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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2000)
Thursday July 13,2000 Volume 102, Issue 7 Emerald Smith Rock a challenge to climbers of all ilks ■Thrill seekers and day trippers find equal parts joy and exhilaration in Eastern Oregon at Smith Rock By Inge Scheve for the Emerald Smith Rock, with its mostly sunny and dry climate, offers unique experiences and a dry change for rained out trail users to mountain bike, rock climb, hike or just enjoy a day under the open sky. The orange Grand Canyon-es que formation seems out of place in the otherwise monotonous East Cascade horizon. A good 20-mile drive from Bend and just minutes from Redmond, Smith Rock and the Crooked River Canyon pro vide world-class rock climbing, challenging mountain bike trails and picturesque hiking options to more than 400,000 visitors each year. Just glancing at the parking area, it is apparent that this place has vast appeal: parking spots are scarcer than water in the desert, and myriad visitors with different Smith Rock has it all: rock climbing for all types of climbers, mountain biking and picturesque hiking options for more than 400,000 visitors each year. goals in mind flock toward the trail head and the foot bridge lead ing into the main Smith Rock area. Climbers rate routes on a scale of difficulty starting at 5.0 and in creasing in difficulty to 5.14d. Some are attracted by the 5.14d climbing route at Smith Rock. Others take on the steep Burma Road leading mountain bikers to their part of the paradise, while hikers cherish time out on the mel low path following the meander ing Crooked River or choose more strenuous options crossing the ridges. "The sheer quantity of climbing there” is Smith Rock's greatest ad vantage, said Eric Severson, a UO anthropology major who has climbed since high school. The va riety of routes spans from begin ning routes to some of the United States’ hardest 5.14’s that have at tracted international and domes tic rock climbers since the 1980s. Amadeo Gonzales, a UO biolo gy major, agrees with Severson. “It's the number of routes there and the kind of climbing that's available with tiny pockets and mostly smooth face.” He has climbed since he was 17 — al though he says never seriously. He did most of his climbing three Turn to Smith Rock, page 9 Fair thee well Marie Veverka for the Emerald Donning costumes highlight the fair, inviting you to wear whatever you do or don’t want to. To be at the Fair is to be Our hearty reporter braves the enchantment that is the Oregon Country Fair and finds a world free of boundaries By Jonathan Allen Oregon Daily Emerald And I thought Disney land was out of this world' Oregon Country Fair cannot be explained. Maybe it’s my own limitations as a writer, but I know when I’m beat. It Disneyland is a land for the imagination that brings out the kid in you, the Ore gon Country Fair is an entire uni verse of fantasy that... Reporter’s NOTEBOOK I guess if Dis neyland brings out the imagina tive kid in you, the fair makes that kid want to tear his clothes off, dance naked You see, that’s just it. The Turn to Country Fair, page 10 Celebrity penises are no hard sell in New York ■ Anatomical art stirs desires and tugs imaginations of the celebrity skin models By Sara Jarrett for the Emerald NEW YORK — Cynthia Plas ter Caster likes cock. Correction. Cynthia Plaster Caster loves cock. Yet, she’ll be the first to ad mit her infatuation and even shows off her obsession to any one interested in looking. This rock star groupie turned-artist has a collection of 45 famous and/or infamous erections preserved in a mix ture of plaster and water cur rently on display at the Thread Waxing Space in the heart of New York City’s SoHo district. Thirty-nine life casts, as she calls them, glow underneath brightly lit domes that sit atop 5-foot-high pedestals. The air in the room during Caster’s June 29 opening was hot and sticky, with camera crews everywhere, filming a docu mentary titled “The Life Casts of Cynthia Plaster Caster: 1968 2000,” which will be entered in next year’s Sundance Film Festival. Hardly a word was said — but fingers were pointing. Though Caster claims she doesn’t favor rock stars, her collection is overwhelmingly full of them. With none other than the legendary musician Jimi Hendrix’s penis immortal ized in the assortment, it be comes clear that she has suc cessfully taken the groupie lifestyle past the point of obses sion and turned it into an art form. And Hendrix’s unit is quite impressive, indeed, not too big and not too small. As one hap py onlooker explained to her young son, “Wow, Jimi Hen drix — he takes the cake. “Oth er members of the collection include Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs, Bert Flores of Pig face/Wreck and Ivan of Flying Karamazov Brothers. Caster’s wish list is even more interesting. Last year it was Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker’s pe nis that she wanted but never got, but this year she has her hopes set on the Rev. Jesse Jackson. “I haven’t gone about trying, and I’m not too optimistic [about getting it] though,” she said. “But you know, a groupie girl can dream.” After all, dreaming has paid off for her in the past. That’s what got her into this line of work in the first place — dreaming of sex that is. “I was an unbroken virgin at the same time the sexual revo lution and the British invasion were happening,” she ex plained. “I was wondering whether it was true that sex could be used for more than just reproduction. I was also curious about what penises looked like, and what they could do for me.” After finally deciding that she should actually have sex, Caster realized that she was too shy to seduce men. So, she turned to asking them for a more special memento. “It was a schtick to get the at tention away from all the other competition, you know, the Turn to Plaster Caster, page 8 Penis envy Ifyougoto New York, look for the penis plasters. “Cynthia Plaster Caster: The Life Casts of Cynthia Plaster Caster: 1968-2000.” Organized in con junction with Fea ture, Inc. June28-July 29, 2000 At Thread Waxing Space, 476 Broad way, 2nd floor. Call 212-966-9520 for more informa tion.
