Laundry...we've all got to do it. As workampers, laundry is usually included as part of our compensation at the campground. At the KOA in NM we got quarters that were painted different colors (ours were red) and when they emptied the machines, they sorted out the different colored quarters for the workers. We used the same machines that the guests used and because we knew the busy times to avoid, we generally could get 2 or 3 loads done in a reasonable amount of time.
At the KOA in Statesville, the employees got keys to the dreaded Laundry Trailer...which is exactly what it sounds like, a dilapidated old trailer with one washer and one dryer to be used by about 15 people. Fortunately, Chris handled most of the laundry chores while we were there.
Although I work at the campground here, laundry is not included, so that means a trip to the laundromat.
In general, I've found I don't mind the laundromat too much because you can get a lot of laundry done in a short time.
We've been to two different laundromats since we got here, Lucille's and a place whose name I can't remember so we'll all it The Other Place (TOP).
Location:
Lucille's is about 2 miles away and reasonably easy to get to.
TOP is about 5 miles away.
Lucille's wins this category and scores one lint trap.
Entertainment/Ambiance
Neither place has WiFi, so that's a wash (har-har). Lucille's has three TVs, but the volume is off on all of them and the closed captioning isn't on, so not really very useful. TOP has several TVs and each is on low volume...enough for you to hear but it doesn't blast and interfere w/the other TVs. TOP also has a nice seating area near one TV.
TOP wins this category and scores one lint trap.
Cost
Both places seem to charge about the same per wash. But, at TOP you get 7 or 8 mins per 25 cents in the dryers and at Lucille's only 5 mins. Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but for a dollar, you get 28 mins vs. 20 and that's a big deal in dryer times.
TOP wins this category and scores another lint trap.
Convenience/Layout
Both places seem to have plenty of machines, but Lucille's is cramped and even though there were only a few people there, we had to dance around each other to get to our machines. TOP is spacious with wide aisles, an attendant on the premises, lots of windows and automatic doors. That might not seem like a big deal, but when you have your hands full of laundry baskets, wrestling a door is a big pain in the butt.
TOP wins this category too.
With a score of 3 lint traps to one, TOP wins.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Things I Get To Drive
One of the nice things about working at the campground at Carowinds is that there are a variety of jobs and everyone gets a turn. At KOA it's pretty much women inside, men outside. Things are much more egalitarian at Carowinds...which means I'll also have a stint at cleaning the bathrooms.
But, I also get to drive the tram back and forth to the park (free for campground guests. We run every half hour on busy days and every hour on slower days) and I also get to drive a golf cart around the campground when I need to check on things...you know, in my official capacity as an official employee in my uniform. So far that has just meant checking to see if the campers who were supposed to leave have actually left and picking up any random trash that they didn't take to the dumpsters.
On Saturday night I drove the tram. It's about a 10 min round trip drive. There was a large group of teenagers staying in the lodge and a couple of cabins. On the way back they were very chatty about their adventures, which was fun for the length of our trip back, but I'm glad that was the extent of it.
I'll try to get a picture of the tram. It's a big van that seats 12 but it has a high ceiling and it's much larger than the little red car I'm used to driving.
Otherwise, we're pretty boring. Ironically, we haven't been inside the park since orientation.
But, I also get to drive the tram back and forth to the park (free for campground guests. We run every half hour on busy days and every hour on slower days) and I also get to drive a golf cart around the campground when I need to check on things...you know, in my official capacity as an official employee in my uniform. So far that has just meant checking to see if the campers who were supposed to leave have actually left and picking up any random trash that they didn't take to the dumpsters.
On Saturday night I drove the tram. It's about a 10 min round trip drive. There was a large group of teenagers staying in the lodge and a couple of cabins. On the way back they were very chatty about their adventures, which was fun for the length of our trip back, but I'm glad that was the extent of it.
I'll try to get a picture of the tram. It's a big van that seats 12 but it has a high ceiling and it's much larger than the little red car I'm used to driving.
Otherwise, we're pretty boring. Ironically, we haven't been inside the park since orientation.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Enjoying the Quiet
I've made a few comments to people that we'd need to get cable or a divorce. I now retract that statement.
We're without any TV channels at all, not even the dreaded ION Channel that we got in Tennessee. Maybe we'd feel differently if it was winter or cold outside, but we're enjoying the quiet.
Our site is secluded and there are lots of mature trees, so with the windows open we can hear the breeze and the birds. We've both been working days so by the time we get home and have dinner and walk the dog, we sit outside for a little while enjoying the evening and have found (so far) that we don't miss TV.
Chris got some movies the other day and though he enjoyed watching them, we both commented that they sure seemed loud.
The other night we sat outside and chatted with our neighbors. It was like being in the campground version of the Andy Griffith show. Actually, last night there was a guy a few sites away playing a guitar and singing...so it was like Andy Griffith.
Now if only Floyd The Barber would stop by.
We're without any TV channels at all, not even the dreaded ION Channel that we got in Tennessee. Maybe we'd feel differently if it was winter or cold outside, but we're enjoying the quiet.
Our site is secluded and there are lots of mature trees, so with the windows open we can hear the breeze and the birds. We've both been working days so by the time we get home and have dinner and walk the dog, we sit outside for a little while enjoying the evening and have found (so far) that we don't miss TV.
Chris got some movies the other day and though he enjoyed watching them, we both commented that they sure seemed loud.
The other night we sat outside and chatted with our neighbors. It was like being in the campground version of the Andy Griffith show. Actually, last night there was a guy a few sites away playing a guitar and singing...so it was like Andy Griffith.
Now if only Floyd The Barber would stop by.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Feeling Old
As I've mentioned, the WiFi here is slow and unreliable. We've been assured that it will be fixed "in two weeks".
Yesterday, while I was working in the campground office, the manager came in. It was his day off, but he just moved and didn't have WiFi plus he had a couple work things to do, so he thought he'd come in and work at the lodge.
Despite the many complaints by campers (and me) he had no idea how really bad the WiFi was. He was trying to download some music and having no luck. Frustrated, he turned to me (in that same wide-eyed way I'd asked my grandparents about The Depression) and said "Is this what it was like with dial-up?"
Yesterday, while I was working in the campground office, the manager came in. It was his day off, but he just moved and didn't have WiFi plus he had a couple work things to do, so he thought he'd come in and work at the lodge.
Despite the many complaints by campers (and me) he had no idea how really bad the WiFi was. He was trying to download some music and having no luck. Frustrated, he turned to me (in that same wide-eyed way I'd asked my grandparents about The Depression) and said "Is this what it was like with dial-up?"
Monday, April 20, 2015
Restaurant Review: Coasters
Who'da thought we'd be able to review an exclusive restaurant? One so exclusive that none of you will be able to eat there.
Yes, it's true.
Coasters is the Carowinds employee cafeteria. That's right. Employees only. No spouses or kids unless they have a job at Carowinds.
All of the people who have been here for a year or more have raved about the improvements due to a new chef, so we arrived at a good time.
We've been there twice. Atmosphere isn't great. Pretty basic cafeteria decor and you know how I feel about eating off of trays. But, we still think it's one of the best perks of working here.
There's a daily special as well as a few standard menu items: cheeseburger and fries, chicken strips and fries, wraps and a salad bar. Remember the vast majority of employees are teenagers.
On our first trip Chris had the daily special which was chicken Quesadillas and I had chicken strips and fries (because I'm like a teenager). The servings were plentiful and everything was tasty. Dirnks are free, so our entire dinner was about $7.50.
Saturday night we both had the special---meat lasagna, green beans and garlic bread. We also made a giant salad at the salad bar. The lasagna was excellent and again, the servings were plentiful. Tab for Saturday date night at Coasters: $10.79.
We didn't even touch the salad, so we put it in a to go container and headed home.
Turns out you can't take a salad (or any food from Coasters) out of the park without a receipt. We didn't know that, so we had to wait at security with our contraband greens and tomatoes while the security guard called Coasters to verify our purchase before we got clearance to leave the park with our Styrofoam container of salad.
But, what's a Saturday night without running afoul of security?
Yes, it's true.
Coasters is the Carowinds employee cafeteria. That's right. Employees only. No spouses or kids unless they have a job at Carowinds.
All of the people who have been here for a year or more have raved about the improvements due to a new chef, so we arrived at a good time.
We've been there twice. Atmosphere isn't great. Pretty basic cafeteria decor and you know how I feel about eating off of trays. But, we still think it's one of the best perks of working here.
There's a daily special as well as a few standard menu items: cheeseburger and fries, chicken strips and fries, wraps and a salad bar. Remember the vast majority of employees are teenagers.
On our first trip Chris had the daily special which was chicken Quesadillas and I had chicken strips and fries (because I'm like a teenager). The servings were plentiful and everything was tasty. Dirnks are free, so our entire dinner was about $7.50.
Saturday night we both had the special---meat lasagna, green beans and garlic bread. We also made a giant salad at the salad bar. The lasagna was excellent and again, the servings were plentiful. Tab for Saturday date night at Coasters: $10.79.
We didn't even touch the salad, so we put it in a to go container and headed home.
Turns out you can't take a salad (or any food from Coasters) out of the park without a receipt. We didn't know that, so we had to wait at security with our contraband greens and tomatoes while the security guard called Coasters to verify our purchase before we got clearance to leave the park with our Styrofoam container of salad.
But, what's a Saturday night without running afoul of security?
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Real Working People
I started my job on Monday and Chris had his first day on Tuesday. I'm working in the campground and I think I will enjoy the job. Currently I'm working about 25-30 hours per week and that's fine with me.
Chris is in the "wardrobe boutique"---they distribute all the uniforms and other items employees might need. Those of you who know Chris can probably imagine how that might go with him outfitting a bunch of teenagers. Fortunately, Carowinds has already determined the specific uniform for each job so there won't be a lot of opportunity to go free form. The foreign students will arrive in about a month so his duties will change a bit then, but I think he'll be working in the wardrobe boutique in between driving.
Ironically, he doesn't have to wear a uniform.
I do. It's not my best look. I don't mind the shirt, which is a dark blue golf shirt, but the shorts are pretty bad. Although they gave them a woman's size, they are basically cut for men so in order to have enough fabric to get around my rear end, there's excess around my waist. Sexy.
I"m looking more and more like a camper every day.
No, there won't be any pictures, so don't even ask.
Chris is in the "wardrobe boutique"---they distribute all the uniforms and other items employees might need. Those of you who know Chris can probably imagine how that might go with him outfitting a bunch of teenagers. Fortunately, Carowinds has already determined the specific uniform for each job so there won't be a lot of opportunity to go free form. The foreign students will arrive in about a month so his duties will change a bit then, but I think he'll be working in the wardrobe boutique in between driving.
Ironically, he doesn't have to wear a uniform.
I do. It's not my best look. I don't mind the shirt, which is a dark blue golf shirt, but the shorts are pretty bad. Although they gave them a woman's size, they are basically cut for men so in order to have enough fabric to get around my rear end, there's excess around my waist. Sexy.
I"m looking more and more like a camper every day.
No, there won't be any pictures, so don't even ask.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Typing Fast
The wifi seems to be working so I find myself typing really fast in order to send emails and do this post before it disappears.
Today we visited the employee cafeteria where we had a nice lunch for $7, so we were happy about that and expect that we'll visit there often.
There's a family in a site about five doors down that is having a party right now but instead of loud music blaring there's a guy playing the guitar and singing while everyone listens politely. Sadly, he's not a good singer...at all...would it be wrong to complain? "Um...we don't mind the volume, but the quality is pretty bad."
A matter of perspective: When we came and picked out this site, the space next to us was empty and the camper on the other side of that was rather dicey looking (in my opinion). Then when we got here, there was an even dumpier trailer with a family of four adults and three dogs in the space between us and the first dumpy trailer. In addition, this charming family threw trash all over the ground and were generally abrasive. We dreaded six months parked next to them...but voila, they are gone. I'm not sure of the circumstances, but they are not here any more. I think they were asked to leave and if that's the case, then I'm pleased to be at a campground that doesn't put up with bad neighbors.
So now when I look out and see the camper I originally thought was dumpy, I'm happy just not to be looking at the worse camper that was here before.
Stay tuned...hoping to post more coherently and consistently in the future.
Today we visited the employee cafeteria where we had a nice lunch for $7, so we were happy about that and expect that we'll visit there often.
There's a family in a site about five doors down that is having a party right now but instead of loud music blaring there's a guy playing the guitar and singing while everyone listens politely. Sadly, he's not a good singer...at all...would it be wrong to complain? "Um...we don't mind the volume, but the quality is pretty bad."
A matter of perspective: When we came and picked out this site, the space next to us was empty and the camper on the other side of that was rather dicey looking (in my opinion). Then when we got here, there was an even dumpier trailer with a family of four adults and three dogs in the space between us and the first dumpy trailer. In addition, this charming family threw trash all over the ground and were generally abrasive. We dreaded six months parked next to them...but voila, they are gone. I'm not sure of the circumstances, but they are not here any more. I think they were asked to leave and if that's the case, then I'm pleased to be at a campground that doesn't put up with bad neighbors.
So now when I look out and see the camper I originally thought was dumpy, I'm happy just not to be looking at the worse camper that was here before.
Stay tuned...hoping to post more coherently and consistently in the future.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
I Guess We're Really Camping
I'm a little late with this post. The wifi is really sketchy at our new campsite. We do have a wifi hotspot to use but we're closing in on our limit there so right now I am sitting in the lodge of the campground typing away. It's ok, just means I can't check email round the clock, which is probably for the best anyway.
No TV or internet...we really are camping!
We had our orientation on Sunday and that was nice. We're excited to be working here and glad we have jobs we think we'll both like. We're looking forward to going to the park on our own and checking things out.
I might have to compose some posts offline and then copy and paste them here. Wendy Williams is blaring on the TV here at the lodge. I don't mind Wendy, but the volume is head-splitting so I"ll have to end this post here.
No TV or internet...we really are camping!
We had our orientation on Sunday and that was nice. We're excited to be working here and glad we have jobs we think we'll both like. We're looking forward to going to the park on our own and checking things out.
I might have to compose some posts offline and then copy and paste them here. Wendy Williams is blaring on the TV here at the lodge. I don't mind Wendy, but the volume is head-splitting so I"ll have to end this post here.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
We've Moved!
Three weeks ago we learned about job opportunities at Carowinds Amusement Park in Charlotte, NC.
We applied online, went to the employment office (they don't take appointments) and spent two hours waiting for and then completing in person interviews.
After that, the very nice woman, Barb, who is in charge of the workampers called and talked to each of us, doing her best to find jobs that would suit our abilities. Later we each had phone interviews for the specific positions.
Urine tests, background checks, driver's license checks...and three weeks later we are watching the sunset from our new site at Camp Wilderness at Carowinds. The park is open tonight and every now and then we can hear the people screaming on the roller coasters.
What will we be doing here?
They hire about 60 foreign students to work here each summer. They will be staying in a hotel about a mile away. Chris will be driving them back and forth as well as driving them for different excursions like shopping trips or baseball games. When he's not driving, he'll be doing other tasks for the HR department, possibly including the Wardrobe Boutique.
I'll be working at the campground.
We're really pleased that they were able to find jobs that will be interesting and different and don't involve serving food.
We've already moved to the campground, though we don't plan to start our jobs for at least 10 days. We have orientation on Sunday. They have a very strict dress code and men and women are expected to wear collared shirts for orientation. Until three hours ago (there's a Marshall's just a few miles away) I didn't own a collared shirt.
We're excited about a new opportunity, but even more important, I think this will provide plenty of fodder for blog posts.
Click here to go to the Carowinds site.
Click here to go to the list of roller coasters.
Click here to go to NBC Nightly News piece about Fury 325, the newest coaster.
P.S. We get free access to the park!
We applied online, went to the employment office (they don't take appointments) and spent two hours waiting for and then completing in person interviews.
After that, the very nice woman, Barb, who is in charge of the workampers called and talked to each of us, doing her best to find jobs that would suit our abilities. Later we each had phone interviews for the specific positions.
Urine tests, background checks, driver's license checks...and three weeks later we are watching the sunset from our new site at Camp Wilderness at Carowinds. The park is open tonight and every now and then we can hear the people screaming on the roller coasters.
What will we be doing here?
They hire about 60 foreign students to work here each summer. They will be staying in a hotel about a mile away. Chris will be driving them back and forth as well as driving them for different excursions like shopping trips or baseball games. When he's not driving, he'll be doing other tasks for the HR department, possibly including the Wardrobe Boutique.
I'll be working at the campground.
We're really pleased that they were able to find jobs that will be interesting and different and don't involve serving food.
We've already moved to the campground, though we don't plan to start our jobs for at least 10 days. We have orientation on Sunday. They have a very strict dress code and men and women are expected to wear collared shirts for orientation. Until three hours ago (there's a Marshall's just a few miles away) I didn't own a collared shirt.
We're excited about a new opportunity, but even more important, I think this will provide plenty of fodder for blog posts.
Click here to go to the Carowinds site.
Click here to go to the list of roller coasters.
Click here to go to NBC Nightly News piece about Fury 325, the newest coaster.
P.S. We get free access to the park!
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