may lfi, 2003 • ¡mat —*¡27
with children, for people who have alternative
lifestyles.”
Located in the Cascade Mountains, the
ranch contains forests, rivers and creeks to
explore. Nearby attractions include Seven Feath
ers Casino, the Oregon Caves and swimming
and a natural slide rock at South Umpqua Falls.
The property abuts the Umpqua National Forest,
which offers hiking, hiking, fishing and kayaking.
The ranch is open from Memorial Day to
Labor Day, and midweek visitors likely will
have the place to themselves. Up to 40 people
occupy the campground on weekends. J H
B urnt R anch
( lesbian - owned )
Distance from Portland: 4 hours.
Cost: $15/night, RV with hookup
$20/night, rooms $50/night, day use $10.
Things to do: John Day Painted Hills, fish
ing, hunting.
Contact: www.thebumtranch.com.
Special notes: N o cell phone service past
Prineville. Bring alt food and drinking water.
Burning restrictions in summer.
K alles F amily R anch
( lesbian - owned )
Distance from Portland: 4 1/2 hours.
Cost: $8/person plus $2 for hookups.
Things to do: Crater Lake, Oregon Caves,
Wild Animal Safari.
Contact: www.kallesfamily.com.
Special notes: Creek water is available;
bring your own if you’re afraid o f the taste.
R ivendell R anch
( gay - owned )
Distance from Portland: 3 hours.
Cost: $10/night or $100/year.
Things to do: Lake Quinault, Olympic
Rain Forest.
Contact: www.rivendell-ranch.com.
Special notes: Owner Guy Koehler is look
ing for someone to live on the property with
him to help tend the ranch and campground.
T riangle R ecreation C amp
( nonprofit
organization )
Distance from Portland: 4 1 /2 hours.
Cost: $15/night or $ 1 50/year.
Things to do: Ice Caves, Granite Falls.
Contact: www.camptrc.org.
Special notes: Bring food, water and photo
identification. Over 21 only. N o cell phone
service.
Where the boys are
A g a y g u y 's gu id e to Palm S p r in g s
by
F loyd S klaver
he first time I went to Palm Springs, 1
thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
Sun, fun and beautiful men lounging
poolside, naked and sipping cocktails
with little paper umbrellas. Is it any wonder so
many gay Portlanders go?
By now, everyone has heard that the
“Desert Playground of the Stars” has been
rejuvenated by gay men and lesbians who
embraced its kitschy, midcentury aesthetic and
turned the town into an oasis of fabulousness.
Places to stay in Palm Springs are plentiful
and run the gamut of prices from cheap to out
rageous. If this is your first time to the desert,
head to the sun-baked streets of Warm Sands,
where you will find a dozen clothing-optional
gay resorts, each with its own personality. The
Vista Grande is a resort that doubles as a bath
house with a very active steam room, while the
Hacienda at Warm Springs is like having your
own private villa.
My personal favorite is INNdulge, where
the rooms are clean, the complimentary con
tinental breakfast satisfying and the crowd
sexy and flirtatious. Chasing the sun is the
main daytime activity in Palm Springs, and
IN N dulge’s layout and tall trees mean con-
tinual chairhopping, which ensures
that you end up next to the hottest
men. (By week’s end, I needed a
flow chart to keep track of who
everyone was, what room they were
in and who they had done!) Then,
at 5 p.m., complimentary wine and
hors d’oeuvres are set out for friend
ly socializing while plans are set for
the night’s dinner and dancing.
Restaurant choices in Palm
Springs are as varied as they are for
lodging and, once again, run the
gamut from cheap to outrageous.
Am ong my favorites is Blame It on
Midnight, where the food is fair but
the appeal is the glittering ambiance
and the delightfully second-rate
cabaret singers. For lunch, I always
choose the very reasonably priced
The author (center) and his groupies catch some rays
C apra’s, where I’ve consistently had poolside in Palm Springs
the best homestyle Italian cooking
since leaving New York. Run by Frank
made easy as many of the bars are on one
C apra’s son Tom and his family, the restau
street, Arenas. Hunters has the youngest and
rant features movie memorabilia, including
best-looking crowd, but like many dance bars,
the legendary director’s Oscar statuette.
the men tend to be a little snotty (at least until
After dinner, it’s time for barhopping, a task
you’ve bought them a drink). For a more
relaxed and friendlier atmosphere, try Rainbow
T
Cactus Cafe, a piano bar that tends to attract
the over-50 crowd. Best of all, every bar and
restaurant is smoke-free, so you don’t need to
fumigate your clothes when you finally stumble
home.
While the main reason to visit Palm
Springs is to worship the sun, plenty of activi
ties occupy those of us who can’t sit still,
including golf, tennis, horseback riding, hik
ing in the Indian canyons (where Frank
Capra’s 1935 classic Lost Horizon was filmed)
or nearby Joshua Tree National Park and, of
course, shopping. Every trip to Palm Springs
requires a pilgrimage to the Gay Mart on Are
nas, where you find the trendy (OK, trashy)
bar clothes and bathing suits you won’t find in
Portland stores.
For me, Palm Springs is the perfect vaca
tion spot for a quick weekend or an extended
stay. Book now for holiday travel, and remem
ber to bring warm clothing for chilly winter
desert nights. And don’t fret if you travel
alone. Just walk for a few blocks in any direc
tion and you’re bound to run into a fellow
Portlander.
Palm Springs accommodations run the gamut, but INNdulge is a favorite of many
in