We jumped into Amazon Camperforce after hearing good things, and bad things. It certainly was hard work, 10+ hours each day on your feet, sometimes heavy lifting, bending, walking very fast, and the hardest thing of all, standing in one place for long periods. I was absolutely amazed at the whole process and still can't get over the incredible variety of things people order online.....coffee filters? split peas? a 3oz tube of hand lotion...and oh the diapers....loads and loads of diapers, the bain of Gary's existence. He won't walk anywhere near the diaper row at the market for fear he'll have flashbacks.
We met some really nice people, both in the camperforce and full-time Amazonians. I applied for a campercoach position (there were about 8 of us for the 200+ workcampers) and spent half my shift interviewing other campers regarding their Amazon experience. This was a fantastic experience for me - and while we were struggling with aches and pains, we definitely were humbled by the many folks I interviewed who were 70+ and in their 3rd or 4th year at camperforce! One 77-year old woman was working as a "picker" which requires walking about 10-20 miles per day, including stairs and mostly on hard concrete. I couldn't keep up with her....what an inspiration.
Our stay was uneventful, the park being somewhat unattractive but serving its purpose, just across the street from the Amazon facility. Amazon gives you a choice of some nicer parks which are a bit further away - we chose to be close. But we put in a suggestion for Elk City Lake to be a covered location - it was a half-hour away but worth the drive!
It worked out well when we first arrived because mom had just sold her house, so we were able to spend some time helping with the packing. Also had time to visit with our good friends in the Joplin area.
Side note: There was a fantastic mexican restaurant, El Pueblito, just down the road on the edge of Coffeyville; we usually split the fajitas dinner and always had leftovers for a meal the next day.
some pics from fall in Kansas and Missouri
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