LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Talk |
Bill Sievert |
Resorting to Trailer Life for Gay Getaways
It was supposed to be a vintage Airstream. And it was supposed to serve as an inexpensive pied-a-terre for weekend getaways to the beach. At least that's how our dream began, after John spotted a 1968 Bambi model for sale in someone's front yard. Of course, by the time he told me about the little travel trailer, it was already sold. Beat-up old Airstreams are hot commodities right now. Having missed that opportunity, we began to search for another trailer to buy. Lots of comparable models were available on eBay, some of them reasonably priced, many of them located in places like Maine or Colorado. We weren't enthused about the idea of towing a trailer even a few miles to its permanent destination, much less hauling it cross-country. Our enthusiasm dropped another notch as we started studying RV-trailer parks near the Atlantic coast in Central Florida, where we live. Most of the parks are populated by families with young children (the weekenders), retirees (the year-rounders), and a liberal sprinkling of folks with big wheels on their pickup trucks and necks of bright crimson. We're all for diversity, but we began to wonder whether our weekend escapes might be as relaxing as we would hope in such a mixed environment. "It's about time someone started a gay trailer park," I suggested to John, totally forgetting the one I'd already heard of, and only an hour's drive from our home. It took another trip to the Worldwide Web to refresh my mind about the Sawmill Gay Camping Resortand to inform me of approximately 100 similar options for gay men and lesbians throughout North America. (The site www.campgayusa.com has a fairly comprehensive directory of them. Sorry, folks, while there are three in Pennsylvania, none is listed in Delaware. However, don't despair; the coastal communities of Delaware already have the best CAMP organization one could possibly hope for.) We're not really the kind of guys who like to go camping (in tents), but we decided to pay a visit to Sawmill after we learned that it featured several lanes of year-round trailers. The site is a 100-acre wooded park on the Withlacoochee River. A former fishing camp, it reopened six years ago as a private gay resort in a rural area near a big state park about half way between Tampa and Orlando. Although it's definitely out in the sticks, we were immediately impressed by all that this resort has to offer: a large heated swimming pool with a deck bar and restaurant, a boutique with leather shop and a convenience store, hiking trails and ponds, cabins (with cute names like the Betty Ford and the Lucille Ball), and areas for tents and RVs. There are also horseshoe and sand volleyball courts, canoe rentals, and even a disco and clubhouse. The latter is the site of popular Friday night gay Bingo games and Sunday night amateur drag shows. There is a theme for every weekend of the year, from pet-costume competitions to cowpoke parties. It appears that we had discovered both a bustling gay town and a quiet, secluded escape. "This could become our country club," I hinted to John after a couple of cocktails poolside, "...way out in the country." Actually, I had to say it twice because his attention had been diverted to a flashy piece of jewelry proudly displayed on the member of a sunbather. Well, the clothing-optional pool area is for resort members only... If we get a place here, don't expect ME to do that!" he said, nakedly honest. "Likewise, I'm sure," I replied. "But you'll notice that a lot of the younger guys wear swimwear. It's mostly older ones who don't. Maybe, as we continue to mature we'll get less inhibited, too." "Maybe you will!" he replied with a glare. What impressed us most about Sawmill is the year-round neighborhood, just far enough removed from the hubbub of the vacationers and set along tree-lined lanes with names like Blueberry, Cherry and Banana. Thanks to the extraordinary decorating talents of their owners, dozens of the permanent mobile homes have been given extreme makeovers. Some now have pitched roofs, others have log-cabin facades, and most have large decks or porches with tropical gardens and statues of David on the lawns. Almost everyone has a golf cart for puttering to the pool or the convenience store. We became increasingly enchanted during our visit to this forest, particularly as we met some of its residentsmen (and a growing number of women; they have some wild women's weekends) of all ages and walks of life. The population includes artists and real-estate brokers, theatrical designers and carpenters. (Lions and twinkies and, of course, bears, oh my!) Some have built stunning additions onto their trailers and live here year round. Others are weekenders. "It's neighborly but not intrusive," one resident told us as we began our inspection of a vintage 1979 trailer that had just come up for sale on a very pretty lot. (You buy your trailer but rent its space. There are separate areas for daily, weekly, and monthly guests who are towing their homes away from home.) The fact that a delegation from the social staff drove up in a convoy of golf carts to serve complimentary mint juleps in celebration of Derby Day was the icing on the cake to this old Kentucky boy. We didn't take long to make a decision. The trailer we are buying is more expensive than we originally counted on (dreaded resort prices!). And it's not an Airstream. But it is (in our eyes, at least) adorable: bright and open with a big deck and an anatomically perky Statue of David in the front garden. Plus, it comes with a golf cart, which a lesbian friend has offered to decorate for us. What more could we ask? We haven't taken possession yet; the old owners wanted to keep it through one more Memorial Day celebration. They'd just better not get too wild and crazy in OUR trailer. Meanwhile, John is picking out decorative accessories, and I'm busy browsing the jewelry counter in the leather boutique.... Here's hoping you all have an enchanting Memorial Day weekend in the land of CAMP Rehoboth, and I'll have more to report on our adventure in Trailer Land in the days to come. Bill Sievert may be reached at allforthecaouse@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 14, No. 5 May 21, 2004 |