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