, and creative at problem-solving! She must be a very unhappy person to have such an unpleasant and rigid way of being in the world.

Just keep on enjoying your lives and making the best out of every situation, as you two are so good at doing.

[foxriverguy]

Here is another way of looking at it. Maybe, just maybe these cranky folks used to be nice, but after having campers knock on their door at 2:00 a.m. or having campers take a dump on the ground or having campers violate all the rules, then these hosts just got fed up.
Unfortunately, the behavior you described is all too prevalent today.

That is why is is so refreshing to read about how you and Linda interact with others in the "RV community." We need more ambassadors of good will out there.

[Mary M]

Too bad you had such a negative experience...you could look on the bright side and be thankfull that it took this long to run into someone like that. There certainly are other ways of telling you that your arrangements just didn't work out rather than the apparent rudeness that you experienced ...hope it takes you just as long to run into someone like that again.

[Robbie Simons]

Howard & Linda,

So sorry for your misfortune with those types of people, they are amongst us! They have no idea of the joy that can be had by helping others like we observed the two of you doing at Arches.

Your experience reinforces our commitment to boondocking. You now have the tools (solar) to do it right and not have to put up with that type people.

Our most memorable RVing experiences have never been in a structured campground. With some different planning, you will find your niche.

Our niche; we call it freedom….with no first-come-first served rules.

Happy boondocking!