May 2, 2019. We’ve been at Hillman Ferry Campground in the Land Between the Lakes for a little more than a month now, and things have sure changed from only a month ago. Even Mother Nature herself illustrates beautifully what a difference 30 days or so can make.

I knew I’d like it here when they eased us into our workamping duties little by little. We arrived on a Thursday, had 4 hours of on-the-job training Sunday, and didn’t start work until the following Thursday. It was nice to have a few days off to get Felix all set up, and to get a general lay of the land. We were unfamiliar with this part of LBL.

Our job is essentially to welcome campers and visitors and help get them registered. It’s not hard, and it’s rarely stressful…but it can be, like when one camper after another comes in, especially on Friday afternoons.

Hillman Ferry has 374 camp sites, and nice weather—especially on the weekends—ensures that it’ll be hoppin’. Most campers are patient and understand that only one RV can be registered at a time, but there’s that occasional person who’s never been here before and thinks that things ought to move along faster. We’re to stay calm, smile, and do our best to encourage the campers to wait patiently inside their vehicle until it’s their turn to go to the registration window. Most people oblige without any problem. After all, everybody’s here to have fun.

Dave and I work 8-hour shifts at the gatehouse, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We split the shift, with me usually working the first four hours and him taking the last four. This schedule works out great since we can still get our RV chores done, as well as having time to do our own ‘thing.’ Writing for me, or in Dave’s case, updating HBC’s website, http://hopkinsvillebrewingcompany.com/

Our job requires a fair amount of walking, which I really like! On an average day, we probably walk a couple of miles. But on a weekend, it’s a lot more. By the way, Dave’s new knee is doing GREAT!

Our campsite is in one of the least populated parts of the campground It’s one of ten sites at the top of a hill where the other nine are “seasonal.” LBL has an annual lottery every January for 50, 3-month, 6-month, and 9-month sites. Lottery winners must choose the site they want on the day of the lottery, and be prepared to pay for it up front.

These seasonal campers are then able to set up their campers for the long-term, and most of the ones we’ve seen have all the comforts of home to include porches, wooden steps, privacy fencing of some sort, outside freezers and refrigerators, party tents, and enough firewood to last a while. And most, if not all, have golf carts to get around in.

As such, we see our neighbors mostly on the weekend, and they are all very nice. Otherwise, it’s just us. It’s very peaceful.

We took my bike in for a tune-up, and now I ride it to work on the weekdays (when it’s less crowded) and on the weekends I hike a trail to the gatehouse. Either way is lovely. I am so grateful to live in this paradise! Being surrounded by nature is like heaven on earth.

I have a feeling that more will be revealed as our time here goes on because there is so much to learn about so many things! As volunteers, we get free admission to all of LBL’s attractions, like the Planetarium, the Nature Station, and the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm, and we intend to take advantage of those opportunities, especially when we have our grandkids with us. I am very excited and very grateful for this time of growth and change!