The church at Mission San Juan. This is a view of the church at Mission Concepion.

This was our first national park volunteer position. We arrived here on Wednesday, January 10 and were here through the end of March. The National Park Service the couples who volunteer here to stay at Traveler's World RV Park. We work in the park three days per week, each, spending all of our time as park docents. Pam spends all three of her work days at San Juan Mission.

A view of the San Juan bell tower. Pam leaves the visitor contact station at the end of her work day. The sanctuary at this mission is beautiful!

Kirk prefers a more varied schedule and spends time at Concepcion on Sundays and spends half the day as the miller and half as a docent at San Jose mission two days each week. For a time he also worked one day per week at Espada mission.

The door to the Espada church is subject of much speculation by historians. Espada church when decorated for Christmas. The Espada aquaduct was constructed in the 1740's and carries water today.

Pam spent her time doing some office work and serving as a docent, while I did tours, served as a docent and twice each week spent a half day as the mill operator, grinding wheat into flour. The mill was my favorite part of the time spent here, but we both will long remember it as one of the more unique places that we have been. We each worked three seven hour days and the staff arrange couples schedules based upon what they wish to do. Some volunteers also work with maintenance at least part of their work hours.

San Jose church is the largest of the four that are part of the park. Kirk works as miller for the restored grist mill. The entrance gate to San Jose Mission.

At this time the park is without their own RV sites and so have been paying for the sites of the three volunteer couples at the Traveler's World RV Park. It is a fairly nice park, older but with very hard working and friendly crew. We have enjoyed our time here, but are ready to head back out on the road. In the future, the park will be constructing their own sites near the new maintenance building.

This national park is a fun place to volunteer. We did most of the same functions that the interpretive rangers do and we were very well treated. While we don't usually return to the same location, this is one that would be worthy of that consideration if we did. There is a wide variation in what we did and that tended to keep things interesting. Within the year, it is the plan that the park will once again have their own RV sites and no longer keep the volunteers in a local RV park. We prefer it that way. It was a great way to spend a winter and one that others should consider.