The Nude Bomb

While I am in the desert, I can be anyone and do anything. There's really nothing holding me back. So, it should come as no surprise that I spent the entire day at a nudist spa and resort.

Before images of hippies and Renaissance Fair folk flood your minds, let me assure you that the nudists (I mean "naturalists" as they prefer to be called) I encountered were everyday people that you would never know enjoy a natural lifestyle when given the chance.

I met Richard, the son of one of the founders of the naturalist movement. He spoke to me for about an hour about the election, the economy, and the wonders of wind turbine technology.

I spoke to Devin and Carly, the married math teachers, who were here for a major math conference, but made sure to fit in time for a little naked living.

Before you think I only met self-proclaimed naturalists, I also spoke to people like Kristen who had never done this before. She is a breast cancer survivor who had a lumpectomy and a masectomy. I told Kristen that she had a great canvas there for a badass tattoo and she smiled and said that she already had something in mind.

I also met Jake, the avocado/fig/almond farmer from California. I enjoyed our conversation about the challenges facing American farmers today and the difficulty in making a living in agriculture.

Am I going to become a naturalist? Probably not. I went through an entire bottle of sunscreen in one sitting (who knew all the additional areas that you need to cover!). I'd like to say something very intellectual and profound about why I went. That it was some spiritual journey to get back to the core of things--to my natural essence. But, I'd be lying if I said that. I only went because I am never going to have a body as good as it is now so I have to make the most of it while I can. Of course, when asked what brought me there today, my fellow naked compatriots got the spiritual journey answer.