Chapt. 4: A Summary of our South Beach Summer: Adventures happened both without and within

We embarked on our camp hosting journey because we want to spend more time in our phenomenal Oregon State Parks and their environs. Of course. And that's definitely happening. But another reason we do it is to meet a broad range of people.

And boy is THAT ever happening.

Learning to run a POS machine (that's point of sale, people . . . get your minds out of the gutter for goodness sakes) or clean a yurt is all well and good of course. But a big takeaway after our first camp hosting gig is what we're learning about folks we wouldn't ordinarily come in contact with in our circle of friends.

That can be both good and not-so-good. But we've had some surprises along the way, and some lessons we've internalized about making hasty judgments based on . . . whatever.

The camp hosts we've met so far have largely adhered to the "keep your politics to yourself" admonition, as have we -- not only in our interactions with guests, but with other hosts. While it stands to reason that folks with longer-term relationships or closer friendships may go down that rabbit hole, we haven't been put into any situations (from other hosts) where we felt our beliefs/values were being criticized, although I'm fairly confident we're not all on the same page politically.

An interesting thing happens when you remove that lens. You can look for ways to relate, or for things you have in common. What a concept. We've enjoyed finding those things and learning what has drawn others to host in the parks. As a wise friend once told me, "People don't have to be better, they don't have to be worse. They're just different."

Guests, of course, are not required to be circumspect or diplomatic, and although the vast majority are pleasant and courteous, there are naturally exceptions.

Since we live in Portland, the city comes up often in the "where are you from" conversations we have with guests. We've discovered that our town is an irresistible target of derision for many Oregonians who live just about anywhere else in the state. They often feel free to share their negative thoughts without much editing.

"It just makes me sick what they've done to Portland," one eighty-something man shared. I replied, "Oh we love it there. It's a great place to live." Which we do, and it is. I could speculate on who the "they" are that have reportedly ruined Portland -- or guess whether this man has actually been in Portland in the last year (or ever) to enjoy the fantastic food and endless cultural opportunities . . . but . . . we just change the subject.

We also witnessed how homelessness played out in our park. A 50-something disheveled man wearing flip flops (in unrelenting rain) came into the hospitality center to buy a hoodie. "My cat had kittens and I need this to keep them warm," he said. We later saw him, cats in arms, setting up a ramshackle tent in the hiker/biker area where he stayed for several days. We heard, although can't confirm, that someone in the park provided him with shoes and some money before he left.

One day while we were on yurt duty, a woman in her 30s whose mostly-missing teeth and overall physical appearance suggested current or former addiction, approached us. "I'll be out by checkout time," she explained, "I just need to take my stuff to my storage unit in Newport." It dawned on me later that for the $40 yurt rental, she had secured one night of dry, warm and safe sleep. She left the yurt clean, but we scratched our heads over the box of floor tile she left behind. Guessing there's a story there.

And there was the couple who pulled up to the ranger booth in a pre-2000s-vintage RV and asked if they could be camp hosts in exchange for a campsite. The ranger explained that that's not really how the process works. "I think they just don't have anywhere to go," she remarked.

Our overall experience . . . with everyone . . . has been overwhelmingly positive. It was not unusual for people to walk up to us and thank us for volunteering. One man, presumably from out-of-state, came up and gushed, "You all really know how to run your parks. We've never seen anything like these state parks."

Well, me neither. And I'd love to take credit for that but . . . I'm just shoveling out the firepit today.

"We told our grandson if you all had to pick up anything on the campsite, he'd have to apologize to you," another woman said -- kind of kiddingly. "Clean as a whistle," I yelled over to the teenager. "You get to live another day."

Here's a summary of what you (as a host or explorer) can expect from South Beach, and some of our favorite adventures from the area:

South Beach is a big park, so there's lots to do and the hosts all stay pretty busy. And that's fine. The only thing we felt lacking was the amount of socializing with the other hosts. And that could be on us, because we were new and didn't know anyone, plus we were kind of segregated in a beautiful (but very secluded) site that discouraged casual interactions. We appreciated our next-door neighbors who we did get to know and were a great source of information. Do we plan to return? Absolutely.

What we looooooove about the area.

1. The beach at the park is great for hiking. You can go at least three miles if you head south (probably much farther). After about 1.5 miles you get past where most of the traffic goes, and you can find lots of agates.

2. The Cooper Ridge Trail inside the park. Don't overlook this little gem. We'd often hike it on days we were on duty (after work, of course, we're not slackers).

3. One of our favorite mountain hiking spots is Beaver Creek State Natural Area.. Turn left at Ona Beach. You're welcome.

4. Yachats isn't too far, and Cape Perpetua is one of our most cherished places. We did Amanda's Trail - it was a challenge for me due to the unrelenting up-ness of it. But gorgeous. And worth the effort.

5. There's often live jazz in the summer at Luna Sea in Seal Rock.

6. Newport. Local Ocean. One of the few eating spots we've discovered to date that we would actually label "excellent." If you know of others, please share.

7. Sweet Creek Falls Trail in the coast range east of Florence. Do-able for even non-hikers and soooooooo stunningly pretty. A longer day trip, but worth every mile.

And so ends my recounting of our experience in South Beach. Next up: our current posting at Shore Acres. Spoiler alert: swooning.

This little girl's pink hat just knocked me out.

A hike down the beach is a day well-spent.

Camp cats Jazz and Suzie

Believe the sign. It's fun stuff. And stunning when the rhodies are blooming.