Second Florida GO Gathering

Blame it on El Niño, but the dry season in Florida turned out to be otherwise.  A great rainstorm hit us on Friday afternoon just as the first GO campers arrived at Vitambi to stake out our tentsites on wet ground.  Ironically, it was those of us who had chosen to stay at the rustic cabins who were the first to cry uncle, as the staff at Vitambi graciously opened up the Vitambi Barracks for the "not yet" wet refugees.  Bravely, most participants opted to stay out on their tents, as the next day Saturday was slated to be a nicer sunny day.  However, if we thought Friday was bad, the Vitambi staff informed us that the weather Saturday evening was predicted to be even worst, with heavy wind driven rain, and possible tornadoes.  We cannot thank the staff at Vitambi enough, as they once again made available other accommodations.  With one courageous exception, the rest of the campers went indoors.  Unfortunately, this made for a somewhat scattered camping experience, but safety was primary, and in spite of it all, we made the best of it.

And the best was spectacular.  The visit to the STA-5 was, as always, quite a treat.  Aside from the muddy roads, the weather and the birds cooperated, offering us a wide variety of species.  The highlight, at least to me, was watching a Great Egret eating a snake.  It was quite a production, as the snake refused to cooperate, and three times slide out of the birds gullet, only to be grabbed again, and finally swallowed whole.  The egret seemed satisfied.  Not so the snake.

After dinner, Ron led a group of hikers on a night excursion on the grounds of Vitambi.  Ron encouraged us to turn off out headlamps, and as we all grew accustomed to the darkness, it proved quite a treat to wander in the subtropical forest.  Later, a great campfire was started out on the field, and a night "bug count" was carried out with the help of an entomologist from Florida Gulf Coast University.

After the rains stopped Sunday morning, a few of us ventured to the Florida Panther Refuge, which actually turned out to be an unscheduled swamp walk, in ankle deep water.  No one turned back, and while we all got our feet wet, we checked out the predominantly Mexican farming town of Immokalee, where we had a great, what else, Mexican lunch.

In lieu of an outdoor campfire, that evening we were warmed by an indoor fire at the great fireplace of the Bolo Cafe.  Much thanks need to be extended to the wonderful staff at Vitambi, who so heartfully rescued us all from a soggy weekend, and made our Second Florida GO Gathering an experience to remember.

Florida GO Gathering MLK Weekend 2016

We have again reserved a large group campsite at Vitambi Springs Resort and Camp starting Friday January 15th, thru Monday January 18th, 2016 over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, for the second GO Gathering in sunny Florida.  As with the first Gathering, expect to enjoy a full weekend of activities with like-minded outdoors oriented gay men, with plenty of time to socialize with old friends and make new ones. We hope to provide a wide range of activities appropriate for the area, and for different levels of expertise and fitness.

Vitambi is a privately owned gay campground located approximately 20 miles south of Lake Okeechobee and the city of Clewiston, FL. It is easily accessible to most of the major urban areas in Florida, and it is approximately a 90 minute drive from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, and from West Palm Beach. It is about 2.5 hours from Orlando or Tampa.

The campground sits in the middle of the vast agricultural area around Lake Okeechobee, and offers an ideal Florida rural getaway with modern amenities in a tropical forested setting. The property is quite large with only a portion developed. Amenities at the Main Lodge feature a full restaurant and bar (Bolo Café & Bar), Wi-Fi access, library lounge, and a general store. Other amenities at the campground include a heated pool, modern shower house and steam room. There are also a number of hiking trails and a couple of lakes within the property, for impromptu hikes, fishing, canoeing, exploring and wildlife viewing. This region of South Florida is a haven for wintertime bird watchers.

Vitambi has a wide array of accommodations ranging from primitive tent sites, rustic cabins, bunkhouse/barracks, RV sites, cabins with full electric, 2 & 3 bedroom rental homes and the Pine Tree Inn with eight private rooms in a dorm style setting with shared areas. All accommodations except for the primitive sites include linen service. For further information on Vitambi, please feel free to check their website: www.vitambi.com.

The group campsite we have reserved for the GO Gathering is the same one we used the last time:  Tamaho Mesa, which is one of the primitive campsites at Vitambi Springs. This western-themed area consists of several large tent sites, in both sunny and tree shaded locations as well as five rustic cabins. These cabins are indeed rustic and have no electricity.  They do have screened windows to keep the bugs out, and two to three bunks with outdoor quality mattresses in each cabin. As a GO Gathering participant, you will be guaranteed a camping site at Tamaho Mesa, though please note that individual tent sites or cabins will be on a first come first saved basis.

Water and flush toilets are available at our Tamaho Mesa campsite. The pool area and shower house is a short walk away. Vitambi Springs runs a R.O. water treatment facility producing exceptional quality water.

Vitambi Springs is a membership resort serving primarily gay men. Gay Outdoors members will receive the required Vitambi annual membership as part of the general cost of camping at Tamaho Mesa, which will be $25 for the entire weekend.  However, if you prefer not to camp, and to make other arrangements, such as renting a room at The Inn, a modern cabin, house, or any of the other available options mentioned, you will have to make these arrangements separately, and the cost will be more, depending on the accommodations.  If you are interested in making other arrangements, check the Vitambi website for cost and availability of these sites, or by calling Vitambi Springs directly at (863) 983-8488.

We have also arranged for a $50 meal package with Vitambi, which includes three dinners, two lunches, and three breakfasts.  This is entirely optional, but highly recommended if you will not be cooking meals at your site, as the nearest restaurants are in Clewiston, approximately 20 miles away. The Bolo Café restaurant at Vitambi has a good variety of standard options and nightly specials. They are open from 6-8pm and may be able to accommodate later arrivals with advance notice.  It can also accommodate vegetarian preferences, but please let the restaurant staff know in advance.

Schedule for the weekend:

Friday January 15th

Upon arrival, check-in at the reception desk in the Main Lodge; this will include a brief park orientation and directions to your campsite.

7:00pm Kickoff - Wine Toast in the Bongo Bar.  ?Your Gay Outdoors hosts will organize a welcoming social hour to meet new friends and reacquaint yourself with some of the weekend participants you may already know. Vitambi Springs will advertise this weekend as a GO sponsored event for all men interested in nature, the active lifestyle and meeting other outdoor oriented buddies. The bar is a fun place to be on Friday evenings where there are organized games, outdoor patio firepit, eclectic music and a good opportunity to meet the other guests of the campground. After the social hour, you may choose to continue the party or go back to our campsite to hang out or sleep.

Saturday January 16th is our first full day of activities. Some activities are already being planned, and these will be listed on the Gay Outdoors website in the usual format of trip announcements. Within a half hour drive of Vitambi there are numerous venues for activities such as an airboat swamp ride at the near Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, or hiking/biking on the scenic trail around Lake Okeechobee. There are also hikes to do inside Vitambi Springs, and there is always the heated pool, if you simply just want to chill our for a couple of hours.

As we did at the last Gathering, we are trying to make arrangements with the Audubon Society for a visit to one of the wetland restoration projects in the area.  At the first Gathering we were given permission to visit the STA-5 area which is a haven for permanent and migratory birds.  And, if we are lucky, we may get permission to visit a more restricted site where a flock of flamingos has been seen wintering for the past few years.

After the day’s activities, join us for dinner at the restaurant in Bolo Café, and stay afterwards for Vitambi’s traditional Saturday night bonfire, followed by fun & games at the bar.

Sunday January 17th is our second day of activities. We are working on getting some excursions organized, such as canoe/kayaking on the Fish Eating Creek, or bicycling on the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail.  Again, these will be noted in the Gay Outdoors website, as they get organized. After dinner, we will gather around the fire ring in front of Tamaho Mesa’s cabins, for our own campfire.  If you feel inclined, please feel free to bring beer or wine to share with your friends.  Vitambi is working to get their resident astronomer, Bill available that evening with his high powered telescopes to view planets, stars, nebulas and galaxies.

Monday January 18th is a farewell breakfast and check out day.

What To Bring:

If you are tent camping, bring the usual gear to make your stay comfortable. At a minimum you should bring: a tent, sleeping pad and bag (this is Florida, but it does get chilly at night in January), flashlight (it gets very dark at night), toiletries, towel, hiking gear with sturdy shoes, or other appropriate activity oriented gear. The pool area is clothing optional, but if you prefer to wear swimming trunks, bring those too. If you plan to stay in one of the  campsite’s rustic cabins, you will still need to bring gear as noted above except for the tent. If you plan to cook your dinners and/or breakfasts at the campsite, then you should plan on bringing a camping stove with fuel, and a cooler to keep your foodstuff fresh. Ice, charcoal, snacks and toiletry items are available for purchase at the onsite general store.

Signing Up:

If you want to join Gay Outdoors at its second Florida Gathering, this is what you need to do:

1-Sign up first at the Gay Outdoors website, whether you are camping or making other arrangements directly with Vitambi.

2-You do not need to call to reserve sites for camping, as Tamaho Mesa is already reserved for us, but please remember that camping sites and rustic cabins are on a first come first use basis.  Payment is due on arrival, when you check-in.

3-If you decide to make other arrangements with Vitambi, please call them as soon as you can at (863) 983-8488.  Note that January is a popular month at Vitambi, and Florida in general, and that some of these other accommodations (RV sites in particular), get reserved far in advance, and tend to fill up quickly.

4-If you want to organize or lead activities, please feel free to do so. We need trip leaders to organize a number of activities for different levels of fitness. After all, Gay Outdoors is an all volunteer organization, and the success of this first Florida GO Gathering depends on your willingness to participate, and have fun.