Carol and Roger Hansen met while working, romantically enough, at Costco. In 1997, they got married and entered property management together, beginning a lifelong partnership that took them all throughout the Northwest.
After 20 years, Roger was offered an open caretaking position at Archie Knowles Campground in Mapleton, Ore. “We thought, ‘Yeah, we’ve talked about this forever!’” Carol said. “So we decided we’d try it out.”
For two seasons, the Hansens enjoyed staffing Archie Knowles’ nine campsites, but soon they were ready for a change of scenery. Armitage Park Campground, located in northern Eugene, was in need of caretakers and provided a more convenient location for their family.
In November 2020, the couple took over at Armitage. Carol managed reservations and sold firewood in the office, while Roger worked with park hosts to maintain the campsites and facilities.
The four to six hosts who also lived and worked in the park proved to be far more than just co-workers. With them, the Hansens formed long-lasting friendships, even holding Friendsgiving celebrations together.
“Because we all lived together, we were like a family,” Carol said. Those bonds were especially necessary during the rush of football season, when out-of-town ticket holders flooded Eugene.
“When the schedule comes out in January, our entire fall season is booked on game day weekends,” Carol said. “And it’s the same people over and over again so that’s really nice — getting to know regulars who come back.”
One such story of a returning camper has stuck with the Hansens: a young man who was down on his luck, according to Carol.
“He was camping in a tent site. He said he had a dozen eggs but didn’t have a way to cook them, so we gave him some firewood and an ice chest and a pan to cook his eggs in, and he was really appreciative of that,” Carol said.
Two years later, he came back.
“He said, ‘That was the help I needed to get back on my feet. I’ve got my kids back, I’ve got a place to live and I’ve got my car.’ And now he’s working with a sober living group in Eugene,” Carol said. “It just touched us.”
Moments like that made it hard to say goodbye, but in November 2025 the couple’s contract expired and they stepped away from their role as caretakers. “It’s just been a real pleasure doing it,” Carol said, who often refers to the park as her “baby.”
In May of this year, Carol and Roger will celebrate their 29-year wedding anniversary. When asked how they’ve sustained a happy working and personal relationship, the pair looked at each other and laughed.
“He knows I’m always right,” Carol said.
“She knows I make mistakes,” Roger said.
“And I enjoy cooking. He enjoys that,” Carol said. “I don’t know. It’s just sort of yin and yang.”
