live. work. dream.

There is one project on my list of workamping duties here at the ranch that I am particularly proud of.

Producing street signs for Vickers Ranch was the perfect opportunity to apply my expertise as a signmaker, brush up on my woodworking skills, and learn to operate a backhoe – all while getting a crash course in condominium plat regulations.

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One of the benefits to workamping at a resort, are the daily freebies you’ll pick up. When we workamped at Riverbend, people were so loopy from the hot water soaking and lord knows what else they were doing, that they often left cool t-shirts, booze, and other sundries behind. Here at Vickers, the guests leave tons of food in the cabins when they check out.

Some days, I’ll bring in a haul like this one. Notice there’s no beer in this photo. Well, there’s only been one or two times that people left behind any sort of tasty alcoholic beverage. Seems like they’ll drink all their booze before finishing their food.

Now, before you go thinking “eeew, sick, you don’t know where that stuff’s been!“, I’ll tell you that I have a few freegan rules about what I bring back: it can’t be home made, must not be in an unmarked package, and be relatively healthy.

Being the tightwad that I am, last month I started doing rough estimates of the dollar value of my daily hauls. In one month alone, I brought in $288 worth of food and other miscellaneous items.

And speaking of saving money, here’s our Road Trip Expense Report for July 2008. We’re saving tons of money here, and have only put in $99 worth of diesel into our tank since June 1st. Town is only 2.5 miles away, so I run most of our errands by bike. Also, notice our food bill. Part of the reason it was so high is because we went to Gunnison and stocked up. Our goal is to not have to go there again. So far so good, I think we have enough provisions till we leave. With a local garden nursery merchant now selling organic produce in town, we’re set.

Here’s to the roofers, framers, and ditch diggers who think they have it harder than those who sit in front of a computer for a living.

They may be right. I know because I now have experience working in both worlds.

Having toiled at a desk, driving a mouse for most of my working life, I’ve had a chance this summer to live the life of a laborer, driving everything from nails to a backhoe.

For years, as a busy desk-bound graphic designer, I often wished I was outside just digging a ditch or something. Now, workamping on a busy guest ranch has taught me to be careful what you wish for. And given me cause to reflect on the intricacies of my life on the job, whether it be behind a desk or under a truck.

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This has been a rough week at the ranch. In the span of three days, two workampers quit, the chef got into an accident and might be out for the season, and some guests are being a challenge. I see the look on my boss’ face, and I can relate.

Back in the day, whenever things would get rough while we were running our old business, I would read this quote on the wall above my computer:

“I’d rather be the captain of my own dinghy than a junior officer on the Titanic.”

-Dr. James Chan, Author of “Spare Room Tycoon; The 70 lessons of sane self-employment.”

It was a constant reminder of why Jim and I were working countless 12 hour days, jumping through flames to deliver impossible client demands, and barely stopping to catch our breath to show Jerry some love. Yet, despite the endless agonies that go along with being self-employed, I’ve never been happier while making a living.

It took me a long time to figure out that I was meant to run my own business.

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Since Jim got the world’s tiniest violin out and told you about his hard days here at the ranch, I’ll take this opportunity to tell you what I’ve been up to.

This summer, for me, it’s all about cleaning. I’m on the housekeeping and laundry squad. Rah! Rah! Rah!

Some days it’s just me, another workamper, and co-owner, Paulette Vickers. Mid-week, my job can be easy, and there might not be a single cabin to clean. On these slow days, I’ll go work in Paulette’s garden, which is a great change of pace, since I love playing in the dirt, and her yard is awesome.

But on the weekends, when we have to turn over nine cabins before 3pm check-in, that’s when things get really dirty, and the “all hands on deck!” call will go out for everyone to pitch in.

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I overheard this Texan tell an Aggie joke about a couple guys framing up a building.

One reaches into his bag, looks at the nail he pulled out and throws it over his shoulder. He pulls out the next nail, looks at it and pounds it into the wall. He continues to do this until the other guy asks, “Why you throwin’ out half the nails?”

First guy replies; “They’re pointing in the wrong direction!”

“Dummy,” he says, “Save ‘em for the other side of the house!”

It got me thinking to the workamping I’ve been doing this summer.

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Find us a boondocking spot in beautiful country in the middle of nowhere, and we’re all over it. When we started looking for a summer workamping gig, we wanted a job in remote, mountain location. There were a couple of forest service jobs we could’ve taken, but we ended up here at Vickers because 1) it paid more, and 2) it offered us the chance to see if we’re resort owner material.

But the one thing we didn’t really consider, were the foodie sacrifices we’d have to make to live and work in a really remote mountain town with a year-round population of 500 people.

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When I first wrote about the Amazon Kindle, I should have known I jumped the gun.

Having worked in technology marketing, I understand the importance of launching products in time for Christmas. But it always bothered me when Sales insisted on going to market before items were ready to ship. Which is apparently just what Amazon did last December.

But a couple months back Amazon announced that the Kindle wireless portable reading device is indeed now shipping. For real. So I waited a while to be sure, and sure enough, you can get your own Kindle for just $359. I heard it on NPR, it must be true.

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Pardon me for being an oddball RVer, but I’m just not the GPS type. Give me a map and compass, or a local to ask for directions any day.

If you’re planning the next leg of your journey or a new road trip and need a current atlas, now is the time to shop at Maps.com and save! Through July 31, you can get 5% OFF all orders at Maps.com! Just use the promotion code HEAT5 upon checkout to receive your discount.

Or, use the promo code HEAT10 at checkout to save 10% off all orders over $100! Both offers expire July 31, 2008.

How do I know all this? I told you, I’m a just maps kinda guy. And I like to save money.

Our sabbatical has always been about discovering the ins and outs of potential business endeavors. Here at the dude ranch, we’re learning how real resorts operate.

The ranch has around 18 cabin rentals, and I’m on the cleaning crew. After just a few weeks, I’m discovering the answers to all sorts of things I wondered about whenever we’ve stayed in lodging establishments. For example;

Let’s start with bed linens. Did you know that most of the time, even at the schnazziest resorts, only the bed sheets get washed after a guest checks out? Not the mattress pad that they slept on. Nor the blankets that probably have a few hairs embedded in them. Certainly not the bedspread that they might have sat buck-naked on after taking a dump. And most definitely, not the pillows that they slobbered on. Rooms need to be turned over quickly for the next guest, and it’s just not practical (or resource-friendly) to wash everything, every time.

Keep in mind that generally, the more you pay for a hotel room, the cleaner it’s going to be. Here at the ranch, cabins aren’t cheap, so guests can rest easy. Paulette, the owner, has extremely high cleanliness standards, and I’m working my tail off to meet them.

It’s just that the other day I realized that even in four star hotels, the only thing that could be separating me and a raging case of scabies from another guest, is a thin white sheet.