Costumes- I went with the comfortable clothes as a first priority, which was nice. During the day I would wear usually wicking cami and my kavu shorts. I sweated all the time so it was nice to have stuff that didn't show that I was drenched. Then, I topped it off with my cowboy hat with a string that I rigged to protect it from flying away. Almost everybody wears cowboy hats. Unless they have some other super cool hat. I brought another broad-brimmed hat but felt it wasn't nearly as cool as the cowboy hat. I would have brought some flow-y summer dresses. Especially if they were sexy. All the girls dress sexy. It is the defacto unwritten dress code. Suddenly, it seems perfectly ok to pull out that top that you think is slutty. Go ahead!! And bras are definitely optional. Most of the time girls walk around in hotpants/undies with a tube top/lacy bra/bikini top. Tutus were very big there, as long as they were short. The poofier the better. Actually, clothes are entirely optional but I was sun shy and also didn't want to walk around naked. Ok, except for critical tits. But my nipples were covered :) As the week wore on I wore less and less clothing and started to think that being nude wasn't such a bad idea because of the heat. Fake fur leg cuffs were also very much in. Lots of people wore them during the day but I thought it was way to hot. Short, short skirts are very much an "in" item. I borrowed a short black skirt from Kate that worked very well despite it going up to my waist. Short skirts that rested on my hips would have been best. My leg warmers worked great too- pair with a short skirt and voila!
At night I still was able to wear tank tops and a longer skirt. I borrowed from Kate this sweater with fur on the collar and cuffs that worked ok but a coat like the one Jes had- suede with wooly collar and cuffs would have been cooler. Or perhaps a short cape. Also, it doesn't much matter what you wear at night- not many people are going to see it on the playa. It is more important to be lit up so you are visible to peds & cyclists.
I also liked the idea of a bigger "cover-up" shirt. I borrowed one from Ben for post-critical tits and it was great. Think a swimsuit cover-up, something roomy and made from a light fabric.
Overall for girls it is a sexy Mad Max look. Ideas that I thought were cool included:
-short skirt made from ribbons for a sexy gypsy look
-horns, esp if they have EL wire at night
-better furry leg cuffs
-utility belt (to hang your cup and hold your camera)
-knee high boots
Lots of men wore skirts and were shirtless. Or just totally naked. I saw lots of men's junk, much more than I want to see. From the British guy on the corner who was naked all of the time to the guy who had pants on but had his junk hanging out, nude was in for dudes.
EL wire was much better that glowsticks at keeping you visible at night. Some industrious people had it sewn in their clothes which was cool.
Goggles- clear ones for night and ones with UV protection for the day. Aviator hats looked cool on girls at night as well.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
East Lake Resort
Date of Trip July 18 & 19th 2009.
Lesson 1: Bonnie packs a lot of crap. A lot. Be prepared to take everything and the kitchen sink. Yes, we even went to BiMart to get water even though I was sure that there was water at the campground. Also, be prepared not to leave on time. Actually, while waiting just get a book out and start reading.
So after a very late start we headed East on Hwy 58 to get to Newberry Crater. The resort allows you to reserve a spot online. It was $27 for one night- spendy compared to the $12 at the nearby campground. But, it was good we booked a spot as most of the campgrounds were full by the time we got there. East Lake resort is ok, they had showers and flush toilets, a small gift shop, cafe, boat rentals, and cabins. They even had an espresso cart. The spots are not too scenic- a fire went through the campground so there is no underbrush at all. Across the street there is underbrush so it seems like a very small fire. Also, 90% of the other campers were RVers. We didn't have any mosquito problems- actually I didn't even see one up there.
We went to the Pine Mtn observatory the back way. The good was that we saw lots of wildlife- most of it darting in front of my car- but I didn't hit anything. Lots of jack rabbits, mice, & birds. Love the sagebrush too. It was a bit nerve wracking to go on the forest service roads but they turned out to be fairly well marked. The area is a big ORV place so that accounts for the decent signs. I don't know if we ended up saving time getting to the observatory but the drive was much cooler. Pine Mtn was awesome, saw lots of stars but clouds kept getting in the way. Bring a red light as they don't allow flashlights.
Got back to camp late- it gets cold up there at night! My toes were a bit cold :( But, by 10 am it was nearly 70deg F and I put on shorts a little later. Paulina Peak is worth the car ride- you can hike it but it is quite a hill. Beautiful views! Paulina Falls is pretty as well & right off of the road. They have a small Forest Service station up there too. There is a resort at Paulina Lake as well- didn't check it out.
Lesson 1: Bonnie packs a lot of crap. A lot. Be prepared to take everything and the kitchen sink. Yes, we even went to BiMart to get water even though I was sure that there was water at the campground. Also, be prepared not to leave on time. Actually, while waiting just get a book out and start reading.
So after a very late start we headed East on Hwy 58 to get to Newberry Crater. The resort allows you to reserve a spot online. It was $27 for one night- spendy compared to the $12 at the nearby campground. But, it was good we booked a spot as most of the campgrounds were full by the time we got there. East Lake resort is ok, they had showers and flush toilets, a small gift shop, cafe, boat rentals, and cabins. They even had an espresso cart. The spots are not too scenic- a fire went through the campground so there is no underbrush at all. Across the street there is underbrush so it seems like a very small fire. Also, 90% of the other campers were RVers. We didn't have any mosquito problems- actually I didn't even see one up there.
We went to the Pine Mtn observatory the back way. The good was that we saw lots of wildlife- most of it darting in front of my car- but I didn't hit anything. Lots of jack rabbits, mice, & birds. Love the sagebrush too. It was a bit nerve wracking to go on the forest service roads but they turned out to be fairly well marked. The area is a big ORV place so that accounts for the decent signs. I don't know if we ended up saving time getting to the observatory but the drive was much cooler. Pine Mtn was awesome, saw lots of stars but clouds kept getting in the way. Bring a red light as they don't allow flashlights.
Got back to camp late- it gets cold up there at night! My toes were a bit cold :( But, by 10 am it was nearly 70deg F and I put on shorts a little later. Paulina Peak is worth the car ride- you can hike it but it is quite a hill. Beautiful views! Paulina Falls is pretty as well & right off of the road. They have a small Forest Service station up there too. There is a resort at Paulina Lake as well- didn't check it out.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ice Cap Campground June 19-21 2009
The original idea was to go to Coldwater Cove campground and boat on Clear Lake. However, when I got up there at 4pm the campground was full. Lesson 1: make reservations. I didn't think that reservations could be made there and found out too late that they could. So I ended up with a spot at nearby Ice Cap Campground. The campground did have some bonuses over Coldwater- it was a better place to let the kids ride their bikes and we had a nice camping spot (#16) that easily acommodated all of us. The campground was gorgeous, nestled among old growth and very quiet (there is only 22 spots.) Lesson 2: check elevation. Even though it is shorts weather in the valley it was chilly. Not freezing-my-ass off like Waldo Lake on Labor Day but cold enough to want to hang out by the fire all day. Lesson 3: pack a bike for any kid that is going, plus a warm coat, hats, thermals, lots of warm clothes and plenty of toys, especially the kind that can keep them occupied for a while. We didn't bring a bike for Katie and I totally dropped the ball bringing her a coat. Luckily Aiden had extras. Also, kids are dirt magnets. Bring lots of extra clothes and diaper wipes are like manna from heaven. Lesson 4: infants do not like to camp. Katie loved hanging out with Jake and Aiden but Jack wasn't so happy being in the forest. Lesson 5: not all campgrounds have potable water. This is partly due to our staying in the campground so early in the season. Normally they have water. Lesson 6: pick food that is easy to prepare and clean up. We spent most of the time cooking, or cleaning up after cooking. Lesson 7: bring wood. Branches aren't the best for a fire and tend to smoke a lot. Lesson 8: bring cooking oil. Almost any camping food needs it.
Other notes: there is no cell phone service near there, Koosah falls is within walking distance, and there is a trail that leads you to the reservoir- follow the fence past the tent-only spots. The reservoir is apparently a big fishing spot, might be a good swimming hole later in the season.
Other notes: there is no cell phone service near there, Koosah falls is within walking distance, and there is a trail that leads you to the reservoir- follow the fence past the tent-only spots. The reservoir is apparently a big fishing spot, might be a good swimming hole later in the season.
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