Tag: clothing-optional

“Bouncing Buns” 7k Trail Race in PA and 10 mile Summer Solstice Hike in VT next week

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

In the season of the World Naked Bike Ride across the Northern Hemisphere, there is another chance for active naturists to become also naturist activists: Bouncing Buns 7k Trail Race in Pennsylvania for American Cancer Society on the 22nd of June, Saturday next week! 7km is the longest distance that I’ve seen for a naked or clothing-optional race (correct me, if I’m wrong), it’s good to be challenged, moreover for a good cause. Well, last year, I passed the challenge pretty well, coming in third! It looks like this time I will go with several people, so competition grows even among my buddies! I hope to see some of my readers there too.

The event is organized by Pretzel City Sports and you can register for the race at their website. Your $30 registration fee will support American Cancer Society, and afterwards you get an opportunity to hang out at Sunny Rest naturist resort, where the trail race will take place. It’s a great opportunity to run just the way you like. The event is clothing optional, and we’ll certainly opt for the style of the [original] Olympic runners 😉 Also, if you have any doubts about running naked, have a look at my brief overview that links running and our naturally naked (furless) body from an evolutionary perspective – I hope it’ll make sense to you.

Also, I was asked to remind about the traditional Summer Solstice Hike in Vermont by its organiser Ed. I haven’t taken part in this one, but it sounds really great:

“A group of us gets together to celebrate the Summer Solstice on the The Appalachian Trail in Vermont. It’s on Fri, June 21st and anyone is welcome to join us. This is a 10 mile hike with plenty of photo ops, a swim in Little Rock Pond and maybe camping overnight. We meet at the parking lot on USFS #10 at 9AM. This road is off of US Rte 7 in Danby. From the south you take a right onto Brooklyn Ave, cross over the railroad tracks and drive for a boy 4 miles and the parking lot is on the right where the AT crosses. Here is a pic of the swim in Little Rock Pond.”

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If you have any further questions, ask Ed by email.

Country Club in New Orleans

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

In the aftermath of Frankenstorm in New York, I would like to post some happy photos from New Orleans, another city that 8 years ago suffered severely from a hurricane, and actually much stronger one than Sandy…

Despite being surrounded by water, New Orleans is not known for beaches, let alone naturist beaches. But there is a clothing-optional club with an open air pool, jacuzzi and bar all surrounded by lush tropical plants. It is called simply The Country Club, and the atmosphere is very laid-back.

It is located in the most charming and picturesque residential area I’ve ever seen, Bywater, rivalled only by the neighbouring Marigny (imho).

It is located close to bustling French Quarter, but in this neighbourhood, there are only few quiet cafes.

So it may be your perfect oasis of tranquility in the city. You can simply chill on a lounger by the pool or in a more secluded corner in the garden; there is WiFi, in case you need to work and stay connected to the outside world.

You can also order pretty decent food from the indoor restaurant (far not the best one in New Orleans, but that still means good in the culinary mecca!) or get drinks from the bar by the pool. Speaking of which, there are floating mats in the pool, that is what I call ultimate relaxation!

Body painting again and again :-)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Body painting seems to be a nudist party activity du jour. Almost every nudist party provides body paint as a part of their program, and there are some that are dedicated to it specifically. I went to one of the events organised by Social Exposure Media in NYC a month ago, and as always body painting proved to be a great tool for socialising and exposing [love to] our bodies.

Unlike previous parties that I’ve been to, this event provided paint that glowed in the dark! in black light, that is. Body art is not difficult to make intriguing and entertaining, it’s just fun to decorate bodies, but glow-in-the-dark effect makes it surreal!

Maybe this video will be able to show the atmosphere.

Now, there is body paint event on Halloween at SoHo Gallery for Digital Art. That might solve your costume problem! I just hope the city will be fine after Frankenstorm. And I guess people will be even more eager to go out and party! Just sign up, show up and show off! It is a ‘bare as you dare’ event.

Fire Island

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Finally I am adding info on this famous getaway destination. New Yorkers, especially from LGBT community, flock to Fire Island, and for a good reason, or rather many reasons. On the one hand, it provides a totally tranquil and rustic environment, with its wooden houses and deer walking on the roads instead of cars. On the other hand, there is a number of bustling bars and a pretty big dance club, as well as special performances and private parties. Many rental houses are clothing-optional too, especially by the pool.

And of course, this narrow stretch of land between the bay and Atlantic Ocean is a lot about the beach. The part of the beach between Pines and Cherry Grove is commonly known as clothing-optional.

The beach turned out to be a good place to make friends. That’s where I got to know David, who showed me a backflip and thus inspired me to take a gymnastics class. Also I got to know two sweet dudes with a dozen of kites. Their parrot seemed to like me, or at least I was able to tame him, although at first he appeared somewhat crazy. It was so nice to get it as a present in the end! But I preferred to keep my distance from the shark, however.

Sandy Hook

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Happy Independence Day! As a present for our US American readers, here is the post about Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook. It is definitely one of the top clothing-optional beaches in the US, and for a good reason.

This beach is huge, even though large part of it is closed for protection of shorebirds, primarily plovers.

This part usually opens in the end of summer, when nesting season is over, but you can just go strolling or jogging in the protected area.

Once, the water was full of fish roe,

and it left beautiful crystal-like traces, or rather footprints, of the waves on the sand. And plovers were happy to feast on it.

But even the designated area is big enough to host numerous beach goers from NYC metropolitan area as well as Jersey shore.

Most people stay close to water, so there is a vast sandy part between people and dunes that may be used for  jogging

and of course nudists’ favorite volleyball.

The limiting factor is rather space at the parking lot which fills up quickly on weekends.

If you don’t mind spending more money – $45 0r $30 with this coupon on certain times – it is way better to get to Sandy Hook from Manhattan by ferry.

It leaves from two locations Midtown and Downtown, and you have an easy ride with fresh breeze and nice views.

Speaking of views, what makes Gunnison Beach very special is that there’s no other nudist beach that could boast with Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. You’ll definitely want a naked portrait with that background, just prepare a pair of glasses against the bright sun.

There you go!

Another option is to turn upside down 🙂

Oh wait, I think I did manage to get at least one ‘normal’ portrait. It is somewhat surreal to let it all hang out while seeing that crazy city so close.

Coming back to Manhattan after that feels like coming to another world.

Uchkuyevka beach, Sevastopol (Crimea)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

 Русский

Uchkuyevka (aka Lubimovka) is the only beach within Sevastopol city area with well established nudist area. This beach is very long, with nice soft sand and picturesque sandstone cliffs. You can get there from the main part of the city by boat directly (once an hour from Artilereyskaya bay) or by more frequent ferry to Severnaya side first (from Grafskaya pier) and then minibus.

Naturists gather at both southern and northern edges of the beach, but the latter is more popular. As soon as you pass these sandstone cliffs,

you will see most of the people enjoying the sun and the sea without swimsuits. So you can disrobe immediately and pick your spot, there is still a couple of miles of beach ahead!

So you can find a quiet spot for yourself, come with your family (like I did, but I will talk about it some time later), or a big group of friends.

Goluboy [Blue] Bay (Crimea)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

 Русский

Another picturesque location to enjoy the sea au naturel in Crimea is Blue Bay near Simeiz. It is located under Mount Koshka, which means ‘cat-mountain’ because of how it looks from a certain point.

Coming from the centre of the town, you’ll have to walk by this beautiful alley on Lenina Street, which already has some hints promising clothing-optional leisure in the end.

After this building, Lenina Street becomes Golubaya Street (Blue Street).

Then, watch out for this sign on the left.

Like at Cape Fiolent, there are some politically-charged signs too, with a very different tone, however: this one says “Freedom to gays!”

Simeiz is actually the only known holiday destination that attracts a large proportion of gays from Ukraine and Russia, and by coincidence the name of this bay, Goluboy, means both ‘blue’ and ‘gay’ in Russian. Which meaning you think is of more relevance is up to you to decide 🙂

From the bay itself, you can see Crimean mountains including the highest peak of Ai-Petri.

And this is how it looks from this peak.

There are a lot of different fishes, and the rocks are covered with colorful algae.

The area is relatively green, so you can stay in shade and even camp under trees,

but most people stay on the rocks in the open,

right under this steep cliff.

There are also many rocks that provide more private setting.

And some of them are also popular for cliff diving. I dived from this one, but unfortunately I don’t have any photo evidence.

Maybe next time?

beaches of Cape Fiolent (Crimea)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Русский

With this post I am starting a series of descriptions of Crimean beaches. Right on time if you plan some vacations in Ukraine after the final of the Euro Cup 2012 😉 Crimea is the main tourist destination in Ukraine with rich history and diverse nature, as well as several nudist beaches.

Cape Fiolent near Sevastopol provides some of the best beaches in the area thanks to the beautiful scenery and clear waters. Several years ago it was treated as a protected area, so the number of visitors was limited and one had to arrive in the morning and get tickets in a nearest pension or hotel, but in 2010 it was no longer the case, which I found rather unfortunate, even though it made it easier in terms of reaching the beach.

In any case, prepare to go down by hundreds of stairs, as the beaches are down by the steep cliffs.

If you go to the beach on the western side of Cape Fiolent, aka Tsar beach, you’ll be stunned with the vast views over the Black Sea.

At sunset, the colors are only more dramatic.

The nudist section is behind that big rock that you see in the center of the photo, but it is actually even marked as such (probably by its visitors themselves).

This beach is mostly pebbled, which is not the best option for sunbathing, so there was only more reason to go swimming. Luckily, I had my waterproof camera too, I was surprised to find rich underwater life.

Most of the rocks are covered by green, red and brown algae and moss animals (bryozoans).

And I’ve never seen that many hermit crabs as there.

Of course they were hiding in shells and were not eager to pose before my camera whatsoever.

But I was able to get a comb jelly photographed, also a relatively rare but beautiful sight; while moving, it created shiny multicolor waves at the edges of its body.

If you go to the beach on the eastern side of Cape Fiolent, aka Yashma [jasper] beach, the views are even more picturesque,

with a small monastery on the left.

Probably it was them who put a big cross on the small rocky island right in front of the beach.

Given a conservative stance of both Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches (I don’t know to which one the monastery belongs), I hope they don’t mind that part of the beach is by default clothing-optional. Actually, I was so inspired by the view with the cross, I felt like I could walk on water!

OK, I’ll have to tell you my secret, there was a barely submerged rock a few meters away from the shore.

And this is how the beach looks like from that island with the cross.

The unofficial nudist again hides is protected by the rocks and has a sign.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only sign there. I saw also another custom-made sign, or rather obscene homophobic warning (this time not only in Russian but in English as well), which was apparently painted, erased and repainted a few times. Hope it didn’t represent an ongoing ‘battle’ between different beach visitors and was rather a flick by a single individual idiot.

In any case, whenever I was at that spot, it all seemed very peaceful.

Further behind another set of rocks, accessible only by water, there was a place where fresh water was coming down by the rocks covering them with a thin layer. Useful if you decide to camp there, or at least to refresh.

But I wasn’t the only one who leaned against the rocks there.

Even further away from the beach, there are rocks of contrasting colors,

that look especially spectacular from and underwater.

Algae, moss animals and mussels appear highlighted on the white background of chalk rock.

Then I saw two bright animals side by side: a blenny fish, and a big prawn, 

that was actually transparent but had some bright blue, orange and white spots.

This kind of prawn is like the next level of nudist, with most of its body parts being transparent 😀

The blenny fish first appeared somewhat sad but then flashed with its bright colors before swimming away.

That was definitely a memorable swim; I’d love to come again in search for sea life posing on light background of chalk rocks.

Bouncing Buns 7k Trail Race in Pennsylvania for American Cancer Society

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

In the season of the World Naked Bike Ride across the Northern Hemisphere, there is another chance for active naturists to become also naturist activists: Bouncing Buns 7k Trail Race in Pennsylvania for American Cancer Society on the 23rd of June, Saturday next week! 7km is the longest distance that I’ve seen for a naked or clothing-optional race (correct me, if I’m wrong), it’s good to be challenged, moreover for a good cause.

The event is organized by Pretzel City Sports and you can register for the race at their website. Your $30 registration fee will support American Cancer Society, and afterwards you get an opportunity to hang out at Sunny Rest naturist resort, where the trail race will take place. It’s a great opportunity to run just the way you like. The event is clothing optional, and we’ll certainly opt for the style of the [original] Olympic runners 😉

If you plan to stay in the area and wouldn’t like to wear anything on your sweaty self after the race, there is a couple more options besides Sunny Rest: a family-friendly nudist camp Beechwood Lodge and gay campground ‘the Woods‘.

Hope to see some of my readers there!

on a coral reef beach at the Red Sea (Egypt)

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists, Egypt, naturism, naturist beach

عَرَبيْ

Coral Beach Resort in Hurghada, Egypt, is an ideal place where naturists can enjoy one of the richest marine ecosystems – coral reefs of the Red Sea – without having to wear swimsuits. It is the right place to feel unity with the nature: fishes there are not only immensely diverse but are also quite tame! And since life in the coral reef is concentrated in 2-5 upper meters of the sea, it is easy to observe it without much of equipment: snorkeling is perfect.  Just dip into the water, and you will see a world utterly different from the surrounding desert, and quite like nowhere else!

naturist 0003 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

I wish I had my underwater camera that time…

It is also a unique place in the entire North Africa and Near East region, besides Israel, where nudists are officially tolerated, including the Egyptian staff of the hotel. However, the web site of the hotel does not include information about the beach, probably to avoid problems with authorities who might not like it. The nudist part of the beach is about several hundreds meters long,

naturist 0000 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

but only the first 50 or so are equipped (this area is exactly shown on the map).naturist 0001 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

There are wind- and sun-protecting shields and huts at your disposal.

view 0001 Rotana Resort, Hurghada, Egypt

You could of course hang out naked in your bungalow too, but it’s not why you would go there, right?

The best thing about this resort, is that you can swim as you like all along the vast coral reefs.

naturist 0004 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

I think we are pretty clear on this website that swimsuits are a nuisance 😉 Given the warmth of the Red Sea waters, you won’t need a wetsuit for snorkeling either!

naturist 0005 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

Besides hours of swimming (the water is so warm that you can really stay for a few hours in the sea), other water activities are available at the resort as well.

osprey 0000 Rotana Resort, Hurghada, Egypt

I saw several ospreys there; it was quite a show when they went on fishing spree!

But even without all this, just looking at those crystal clear waters can be mesmarizing. naturist 0002 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt

You can also observe the sunrise over the sea

view 0000 Rotana Resort, Hurghada, Egypt

and sunset over the desert.

view 0002 Rotana Resort, Hurghada, Egypt

There won’t be a shortage of sun in Hurghada, you needn’t worry about the weather to get your all-over tan!)

naturist 0006 Rotana Resort Coral Beach, Hurghada, Egypt