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Join us & visit Zion National Park in Southern Utah, USA

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    It's getting cooler and that means outdoor life is back!

    We bought a used Chalet travel trailer (see picture below) and this spring, I want to freshen it up and make it retro-cool, if it's not too cold to work on it. I have a lot of experience updating houses and boats, but this will be my first RV. I'll need help with and can train in: woodworking, painting, repairs, and sewing. All the systems work.

    We are an ordinary senior couple (mid-60's) in beautiful Southern Utah, in the western United States. We also share our home with a lady friend in her mid-70's. We have just a bit more land and a bit older house than we can manage. Bud just retired in September of 2024, but I still work full time and a bit more. We also do a lot of volunteer work. We are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons) so our home is smoke-free, drug- and alcohol-free, and we are very careful about what comes on the TV and computer (no porn!). People of all faiths or no faith are welcome in our home.

    We are seeking a strong person of any age or nationality. Singles, couples, or families are welcome. Our guest room has a bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom and a twin bed on top. Of course, we don't expect our workaway guests to share the room with a stranger. If you are coming, the room is yours.

    We have 3 dogs, all rescues. Paco is a small terrier mix, who is shy, but coming around. Molly is a shitzu mix, medium sized, and she is very friendly. Daisy is a Doberman mix who is sweet as can be. All have fur so if you are allergic or a little barking bothers you, you won't be comfortable here. Our yard is fenced if you have a dog, who is welcome if they are vaccinated and well behaved.

    We need help with our front and back yards, and garden spaces. We have had traditional turf (grass lawn) along with two garden spaces, and have converted to water-conservative, natural desert landscape. We are now maintaining shrubs, trees, and edible plants around the pathway pictured below. We can teach you these skills if you are willing to learn and can work without supervision once you know what to do.

    We have a 6-person hot tub that you are welcome to use anytime. Bring your modest swimsuit - we have the terry robes and plenty of towels. We may drain it in the summer but it's filled the rest of the year and heated to 106F.

    Sometimes we have regular painting projects and other household repairs. With 3 dogs, there is always the usual cleaning that's needed such as vacuuming. Carol used to build and paint wooden boats for a living so has some skills she can teach; Bud is an amateur plumber and has also done just about everything else. Bud can also teach geocaching and will take you out if you like. Carol can also teach scrapbooking and has plenty of supplies if you wish to create a book while you are with us. Our home has a sun room that is all set up as my scrapbooking "studio" and office, plus a shop where Bud has some woodworking tools and is teaching himself to use them. All our guests are welcome to use our tools and supplies after some safety training.

    We also have neighbors here in our suburban neighborhood who sometimes need a bit of help, and you are encouraged to join us as we serve them, usually doing yard work.

    We can work with any schedule and encourage you to plan your trips to our parks when there are fewer tourists, such as in the spring or fall, and on weekdays. Our projects can be done anytime. Carol works from home so is always here to offer guidance and share meals.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), aka Mormons. We are strong Christians who believe that the full gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth in the early 1800's by a man called to be a prophet by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have a living prophet today and a thriving worldwide church. We look forward to the second coming of Christ and strive to build strong, happy families and serve all of God's children in countless ways while we are here on earth.

    If this sounds familiar because you are Christian, or if it doesn't but you are curious, we are happy to share our lifestyle and beliefs with you. If you aren't interested in religion, that's fine, too. You can just enjoy the safety and warmth of our home and we will love getting to know you and more about where you come from. We are sincere when we say that people of all faiths or no faith are welcome.

    Our adult daughter lives in Oakland, California. She is queer and an activist for transgender people. Folks from that community are welcome in our home. We'd enjoy hearing your perspective on everything from politics to workforce issues. Our adult son lives in San Diego and is a disabled Iraq war vet (we are both Army vets, too). We welcome former soldiers from anywhere and honor your service.

    Because of the influence of the LDS Church, you'll find that Southern Utah is a conservative place with strong family values, very few bars, no strip clubs, and no gambling. Instead, you'll find an emphasis on volunteering, arts and music, and wholesome outdoor activities. We value history here so if you are interested in the Old West like you see in Western movies, it's all here, from the old Joshua tree ranch fences you can still see everywhere, to horses just a block away, and pioneer artifact museums in every town. Nearby Kanab (about 1.5 hours) is where many famous old Western movies were filmed and there is movie museum there that is very interesting. Kanab is also the home of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which offers free tours of their facilities in magnificent Angel Canyon. Just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park, the hotels called Ruby's Inn are still owned by the same family who sold the park land to the government over a hundred years ago, and it feels "Old West," in a theatrical way.

    Besides that, just being here in the U.S. is a cultural experience, right? We can take you to a giant Costco store; teach you how to play ladder ball or corn hole right in our back yard or cards with our friends; get fast-food Mexican or fried chicken; cook all kinds of American food including barbecue; and of course, there are those amazing state and national parks nearby where you can meet Americans and also people from all over the world.

  • Help

    Help

    You could do painting and other minor remodeling projects. In the late fall there are some leaves to rake and bag up to shred and compost in our composting system.

    We have an 8x12 foot greenhouse in our back yard. We are still learning how to grow in it - the heat difference between outside and inside is huge, up to 60 degrees in a single day, so temperature management is the big challenge.

    We can teach spa maintenance, which means how to keep the water clean and clear with a minimum of chemicals. We don't use chlorine; we use bromide. We are just learning to do this ourselves, but it would be a good thing to know.

    You would usually need to spend most of the day on Saturdays with us so we can work together, then fit in your other hours (25 per week total) as you choose. This works out great for you because the nearby national parks are much less busy during the week. This is also the ONLY weekday we have to review the chores list, show you where the tools are, and describe our goals. We expect you to be home on Saturdays, not touring, unless we make other arrangements in advance.

    We try to keep the Sabbath Day by not working on projects. Instead, we do family history research, attend church, visit friends and neighbors in need, plan our week ahead, and avoid shopping and commercial recreation. Sunday meals are simple and sometimes we invite others over to meet our workaway guests. You, of course, are free to do as you wish except for house projects, and of course you are welcome to join us at church if it interests you. You do not need special clothes to come to church. Everyone is welcome.

    We recognize that most travelers are on a budget. Breakfast is always included and lunch too if you are here at the house. When you go touring, we can send you off with a sack lunch and energy snacks. Dinner is included and you can decide whether to eat dinner out or with us, day by day. There are terrific restaurants near our parks. If you have special foods, we have 2 refrigerators and you can use them.

    We are hoping for 2-week stays but if you wish to extend and no one else is lined up, we can certainly discuss it. Or, if you can only fit in a week and we're open, send me a message and we'll see if we can work it out.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This is Carol. We are native American English speakers. I know a little Spanish and a little French, and would love to expand both. I am open to other languages, too. I have a nice collection of children's and adult's books in English, and a library 5 minutes away. I am happy to read them with you, if you'd like to work on your English, or just your pronunciation.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Our home is modest, just 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, one story, only 2 steps to get into the house. We offer a private bedroom with a bunk bed/futon (double on bottom, single on top), all linens, reading lamps, a dresser with drawers, and a closet, plus wi-fi throughout the house, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and PBS Passport. We have the usual appliances such as a washer, dryer, and dishwasher, all of which you are welcome to use just as a family member would do. When the weather is nice, which is at least 7-8 months of the year, we often eat and barbecue outside, on our back porch.

    Since we generally eat dinners together, you are welcome to help cook and we always appreciate help cleaning up. (Some of the best conversations happen while washing and drying dishes, right?) We love to try new cuisines and are open to vegan or vegetarian dishes but normally we are omnivores who eat as organic or home grown as we can manage. Because everyone eats, we don't count food preparation or cleanup time toward work time. We figure if you were our family, you'd help out in the kitchen, so that is just part of joining our family during your stay.

    We have a woman's street bicycle, and some camping gear you may borrow and all kinds of tourist information on hand. We have plenty of safe parking if you drive here (recommended). We can also accommodate a camper or trailer as we have an extra gravel drive pad, and can run a power cord and hose if you'd prefer to stay there (no sewer hookup, though).

    Please be aware that we live in the desert. That means that from July to September, temperatures can reach 110F (43C) or more during the day. Most serious gardening is over by then, and it is too hot to paint outdoors most days. We do have indoor projects in our air-conditioned home that need to be done, but our most pleasant times of the year are October through June. November, December, and January can have frost overnight and a few rainy days but in general, afternoons are sunny and warm with bright blue skies and little wind--perfect hiking weather, although some higher-elevation trails may get too icy to be safe. We only get snow once or twice each winter and it rarely lasts more than a day.

    For the warm and hot months, we own 2 sit-on-top plastic kayaks with several life jackets that you are welcome to use on our local reservoir lakes, Sand Hollow State Park or Quail Creek State Park. Bud can drive our old pickup truck with the kayaks, if you can squeeze into the front seat (no back seat). The settings are beautiful and the water is pretty warm. It's a nice change to get out on the water. The sand is red! We usually have a state parks pass you can borrow to visit for free, and there is even a primitive camping area for about $35 per night.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Southern Utah is known worldwide for its incredible yet accessible beauty and pleasant weather. Drive times: we are just 5 minutes from a soccer park with a splash pad for the kids, 5-15 minutes from easy-to-difficult local hiking & biking, 45 minutes from Zion National Park, 2.5 hours from Bryce Canyon National Park and 3 to 5 hours from the Grand Canyon. You can buy a 1-year National Parks Pass that will allow you to enter EVERY national park and monument for just $80 per carload. It's an amazing deal and available to anyone.

    If you like the ultimate party city, Las Vegas is just 2 hours away by freeway, and there is a shuttle bus that runs there several times a day, for about $45-50 each way. Salt Lake City is 5 hours north, a $65-70 shuttle ride.

    There are many festivals and fairs here from early spring through Christmas. Just 30 minutes north is Cedar City, known as Festival City. They have many festivals featuring music, art, and theatre. There is a Shakespeare Theatre with wonderful performances several months a year. We also feature lots of live theatre here in Washington/St. George, including Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre just 20 minutes away. Near Tuacahn is a gorgeous state park called Snow Canyon State Park where you can hike slick rock, bicycle, explore lava tubes, and play in red sand dunes, surrounded by striped hills of red sandstone, black lava rock, and white limestone.

    Unfortunately, we do not have a car to lend, and public transit is almost nonexistent, so a workawayer with their own vehicle would have much more fun with us than a biker or ride-share traveler. If you don't have a car, we can take you places in the morning and pick you up after work. There are taxi and ride-shares like Uber and Lyft here, too.

    As much as we love our parks, we can't promise to take you touring or hiking as our time off is very limited--which is why we always seem to be behind on projects and host wonderful workaway helpers!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have reliable, high-speed internet, with wi-fi throughout the house. There is a small desk and chair in the guest room you could set up for your workstation. Thanks to a generous workaway guest, the room also has its own laptop! We have a printer and scanner, although you'd need to bring your laptop to my home office to print or scan. I have a subscription to Microsoft Office 365.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have a second driveway and can run a water hose and electrical cord to your camper. However, we don't have a sewage line there, but you are welcome to just come in the house and use the facilities anytime, including in the night. There are also campgrounds nearby where you could pay to do a black water dump.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    We have a fenced yard and 2 tiny dog doors. The Doberman stays in the fenced back yards when she's not someplace with her dog mom, but she's friendly. I assume if you are traveling with your pet, they've had their shots and are not aggressive, so they are welcome. We recommend getting the leptovirus vaccination (2 shots one month apart) if you wish to take your dog to the city dog park just a block away.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week or flexible, per person

Host ref number: 291554431748

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