From: arnett@unixg.ubc.ca (Bill Arnett)
Subject: Trip report - Washington/Oregon
Keywords: clubs, beaches, hot springs 
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 09:15:26 GMT

Well, following Glen Martin's lead <<Hi Glen.  Hi Lynn.>> I 
thought I'd post a brief run down of my past week's travels in 
case anyone is interested.

I was on vacation last week and I managed to get out of town for 
the last half of the week.  The weather cooperated beautifully. 
Each day was sunny and hot (80's Fahrenheit and probably into the 
90's) <<make ya homesick at all, Glen?>> everywhere I went: BC, 
Washington, and Oregon.  My report isn't as brief as Glen's, so I'll start 
with a summary of where I went and what I thought, and then get on 
with a longer description of each.


1) Teddy Bear Cove.  Bellingham, WA.  Okay, but I don't know if 
   I'll ever go back.
2) Lake Bronson Club.  Sultan, WA.  Fabulous!  I really like this place.
3) Rooster Rock, OR.  Pretty nice...despite the funeral and the 
   medical emergency!
4) Wind River hot springs, WA.  Fabulous.
   

TEDDY BEAR COVE.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Teddy Bear Cove.  I forgot to 
take along my World Guide so I wasn't even sure if I was going to 
be able to find it. And as of the last report I had heard its CO 
status was in serious jeopardy.  The county just purchased the 
land to turn it into a county park.  They had said they planned to 
totally eliminate the nudity because they wanted it to be a 
"family" park.  Fortunately, the beach regulars were successful in 
campaigning against this.  The county agreed to allow the nudity 
as long as there aren't any big problems.

Getting there:  from Bellingham (or I-5) follow Chuckanut Drive 
south for a few miles.  At a bend in the road is a parking lot 
with a sign saying that it is for "parking for Teddy Bear Cove and 
the Interurban Trail".  I parked here and looked for a sign 
indicating which trail to follow.  Not finding one I wasted an 
hour or so following trail below the road.  I encountered another 
guy who was also searching for the beach, but I never found a 
usable beach so I gave up.  Back in my car, I continued down the 
road.  About a mile later I encountered another sign on the right-
hand side of the road reading "access to Teddy Bear Cove".   
There's not much parking here but I found a spot on the side of 
the road.  (From the parking lot, the correct trail heads uphill (!)
alongside the road.  Eventually, i t returns to road level 
near the beach access trail.)
	       
The trail to the beach is steep but not difficult.  At the bottom, 
cross over the railway tracks and head for the left side of a 
hill.  There are small beaches on both sides of the hill, but the 
one on the right is no longer used because it is in view of some 
houses.

The beach is small (40 or 50 people would probably fill it) with 
poor sand (mostly pebbles and shell fragments) and rocks between the
beach and the water. 
		  
When I was there, there were about 15 men and only one woman.  
There were no boats offshore, but apparently this is a problem at 
Teddy Bear Cove (i.e., gawkers).

The view from the beach is beautiful, but I didn't really enjoy 
the beach itself and I didn't stay long.  However, I talked to a 
woman at Lake Bronson who says she really likes Teddy Bear Cove 
and she visits it a couple of times a month.


LAKE BRONSON CLUB.
Lake Bronson is a beautiful nudist club located near Sultan, Wa, 
about 40 minutes east of Everett and an hour north-east of 
Seattle.  Located on 320 acres of forest, it features an 8 acre 
lake, a 100-foot water fall, and some walking/hiking trails.  
There are a hot-tub, sauna, showers,  kitchen, shuffleboard, pool 
table, ping-pong table and tennis court at the Lodge.  At the lake 
there are canoes, pedal-boats, and a windsurfing board available, 
as well a volleyball court, a badminton court, horseshoe area, 
swimming pier and swimming float.  All of this is free except the 
sauna which is coin operated.

I arrived on Friday morning and spent several hours walking the 
roads and trails around the grounds.  There's one nice trail that 
circles the lake.  Another one that leads to the waterfall.  Then 
I spent another four or five hours swimming, suntanning, and 
canoeing at the lake.  The spring-fed lake was comfortably warm 
(it didn't chill me at all) and it is quite clean.   Bugs weren't 
a problem on this visit, but on my first visit there were a lot of 
horse flies, so take some *good* bug repellent just in case.  
After dinner I spent 2 or 3 hours in and out of the hot tub 
talking to lots of people.

I highly recommend this club to anyone in the area.  On my first 
visit (with my former SO) we had intended to stay two nights.  
Instead, we stayed for five!  And for that entire five days, we 
never wore more than shoes.  (It's a wonderful feeling being 
continuously nude for that long!)

For more info, call them at (206) 793-0286.


ROOSTER ROCK STATE PARK.
On Saturday I met up with a "net.friend" and his wife <<Hi guys!>> 
and we headed down to RR, near Portland.   This is a large and 
very nice beach.  It was an eventful time that we were there...a 
funeral procession scattered the ashes of a former "beach regular" 
who died at a young age from lung cancer.  I didn't worry about it 
at all, but my friend was a bit put off by it.  Closely following 
this was a medical emergency (a drug overdose or something like 
that)...Since the ambulances were unable to drive onto the beach, 
one of the beachgoers took the ambulance attendants in his 4x4 
truck and drove out onto the beach.  Other beachgoers (still nude) 
assisted the ambulance attendants as they lifted the guy into the 
truck. 

Next time I visit, I think I'll hope for a more peaceful day.


WIND RIVER HOT SPRINGS
Sunday, we hiked in to Wind River hot springs (I *think* I've got 
the name right) in southern WA.  Users of the trail are asked to 
pay a small fee (I think it was $1/person plus $1/car).  An easy 
trail (about a mile long) heads off into the woods and along the 
edge of the river.  Beware of poison oak and wear hiking boots or 
other suitable shoes for hiking on the very rocky river edge.  
Also, when the trail reaches the river's edge take a look around 
so you know how to find the trail on the way back. (we had a bit 
of trouble.)

The hot springs themselves are quite nice if a bit small---6 or 7 
people would pack the biggest of the two pools.  The water is 
clear with very little smell.  The setting is very natural and 
very beautiful.  The river is cold and fast moving, but is good 
for a refreshing dip after soaking in the spring or lying in the 
sun.  (Though, I don't recommend it for poor swimmers.)  There is 
also a great swimming spot about .25 miles upstream at the base of 
a waterfall.  No need to get dressed for the little journey, and 
only one tricky spot to get by.

When we arrived at noon, two guys (both nude) were already there.  
Two or three dozen other people arrived over the next few hours.  
Some of them were nude; one woman was topless; but most kept their 
clothes on.  Half of the people came as one group of families with 
a bunch of kids---everyone in this group stayed clothed.  None of 
the clothed people (young or old) seemed to care that we were 
nude.  All were friendly when I talked to them.

Check your favourite hot springs guide for the location.

You can also email me if you have specific questions.  (Most of 
the time I remember to reply...eventually. :-)

Cheers.

-- 
Bill Arnett                            Internet: arnett@unixg.ubc.ca