Chance Encounter at the Roadrunner Ranch
A newcomer’s weekend at a nudist resort leads to new experiences, surprising conversations, and a fresh perspective on naturism
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in Romance in the Nudist Colony, a collection of naturist fiction benefitting Doctors Without Borders. In alignment with the project’s mission, the author’s fee for this publication has also been donated to Doctors Without Borders.
You can buy Romance in a Nudist Colony right here.
Catherine shielded her eyes with her hand against the bright early morning sun as she relaxed on a sun lounger and surveyed the pool and its inhabitants. The waves, created by people splashing and batting a small beach ball around, caught the sunlight and made them sparkle and dance like liquid diamonds. “There is karaoke, a dance tonight, and lots of fun sports to do. Maybe I can even get you to join the water aerobics in the morning,” suggested Diana brightly, as she perched on the lounger next to her and crossed her legs. Catherine groaned. Of course, Diana didn’t mind joining in on the exercise because she was still fit from her brief career as a ballet dancer. But what she loved most about Diana was the fact that as a naturist, she accepted all body types and never looked askance at Catherine’s curvy body. “You know,” Diana continued, “no one judges you here. You can enjoy the water aerobics and anything else, and everybody will be friendly and encouraging.”
Catherine thought back to her days in college when they met as roommates. Diana would shuck off her clothes after the day’s classes and relax in their dorm room nude while studying. She had often encouraged her roomie to do the same. Catherine, however, could never imagine working on a paper in the all-together.” Fast-forward to about ten-plus years, when Diana encouraged her to join her for a “girl’s retreat” at Roadrunner Ranch, a nudist resort in the desert.
“I’m going to see what other events are on the schedule while we are here for the weekend,” Diana proclaimed as she slid her feet into her sandals and plopped a hat on her head. “Relax by the pool while I go to the office and pick up a schedule of events.” With her rounded dark sunglasses, she looked like she stepped out of the pages of a magazine. She grabbed her towel and stuffed it into her tote. Catherine watched her as she walked out of view toward the office. She adjusted the lounger down a few notches so she could rest a bit, put on her sunglasses, and closed her eyes.
“Pardon, but is this lounger reserved?” a male voice asked. Catherine’s eyes flew open. She sat up with a start, blinking rapidly, trying to distinguish the face of the man asking the question. She couldn’t see his features because he was standing between her and the sun. All she could see was a halo around his head. She hesitated with confusion as the man repeated the question. “I saw a water bottle on it and didn’t know if someone was saving it.” Catherine had dozed off; her thoughts were just now solidifying.
“No, no one is sitting there. My friend must have forgotten it by accident when she left,” she stammered.
“Great!” the man exclaimed and grabbed a towel out of his bag and unfolded it out on the lounger. Catherine reached over and removed Diana’s forgotten water bottle that the stranger had set down between the two loungers. “Fantastic view of the pool and all the fun,” he announced. Once settled, he put out a hand and revealed, “My name is Ryan, a pleasure to meet you.”
Embarrassed, she self-consciously pulled her knees up on the lounger before shaking his hand and telling him her name. While gripping his hand, Catherine got a good look at him. “He has a kind face,” she reflected; handsome with smile crinkles at the corners of his eyes, which she loved. Ryan appeared to be about her age, in the late thirties. She wondered if he was alone in life like her or if he was one of the lucky ones to have someone to walk with on life’s journey.
He turned his head to face her after he put on his sunglasses and asked, “This is my first time here. Would you have any recommendations for the activities or the food at the Café?”
Catherine turned to answer him. “This is my first time too, so I am just discovering all of the amenities as well. I am here with my former college roommate. She lives not far from here and likes to come here often and relax.”
“Well, she is a lucky lady then because this looks like a very nice place. I think I am going to enjoy my visit here,” he remarked as he smiled broadly at her.
Catherine smiled and blushed and hoped Ryan would chalk up her red cheeks to time in the sun. They were just settling in on their loungers when Diana walked up. “Well, there goes Ryan once he gets a look at Diana,” Catherine mused. Diana eyed the handsome stranger and then smiled at Catherine.
“Hi, my name is Diana,” she revealed as she stuck out her hand and walked between the two loungers. “Have you met my friend Catherine?” she asked as she shook his hand and looked over at Catherine.
“Yes, I have. We were just talking about it being our first visit here at Roadrunner Ranch.” Ryan answered.
“Well, I think it would be a great idea if you both perused the schedule of activities I picked up from the office and maybe join in on a couple of them together.” Diana hinted. Turning to Catherine, she announced with a frown, “I’ve got to run home and grab my laptop. My editor just sent me a text; as luck would have it, I need to get my article in sooner than expected. “Ryan, would you mind keeping an eye on Catherine while I am gone? I would truly appreciate it since I feel bad enough for having to ditch her at the beginning of our girl’s weekend.”
Catherine started to protest, but Ryan smiled and responded, “It would be my pleasure!”
Diana threw out her hand and wagged her pointer finger at him. “Take good care of her, or you will answer to me!”
Ryan gave her the Boy Scout salute and declared, “On my honor, I will make sure she has a good time while you are absent.”
Diana adjusted her hat, turned, winked at Catherine, and sauntered off, her sandals making a slapping noise that faded as she rounded the Recreation room.
Embarrassed, Catherine mumbled, “Honestly, you don’t have to look after me. Diana has always been my “big sister” even though we are the same age. She always looked after me in college and apparently, still feels she has to do it way into adulthood.”
Ryan studied her face and divulged, “I am glad for this opportunity to spend some time with someone who’s open to the idea of naturism and feels comfortable embracing the nudist philosophy.”
Diana thought about the statement before answering. “Well, I wouldn’t say I am 100% comfortable yet, but I think I am almost there. Diana is the naturist. She kept trying to get me to go to a nude beach close to the college, but I always felt uncomfortable. I agreed to this weekend because Diana is such a good friend; I feel I owe her the courtesy of seeing why she embraces the philosophy like a mother with a newborn.”
Ryan found the statement humorous and laughed. That prompted Catherine to chuckle.
The conversation came easy as the two talked half the afternoon away. After feeling the increasing temperature of the desert, they took a dip in the pool and continued the conversation in a corner. Other bathers rotated around them talking, playing with the beach ball, and lounging on various flotation devices. They both laughed at one that looked like a slice of pizza.
“Hey, are you hungry? The water always makes me ravenous for some reason,” Ryan asked.
Catherine confessed she always felt the combination of sun and water did the same thing.
They dried off and stretched out their towels so they would dry while they were dining. Ryan grabbed a smaller “butt towel” that is de rigueur at nudist venues. Catherine tied the colorful pareo around her waist that Diana had insisted on purchasing that morning as they perused the resort’s store.
“I always thought it was amusing that a nudist resort would have a clothing store,” she opined.
“Well, check out the shirt I got this morning on the way in,” he muttered sheepishly. The shirt showed a silhouette figure jumping for joy with the slogan: “This shirt will self-destruct upon entering a nudist resort.” Catherine thought that was so funny her hands flew to her mouth to
cover her giggling when he pulled it out of his beach tote to show her. They both took another look at the shirt and burst out laughing.
Grabbing an empty table at the Sunny Buns Café, they ordered lunch. The room felt cool and refreshing and was a nice change from the warmth of the afternoon. Ryan ordered a cheeseburger with fries, while Catherine ordered the fried chicken salad with ranch dressing. The conversation flowed as they sat at the table long after the plates had been cleared and most of the lunch patrons had left the building.
“Hey, would you like to check out the karaoke and then the dance tonight?” Ryan inquired. Catherine hesitated. She stole a glance at the clock on the Café wall.
“I thought Diana would be back by now. We were supposed to have lunch and then decide what to do after that.”
Ryan exclaimed, “Oh, that’s right, I forgot,” as he smacked his hand to his forehead. “Diana!” As if saying her name conjured her up, Diana walked up to the table and stood there, her hand on her hip.
“There you two are! I have been combing the resort for you. I thought you might have taken a walk on one of the trails.”
“We were so busy talking, we didn’t even get a chance to explore the resort yet,” exclaimed Ryan.
“Well, I was searching for you because I accidentally left my cell at home and now have to return to get it. I am sure my editor is thinking I am ignoring him although I finished my article, sent it off and then, sailed right out of the house without picking it up.” Catherine’s eyebrow rose at this declaration. Before Catherine could open her mouth to say what was on her mind, Diana asked, “Would you two mind if I drove back to the house and picked up my phone?”
Ryan commented, “We were thinking of checking out the karaoke and then the dance tonight. If you would like to join us in the Clubhouse, that’s where we will be.”
Diana grinned and then strode out of the Café.
“Diana gave me an idea that we can check out before we go to dinner and the rest of the evening if you are game,” Ryan stated.
“What might that be?” Catherine asked cautiously.
“Why don’t we explore one of the resort’s trails like she mentioned?” he queried.
Catherine thought about it before accepting. “Sure. Let me put on some sturdy shoes, get my water bottle, hat, sunglasses, and I will meet you at the Kokopelli sculpture at the beginning of the trail. Do you know where that is?”
“I don’t,” confessed Ryan.
“Here it is on the map on the back of the events for the resort,” remarked Catherine. They put their heads together in reviewing the map. Catherine felt a jolt while her pulse quickened. She pulled away and stuttered, “There it is,” pointing to the Kokopelli sculpture that stood watch at the beginning of one of the trails and had for decades.
“Okay, how about 3:00 p.m. sharp at the sculpture?” Ryan queried.
“Meet you there in a few,” Catherine stated.
Catherine took off to her condo to freshen up and gather supplies. She thought to herself, “What am I doing with a man I scarcely know?”
She reflected on her previous marriage that ended with the death of her first husband. Catherine had known that death was a possibility when you married a law enforcement man. One day she received the dreaded knock on the door. She thought about Carl and silently prayed for him. They had discussed this very possibility with him begging her to remarry if anything ever happened. At the time, it seemed morose to raise the subject, but Carl professed it would give him great comfort knowing she would go on in the hoped-against chance it would happen to them.
Catherine took a deep breath and gathered up the items on her mental list. As she opened the door of her condo, she saw a rainbow wind chime. She involuntarily smiled as she loved rainbows and knew Carl was thinking of her.
She met Ryan at the Kokopelli sculpture. There was a small plaque that explained that the Kokopelli figure was a fertility deity and presided over childbirth and agriculture. Catherine adjusted her backpack and started up the rocky trail with Ryan in tow. The path inclined to an area that overlooked the resort to the left and the vast desert to the right. Saguaro cactus stood like silent sentries above the shrubs and desert flora. They took a moment to take a drink of water as they appreciated the view.
“Isn’t this breathtaking?” Catherine exclaimed, realizing Ryan was smiling and watching her enjoying the view. She felt that little jolt again. She didn’t fight it and smiled back at him. They capped their water bottles and placed them back into their packs, continuing forward.
After 45 minutes of walking the desert landscape, the trail wound down and ended by the Café. Dusty but triumphant, they separated to wash up and meet again at 6:00 p.m. at the Clubhouse for dinner. Catherine stopped to talk to some of the year-round residents who wanted to know
how the trail was. She found the people at the resort so friendly and forthcoming. Catherine wondered if in shedding their clothes, they shed the baggage that sometimes comes with it. As she stepped into the shower, she remembered how freeing it was to be in the pool without a bathing suit and how that felt as she slipped through the water. The feeling of getting out of the pool and drying off with a towel or letting the sun and air take care of that instead of sitting in a cold, dripping suit was amazing. Diana always mentioned how free she felt without the “textile shackles” as she called them.
Catherine dried her hair using one of the fluffy Egyptian cotton towels. She snugged herself into a robe made of the same material and sat on the edge of the bed as she slathered lotion on her skin. The chlorine, sun, and wind had quickly left her skin parched, so she availed herself of the spa amenities left in the room for their use. The lotion called “Desert Breeze” had a light, pleasant scent which Catherine used all over, that perfumed and rehydrated her skin. She selected a festive pareo to wrap around her to make a dress, just like the resort shop had shown her. She was pleased she could remember how to tie it.
Just before 6:00 p.m., Catherine realized Diana had not returned. She gave her a call on her cell; Diana picked up right away.
“I know, I know, and I am sorry. What a friend I am to invite you to enjoy some time and then leave you in the hands of a handsome man. Tsk Tsk.”
Catherine chided her and told her she knew nothing about this man and that she was only going to the night’s events with him because Diana had not returned, yet she felt safe at the resort.
“I promise I am on my way, but it appears I am going to miss dinner, so go ahead and dine without me,” she directed and rang off.
Catherine walked down toward the Clubhouse that turned into an entertainment venue after dinner. She passed the water volleyball and aerobics pool, the pool/billiards room, horseshoe pit, and some other outdoor sports she could not pronounce. Waiting by the door was Ryan with a pareo of his own that had a subdued print and complimented the butt towel he had used previously.
“Ready?” Ryan held open the glass door for her as they entered the room, selecting a table for four. They both decided on the meat lasagna which included a small green salad with Italian dressing and a buttered roll. After the plates were cleared, the tables were rearranged to ring the dance floor as they prepared for the entertainment.
As the lights went down for the first karaoke singer, Diana rushed in breathlessly. “Did I miss any of the singers?” she queried.
“No,” Ryan acknowledged, “you got here just in time.”
The three of them spent the next hour cheering on the good and not-so-good, the ones that could carry the tune and the ones that couldn’t carry one in a bucket. They clapped and cheered raucously at the end of each song for the bravery of the individuals who stood up behind the mic and sang their hearts out. After the karaoke, the dance started and was a mixture of slow and fast dances to every conceivable music genre. The DJ was fantastic and kept the crowd going until people slowly trickled out to go back to their condos for the night. Ryan walked Diana and Catherine to theirs and pointed that out he was across the courtyard from them.
“Join us for water aerobics tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.?” Diana teased.
“Ah, how about I save us some loungers by the pool for after you ladies finish?” Ryan demurred. They agreed and Diana closed the door.
“Ryan seems to be a nice catch, Catherine. What do you think?”
Catherine plopped on the bed and tried to hide her growing smile. “I like him. He is fun to talk to. He looks into my eyes as he is talking instead of making the up-and-down motion with his eyes like many guys do or talking straight to my boobs.”
Diana giggled, “If only you would have believed me when I told you that being nude is the best feeling of all and the most authentic way to live.” They stayed up talking until the wee hours about their college days, men, and Diana’s writing career.
In the morning, they took advantage of the fruit juices in the room refrigerator and then headed out to the pool for aerobics. Maxine, a spry, spunky senior, put them through their paces for an hour. Diana knew the routine from her previous visits. Catherine followed as best she could; no one scolded her for being slow on the uptake. Everyone was so eager to help and all had great fun exercising to the music. True to his word, Ryan had reserved three loungers in the spot they had previously held court the day before. Diana grabbed the outside one and nudged Catherine into the middle one, next to Ryan. After exchanging greetings, Diana plopped her large hat over her face and within minutes, appeared to be asleep. Catherine, flush from the exhilaration of her exercise, suggested they go into the pool to enjoy the refreshing water against the rapidly rising temperature of the morning. They fell back into the easy banter of the day before.
Diana snuck a peek at the two from under her hat, smiled, and then returned her hat over her face.
At one point, after drying off from the pool, Ryan suggested they take a walk around the property. Diana appeared to still be asleep, so Catherine grabbed her hat and sunglasses and headed off with Ryan. As they gazed at all the earth-colored stucco condos, and desert flora and fauna, Ryan posed questions to her about naturism. “Do you think you could fully embrace naturism?” he asked, watching a bird fly over the condos.
Catherine was caught off-guard by the question. “I don’t know that I am completely comfortable with the idea quite yet,” she confessed.
“How did you get to be here, spending a weekend with your admittedly-naturist former roommate at a nudist resort?” he asked.
Catherine paused, giving it some thought. “Diana introduced it to me while we were in college however, I always felt awkward going nude even in our private dorm room. I always envied Diana because she was always so self-confident and still is.” As Catherine continued their walk, she asked Ryan the same question.
“I have always felt comfortable in my own skin, without the judgment that clothes and coverings seem to cause, making us behave differently to each other.”
Catherine asked what that meant.
Ryan explained, “Don’t you wear make-up, buy the latest fashions and look to see what other women are wearing?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with naturism?” Catherine queried.
“Have you ever judged someone just by their clothes, how they dress, basically the outer shell they present to the world? Made a judgment decision without the person ever opening up their mouth and having a conversation with you?” Ryan questioned. He steered them to a shady bench, spread out his towel, and continued their conversation as they watched the roadrunners, rabbits, and quail scurry across the sun-baked sand, in search of a shady oasis.
“Think about it – you are here having a conversation with me, a male, completely nude. We don’t know that much about each other, yet we are getting on famously. Had I been in shorts and a t-shirt outside of this resort, would you have readily accepted my invitation to karaoke and the dance afterward, plus our time together on this walk?” Ryan studied her face for her reaction, wondering if he had perhaps belabored the point.
Catherine faced him on the bench and stated, “You have a point. I don’t usually spend time with strange men without knowing more about them.”
“So, I rate as a strange man, eh?” Ryan declared, chuckling.
Catherine smiled and then broke out in a huge laugh too. After catching their breath, they rose from the bench and walked back to the pool to join Diana. They talked the whole way back about how embracing the naturist philosophy can also help with body positivity and the health benefits as well as social ones.
Diana was not on her lounger, so they made plans to meet up in the evening. Ryan was going take a nap and Catherine planned to locate Diana and spend some time with her. She felt guilty
that she had not spent more time with her gracious host. They had intended to do that at the resort but things seemed to conspire to keep them from enjoying more girl talk.
Actually, Catherine knew exactly what her friend was doing in disappearing and leaving her with Ryan. She knew her heart and that Diana only had the best intentions for her. Besides, she was enjoying her time with him here.
Catherine slowly walked back to their room, enjoying the view and the fresh, clean air. She found Diana on the phone with her editor. She was just wrapping up as she walked in.
“There you are!” exclaimed Diana, “I am so glad you were busy when I got another text to call my editor. I feel so bad I have neglected you.”
“No worries,” Catherine assured, as she took off her hat and sunglasses and placed them on her bed.
“It looks like you and Ryan are enjoying getting to know each other” observed Diana as she raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“What?” Catherine protested. “Ryan is just a nice guy and we have fun talking!” she said as an involuntary smile hit her face and she blushed.
“I am glad you are having a good time here,” Diana exclaimed, “and that, hopefully, you will enjoy yourself so much you’ll be happy to come back here without me having to formally invite you. Being at a nudist resort is the most freeing feeling. I abandon all my cares and outside thoughts when my clothes hit the floor here, sans these editorial interruptions. I feel a sense of freedom and camaraderie you don’t find outside. Being a writer can be a dog-eat-dog world and the competition is fierce. And the writer’s conferences sometimes degenerate into a ‘one-upmanship’ contest that I don’t like to get drawn into. Here I feel completely relaxed and free,” she said as she jumped up and twirled around with her arms in the air. She grabbed Catherine’s hands so they both twirled around the room until they fell onto their beds giggling and out of breath.
The trio took siestas and met up for dinner at the Café. The walkways were lit with tiny lights and the dark, clear sky caused the stars to shine brighter than anywhere in the city. The theme for the night was “Taste of the Islands,” and everyone was wearing a colorful sarong, flower in their hair, plastic lei, or some other token representation of the island theme. After a delicious dinner of fish, rice, and a pineapple fruit medley, the three moved their chairs to see the “Island Dancers” perform, which entailed volunteers from the resort doing their best to replicate the beautiful island dances seen at luaus.
After the entertainment, Ryan asked the two ladies if they would like to accompany him on a moonlight walk.
Diana confided, “I am so tired from all that sun and back and forth with my editor today,” stifling a yawn. “Why don’t you two enjoy yourselves and we can meet up in the morning for breakfast before we check out.”
The weekend had gone by so fast that Catherine hadn’t realized it was her last night before going home. She felt a pang in her chest. Was she falling for Ryan? She didn’t even know where he lived, what he did for a living, or anything else one should know before…“before whatever this was,” she thought.
Ryan broke her train of thought as he bid Diana “Good Night” and offered his arm to Catherine so they could take a leisurely walk around the property.
In the cool air, they enjoyed viewing the resort by moonlight. The trails were lined with painted rocks as they made their way to an area they had not explored before. It was a beautiful memorial area with two benches and a headstone carved with the names of the previous owners. A small spotlight lit a picture showing two older people looking fondly into each other’s eyes.
Ryan and Catherine sat on one of the benches and looked at the memorial and all the trinkets lovingly left by people. He put his arm around her. She snuggled into him. It felt so different from anything she had done before. Sitting this close to a man who wore nothing but a plastic lei and she with just her pareo and a hibiscus clipped in her hair. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Neither of them breathed a word. They could feel each other’s breathing as well as their heartbeats. After several quiet moments, Catherine pulled away to look at Ryan. In the moonlight, he was just as handsome and honest-looking as in the daylight.
Perhaps naturism does draw people in and give them a view of life that should be normalized by all. With his finger, he took a lock of hair that had fallen from behind her flower clip and tucked it behind her ear. He drew near and she closed her eyes as he kissed her lightly on her lips. She stayed in position, her eyes tightly closed and he kissed her again. She never wanted this beautiful moment to ever end.
“There is my water bottle, I was wondering where I left it,” exclaimed Diana.
Catherine’s eyes flew open as she heard Diana’s voice. She sat up with a start. There she was, still in the lounger, just as when Diana had left her to check out the activities schedule.
“How long were you gone?” Catherine asked, confused.
“Just about 45 minutes. I stopped by the office and ran into someone I know who lives here and spent some time catching up. Did you miss me?” Diana cajoled. Catherine adjusted her sunglasses and looked at the lounger Diana was now parked on.
“Was there a man sitting here when you first came up?” she implored.
“No, no one. I just came back to look for my water bottle I forgot before going back to the room to unpack for our girl’s weekend” Diana stated. She questioned the look on Catherine’s face. “Looks like I interrupted a great dream. I hope it involved a fabulous man,” she teased.
Catherine was stammering an answer when a man walked up to Catherine.
“You must be Catherine. Diana and I were just catching up and she mentioned she had brought a friend new to the resort.” She turned to see his face. “My name is Ryan; pleased to meet you.” 🪐
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