I had very high hopes for a quick and profitable harvest but the quick part has come to a grinding halt. 2 weeks into the harvest, I’ve worked 4 days. Some people at other stations had even less. We got hit with lots of rain, then lots of snow. Most of the piling stations could still operate but the farmers can’t get trucks in and out of the fields when it’s this wet. So, we wait. Express Employment was very careful this season to make sure all employees agreed to stay the entire month of October if necessary. Last season, many people left early because of weather delays and lack of financial incentives. Maybe the company learned from that. We’ve already been notified that all hours for the rest of the season will be paid at time and a half (except Sundays which are still double time).

I believe most folks are hanging in but I did see a post on a Facebook group that one couple has had to ‘fly a sign’ to get by. The internet tells me this is panhandling on the side of the road with a cardboard sign. Folks, if you’re going to make workamping a career, you’d better have Plan B resources. Sometimes things just don’t work out like you planned.

On a somewhat related note, every campground I’ve driven to this year has had flooding problems. Texas T Campground in TN had a creek running along the property that came out of its banks and flooded my campsite. Autumn Woods RV Park in MN had a pond that came up higher than the owner had seen in years. The gravel roads also needed to be repaired after washouts. I spent a week in Trent SD at the River of the Double Bend Campground. Yep, the Big Sioux River was way out of its banks. It was several days before I could drive directly from town to the interstate. And now, in Fargo ND, the Red River (of the north) is out of its banks. One loop of the campground had to be closed down just before it went underwater. Does this make me an official flooding jinx?

These pix are from my current campground. No, that’s not a boat ramp and yes, those are underwater campsites.