GARRISON — Sell the house, buy a motorhome, and hit the road. Who does that?
Well, Stuart and Sandra Weber did exactly that, and they are thoroughly enjoying the experience. Their latest stop in their quest to volunteer in all 50 states is Fort Stevenson State Park.
“We sold our home in 2015 and have been traveling around the country volunteering,” said Stuart Weber, formerly of Gainsville, Wisconsin. “It’s beautiful here. Honestly, this is probably one of the best parks we’ve ever volunteered at. We’ve really enjoyed it.”
A recent park project taken on by the Webers was the painting of curbs and driving lane lines adjacent to the park’s Visitors Center. Stuart Weber admitted painting was “not my favorite thing to do”, but he was doing so with a smile and a kind word for those who stopped at the center.
As volunteers, the Webers could have shunned the painting project but chose to do it. They enjoy such projects and relish the sense of pride they feel for a job well done.
“We try to make a difference wherever we go. We like to leave a park and say we did some work, made a change, improved it, and people can enjoy it a little bit more,” said Weber. “That’s our goal.”
The Webers arrived at Fort Stevenson State Park on May 6, a few days later than planned due to a late season blizzard. On June 15 they will pack up their motorhome and leave North Dakota for neighboring Montana where they have volunteered at a National Forest Service campground a few miles north of Yellowstone Park. It will be state number 34 on their list.
“We try to move around as much as we can,” said Weber. “This year it’s North Dakota, then Montana, and hopefully Wyoming at the same time. We’ll knock out two states at once. After that it’s California for October, November, and December.”
The West Coast state is a good choice as winter weather sets in across the northern United States. However, the couple won’t evade the winter entirely. They’re headed to Zion National Park in Utah in January and February.
“We know it’s going to be pretty cold there, but at least we can knock out Utah, our 37th state,” laughed Weber.
In the meantime, the enthusiastic volunteers will continue to assist the staff at Fort Stevenson. They and other volunteers are an important seasonal addition to the popular facility.
“We’ve been blessed with our volunteers this year, just amazing kindness and generosity of people interested in volunteering,” said Chad Trautman, park manager. “They have a sense of pride of what they are doing. It just amazes me.”
Volunteers are exactly that, people willing to help in exchange for hearing thank you many times over.
“That’s more than enough,” said Weber.
