Conference moira::naturism

     This is a bit late for you but perhaps on your next trip to Austin
    you can enjoy.  |There is a Lake Travis about 30 min. N.W. of Austin
    with a smimming hole known as "Hippy Hollow". I remember it from
    back in the early 70's when it was truly out of the way but these
    days it is fairly commercial with a paved parking lot, lot attendants
    and restrooms (unmarked). It is clothing optional with about a 50/50
    mix. The lake itself is beautiful and the water clear and warm (in
    season, of course). Police on horseback travel throughout the park
    just to keep the naturists honest I presume. (They are fully clothed!)
     I suspect they have drawings for the duty of Hippy Hollow patrols.
    All in all, a very nice place if not a bit too public for my tastes.
    
    
    Enjoy,
    
    Rick

Anyone have an update on Hippie Hollow or Austin in general?  I'll be making
a trip to MCC next month.

  Gary

	>>> update on Hippie Hollow or Austin in general?  

	I'm heading there this afternoon for a long weekend.  I'll 
	update everyone once I get back on Tuesday.

	Have a great weekend everyone.

	Jack

    My trip to Austin was fantastic.  I had a great time.  Spent the last
    4 days floating around Lake Travis, just north of Austin.  From Austin
    take Koennig Lane (west) past Burnett Road.  At this point the road
    turns to FM 2222.  Follow that to the intersection of FM 620.  There's
    a 7/11 on the corner in case you forgot something.  Turn left onto 620.
    Go 1/4 mile and take a quick right onto Commanche Trail after Steiner 
    Ranch.  Follow past the Oasis restaurant on left and go down the hill
    to the paved parking lot on the left.  Parking is $2.00 all the time.  
    Make sure you go early, because this lot closed up at noon all three 
    days over the weekend, but I'm not sure if it was because of the long 
    weekend.
    
    Once there, it's a short walk to the concrete steps down to the paved
    road that circles around the coves of the lake.  There are two chemical
    restrooms on that paved road.  I didn't use them mainly because of the
    stench.

    Lake Travis was about 10 feet above normal level this year.  The water
    was very clear and warm for this time of year, around 70 degrees.  To 
    find room to lay down your blanket you have to get there early, because
    of some of the lower ledges being covered by water, again I think that
    this was due to the long weekend.

    The police were patrolling the parking lots and the lake on Saturday 
    and Monday.  I didn't see them at all on Sunday.  They were mainly 
    stopping boats for being in the swimming areas and checking for 
    inspection stickers.  A local radio station was broadcasting from 
    a barge and giving out beer to the bathers.

    All in all it was a good weekend and will be back very soon for another
    visit.

    Jack

So what were the C/O aspects like?  Is Hippie Hollow just part of Lake Travis?
How many or what percentage of the swimmers were sans suits?  Did it feel
like a safe place to be?

   Gary

    >>> Is Hippie Hollow just part of Lake Travis?

    HH is just a section of Lake Travis, which is a huge man-made lake 
    dammed at one end and I believe an extension of the Colorado River
    at the other.  Like they say 'Everything's BIG in Texas'.

    >>> How many or what percentage of the swimmers were sans suits?  

    There were quite a few.  As I came down the steps on my first day 
    there, I saw 4 people waling along the paved road sans suits.  Along
    the ledges closer to the water there were alot more people.  I would
    say that the persentage was 50/50.  I didn't feel uncomfortable with
    or without my suit.

    >>> Did it feel like a safe place to be?

    Very.  No problems at all.

    Jack

    Re: Hippie Hollow (on Lake Travis, Austin TX) 
    
    Hippie Hollow is actually a county park, expressly for naturists. I try
    to visit there every time I can make up an excuse to visit in Austin.
    The turnout during the week is pretty light (generally less than 75
    people), but on the weekends there might be 300+ people there
    (depending on the weather).
    
    The area is patrolled by the local Sheriff's Department (sometimes on
    horseback along the road that winds through the park) and the Marine
    division tries to keep the boaters out of the marked swimming areas on
    the weekends. The weekend boaters tend to gravitate to the area to gawk
    and point at the folks enjoying the sun.
    
    There are 2 chemical type restroom facilities there (and the smell can
    at times be a bit over-powering). The park closes now at 8:00 and they
    lock the gate to the parking lot. This means that if you don't get out
    before the gate is closed, you're stuck for the night. The $2 parking
    fee (for up to 4 people per car) will also let you into any other
    county park (Windy Point is about 2 miles further out Commanche Trail,
    past Hippie Hollow, great place to rent jet-skis or windsurfing
    equipment).
    
    During the week the serious naturists tend to be the majority of the
    people there, but the weekends do bring out a somewhat different crowd.
    I've seem entire families there (at least 3 generations) enjoying the
    sun, as well as a number of UT (University of Texas) co-eds, to the
    business people who disrobe from suits/ties/dresses in the parking lot. 
    
    The water level is much higher this year (due to excessive winter and
    spring rains on the upper Colorado River) so the available sun space is
    somewhat limited. Just follow the road that leads from the parking lot
    (near the entrance booth) down into the park. The road ends about a
    mile out, but the park goes on and on and on... Water temp is still a
    bit chilly for my taste (about 70, I live on Clear Lake and spend a lot
    of weekends sailing there or in Galveston Bay where the water temp is
    around 85+), but the water is fresh and clear (Hippie Hollow and Windy
    Point are the local hot scuba spots as well). Take along a raft and a
    cooler of beer (no glass bottles allowed) and drift and sun and have a
    good time.
    
    The park is only about a 15-20 minute drive from the Austin facility,
    so if anyone can wrangle a trip to Austin take off early and enjoy the
    park. Just ask for directions to The Oasis resturant (great view of the
    lake from its decks) and to get to Hippie Hollow just stay on that road
    until you hit the bottom of the hill and hang a left into the park,
    it's clearly marked.
    
    Hope to see some of you folks out there one of these days.
    

OK, it's a couple of weeks late, but I've been on-site at a customer site 
(hence the trip report ;-) )

I made my first visit to Hippy Hollow Labor Day weekend. I was very impressed
with the facilities, the cleanliness, the easy access and the unobtrusive
security. 

For those of you familiar with The Ledges, Hippy Hollow is similar, but on a
MUCH larger scale ( it *has* to be...it's in Texas! :-) ). It's a series of rock
ledges running about a mile or so along the side of Lake Travis, to the
north-west of Austin, TX.

On Labor Day weekend, there were probably several hundred people there, about
60/40 mix male/female with several families. Most people were naked, and seeing
as the temperature was in the upper 90s, it was a little warm for wearing
anything anyway ;-) The water in the lake was warm and calm, and provided
excellent relief from the heat.

There are toilet blocks, a private road running along the top of the ledges (so
getting down to the water is generally a very short walk from the road), there
is car parking (now $5 per day per person). Park wardens regularly wander along
the upper part of the shoreline, mainly looking for drugs or trouble-makers. 

The car park is at the nothern end of the park. I would recommend wearing shoes
suitable for climbing over rocks, if you plan on going towards the southern end,
as the terrain gets progressively rockier as you go further south.

As far as directions to the park, I recommend a much simpler route to follow
(though maybe not as direct as the one mentioned earlier). From I-35 north of
Austin, take either Rt 183N to Rt 620W if you are heading north, or Rt 620W if
you are heading south. Rt 620 is marked as Lake Travis (Southern Route) or
(can't remember the name right now) Dam. Head west on Rt 620 until the road
narrows from 2 lanes to 1 lane in each direction. Lots more sharp bends in the
road after this point. Keep going until you see the sign for Hippy Hollow to the
right. Take this right turn, past the Oasis restaurant (the view of the sunset
over the lake from here is incredible.....get there early, as it's VERY
popular), and down the side of the hill to the lake. Watch out for the car park
on the left, as it sort-of jumps out at you ;-)


If you ever get to Austin, and have a free weekend, you *must* check this place
out....it's beautiful.


Rob.