Santa Cruz Mountain Nudist Resort Opens Doors to Loma Fire Evacuees, Animals For Free
By Lisa Fernandez ••
A nudist retreat nestled below the Santa Cruz Mountains is opening its door to all Loma Fire refugees and their animals "until the fire’s out.”
Lupin Lodge CEO Lori Stout told NBC Bay Area on Friday that many shelters aren’t allowing displaced Santa Clara and Santa Cruz county residents to bring their animals, like horses, to stay with them as Cal Fire crews battle the fire, which as of Friday, had scorched 4,300 acres and destroyed eight homes.
So, Stout decided to invite the evacuees and their pets – including farm animals - to her Los Gatos retreat on Aldercroft Heights Road, which boasts to have been “freeing the nipple for 82 years.”
And the offer gets better: The stay is open to any of the cabins, yurts, dormitories and 100 campsites, for free. Prices vary, but a typical yurt costs $125 a night.
“Hey, we got lots of room,” she said.
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Alameda County firefighter Wally Armstrong cools down hot spots in front of a residence leveled by the Loma fire near Morgan Hill, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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LOS GATOS, CA - MAY 22: California Department of Forestry firefighters monitor the Summit fire May 22, 2008 in Los Gatos, California. A wind driven wildfire dubbed the Summit fire is sweeping through the Santa Cruz Mountains and has burned over 3,000 acres and at least 12 structures. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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A hot tub rests in front of a residence leveled by the Loma fire along Loma Chiquita Road on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, near Morgan Hill, Calif. More California residents were ordered from their homes Tuesday as a growing wildfire threatened remote communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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Rubble lines a residence leveled by the Loma fire along Loma Chiquita Road on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, near Morgan Hill, Calif. More California residents were ordered from their homes Tuesday as a growing wildfire threatened remote communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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A burned-out truck rests in a clearing after the Loma fire tore along a ridge top near Morgan Hill, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. More California residents were ordered from their homes Tuesday as a growing wildfire threatened remote communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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A melted basketball hoop rests in a clearing after the Loma fire tore along a ridge top on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, near Morgan Hill, Calif. More California residents were ordered from their homes Tuesday as a growing wildfire threatened remote communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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Vintage cars line a property after the Loma fire burned through Loma Chiquita Road near Morgan Hill, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. A heat wave stifling drought-stricken California has worsened a wildfire that burned some buildings and forced people from their homes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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Fremont firefighter Collin Spencer hoses down a hot spot while battling the Loma fire near Morgan Hill, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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Firefighters knock down walls of a building structure while battling the Loma fire near Morgan Hill, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Stout said she came up with the idea on Thursday, but has not yet received occupants.
But if history is any indication, the guests, clothed and not, will come.
During the 2015 Lake County Valley Fire, Stout invited the staff at the Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, Calif., to stay at the lodge. During the Corralitos Fire near Watsonville last year, the lodge also opened its doors to evacuees, some of whom decided to try the nudist colony out. And in the 1980s, she said more than 1,000 firefighters stayed on the 112-acre property during the Lexington Fire and 1989 earthquake. Her retreat has been open since 1935.
Stout and her late husband, Glyn Stout, was accused last year of diverting water from a nearby waterfall during the drought; a topic she didn't want to discuss on Friday. She pleaded no contest to trespassing charges, and was sentenced to probation and 100 hours of community service, along with a fine of $9,800 to the Midpenninsula Regional Open Space District, the Mercury News reported.
Stout told NBC Bay Area that she plead no contest because her husband had died unexpectedly, but that she never actually trespassed.
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Flames from a wildfire tower above firefighters as they try to stop the blaze from crossing Loma Prieta Ave. near Morgan Hill, California, on, Sept. 27, 2016.
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Anthony Lopez harvests marijuana plants as the Loma fire burns around his home near Morgan Hill, California, on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Anthony Lopez, with his girlfriend Sarah Torres, harvests marijuana plants as the Loma fire burns around his home near Morgan Hill, California, on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Firefighters attempt to save the Casa Loma fire station in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta, California on Sept. 27, 2016.
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A structure burns as flames rage out of control in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta, California, on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Firefighters look on as flames approach the Casa Loma fire station in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta, California, on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Firefighters attempt to push back flames in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta, California, on Sept. 27, 2016.
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The view of the fire from Highway 85 and Cottle
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On Tuesday morning, Loma Fire burned 1,000 acres on Santa Cruz mountain. (Sept. 27, 2016)
On Tuesday morning, Loma Fire burned 1,000 acres on the Santa Cruz mountain. (Sept. 27, 2016)
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On Tuesday morning, Loma Fire burned 1,000 acres on the Santa Cruz mountain. (Sept. 27, 2016)
Closeup of the Loma Fire on early Tuesday morning on the Santa Cruz mountain. (Sept. 27, 2016)
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Loma Fire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountain on early Tuesday morning. (Sept. 27, 2016)
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Loma Fire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountain on early Tuesday morning. (Sept. 27, 2016)
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Loma Fire burning in the Santa Cruz mountain on early Tuesday morning. (Sept. 27, 2016)
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Aerial firefighting fighting the Loma Fire in the Santa Cruz mountain on Tuesday morning. (Sept. 27, 2016)
As for making sure she doesn’t get duped or taken advantage of, Stout said that all guests have to undergo screening, including a database check through the Megan’s Law sex offenders list. They also have to provide a license plate number and driver’s license, which will show where they live. Only local residents will be approved, she said, and determining when it’s time for a guest to leave will be on a case by case basis.
“They can stay until the fire’s out,” she said.
Stout said evacuees looking for help should call the retreat at 408-353-9200 or email relax@lupinlodge.org.
