By George

Mine is a long story. When I was a young teenager I found an issue of Sunshine & Health magazine in my father's underwear drawer. I was fascinated by the pictures! Then I started to read the articles. It made an impression on me and I started to develop an interest in nudism. Here is my story.

After I graduated from high school I joined the United States Air Force. I continued to read nudist magazines. Due to raids on nudist camps during those times (the 1950's) I didn’t try to go to any camps out of fear of losing my GI Bill schooling. I attended a state university. At the time I was engaged to a wonderful girl who attended a college about 200 miles away.

The next spring I visited my first nudist camp, Zoro Nature Park. I was 23 or 24 at the time. At the gate the gate keeper asked if I had made arrangements to visit. I said no so she called the owner, Alois Knapp. He asked me how I knew about Zoro. I told him it was from nudist magazines I had read. He allowed me to spend the day. He asked if I had a girl friend. I told him she was at school 200 miles away. He said to bring her next time I came. I said I would try. The people were friendly but reserved toward me as I was single at the time and had come alone. Zoro was very rustic at that time, just a pond to swim in and the usual volley ball and tennis courts. Alois Knapp was a real pioneer in the nudist world. As I understand it, he opened Zoro in the 1930's. He was a real gentleman.

At the end of the spring semester my girl friend and I both went home for the summer. We dated almost every night. After about three weeks I asked her if she would like to go with me to a place I had visited during the spring before the end of the semester. I had not discussed nudism with her. We had had a rather open romance and I thought she was an open-minded person who would be open to trying something a little different. She asked me about this place I wanted to take her. I told her it was called Zoro Nature Park and it was similar to the forest preserve we both enjoyed going to. She said why drive two hours since the forest preserve was much closer. I told her it was nicer and that it was different. She asked what made it so different. I said it was private and everyone was naked. She asked, what is it, a nudist colony? I said it was a nudist camp. She slapped my face and called me a pervert. That was the end of our relationship.

About two or three years after breaking up with that girl, I met and married another girl, Sharon. I was hired by a major airline and moved to the San Francisco Bay area. My wife's mother lived nearby in Marin county. We stayed with her until we found an apartment. Her mother was hooked on talk radio and soon we were hooked, too. We managed the building we lived in and one day as we worked in the yard, we were listening to a talk radio show. The host said his next guest was going to talk about free beaches. I knew about them, but at that time my wife had no idea. I had not brought up the subject of nudism with her after my past experience. My wife said to me, “You want to check this out, don't you.” I said, “Sure!” She said that I wasn't going without her!

We were not able to go to the beach that weekend. Then during the next week the talk show had people on from two nudist resorts. They said the next weekend was national nudist weekend and they were inviting everyone to come to their resorts, take a tour, and the ground fees would be waived for first time visitors. We went to one of the resorts and took the tour. The tour guide said to drive in, put our clothes in the car and to enjoy ourselves. My wife asked if we had to get nude right away. The guide said to get comfortable and get nude when she was ready, but she bet my wife would be nude in half an hour or less.

We drove in, I took off my clothes, and we went up to the pool area and sat down. About 15 minutes later my wife took off her blouse and in another five minutes off came her shorts. She was wearing a bikini under her blouse and shorts. In about another five minutes she asked for the car keys. She told me to stay here; she wanted to take her blouse and shorts to the car. About 15 minutes went by and my wife had not returned. I went over and looked down on the parking lot. I didn't see my wife anywhere so I went back and sat down. After about ten more minutes I became worried, but then I recognized a familiar sun hat coming up the steps to the pool; then a pair of sun glasses I had seen before. The next thing I saw was a smile from ear to ear! Then, her flip-flops. She came over, gave me a huge kiss and thanked me for bringing her here! When it was time to go home she didn't want to leave!

The resort we visited was Lupin Lodge, which was later rearranged as the result of an earthquake. When my wife and I visited it that national nude weekend, I was about 28 and she was 23 or 24. We had been married about three years. We found Lupin to be very nice and the people were very friendly. In fact, they couldn't have been nicer and I think that was a huge factor in my wife's decision to get nude that first day.

On the talk radio show, the people from the nudist resorts had talked about some of the experiences their members had had at the free beaches - some good, some bad – so my wife and I were both happy that our first experience was at a resort. We went to Lupin a couple more times that summer. We joined another resort the following year. Over the years we enjoyed the nudist lifestyle and also visited the Sequoians, Laguna Del Sol, and Harbison Hot Springs. My wife died from cancer on 9/11/01.

After my wife died I sold our house in California and moved to Nevada where I bought a house and an RV. I have family in the Midwest and on the east coast. I have since traveled in the RV and visited approximately 35 nudist resorts on my trips. I have visited nine resorts in California, one in Arizona, three in Texas, one in Oklahoma, one in Kansas, two in Tennessee, two in Florida, one in South Carolina, one in North Carolina, one in Virginia, all three in Maryland, one in Pennsylvania, one in West Virginia, one in Ohio, three in Michigan, and one in Colorado. I planned my trips along routes where I could stay at nudist resorts. It usually worked out for me to stay at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club parking lots one night and two nights at a resort. The resorts we/I have visited range from rustic to deluxe. My home resort is Laguna Del Sol. It is more developed than Lupin. There is an indoor pool and three outdoor pools, one that is for water volley ball. The people I have met along the way have been friendlier than most people you meet on the street. Maybe this is because we have a common bond: nudism.

As for those I’ve told about our nudism, I told one of my wife's nieces. She had not seen my wife since she was a toddler and asked me to tell her about her Aunt Sharon. The story about nudism just sort of came out and was well accepted. I sent her the FAQ page from Sunny’s website and told her about Sunny’s stories. Who knows, maybe she and her husband may be interested, but I am not pushing them. When I first discussed nudism with my wife, the Internet was not available and there was little information available to help introduce the idea then.

My family has a get together every summer. Another of my nieces (my sister's daughter) hosted the get together and told me there was a KOA camp ground near her house. I told her I would try to make reservations at the KOA, but if I couldn't get in I'd make reservation at Pine Tree Associates. She asked me what that was. I told her it was a place near her house that had RV hookups, swimming pool, etc. She said she hadn't heard about it before. I told her it was a clothing optional resort. There was silence. Then she said suit yourself, but put your clothes on when you come over to the house!

As a widower I have never been refused admittance to any resort. I have always called ahead to make arrangements to visit. I identify myself as an AANR member and a member of Laguna Del Sol. Most of the resorts I have visited have made improvements between my visits. Most have excellent RV hookups with at least 30 amp connections and most have 50 amps. If sewer connections are not at the camp sites most have dump stations.

I travel with my dogs. They are my family now. I have a long haired doxie, a wire haired doxie, and two westies - mother and son. I have never been refused entry because of the dogs. The long haired doxie and the westies are retired show dogs so I am well trained to pick up after them. They leave no 'foot prints' if you know what I mean. The people at the resorts love them!

Hope you enjoyed this story. It's all true!!!

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