Tonight's Nude Year's Eve Party at Mountain Air Ranch

The sponsors of tonight's New Year's Eve Dinner and Party want you to know there are still some openings:

Hey,

According to the office, a few reservations are still available for the MAR NYE Dinner/Dance.

Prime Rib Dinner.

Great Dance Band.

Midnight Champagne Toast and Dessert Buffet.

And, tons of Door Prizes!

• Dance Certificate
• Lodging Certificate.
• Wine Basket.
• Nightgown & Robe Set.
• Avon Gift Set.
• Ultimate Margarita Kit.
• Lost Bikini Grill Certificate.
• The Fort Certificate.
• Tipsy's Certificate.

And more..

If you don't yet have a reservation call the office ASAP to make sure you get to partake of the festivities.

See ya there!

December 30, 2008 and 68 degrees at Mountain Air Ranch

Two days before the start of 2009 and the weather at Mountain Air Ranch was a pleasant 68 degrees and calm. Just two hours earlier, the winds had been howling at 50 miles per hour out of the west, so the downslope conditions caused a lot of warming. Around noon, the winds died down and, as you can see from the picture, the temperatures were very nice. Good hiking and plenty of sunshine to lay out in.

If you click on the picture, you will get a full size version where it is easy to see that the temperature was 68 degrees F and the relative humidity was only 14 percent.

Four Videos on Nudism

Skinbook has four professionally done videos on nudism. These are done in Brazil, so they are subtitled in English. You have to have the Adobe Flash player installed to see the videos.

This is a 4-part video, and I have tried to arranged the parts in order, from top to bottom.

Not Colorado, but we need a WARM reminder

A couple has posted a nice video slideshow of their vacation at the Hangin' Loose Naturist Club on the Big Island of Hawaii. They also visit a nearby black-sand beach that is traditional nudist (there are no official nude beaches in Hawaii, but several are used nude without government interference).

You can view the video here. Its an MP4 file, so you will need Apple Quicktime support or other MP4 player.

In the interest of balanced reporting...

A month ago, I posted that the temperature poolside at Mountain Air Ranch was a comfortable 74 degrees F. In those past 30 days, the temperature in Denver, Colorado set a record low (minus 19 degrees F) with the temperature that day at MAR much higher at +6 degrees F (a full 26 degrees warmer than nearby Denver, although I hesitate to use the word warmer). Just last weekend, the temps went from 54 degrees on Saturday to 9 degrees for a high on Sunday. Seems reasonable that the pool was closed up the first weekend in December.

Until we get the warm moments starting in February and March (yes, it happens), I guess its time to stick to the hot tub and sauna at MAR, or to go to the clothing optional hot springs around Colorado (Dakota and Orvis for example).

Also, I should mention that rooms for overnight guests at Orvis Hot Springs have been much more popular. The rooms have been renovated over the past three years and are much nicer than before. When we tried to get a room a month ago, we were told that they were sold out for the next 6 weekends. So, if you want a room as well as nude soaking time, you should call early.

There is also the New Years Eve Dinner and Dance in just two weeks at Mountain Air Ranch. There are only about 50 people signed up so far, with over 100 expected (procrastination is a common human trait, I guess). Just $40 per person. Lodging is completely booked (with a waitlist) at MAR, but if you want to party too hard, just bring a sleeping bag and roll it out on the clubhouse floor after the band packs up.

Another Mainstream Nudist

You would be surprise who around you is a happy nudist.

In an interview with the Daily Express, Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar as Best Actress for her role in "The Queen", said she is an enthusiastic fan of nudist beaches.

She says "I've been on nudist beaches and think theyre great, really great. They desexualise nudity completely"

Encouraging comments from the new generation

A college student, Jessie Brown, at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, says in an article for the college newspaper: "who is honestly mortally offended by the sight of a random bare ass?" The article addressed the response to campus streaking by a new Director of Campus Security, Francis Manfredo, who apparently felt that security would be improved by confiscating the clothing of any streaker and making them stand around naked after their run. I can't say that I see any "security" issues that are addressed by this priggish response to a harmless activity.

MSNBC on where to get nude with locals

Today, MSNBC came out with a writeup on some unique places in the world to get naked with the locals.

These aren't your usual nudist destination resorts, just places around the world where you can enjoy the local attractions without worries about what to wear.

There is also a well done slideshow here.


I would really like to try the Blue Lagoon Spa in Iceland for sans-clothing natural hot springs.

Chicago Tribune Explains Nude Recreation

The Chicago-Tribune newspaper has a good on-line article on the success of nudist tourist destinations, even in a recession. The article can be found here.
If you look for some nude recreation, you can see how popular it can be. A nude cruise of more than 2000 passengers to Hawaii over a year from now (March 2010) is almost sold out. Tom and Mary Clare Mulhall's Terra Cotta Inn is consistently the first or second most fully booked resort in Palm Springs (it sometimes is second to a local casino).
The article also has a good discussion about the difference of nudism from life-stylers (swingers). I never before thought that a librarian would put a nudist subject under Sex.

A Nudist Ski Vacation

Over the years, I have run into people who combine world-class skiing with a nudist vacation in Colorado. One couple I know regularly skis at Loveland Ski Area, then in the afternoon they drive by Mountain Air Ranch Family Nudist Resort to soak nude in the hot tub, then lounge by the fireplace in the Clubhouse.

The drive from Loveland Ski Area to Mountain Air Ranch is only one hour and 15 minutes, as shown in the map below. During the winter (when there is not a dance at the Ranch), you can reserve all four bedrooms (and two full baths, full kitchen, and living room with fireplace) for just $100 a night. Or just get one room for $70 a night. Then you can be nude when you want too and bundle up for some of the best skiing in the world. With two couples travelling in January 2009 into Denver International Airport, you can ski and relax nude for less than $160 per person per day (that would include a rental SUV with ski rack at DIA, rental skis, lodging at MAR, full price lift tickets, ski area parking). All you would need is airfare.


View Larger Map

Another option is to stay at the Orvis Hot Springs (clothing optional) and drive to Telluride Ski Resort about 45 minutes away. Orvis has several soaking pools that are 94 degrees or warmer year round and no bathing suit required. Telluride is a little pricey, but some great skiing.

"303Magazine" Article on Colorado Nudism

Earlier this year, 303 Magazine published an article on nudism which you can read here (PDF viewer such as Acrobat Reader required).

One for the record books

Yesterday, at Mountain Air Ranch, the temperature poolside was a pleasant 74 degrees F. Many people (I counted 22) enjoyed the sunshine. Turns out that this is the warmest November 18th on record. Too bad the sun dropped below the nearby hill just after 4pm.

The pool is still open (for at least another week) and heated to 84 degrees. The hot tub is open year round at a very warm 104 degrees.

There is a Thanksgiving dinner and dance this Saturday, Nov 22, at MAR. Dinner is $8 a person and includes turkey, all the accessories and home-made pumpkin pie and is served at 6pm.

The Thanksgiving dance, $14 per person, features the live band Hot Posse and starts playing at 8pm. Clothing is optional, fun mandatory!

The weather on Saturday is supposed to be pleasant, sunny with temperatures in the 50s or 60s.

Videos at Valley View Hot Springs

Vally View Hot Springs is a very large, beautiful hot springs resort (many, many acres) with camping, lodging and RV spots. Its clothing optional everywhere. Here are some very good videos, including one during a snowstorm.

Nude Years Eve Accomodations

Contrary to a posting on the Rocky Mountain Naturists newsgroup, overnight accomodations at the Mountain Air Ranch Family Nudist Resort for New Years Eve are fully booked. There is currently a waitlist for rooms in the Lodge or for the Ponderosa cabin. The Scrub Oak cabin is still available, but it is a little chilly in the winter and is only a small cabin with a queen size bed in it (its a long cold walk to a bathroom).
The Ponderosa Cabin has a full kitchen, fireplace, bath and queen bed and there was a posting that mistakenly said that someone could get it from someone who didn't need it.

If you are thinking of going to the New Years Eve dance at Mountain Air Ranch but don't want to drive home, remember that several people usually just put sleeping bags in their car during the dance, then sack out on the dance floor after the festivities end around 2am. The Clubhouse where they hold the dance is plenty warm (maybe too warm?).

The dance is truly one of the great deals in the Denver area. Only $40 each which includes a nice dinner, followed by the dance, with a champagne toast (one bottle per table of four people). Usually around 100 to 120 people attend.

In the past we have driven home after the dance (with one of us a designated driver), have slept in the back of our very large SUV, or have borrowed a friend's trailer that is parked on site. This year we were fortunate enough to get a room with a king-size bed in the Lodge for that evening.

Why is there no poll on how nudists voted?

After the massive number of polls taken about the US Presidential campaign, I can't find any evidence that a poll was taken to see how nudists were going to vote? I did hear polls on how people under 30 voted, how hispanics voted, how every county in the United States voted and how much that vote changed from 4 and 8 years ago. Seems also laughable that I can't find out how the nudists voted.

There were the stories about how the nudists in Florida wanted their own polling places, and I am surprised that no media or polling service picked up on that to find out how the residents of Caliente were going to vote. It seems like a really good excuse to get an editor to allow another reported to go to a nudist resort and report on what goes on there. In hindsight, the whole things seems like a publicity stunt, since no serious action was ever taken to get a polling place.

Of course, there are always the suggestions that, while visiting a nudist resort, one should never talk about religion or politics, so maybe its best to leave this one alone.

How come no poll on how nudists voted?

How come no poll on how nudists voted?

Running naked with a pumpkin on your head makes you a dangerous sex offender?

The Daily Camera news in Boulder, Colorado is reporting that the 12 people cited for "indecent exposure" during the Nude Pumpkin Run will have to register as sex offenders is convicted. WOW!!!! Talk about over-reactions. The twelve people are also a pretty well educated bunch as this article shows.

Practice family nudism and your kids are less likely to be autistic?

New research indicates that a lack of vitamin D may be a suspect in the development of autism. As the magazine Scientific American reports: Children in rainy states may watch more TV, which has been linked to problems with language development and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Because they spend less time in the sun, those kids may be deficient in vitamin D, which is needed for the brain-building steroid calcitriol, the scientists suggest."

As other experts will tell you, taking vitamin D supplements is an ineffective way to supplement your diet, and that exposure of your skin to sunlight is the most effective method to get vitamin D. Lack of vitamin D is also a suspect in contributing to cancer.

Naked pumpkin runners ticketed in Colorado

Instead of attending the Naked Pumpkin Run in Boulder this weekend, we decided to spend the weekend soaking nude at Orvis Hot Springs. So we missed the event in Boulder, which evidently did not go very well for some. Here is some video from the 2002 event:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/11/02/7281661-ap.html

November 2, 2008
Naked pumpkin runners ticketed in Colorado
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOULDER, Colo. - Police in Colorado have ticketed about a dozen people running naked on the street while sporting freshly gutted pumpkins on their heads as part of an annual Halloween event.

The citations for indecent exposure Friday night came as dozens of other costumed revellers, including a man with a red cape and a sword, chanted to police officers to let go of the streakers and "find real criminals."

The event known in Boulder, Colo. as the Naked Pumpkin Run has been held for 10 years.

This year it drew a huge crowd, prompting concern from police.

Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner says officers "wanted to do something before (the event) got out of hand."

Nude Outside on a Nice WARM Day and Only 2 Days Until Halloween

Here's a picture taken today next to the swimming pool at Mountain Air Ranch Family Nudist resort. The temperature is 76 degrees, humidity 20%, at 4:16pm on October 29, 2008. There are no clouds and, after a while, its actually a little too warm in the sunshine.
Click on the picture to see it full size, and you might make out the chaise lounges, a corner of the swimming pool, and the pool ladder reflected in the clock face.

"Its just the way God made us..."

From a National Geographic Series called "Taboo"

Happy Nude Year!!!

When it gets cold in Colorado (and it isn't yet), there are still some nice nudist activities to attend. One of my favorites is the New Year's Eve Dance at Mountain Air Ranch Family Nudist Resort. The cost per member is only $40($80 per couple), which includes dinner, live band for dancing, party favors, champagne for midnight toast. Also the hot tub and sauna are just outside the clubhouse and available (and used all night). Non-members should call the Ranch at (303)697-4083 to see about availability and cost (I think its between $20 and $40 more for a couple).

There is lodging at Mountain Air Ranch, but all of the nice rooms are already reserved for New Years Eve and paid for. The Scrub Oak may or may not be available. But there is space to park RVs with electric hookups (no water hookups in the winter). There is camping for truly hearty souls (we tried it one year and its was indeed very cold). Some folks bring sleeping bags in their cars and just toss them out on the dance floor after the band leaves at 2am.

Compare this to the $218 cost for a couple at the Hyatt Hotel downtown and you can see that its quite a bargain and arguably a whole lot more fun.

Most attendees go completely nude (the fireplace in the Clubhouse is started early) and the room will be plenty toasty once the dancing starts. Some ladies will wear some minimal attractive outfits, but they usually don't stay on very long. Some gentlemen have come in tuxedo coats (just coats).

Another really nice non-Colorado New Years Eve party is at Terra Cotta Inn in Palm Springs. This is a very small affair of around 20 couples. As Tom Mulhall (the owner) reports: Our New Year's Eve party is a blast. It is held obviously on Wenesday, December 31st. It is our most popular party of the year where we turn away lots of guests who wait too long before booking. The party itself is just $250/couple. We have a 5 course sit down dinner with steak and lobster. And we go all out for our guests as for instance the lobster is Canadian New Brunswick lobster which is even tastier and sweetier than Maine lobster. We have a fun DJ, dancing Midnight dessert buffet and more. Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations.

Trip Report for Valley View Hot Springs

Bill from New Mexico posted this trip review on USENET:

Dear All,

Valley View Hot Springs/Orient Land Trust is in a class of its own. We spent four days at that unique place in the last two weeks. 99% of the people were nude in the water. For reasons not known to us, 99% of the people on the trails and in their campsites (but not us) were clothes minded, even though it was plenty warm enough for clothes freedom. The natural pools were 95 - 97 degrees while the hydro heated kiddie pool, which is very shallow, was about 102. The hydro heated sauna was as high as 160, a great temperature. A really great feature of the sauna is that it has a small cool pool right in the room, so there's no need to leave the room to cool down.

Valley View makes 100% of their own electric power by collecting the outflow of most of the springs, then sending it down a pipe to a 70(?) KW hydro plant on the valley floor. About a dozen 20 amp electric outlets are available for free use here and there in the campsites near the pool.

Cell service in the area has vastly improved; we had a full signal all the time on our phones and internet access with a Verizon data card was broadband; we didn't even need to turn on the 50 db amplifier we have to use in remote areas, such as here at Wind Horse in New Mexico where we live off the grid.

We were a bit late in the season for a good bat fly out. In mid summer, as many as 250,000 bats fly out of the old Orient Mine at sunset, the largest bat colony in the state of Colorado.

Naturally Nude,
Bill

Nude Hiking in Colorado

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to hike nude in Colorado, I have posted a slideshow video of the some of the hiking trails at Mountain Air Ranch.



This slideshow of pictures taken while hiking nude through MAR shows the trails starting just uphill from the office, heading east up a ravine, across a hillside, then south through another ravine, then east across the meadow on the south end of the property, then up to BareFoote Rock, then to Panorama Point, then down to the Clubhouse, around the pool and ending at the tennis/volleyball courts.

This hike covers about 25% of the clothing optional hiking land at Mountain Air Ranch. The trails on the north and west side of the property are not shown.

Why Colorado?

A lot of people move to the north of Tampa, Florida just for the nudist options available there, but a lot of people move to Colorado for the natural beauty and want to continue to be a nudist here. Here is a panorama view of Ridgway, Colorado where the Orvis Hot Springs is located (its just to the left of center in this picture). There are very few places I know of where you can soak nude in a hot spring and see a vista like this around you. Click on the picture to see if in higher resolution or see it on Panoramio in full resolution.

Some other interesting items about Ridgway: They filmed the John Wayne movie True Grit here and it was also the setting for the movie Fort Smith.

"I'm not a nudist" on a nude beach

OK, this isn't filmed in Colorado, but I found it interesting. This is a pretty good video of folks at Haulover Nude Beach in North Miami, Florida enjoying one of the best nude beaches in the USA. It gets really interesting when the interviewer asks "Are you a nudist?"

Naked News: Lily Kwan Visits a Miami Nude Beach | Girls | SPIKE.com

Lush Goes Naked to Save the Environment

There are quite a few videos on the web that show how Lush is emphasizing no packaging to reduce the amount of waste generated in consumer sales

In the USA


An in New Zealand

Online map of clothing optional places in the Western USA

There is an interactive map online that purports to show clothing optional places throughout the Western United States. The map can be found here.

It lists some interesting places, but is noticeably incomplete in Colorado. It lists only Indian Springs Resort (which is only clothing optional inside and segregated by gender) and Rainbow Hot Springs, near Pagosa Springs.

Products for nudists

Nudist don't have to worry about the trials and tribulations of shopping for swimsuits. But they are always on the lookout for other items that make enjoying a nudist lifestyle easier. Over the years, I have learned about some items:
Shoes - For hiking of beach walking, I have tried some good ones and some bad ones. Insertable insoles seem to be a mistake, they creep up the back of the shoe and lead to blisters. I still like Tevas which I get at REI.
Shade - always a problem in places like Florida and Palm Springs. For resorts like Terra Cotta and Mountain Air Ranch, the Undercover Sunshade is really neat.
Sunscreen - Bull Frog, which I first heard about in Wired magazine, still seems to be the king of sunscreens for lasting long and being easy to put on, but it is expensive. I prefer Coppertone Sport for less cost. Banana Boat seems to turn white if you start to sweat.
Ice Chest - I really like my foldable, packable ice chest, but it sprang a leak and I threw it away. Being foldable, I could take in in my suitcase, but I also used it for dances at Mountain Air Ranch, since it was long enough to hold a wine bottle.

September is a great time of year for nude recreation in the Front Range

After Labor Day, attendance at Mountain Air Ranch usually drops off considerably, as a lot of people think autumn has returned. However, the weather along the Front Range is very inviting for nude recreation. The forecast for this weekend is sunny and mid-70s and the forecast for next weekend is sunny and low 80s. While there were over 100 people at Mountain Air Ranch last weekend and the tent meadow had 10 tents pitched and RV parking was full, the next four weekends will much quieter.

Hiking, paddle tennis, bocce, volleyball and shuffleboard at Mountain Air Ranch will be very pleasant (it was a little warm when the temps were in the 90s for over 20 days). There are over 10 miles of hiking trails (ask for a map in the office) and one trail leads by an old mica mine just west of the office. The swimming pool will remain heated to 80 degrees and open through November. The hot tub is heated to 104 degrees and is open year round.

Dakota Hot Springs just outside of Canon City, CO is clothing optional and will have slightly warmer temperatures, with temps both weekends in the 80s. The Well in Penrose, CO, which is also a nudist location, will be slightly warmer and sunny the next two weekends.

Outside the Front Range, Valley View Hot Springs will be in the high 60s during both weekends and close to freezing at nights, but the springs are still in the 90s. Orvis Hot Springs will be in the mid to upper 70s both weekends.

Artful Nudes

The Denver Art Museum just opened a new exhibit a couple of weeks ago is a diverse look at the human figure. The exhibit features several very good nude art works, including the popular John DeAndrea's hyper-realistic, always-popular nude sculpture, "Linda" (1983) and a 1960 onyx sculpture of a female nude by Luis Antonio Sanguino, a Spanish artist.

The Denver Post has a writeup on the exhibit. Or you can visit the Denver Art Museum web page.

Get Nude and Save the Planet

The UK magazine Marie Claire has an article about a group who claim living a naturalist lifestyle could be the best way to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The reduced carbon footprint from not cooling as much, from not manufacturing as much clothing and lighter luggage when travelling seems to be a good thing. The group Econudes.org is interviewed about this.

Some folks will point out that heating homes in Northern climates would offset that, but if you read the research, its actually greener if you move to a Southern climate anyway. In Colorado, if you go nude and get away from using an air conditioner in your home or even reduce its use, your carbon footprint is a whole lot less, even if you keep it a couple of degrees warmer in the winter. An evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) actually saves over 3/4 of the energy of A/C and adds moisture to your house air, which is a pleasant side effect in Colorado.

Some really nice YouTube videos that cast nudism in a good light

Here are some good videos on YouTube that cast nudism in a sane light....







Another really good video that shows a nudist party is at http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1819013

More mainstream media coverage on understanding nudism

National Geographic is carrying a story on its website on Nudism in the United States. Called The Skinny on Nudism in the U.S., the article discusses common misconceptions about nudism and some legal difficulties in various states. It also explains nudist resorts and nudist housing subdivisions.

Some of the more disturbing items reported in the article are things like Montana jailing a first time skinny dipper for 6 months as a "sex offender" (100 years for a third offense). Hard to believe a state like Montana, with a reputation for independence and self-sufficiency, would adopt such a Puritan view on life, particularly with traditional treatments of nudism by folks like Mark Twain and Norman Rockwell showing tolerance. Of course, Montana is also the state that harbored the UnaBomber....

Record Setting Heatwave - another reason to go NUDE

As Denver gets ready to set another record for most number of consecutive 90F+ degree days, the local news organizations have reported on ways to cope with the heat. I really like the one that said "take your shoes off" since the soles of your feet radiate a lot of heat. But why not just take off everything?

The temperatures at several Colorado nudist locations, including Mountain Air Ranch and Valley View Springs, are many degrees lower than in Denver. For example, on a drive last weekend from Denver to Mountain Air Ranch, the temperature went from 91 degrees on C-470 down to 79 degrees at the MAR Family Nudist Resort office in just 20 minutes. And 79 degrees is a very pleasant temperature for a nude hike in the foothills of the Front Range.

Keeping in mind that the temperature drops, on average, 5.5 degrees for every 1000 feet you go up in the mountains, anywhere in the mountains of Colorado will be cooler than Denver. Frisco, about 1 hour west of Denver, will be up to 20 degrees cooler than Denver today. An if you hike up above Loveland Pass, you can probably find somewhere to ski au-naturel.

Unless you really like it hot, you might want to avoid Dakota Hot Springs for the next four days, since the temperatures in the air are probably hotter than the hot springs themselves.

Even in Colorado, another story about Vitamin D deficiency

A lot of non-nudists think that nudists run a higher risk of skin cancer, however the research doesn't support that view. Low levels of vitamin D in the body have been linked to higher risks from many cancers (including melanoma and breast cancer), and doctors and researchers will tell you that it is almost impossible to get enough vitamin D from just food sources. However, sunlight on the skin is a very easy way to get plenty of vitamin D.

Now, the Rocky Mountain News is carrying an article that shows that seniors in Colorado, one of the sunniest states in the nation, are suffering from low vitamin D levels. As the News says "Many of Colorado's seniors aren't getting enough vitamin D, a nutritional gem that can prevent osteoporosis and may also guard against cancer, strokes, heart attacks and multiple sclerosis, a new study shows." You can read the whole article here.

National Public Radio on Gunnison Nude Beach in New Jersey

This is not about Colorado, but I found it interesting.
The National Public Radio (NPR) has a article and radio show on-line that talks about the thriving Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

WestWord's Coverage of the 2008 Denver World Naked Bike Ride

WestWord has put out its story on the 2008 Denver World Naked Bike Ride. You can read it here. They even put a slide show of pictures online here.

NBC Today Show Scoop Coverage of Nakations

You can watch a segment of the Today show that covers the AANR Nakation marketing campaign and see a very reasonable mass market treatment of nude vacations. The video is a Flash presentation, so you have to go through the first 4 minutes 50 seconds before you get to the segment on Nakations. The segment is called "Bare Essentials for Nude Travellers" and can be seen here.

Another video from the Denver World Naked Bike Ride

Denver's World Naked Bike Ride

On Saturday night, at 9pm, Denver held its annual World Naked Bike Ride starting at Benedict Fountain Park (20th & Penn) . About twice as many people as last year attended and the event appears to have been a pretty good success. There was an organizational meeting nearby starting at 6am. Channel 9 News carried an article on their web site about it, though the text of the article was mostly just what an organizer submitted to them.

Kudos to the Denver Police Department for their extremely professional approach and their concern for the safety of all the public.

The picture is from WestWord's coverage of last year's Denver WNBR.

Last year, 20 people were cited for indecent exposure, but those charges were dismissed shortly thereafter. This year there weren't any citations and there was a rumor that the prosecuting city attorney from last year even attended (although the level of participation is unknown).

Although the WNBR event uses nudity to make a point, it really isn't about exposing one's self, it uses nudity to bring attention to serious social problems with our dependence on foreign oil. As Owen said " Remember, WNBR is about, among other things, celebrating the power and individuality of our bodies and underscoring the totally natural, organic, human-powered nature of bike-transportation in a completely NON-SEXUAL context."

The organization of the Denver WNBR was mostly done through a Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WNBRdenver.

Other information was at:

http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/

www.myspace.com/worldnakedbikeride_denver

http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/

contact:

WNBRdenver@gmail.com

WNBR - Boulder's Rational Response

On Saturday, the World Nake Bike Ride was held in Boulder, Colorado. It went off without any problems and no complaints. Its goal was to "draw attention to oil dependency and the negative social and environmental impacts of a car dominated culture." What was really encouraging was the response from Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner. When asked by Channel 2 News in Denver why his officers didn't "crack down", he replied that his department has "better things to do than enforce a law in which no harm was being done".

The Boulder Daily Camera had a pretty even handed story on the event and the Rocky Mountain News carried a copy of the Daily Camera story.

Channel 2's coverage of the event was less than even-handed. Ignoring the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights pertaining to public assembly and freedom of expression, Channel 2 tried to take one repressive person's complaint and make it into a story. A couple of days ago, the Channel 2 web page carried a more rational coverage of the story.

Sounds like Boulder is a lot nicer place to live now days.

Nude Activities for the 2008 Democratic National Convention

As you have most assuredly learned, the Democratic National Convention is coming up in August 2008, specifically August 25-28. Approximately 17,000 delegates, alternates, officials and news people will be traveling to Colorado to attend. For those attending who wish to see more than just the inside of the Pepsi Center, here are some ideas:

Close to the Convention - Mountain Air Ranch Family Nudist Resort is approximately a 40 minute drive southwest of downtown Denver. Located in the foothills in the western suburbs of Denver, Mountain Air Ranch has 160 acres of wooded property with hiking, swimming, hot tub, tennis (paddles and balls available), volleyball, bocce and camping. Here is the directions to Mountain Air Ranch from the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver
View Larger MapFor AANR members, if you go to Mountain Air Ranch during a weeekday, a daily pass is only $10 per person for the whole day. On weekends, AANR members can visit for only $32 a couple or $21 per person. Visitors have use of all Ranch facilities, including hot tub, pool, sauna, hiking trails, sports courts, barbeque grills, showers, picnic tables, and club house (pool, fireplace, ping pong, lending library, video library). There is also WiFi internet access available on the property for a $5 per day fee ($50 per year).

For your weekends before and after the convention, there are several sights around Colorado where you can enjoy the Rocky Mountains without clothes. About 1 and 1/2 hours south of Denver is the Dakota Hot Springs off US Highway 50. This man-made hot spring (they discovered hot water while drilling in the river valley) has a great view of the mountains and a very large hot spring pool for soaking.

About 3 hours drive out US 285 from Denver is Valley View Hot Springs, which has several hot springs scattered over several acres in the San Luis Valley. There is some rustic housing available, RV parking and tent camping. Its also a very ecologically friendly place, with all electricity generated by their own hydro-electric plant run by the water from the springs.

At 5 hours away, Orvis Hot Springs probably has the most beautiful views of mountains from a nudist venue in the entire world. Set at the base of the Million Dollar Highway thru Ouray and continuing on to Durango, you can soak in the hot springs while watching snow showers on peaks just 10 to 20 miles away. Orvis has 6 rooms for rent, plus a tent/RV area. I recommend the rooms, but tent camping among RVs is not my choice.

Colorado Nudism in the past

Evidently, the Denver Public Library has a photograph album from 1949 that contains pictures of nudism at Mountain Air Ranch. One of those pictures is shown here. I gotta go down there and see if I can look at it. The detail on the album is Photo Album 291, 9. Western History and Genealogy, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado.

Oops...No Skinny Dip Beer in Michigan

Turns out that the Fort Collins, Colorado based New Belgium Brewery doesn't have a distributor in Michigan at the Turtle Lake Resort in Union City, so they can't get any Skinny Dip beer to the AANR Annual Convention. But a local brewer, Stevens Point Brewery, has a Nude Beach Summer Wheat Beer that they can provide.

Now if they would just start putting some of that beer in cans, so I can drink it around the swimming pool! No glass on the pool deck.

Colorado Brewery is a sponsor of the American Association for Nude Recreation annual convention

The New Belgium Brewing Company, based in Fort Collins, Colorado has its Skinny Dip Beer as a sponsor for the AANR Annual Convention in Michigan. Skinny Dip Beer is a seasonal low-alcohol, low-calorie beer that New Belgium brews (me, I like their Fat Tire amber ale).

San Jose Mecury picks up NYTimes Nudist Article

The San Jose, CA Mecury News, a newspaper of particular interest to the engineering and Internet business people, picked up the New York Times article on nude resorts and vacations at http://www.mercurynews.com/lifeandstyleheadlines/ci_9149727

Nudist Theme Crossword Puzzle in USAToday

The current USAToday has "The Naked Truth" as its theme today, with one long solution being an old nudist joke: "Have you read Marx?", "Only if I sit on the wicker chairs".

New York Times Sunday Travel Section Cover on Naturism

The paper isn't out yet, but tomorrow's New York Times is supposed to feature a full color cover story on nude recreation and vacations. You can find the online version at this link. The attached picture is from Hidden Beach, near Cancun, Mexico, a very luxurious nude resort. The photo is taken from the swim up bar (careful, if you hit the ball into the bar, everyone on your side has to take a tequila shot!)

From the AANR:
For weeks we have been anticipating the arrival of a NY Times article which has been months in the making. We’re very pleased to have seen advanced copies of the story and can now say that it will appear as full-color story beginning on the front page of the Travel section, and continuing to a two page, full-color spread within. Please be sure to stop by any newsstand selling The Times on Sunday and purchase a copy.

Pool opening at Mountain Air Ranch

Bob and Bill are in the process of opening the swimming pool at Mountain Air Ranch. A broken pipe had to be replaced first. It will take about 3 days for the pool to reach its normal 84 degrees F. Due to the large snowfall this year, the water storage tanks are nearly full with over 70,000 gallons available.

The weather since last weekend at the Ranch has been very comfortable. The bocce court is now in use and both tennis courts were being used. Today is supposed to be 76 degrees, a good day for sunning and hiking.

Also, all campsites at the Ranch now have good wireless Internet (WiFi) coverage, so if you need to stay in touch with family or work while at the Ranch, you can. Even Skype and MagicJack work there.

This weekend and Nakations

So, after several inches of SNOW this week, the temperature at Mountain Air Ranch this weekend is supposed to be in the mid 70s. Mica Mine Gulch Road will probably be pretty bad after all the runoff. Now to see if the wildflowers are coming up on the trails.

Also, this week AANR started offering their Nakation In A Box. From AANR:
What's a Nakation? Visit AANR.com's newest Web page to find everything you need for a clothing-optional vacation pre-assembled and available at a low introductory price. Those who purchase a Nakation in a Box will receive a large plush embroidered towel in your choice of three colors, an issue of the brand new North American Guide to Nude Recreation including a full-color foldout map, fun items such as window clings, temporary tattoos that proudly state "I'm in a Nakation State of Mind" and individual-sized sunscreen packets with the AANR logo. And there's more. You'll receive 12 issues of The Bulletin, AANR's monthly newspaper, and coupons for savings at participating AANR clubs. You'll also have a chance to win the ultimate Nakation with a cabin for two aboard Bare Necessities Tour & Travel's Homecoming Cruise to Hawaii, March 19-April 3, 2010.

Political Nudism in Colorado

So, Denver has the dubious honor of hosting the Democratic National Convention in August.

One group has announced their plans to hold a "nude-in" in a park downtown. They are planning to spell out the word PEACE across the park with nude bodies. I guess they are hoping to do something similar to the "no war" protest pictured here.

We've discovered our friends are nudists

There is a very good article in the 'Globe and Mail" in Canada about nudism and your friends. This article describes how a couple suspected that friends of theirs had become nudists and they had not been told. Its interesting to read a story like this from the point of view of the non-nudist. We personally haven't told all our friends we are nudists (but we have told many). We are concerned that some people we associate with would be so offended, that we would no longer enjoy their company. But its hard to know who.

Some folks associate nudism with many other things, such as swinging. That's like associating Christianity with bombing, it just isn't so. But those misplaced associations can be troubling.

Rocky Mountain Naturists Swim and Pot Luck

For those who don't know, there are at least three organized clubs in the Denver Metro area, including the Rocky Mountain Naturists, Mountain Air Ranch, and Front Range Naturists.

The Rocky Mountain Naturists have a meeting at least once a month. Their next Swim and Pot Luck meeting is Saturday, April 5th, from 5pm to 10pm. They reserve a whole health club pool and members bring dinner to share. The location is convenient, located near I-25 and several bus routes in south Denver.

They have a lot of information on their web site at http://www.rockymountainnaturists.com

Mountain Air Ranch Hot Tub Down for Maintenance

If you are thinking of going to MAR to enjoy the hot tub this week, think again. The hot tub was pulled out for maintenance and will be out of service until at least this weekend. Bob, Bill, George, and Glen pulled it out of the ground on Monday to repair a leak and other needed work. All of the jets are being replaced as well as a lot of the plumbing. Bob hopes to have it back online this weekend. So, a couple of 70 degree days were lost in the hot tub this week.

The sauna (with showers) and clubhouse are still available. Wildflowers are not up on the trails yet, but should be soon. I should have pictures in about two weeks.

Reverse Streaking

A funny video on reverse streaking (running with clothes on).

In Search of All Things Nudist - A Nudist Typeface Font

So a gentleman named Craig Oldham has come up with
a typeface that has a nudist theme. Actually, its
a typeface with either fig leaves, pixelation, or
censor bars, so I'm not sure that its really nudist
overall.

Anyway, you can find more at http://www.craigoldham.co.uk/experimental/nudist-typeface/

As a nudist, I prefer this font:

Things to do Nude, Things*NOT* to do Nude

As all nudists know, there are a lot more things you can do nude, than things you shouldn't do nude. Here's a list. I haven't tried many of the NOT list while nude, but I did try frying bacon nude, NOT A GOOD IDEA. But, as you can see in the background, jet skiing NUDE is a good idea.

Things To Do Nude...	Things *NOT* To Do Nude...
Aerobics Aviation Babysitting Badminton Baking (cakes, bread, etc.) Barefoot Waterskiing Basketball Bathe Belly Dancing Bicycling Billiards Bird watching Boat Maintenance Body Pianting Boogie Boarding Bowling Buff the floor Build Webpages Bunge jumping CPR Camping Canoeing Cards Checkers Chess Cleaning the fish pond Cliff jumping Computer Work Cooking (with care) Cuddle Cycle tours by night DJ'ing Dancing Darts Dating Decorate for Chistmas Decorate the House Diving Drawing Driving Earth-Centered Spiritual Gathering Eating Encounter Group Therapy Enjoy a fireplace/campfire Exercise Fill the birdfeeder Fishing Flying Flying model airplanes Flying sailplanes Food Fights Frisbie Gardening Get the Mail Giving birth Go to church Golf Guitar playing Gymnastics Hackysack Hair cutting Ham Radio Hang Velvet Elvis paintings Hang gliding Hanging Clothes Hanging Out (doing nothing) Helicopter Rides Hide and Seek Hiking Home Repairs Homework Honeymoon Hoola Hoops Horseback riding Horseback riding (bareback) Hot Air Ballooning Hot Springing Hot Tubbing House-work Hugging Hypnosis Jet Skiing Job interview Jogging Juggling Karate Kayak Kite Flying Laundry Lawn Mowing Lifeguarding Listen to music Macarena Massage Meditate Metal detecting Mini-Golf Miniten Modelling Models Mountain biking Mud Football Night swimming NordicTrac Skiing Officework Online Banking Painting Parachuting Parasailing Party with friends Paying the Bills Photography Picnic Ping Pong Play musical instruments Playing in the rain Playing with pets Pogo Sticks Powerboating Pray Reading Relaxing Repair the well house Rock climbing Rollerblading Run Home Business Run through the sprinkler Running SCUBA diving Sailing Sauna School Scrabble Scuba Diving Sculpting Shopping Singing Skateboarding Skydive Sleep Smashball Snorkeling Snow Angels (after the sauna) Snow Ski (spring) Stargazing Strolling through the park Study Sunbathe Surf the Net Surfing Swim Swing in a hammock Swinging on a tarzan rope into water Taekwondo (Martial Arts) Tai Chi Take out garbage Talk on the phone Taxes Teaching Telephone Sales Tennis Tightrope walking Toss Devil Sticks Training the dog Trampoline Tree planting Twister Vaccuming Video Games Volleyball Vote Walking Walking the dog Wash Clothes Wash Dishes Wash the Car Watch TV Watch the Superbowl Waterpolo Waterslide Wedding Weightlifting Wind Surfing Window Washing Wood chopping Write Sermons Writing letters Yardwork Yoga	Aircraft Maintenance Arrive at work late Attend PTA meetings BBQ sizzling meat Baseball Beekeeping Blacksmithing Boxing Break dance Bull riding Carry an angry cat Chain Sawing Chemistry Chop firewood Chopping and logging X-mas trees Clean the BBQ grill using hot water Clean up radioactive waste Climb a Hawthorne Tree Climb a Picket Fence Coal mining Drive during rush hour Drivethrough Fast Food Feeding geese Fencing File for Divorce Fill a propane tank (very cold) Firefighting Fly fishing on a windy day Fry bacon Frying Food Glass Cutting Glassblowing Grind Fiberglass Ice Fishing Ice Hockey Install Insulation Iron Ore Smelting Learn to ride a bike Learn to rollerblade Make a snow angel Metal Fabrication Motorcycle Racing Paint the pool with oil based paint Paintball Participating in Combat Pick up frightened kitten Pickup the kids at daycare Play leap frog Play with fireworks Remove a hornet`s nest Roof Repair Roofing with hot tar Run for office Sandblasting Shovel snow Sit on an ant hill Sit on hot vinyl car seats Slide down a hot slide Slide down an unfinished banister Slide into homeplate! Snowball Fights Snowmobiling Steam Fitting String barbwire Sumo wrestling Take the SAT's Tear out Poison Ivy Train an attack dog Trim the hedges Visit City Hall Weed Whacking Welding, cutting, or burning Work around a grill Working

Nudism on Prime Time TV

If you watched "New Amsterdam" last night on its series premiere, the main character was swimming at the YMCA when his partner (police) arrived to talk to him. She remarked that the "Y" was closed, he said yes, and she remarked "and you're naked....", which he replied "Yes.". Good moment; the matter-of-factness of it was very well done. Nice to see prime time TV not getting stuck on tittilation, and just accepting nudity as a part of life.
For nearly 80 years, swimsuits at YMCA's were forbidden, but those rules changed back in the early 1970s. Too bad. Does anyone really enjoy wearing a wet bathing suit?

Internet Radio Show on Nudism

Treating Menopause/Becoming a Nudist

Friday, March 7
12 - 1 p.m. (PST)/3 - 4 p.m. (EST)
A Live & Online Broadcast

For Beyond 50's talks on "Natural Healing," we'll have Dr.Kathryn Retzler and Rebecca Glaser talk about the effective, bio-identical hormonal treatment of Menopause. Afterwards, we'll be joined with John Kinman and Pat Small of the American Association of Nude Recreation to talk about the nudist lifestyle that they love and encourage you to join a local chapter.*

To Hear the Live Broadcast, Click on This: Talk Shoe

*Subject to change. To join in the conversation during the live broadcast, call (724) 444-7444. When asked for the Talk Shoe ID, dial 59781#, and for the last code, press 1#. If you happen to miss any of the interviews, it is available through our archives.

Nudists are good for the economy

Pasco county in Florida reported record hotel tax revenue in January 2008. Pasco is home to several nudist resorts, including Caliente and Paradise Lakes, as well as some nudist residential communities.
In Colorado, nudists pay lodging and sales taxes in six different counties, as well as property taxes on the resorts, hot springs, and hotels.

Yesterday (Saturday), temperatures in eastern Colorado were in the seventies, and nudist resorts saw a lot of business. Mountain Air Ranch had over 40 visitors, even with the swimming pool closed for the season. The staff at MAR even pulled out the snow shovels to move the rapidly melting snow off of part of the pool deck to make room for more lounges. The hiking trails at MAR were used by some, although there were some rapidly melting snow drifts still remaining in isolated spots. Glen has already been at work on trail maintenance.

Kate Hudson Finds Nudity "Liberating"

From the AANR Bulletin:
Actress Kate Hudson is the latest celebrity who says she enjoys spending time in the buff. The 28-year-old Hudson, the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn and stepdaughter of actor Kurt Russell, said she was brought up by her parents to feel comfortable in her own skin. The actress reveals she often spends much of her time at home naked and finds it liberating. Hudson is only the latest in a long line of celebrities who have recently said in interviews that they enjoy nudity. Last year, singer Christina Aguilera revealed she and her husband enjoy what they call "Naked Sundays," when they go about their normal domestic routines in the nude. Actress Eva Mendes told More magazine one of her favorite pastimes is nude gardening. Hudson's latest film is Fool's Gold, co-starring Matthew McConaughey, who is also no stranger to nudity. Read more at Kate Hudson.

Update coming in Google Earth/Panoramio

I was notified that more pictures from Mountain Air Ranch have been reviewed and selected by Panoramio for inclusion in the March 15th update to the Google Earth Satellite Mapping Program. If you haven't tried Google Earth, give it a try and fly over the globe looking at things. A new picture taken by Kathy is particularly good. It shows Family Day at MAR back in June 2006. Lots of people and lots of colors, mostly from the umbrellas.

Go Canuding

This isn't a Colorado event, but the Rio Grande river STARTS in Colorado.
3 Day Wilderness Canuding Trip

AANR-SW is sponsoring a 3-day, 2 night, wilderness canuding trip on the Rio Grande River in the canyons of Big Bend National Park. This is a fully supported and guided trip by professional river guides. Participation is for AANR members only and is limited to 20 individuals. Trip is scheduled for late October 2008. Last year we saw no other people from lunch the 1st day until the take-out the 3rd day, a perfect nudist wilderness experience.

For additional information contact sandyt36@sbcglobal.net.

Nude Weddings

Here is a pretty good article on nude weddings in the Arizona Republic (Phoenix newspaper) on getting married in the nude. With what you save on wedding dresses and tuxedos, you can definitely have a better reception afterwards.

More mainstream media gets into Nude Vacations

The Washington Post has an online article that mentions Nakations (Naked Vacations) and links to the AANR web site for more information.

AANR is looking for newbies - people who have just been introduced to nude recreation. They have an short fuse on an opportunity to contribute to a New York Times travel section article.

If you can think of anybody, you should let

Carolyn Hawkins

Public Relations Coordinator

The American Association for Nude Recreation know about it.

The weather in Colorado is definitely improving. Highs today and Monday in Denver are supposed to be in the 50s, 60s on Tuesday. The road in Mountain Air Ranch melted off yesterday and is drying up, several people took advantage of the hot tub last night (Friday). Here's two pictures at Mountain Air Ranch, one taken on Friday and the other taken on Saturday (today). With the weather forecast, all that white stuff should be gone by Tuesday.

Valentines Day at Mountain Air Ranch

Mountain Air Ranch had their Valentine's Day Dance last Saturday night. Seventy people attended the "Paris in the Spring" themed event, with Rudy's Roadhouse Band providing the live music. Refreshments included fresh bread,various cheeses, croissants, salami, fresh fruit and chocolate. Here is the clubhouse decorated for the dance.

Time for a Nakation?

A couple of comments about Nakations (Nude Vacations):

1. The taxi drivers at the Cancun, Mexico airport love the visitors to Hidden Beach Resort (a nude resort) because they have so little baggage (overheard by a lady that didn't let them know she spoke Spanish).
2. Nakationers really don't like the new TSA liquid rules, because their toiletry kits used to be the largest item they packed and it WAS easy to use carry on.
3. When the airline loses your luggage on your way to a vacation at Club Orient in St. Martin, you really don't worry about it much (which really messes with the minds of the airline workers!)
4. When going to dinner at the resort, the only question from my wife has been "Should I wear my blue pareo, my yellow pareo or nothing?" And we were ON TIME for dinner!
From Gary Leff, Chief Financial Officer for a university research center:

"I get several pitches a day from various PR hacks looking to place a story for a client. Most of the time I ignore them. Occasionally I ridicule them. But once in a while I simply reproduce a portion of their email verbatim.

The latest travel buzzword to appear in our lexicon comes from the 50,000 members of the American Association for Nude Recreation (www.aanr.com) and the word is: Nakation.

AANR defines a Nakation (pronounced like vacation) as: v. to take a clothing optional vacation, esp. away from home for pleasure and recreation. n. the part of your vacation you’ll brag to friends about.

Heck, with airlines charging for extra checked luggage, it makes good fiscal sense to take a Nakation. This type of pleasure trip also eliminates the potential hassle of lost luggage!"

Good Quote

"Truth is, most of us contain a splashing, giggling, squealing child who
knows without thinking that bare skin and water go together as wings go
with air, roots with earth, and the phoenix with incendiary sun."
-- Elle MacPherson

I ran across this quote. I was impressed by it and surprised that it was from a super-model. But then my wife set me straight (which thankfully she does from time to time) by pointing out the Elle MacPherson is known for being both brainy and beautiful.

Here are about 100 people acting like splashing, giggling, squealing children (click on the picture to see it full size):

Fox News Video shot at Mountain Air Ranch

There is a pretty good quality video on a local Denver Fox News TV Station that shows some views at Mountain Air Ranch and has some interviews with people at the Ranch. Overall a pretty nice clip.
Tomorrow is supposed to be in the high 50s, so we are off to the Ranch tomorrow to see if we can do any more than soak in the hot tub and play pool (the billiards kind). Only about 2 months until the pool opens.

Where do Colorado Nudists gather in January when its around 0 degrees F?

In addition to the dances at Mountain Air Ranch and the Rocky Mountain Naturists Swim and Pot Luck during the winter, we travel all over the world. Ten nudists from Colorado (that I know of) traveled separately to St. Martin this month and had a couple of overlapping days at the beach. This photo is some of them at Happy Bay, a wonderful and isolated beach a short drive from Club Orient.

A Very Good Website on Naturism

http://www.naturistplace.com/
It hasn't been updated recently, but it has a lot of very good information.

MAR Pictures on Google Earth

Well, I finally got some pictures to show up on the Google Earth program. This satellite image mapping program allows you to zoom into any location on earth and see both the ground and roads, as well as other information such as attached pictures. Three of the pictures I submitted were accepted and can be seen if you enable the Panoramio layer on the left side of the Google Earth window, as shown in the attached picture:

The only pictures so far are of the entrance sign and two shots of the swimming pool, one in January and one in November.