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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2003)
» may 16,2003 26 PACK UP AND GET OUT! Where to go and what to do when you just need to gay-away from it all Q u e e r c a m p g r o u n d s offer an a ff or d ab le way to pitch your tent cl os e to home by K athy B elge past the Jo h n Day Fossil Beds Painted Hills h, camping. Fresh air, N ation al M onum ent. wieners on a stick and Tent campers can set up on the lawn next to the river or out in the backcountry. If you’re look sitting around the ing to get away from it all, choose the latter. The campfire singing off-key Burnt Ranch property includes miles of rocky hills, and swapping horror stories. home Here in coyotes, deer, bobcats, rattlesnakes to only the Pacific Northwest we’re fortu and cougars. Old wagon trails crisscross their prop erty, a perfect setting to play out a cowboy fantasy. nate to have four queer-owned Lawn campers have access to the house’s campgrounds that offer a little bit of bathroom, as there are no facilities outside. N o picnic tables, no fire pits, no designated camp country for only a song. A B urnt R anch in C entral O regon ' s high desert our hours from Portland in M itchell, the Burnt R anch is more an expanse o f high desert than an established cam p ground. O w ners Su n i M iani and Kay W illiam son bought the 2,000 acres o f rugged land four years ago with dream s o f turning it into a gay and lesbian retreat destination. A ll genders, ages and orientations are wel com e. A n old white farm house sits on a bend in the Jo h n Day River just a few miles F ing areas, just a few out buildings and lots of Mother Nature. RVers can hook up to water and electricity next to a shed. For those whose idea o f camping involves a queen bed and running water, the Burnt Ranch also rents rooms in the farmhouse. Guests share the kitchen, living room and bathroom with caretaker Mary Hauer, a Portland lesbian artist. There’s plenty to do at the Burnt Ranch: visit the Painted Hills, fish, explore the proper ty’s jeep trails, float down the river in a tube or a kayak and climb Byrd’s Point rock across the river from the ranch. Let the frogs’ chirping lull you to sleep in the evening and the Canadian geese honk you awake at dawn. T riangle R ecreation C amp north of S eattle ith more than 2,400 campers a year and big parties on the weekends, Triangle Recreation Camp offers city dwellers the opportunity to bring the party out to the woods. Located along a National Scenic Byway one hour north of Seattle, T R C is a nonprofit member ship organization founded in 1975. T he 40 acres nestled among the old growth in the Mount Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest is open to gay men and women older than 21. Most members are men, but more and more women are erecting tents. Individuals or groups get together and make a camp for the summer. Board member Bob Nale says these semiper manent sites are one o f the unique aspects of T R C . Some have kitchens, showers and W T he dramatic Byrd’s Point is just across the river from the rustic Burnt Ranch, a lesbian-owned campground near Mitchell R ivendell R anch on the O lympic P eninsula ay rancher Guy Koehler spent a sum mer at T O C and decided to model a campground after its membership for mat. More than a campground, Rivendell is also a working ranch. A couple of recent visi tors even helped bottle-feed newborn calves. Koehler lives on the 160 acres in Hoquaim, Wash., with his dog, Tyler; 15 sheep; three Bel gian horses; dairy and beef cattle; hundreds of chickens, ducks and geese; and, soon, a few pigs. He also has a garden and a greenhouse where he grows fresh vegetables and herbs. Campers can purchase any of these items at a discount. “Com e out for a weekend and you can buy a ffesh farm chicken,” Koehler says. “Plus there’ll be fresh salad greens and lots of other things.” Koehler bought the ranch two years ago from an elderly couple and has spent much of that time getting it into shape. This is the first year he’ll be open to campers. He’s already had six ovemighters. A trailer sits next to Koehler’s house, and campers can use the kitchen and bathroom. Two outhouses are also available. Campers must bring all their own food, water and cooking sup G K alles F amily R anch near C rater L ake A nne and Reilly Kalles knew they landed on something special when they pur chased 15 acres of land in 1992. Situat ed on the junction of the South Umpqua River and Jackson Creek, the area was a fishing camp for the Umpqua tribe for thousands o f years. Reilly says, “We feel we were given this land in order to share it, and so we share it as a safe place for people who need a safe place.” She describes Kalles Family Ranch as a big, grassy back yard with sites for 10 RVs and plen ty of tenting. The campground contains an outdoor pavilion with covered cooking and a screened eating area. Amenities include a wash house with a shower and bathroom. About 100 visitors each year make it to their remote location in Tiller, about two hours from Crater Lake. Special events include women’s, men’s, children-friendly and clean- and-sober weekends. “It’s primarily for gay and lesbians,” Reilly says, “but it’s also a safe place for single mothers PHOTOS BY KATHY BELGE Gay and lesbian campers unite fountains. Recent visitor Guy Koehler says: “Some of the guys go really crazy. They’ll have electric generators, disco balls, gas kitchens.” Overnight campers share common fire pits, toilets and picnic tables. Visitors must bring their own drinking water. T R C sits on Bender Creek just outside the hamlet of Silverton, a small gay enclave. A resi dent with property adjoining TO C runs the Gender Bender Fruit Stand each camping sea son, renting out tents, sleeping bags and tarps to those who might have left home without the essentials. Nale says weekend events such as white towel, underwear and toga parties are about the only time the camp is close to its capacity of 110. Those who wish for a more quiet experience would have best luck vis- 1 iting during the week. Guests should expect weather like Seattle, only 8 to 10 degrees cooler. The John Day Fossil Beds are a must-see when visiting Central Oregon Nearby attractions include Big Four Ice Caves, Quarry Waterfall and plies. The nearest town is 20 miles away. RVs lots of hiking, fishing and kayaking. Part of the are welcome, but the ranch can only accommo property sits in an cedar grove with 1,000-year-old date four at a time and has no hookups. trees. Nale says, “They’re so big that 10 people Rivendell hopes to attract Radical Faeries, can’t get their arm spans around the base.” bears, disco queens, dykes, friendly straight folk and even children. The only requirement is people must be supportive o f sexual minorities.
