What great luck we had stumbling into the best workamping job at a fishery near Fort Collins, Colorado! Too bad it only took nineteen years for us to find it.

A Nomadiversary Gift from the Universe

The first week of June marks nineteen years of our nomadic lifestyle. That’s a long time, and it’s flown by. But now’s the time to do something different and get rooted. So now we’re working out the details.

But meanwhile, just when the KOA was getting really busy and really expensive (rent was going up to $1850 a month in June!), an ad appeared in Jim’s Facebook Workamping Group. So we jumped on the opportunity, got the gig, and here we are!

Is the the best campsite or what?

Never Underestimate Unpaid Volunteer Workamping Jobs

Alas, our plans to travel the Trans-Canada Highway were foiled again this summer thanks to the high fuel prices plaguing the world. By mid-April I knew the trip was off, and we would need a place to hunker down.

It wasn’t looking good if we wanted to stay local. The KOA is the only game in town. Then Jim saw the ad from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, seeking volunteers at the Bellvue-Watson Fish Hatchery. Funny thing is, it’s one of our favorite spots and only a mile from our duplex rental.

We love this place, so the day the ad appeared we literally drove to the hatchery at 3 on a Saturday and ambushed the manager for the gig.

It was shocking nobody had applied. Likely because it doesn’t pay anything. But what it provides in return is priceless.

Not only are we helping to care for a gorgeous spot surrounded by wildlife. But it’s a rent-free gig for as long as we want it. The work only requires 20-ish hours a week between two people. All they want is responsible RV volunteers to care for the grounds (i.e., mowing), feed the fish, give occasional tours, and be the eyes and ears after hours.

When we met the manager I was worried we were a little too enthusiastic. We might’ve even appeared a little scary and desperate. But we wanted to stay around Fort Collins so badly, and to our joy, he hired us anyways!

The best part? This isn’t a campground, it’s day use only with very low use by the public.

WE are the only RV here (and one other workamper who’s returning in mid-June). That means no neighbors. No loud outdoor stereos. No late night loudmouths.

The work is hard but great exercise. And overall they don’t ask for a lot, unlike a lot of other workamping jobs, especially the paid ones.

Plus, we get full-hookups with free electricity and have the entire place to ourselves when the gates close at 3 pm daily, until they re-open at 8 am.

It’s clear why the previous hosts were here for a few years. Being fish hatchery volunteers is by far the best of our workamping gigs. What a great finale to our 19 years on the road that started in June 2007.

Later this year we’ll wrap up the nomadic life when we buy our ideal property.

Since I last wrote about deciding between the smart property and the heart property, we’ve looked at several homes in the area. None of them have been right or affordable, and none give the sense of awe that will make us feel like we are home.

It’s become obvious that the perfect place to hang our hats in a sticks-and-bricks will be in the north country of Alaska.