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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2000)
1 « i «1 •• July 7.2QÛQ » | M t M t .3g t’s hot enough to 67 a veggie burger on your tailgate. T he air quality in the cities is tak ing a dive, and your beagle will never speak to you again if you don’t get her out to the country. It’s a great time to break out your map and do a little exploring. W ho says camp is just for kids? he Kalles Family Ranch is a gay and lesbian campground located in Tiller, Ore., 60 miles north of Medford and 28 miles east of Canyonville. W hen A nne and Reilly Kalles decided to call their dream a plan, they found and pur chased the ranch, fixed it up and created a space where, they say, “our gay brothers and lesbian sisters can come to visit and feel safe while camping with their lovers.’’ The ranch features a huge outdoor pavilion with a full kitchen, and a big fire pit. To make reservations, call (541) 825-3271, or visit the Internet site www.kallesfamily.com. W hile you can make individual reserva tions, there are three special weekends planned for this summer. July 14-16: Labrys Women’s Group from Ashland, Ore., camps at the ranch for the sec ond year in a row; other women’s groups are also welcome. Individual camping open to women; closed to men for this weekend only. July 2 8 -3 0 : Men-only weekend at the Kalles ranch. This time, the men get a chance to enjoy one another at this campground that borders 597 acres of the Umpqua National Forest. Aug. 11-13: Annual Clean and Sober Weekend at the Kalles Family Ranch, includes Saturday potluck dinner. T T he OUTdoor Group, based in Eugene, started as “a group of gay and lesbian peo ple who wanted to go hiking,” says lead Looking fop fun in all the right places photos by M ary A nn P etersen fhile milling about June 25 in the Eugene pride festival crowd, I decided to chat with folks and ask what sort of queer event they would like to attend or cre ate this summer. W! Got outta town! Just Out finds some far-flung queer summer fun by M ary A nn P etersen organizer Kim Smith. Now the group has “taken on a community service role, in terms of letting people know what’s going on." The OUTdoor Group offers a large variety of activities, including road trips throughout the state about two or three times a year, spending several days camping, hiking and sharing meals together. The group strives to be welcoming to all members of the community. For more information, call (541) 273-2838 or go to www.outdoorgroup.org. July 16: The group hikes to Vivian Lake. Near Salt Creek Falls in the Oregon Cascades, this moderate, six-mile round trip passes near some charming waterfalls and ends up at the beautiful Vivian Lake. Meet in Eugene to car- pool to the trail head. For more information, contact Terry at tallen@rio.com. Aug. 6 : The group hikes at Opal Creek. This “gem of the Cascades” is located about 40 miles east of Salem, on the way to Santiam Pass. The easy, five-mile round trip wanders past historic mining operations and through old-growth forests to a deep, rock-strewn- chasm through which crystal-clear Opal Creek flows. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Beanery, Fifth Avenue and Olive Street in Eugene, to carpool to the trail head. Bring a lunch, water, sun screen, a hat, appropriate shoes and clothing. Aug. 11-13: The Rainbow Wranglers square dance group holds its first Cross Trail Through Eugene Camp-In on private property near Marcola (just north of Springfield). Be E den O mari “I would clearly, clearly, clearly like to get together about 20 men, with my partner, go up the Oregon coast, rent some lodg ing some where and stay on the beach the whole weekend and just love each other. But, I don’t mean as an orgy.” prepared for dancing, camping and hiking. To learn more, contact David at (541) 747-0721. Aug. 12-21: Ever wanted to run naked through the woods? Here’s your chance! Check out the annual Radical Faerie gathering at the Nomenus Sanctuary in southern Oregon near W olf Creek. Activities scheduled for this year’s fabulous gathering include mask making, a cos tume parade, a tent site decorating contest, the first fabulous faerie Olympics, a late night disco dance (in the wilderness, no less), a Mardi Gras celebration and other fun events. For more information, visit www.IamMag- ic.com/Gathering2000.html. lamath Area Lambda Association is the gay and lesbian community group for the Klamath Falls area. Aside from planning camp-outs, members also have a summer dance and meet for weekly volleyball games. This year they combine with a group from the Abdill-Ellis Lambda Community Center in nearby Ashland for the camp-out and picnic, for which they “are banking on even more hilarity” than last year. For additional informa tion, call (541) 273-2838. Aug. 18-20: KALA camp-out at Lake of the Woods, located off Highway MOW between Klamath Falls and Medford. A picnic will be held on Saturday at the Rainbow Bay picnic area, beginning at noon. Call to reserve your campsite. Men, women and children are invited to attend. S ally S heklow “There’s a women’s improv festival that we’re going to in August, and we’ll be the dyke group representation, so that will be fun. Also, I just want to find some nice swimming hole and jump in naked!" “Last year the event followed the release of The Blair Witch Project, which led to campers sneaking through the dark to scare the day lights out of each other,” says Amy Diver of KALA. Aug. 27: Mark your calendars now for the South Coast PFLAG Millennium Family Pic nic. This fabulous event is held at Tugman State Park, just south of Reedsport on Highway 101. Family is celebrating from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To get more info, contact Ken Folker at (541) 888-6497. inally, if all these ideas seem too tame, too predictable, how about a weekend in Oz? Two gay guys, Gene Carsey Jr. and Mike Craven, run an eclectic roadside attraction called the Funny Farm, located seven miles north of Bend, Ore. As part of their enterprise, you can book a stay at the Wizard of Oz Bed and Breakfast. From the moment you are given the house keys (on Ray Bolger’s personal key chain), you’ll discover many delights, including copies of all the Oz books, videos of most of the Oz films-ever made and autographs from the MGM classic. If you really get into role play ing, costumes for all the Oz characters are available! The house itself is unique, since it is sur rounded by a moat, and you can draw the bridges up behind you for complete privacy. In the summer there’s a guests-only pond for swimming. Call (541) 389-6391 for directions or visit the Internet at www.funfarm.com. F ■ M ary A nn P etersen is a E ugene-based free lance writer w ho finds all these events quite tempting. Eugene. I think there isn’t enough stuff going on for queer youth, like pre-21. We need nonalco holic functions, house parties, music, get-togeth ers in a fun, safe, supportive environment.” H ank A lley “I’m going to a writer’s conference in Napa Valley; I’m writing a gay novel. One of the fea tured writers is Michael Cunningham, a gay nov elist who received the Pulit 2 cr Prize last year.” F rancheskah S laughter M atthew N elson “I would love to go to the queer camp-out at Whistler, B .C .” B onnie B erman “A whole bunch of women going to the beach!” “G et out of »damn dress, feel like I’ve ■pent all pring and ummer in a lamn dress. ’d also like 0 spend 1 day at a lake vhere you tad a whole >unch of hings going >n, like water- kiing and wimming.” D awn L oomis , with M uffin “A statewide ‘Lesbopalooza’ where a bunch of queer women play music— well-known and not well-known.” N ikki W illiams K ara Y etishefsky , “I’m with Dawn in promoting queer music, especially in smaller towns, even smaller than “I would want to see a lesbian bar open up in Corvallis.” with S hiloh
