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By Gary M.
November, 2004 - A few years ago the rumors about Olive Dell Ranch were grim. After surviving for 50-plus years, many nudists feared the site was on its last legs and might not survive. The owner, Ralph (“Ray”) Kilborn, had fallen ill, and the park was falling into disrepair. Membership had dropped from over 400 at its peak in the 1960s to under 100, and people reluctantly were leaving for the nearby alternatives of Deer Park and Glen Eden.
I am happy to report that none of these rumors, if ever true, are true anymore. Olive Dell is back. During the past six months the grounds have been renovated: older trailers have been removed, there is a new pool and Jacuzzi, a remodeled restaurant, and everything has received a fresh coat of paint.
In it heyday, Olive Dell had been one of the crown jewels in the American naturist movement. Bill Keissel founded Olive Dell in 1952, purchasing the 145 acres from an Italian goat and olive rancher. After seeing the nudist film “Garden of Eden,” filmed at Lake Como. Florida, Ralph Kilborn came to the park in 1961, the year his son Bobby was born, and decided to join as a member. In 1976, Kilborn bought the park from Keissel and made the club a family operation.
“My dad was a CPA by profession,” Bobby said, “and so he did the books himself and ran the business-end of Olive Dell for over 25 years.” His wife Pat ran the restaurant, and sons Bobby and Ronnie helped out wherever they were needed. Becki first came to the Ranch when she was 3 years old, the same year Kilborn bought the club from Keissel. She and Bobby grew up together there and eventually married. Meanwhile, Bobby stepped in to run the kitchen when his mother had a stroke a few years ago. “When my Dad saw his health failing a few years ago, he decided it was time to train the next generation. So he gave Becki a crash course in bookkeeping, and she took a few college courses to fill in the gaps.”
Unfortunately his long illness prevented the elder Kilborn from investing any more money into Olive Dell and so the infrastructure there slowly began to deteriorate. Ralph died in January 2004.
Early in February his son Bobby gathered the residents together to tell them that he and his wife Becki were not going to sell the property but, instead, invest his own time and money into a rebuilding project. “Olive Dell is where I grew up and where Becki grew up,” he said. “You get spoiled living at a nudist resort…you have to love what you do, and we both love it here. So we’re staying.”
“Bobby and Becki bring an undeniable vitality to the place,” said Missy Neubauer, longtime resident and member club president. “It has energized all the residents to pitch in and help. They have really boosted morale, and everyone seems really pumped up about the improvements.”
The residents responded by volunteering to help provide the muscle to renovate the park. One of the residents, Liz Uppendahl, contributed by painted a seascape mural in the Jacuzzi area complete with fish, mermaids, and other aquatic creatures.
Bobby obtained a bank loan and went to work upgrading the heavy traffic areas first, such as the main swimming pool. “We know we have a lot of work still ahead of us, but we’re going to do it in a priority order,” he said. “By next summer we will have rebuilt the clubhouse and tennis court.” He said he hopes in a few years to build a sunning deck above the pool, and bleachers for the tennis court, both of which were always a dream of his father’s.
Another improvement already made was to the seven overnight cabins, called “bird houses” by the locals because of their shape. These 8x8 rental cabins each received a new coat of paint in a different bright color so that instead of being assigned a number, each could be referred to by its shade (as “the red house,” or “the blue house,” etc.) The upgrade included putting small air conditioners into each unit to cut the evening heat during the summer months, and a small heater to help during winter. “Long overdue,” said Bobby. He plans to build more bird houses, plus a few larger cabins, over the course of the next few years.
The year-long renovation project has not been without its moments of concern. This past July, Olive Dell found that the pump in one of the two wells that supply all the water to the park had broken and was hanging precariously in the well shaft. Luckily the company hired to retrieve the pump snared it before it fell, otherwise the park would have been faced with the unplanned expense of digging a new well. “We dodged that bullet,” Bobby said.
“The biggest and hardest part of my job is the landlord part,” he said “because, frankly, the residents are the bread and butter of the place. Without them we could not have survived. Luckily, after we had our meeting they all decided to stay and help.” Bobby also has plans to expand the number of available trailer hookups but he has some natural barriers to adding too many more.
Reche Canyon, where Olive Dell is located, is essentially a semi-arid valley lined with horse ranches straddling a quiet, two-lane road. The names on the mailboxes and the canyon’s remote lifestyle have been the same for decades, but that may be about to change. Civilization has finally caught up with sleepy Colton as Riverside County has become one of the fastest growing areas in the county. We observed many of the canyon ranches with “For Sale by Owner” signs, and large tracts of land nearby also showing their owner’s willingness to sell out. Could the threat of hundreds of new tract houses and condos nearby threaten the long-term survivability of Olive Dell? Bobby says that scenario won’t happen for a few reasons.
“First, Olive Dell has 145 acres, so I have a good buffer. Second my neighbors all know about us and support us. Many of them are longtime members here. Third, the land in the canyon is all zoned so that lots can be no smaller than five acres each. Currently it is all zoned for horse ranches. If anyone tries to change the zoning and build town homes they will find that the entire area uses well water and there isn’t enough water here to support a denser population.”
He admitted that this is a “two-edged sword” because it also means Olive Dell cannot expand the resort much beyond its current size either. “We could grow to 400 residents eventually, but I see 300 as a better target that would put us in great financial shape.” Currently, the park has 80 residents and 130 paid members.
There are but a few of the original olive trees left on the property these days, but Bobby says they are maintained lovingly “to remind everyone of the park’s origins.” Full-grown pepper trees ring recreation and resident areas. “We could use a little more shade near the pool,” Bobby admits, “but we have plans to eventually extend the grass areas, add some shade trees there.”
Three former AANR presidents have come from Olive Dell: Hap Hathaway (1989-93), David Cheek (1980-83), and the late Nathan Kates (1969-72.) Three Naturist Hall of Fame recipients also have been locals: Hap Hathaway, Nathan Kates, and Cec Cinder.
In recent years, Hathaway has run the increasingly popular Friday Night Game Night, which includes a mixture of bridge, pinochle, and poker events. “The growing popularity of Celebrity Poker on cable television has helped draw visitors to us,” he said. Hathaway even teaches a class for poker novices.
The park is also “home base” for Beachfront USA, currently run by Cinder. Beachfront is a national organization devoted to opening up more nudist beaches in the country. Make no mistake, Olive Dell is a traditional nudist resort, not a clothing-optional resort. Although women are allowed to wear wraps because of the convenience of sitting, street clothes are expected to be removed as quickly as possible, even by first-time visitors. The Activity Supervisor told us only those of teenage years are given some leeway to this rule, but during our visit I observed few of them dressed any differently than their parents. Most of the kids were raised here, she said, and have never had a problem with nudity.
In fact a great many of the members consider themselves “second generation nudists,” having been brought to Olive Dell as youngsters themselves. At most other nudist parks and resorts we have visited around the country, the average age of members is in the mid-50s with a discernable void of participants in their 20s and 30s. By contrast, at Olive Dell the average member’s age is in the mid-30s, and indeed you are keenly aware that there are many people here from every age bracket. It probably helps that the owners are young themselves. (Bobby is in his early 40s; Becki is in her early 30’s.)
Whatever this park is doing to attract and keep these younger people actively involved in our lifestyle should be bottled and sold to every other nudist park in the country. Far from being an old and dying resort, demographically Olive Dell is poised to outlive all the rest.
Olive Dell prides itself in its friendly attitude toward visitors. “Our members go out of their way to make visitors feel comfortable,” says Hathaway. “I haven’t seen the same degree of friendliness at many other clubs in the country, and I have visited most of them.”
For several decades, The Olive Tree Inn, the resort’s on-site restaurant has been a great place to eat, serving a wide variety of salads, grilled sandwiches, and house specialties. Average price for a meal is still around $6.00 per entrée. Bobby still cooks many of the meals himself, although he does have help these days. “I never thought I’d be a short order cook in my mid-40’s,” he said. Yet he seems to enjoy his time in front of the grill, and it may give him some temporary relief from the countless other challenges the young owner must face every day. By the way, the next generation of Kilborns is now in training – Bobby’s son Cody works in the kitchen helping his father on weekends.
The restaurant was also completely renovated this year with new customer seating, recessed lighting, and fresh paint. Meals can also be served on the patio adjacent to the pool. Bobby says he is considering a name change. Some residents have suggested “Chez Ro-bare” but Bobby seems reluctant to accept the honor. His lack of ego is one of the reasons residents say they have been drawn to his leadership and is one of the keys as to why the volunteer effort has succeeded.
We saw very few pesky bugs or flying insects during our stay at Olive Dell – and no mosquitoes at all. Bobby explained this is because of the lack of standing water in the canyon – everything comes from wells. “It also helps that we are over 2000 ft above sea level, which discourages many species of flying insects.” However, he did admit to seeing “a snake or two on an occasional summer nights” and also there are the inevitable ants that seem to follow civilization. He pointed out that the hills behind the park harbor a pack of over three dozen wild burros that occasionally saunter into the camp seeking food handouts. The residents toss them hay.
Considering the remoteness of the park, it is remarkable they have only seriously been threatened by wildfires a couple of times. In 2001, one such fire reached the ridge above and behind the park, but was beaten back. Bobby credits their luck to the fact that Olive Dell maintains a clearance of over 400 feet all around the park, more than twice what the law requires.
Alred and Missy Neubauer supervise the club’s activity programs, including weekend Bingo, Friday night poker, pool tournaments, and special events such as the annual Labor Day Luau. They receive help from another volunteer resident named Terri, whom we saw working hard organizing the water volleyball, billiards, and horseshoe tournaments. Missy also runs an extensive Juniors program for those under age 18.
Over Labor Day weekend 2004, Olive Dell was finally ready to reveal its renovations to the world, and it did so by hosting a huge Luau party with several guest clubs participating, including the Olympians and Southern California Naturist Association.
The weather was hot and dry, with the thermometer topping 100 degrees each of the three days we visited. The pool, although unheated and feeling a little brisk, was nevertheless the best place to pass the afternoon if you weren’t involved in one of the planned activities. The water volleyball tournament, which lasted for hours, was eventually won by a group of Olympians over the Olive Dell regulars.
In the horseshoe tournament SCNA’s Marc W. won first place, and he repeated the victory in the clubhouse pool tournament.
Jeff James, a professional body painter, was busy all day designing patterns and animals on the bodies of those wishing to be adorned. His butterflies and dragons were a special hit with the kids and teenagers.
This Luau event is a Labor Day tradition at Olive Dell. Friday night the Olympians and a few SCNA members joined the residents in a spirited Bingo night. Saturday night the park hosted a DJ dance with golden oldies blasting through the night until nearly 3am.
In previous years, the Sunday night Luau dinner drew upward of 75 people, but because of all the Olympian and SCNA club guests, this year the numbers of meals served swelled to over 170. It took over 90 minutes to get everyone through the food line, but people didn’t seem to mind too much. While we waited, it was a time to meet new friends across the table and in the food line, sharing stories, and discussing the park improvements.
For dinner, the staff bought and buried several full-sized pigs to cook for a few hours in an open pit filled with hot coals, covered with spices and palm fronds. Complimenting the main course was roasted chicken, a shrimp salad, an amazing cold salad of peas and cheese, and a fruit salad consisting of over a dozen different flavors from mangos to grapes to watermelon. After dinner, Bobby and Becki thanked everyone for coming, and they made a presentation to Cec Cinder for being inducted into the AANR Hall of Fame last year.
Next came the hired entertainment, hula dancers and fire twirlers, who put on a terrific show. Following them we were entertained by a live band, which played everything from big band swing to funky rock.
Around midnight, one of the highlights of the evening occurred spontaneously. The staff brought out about two dozen hula hoops, and the band began playing songs with a good backbeat that inspired the teens to twirl them on the dance floor in time to the music. It was obvious that some of the teenagers had never used a hula hoop before in their lives, but others were quite good and entertained us by twirling multiple hoops at once or using their necks or ankles to perform other gymnastic feats. We heard the party didn’t stop until nearly 3am Monday! (These Olive Dell folks know how to party!)
With such infectious enthusiasm, it seems Olive Dell cannot help but succeed as it returns to its former glory. SCNA look forward to returning again to enjoy the park’s warm hospitality.