Lay-The Bear
The Kitten came into town last week and after an afternoon frolic in the surf of Zuma Beach, we hunkered down to get the camping gear ready to head North to Guerneville. A 7-hour drive through some of the most mind-numbing farmland you could ever imagine, but as we got north of San Fran it gave way to more greener, tree-filled, mountainous pastures. Not unlike Maine... except no mosquitos, and the redwoods are much bigger, yo.
It’s been about 4 years since I set up the ol’ tent, and I have to say I’ve missed it. The campground was appropriately rustic, but we did have electricity and our hosts even spread a continental breakfast each morning! (If only we had risen in time to eat any of it... praise cheeses for omlettes-in-a-bag) The campsites were abbreviated much more than usual to accommodate more campers, for this particular weekend on the Russian River played host to LazyBear, a gathering of the gay hirsute variety, when the sleepy little town swells (eheh, i said “swells”) with 1,000’s of ursine men seeking to relax, cavort, and carouse. We favored the relax-part, enjoying the camping experience by cooking our own food, roasting marshmallows, communing with our neighbors. Each evening a large bonfire was constructed in a field on the grounds, perfect for socializing and stocking up on heat to face the 55˚ nights. It got cold, yo! Even this furnace had trouble staying lit without the help of the sleeping bag, extra blankets, and woolies (and the Kitten, of course)!
But it was all good. Lots of friendly faces, some familiar, many new. I think we struck the right balance between doing-our-own-thing and mixing-and-mingling. I even chatted with the event’s organizer about some ideas I came up with for marketing/video support...
Come Monday morning, it had been 5 days and we were ready for a real bed and a real shower, yo. The drive back was no more inspiring... but I would probably go back. Or are there other campgrounds out here that offer (more) temperate climates, at different times of year? Hmmm.
On this day...
August 12, 2007
Category: travel, adventures
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