Work camping can be a necessary evil, or it can be a life changing – wonderful – experience. It truly does depend on where you are, who you are with and what the job entails. We left sunny Utah and headed for California (against my better judgement).

Work Camping

We lucked into a great location. Well, “lucked” is not entirely accurate. We always research, plan, check weather history, etc before even applying somewhere. Then there is a whole interview process and trying to ensure that the fit will be good for both the employer and the the work camper. A lot truly does go into it.

Work camping can be hit or miss, even after all of that preparation. In this case, however, bullseye! The location was absolutely stunning. The job duties and pay were exactly as promised and the Owners were terrific people.

Our campsite was idyllic and the working environment was a picturesque café alongside a river that cut through the deep valley.

Strawhouse Resorts & Café

We landed at Strawhouse Resorts & Café in Northern California. I was hired on to work in the kitchen and Ash was housekeeping. The training and documentation for both jobs was very thorough. This is a rare happening in the work camping world. I truly enjoyed the detailed information and hands on training.

Work Camping Cuisine

They specialize in Californian cuisine, with a large assortment of vegetarian and vegan options. Carnivores, do not despair. There are several great sandwiches packed with meat. Additionally, that pizza oven is fired up all summer cranking out hand tossed pizzas with housemade marinara, several types of meat and veggies and a great pesto base as well! By the time summer ended, I was tossing the dough in the air with the best of them and running the brick oven!

The coffee is worth the trip alone. It is Organic, mostly free trade and roasted on site in small batches by one of the Owners. It is incredible. If you have the chance to stop by, not only get the coffee, talk to the employees and Owners about the coffee. I learned SO much about what makes coffee good, how to make a proper espresso, latte and common cup of joe.

We also worked some special events. I was able to try my hand at some interesting dishes and of course – we used the brick oven as much as possible!

Then winter rolled around. Sadly, the pizza oven closes down for the winter, however, the next thing I got to make was soup! It was awesome. I was allowed a modicum of creative control and the joy of watching customers faces light up when they tried something I create was amazing.

Of course, I used the brick oven to fire roast my tomatoes for the tomato soup. I thought the potato leek soup was a huge hit! Then I made vegan chili, we ran out in just a few days!

Beauty on the Job

One of the Owners absolutely loves hummingbirds. There are several feeders near the Café. In addition, there are flowers, fruit and vegetables everywhere. I picked the basil and rosemary for the soups (and sometimes pizza!) right outside!

The area is absolutely stunning in any season. We counted ourselves lucky in that we enjoyed summer, fall and some winter there! WIldlife was everywhere. We saw hawks, bald eagles, huge salmon, deer, lizards (a lot of houseflies) and of course, hummingbirds.

Work Camping Was Not All We Did…

However, you will have to follow along to see some of our adventures in the northwest! Stay tuned!

Check in next week to see some of the adventures we took using this as a basecamp! Keep up with us by subscribing on our front page here, check out our archives here and join the adventure!