Please join me July 14-16 in Guerneville, CA for an invitation-only meetup of small furniture makers, designers and artists from the West Coast. I’m organizing this so we can meet each other in person while we camp and canoe in one of my favorite places, the redwoods along the Russian River. If this sounds fun to you too, please RSVP soon for one of the 20 available spaces. Deadline to RSVP is June 21.
DETAILS
I’ve reserved several campsites on the grounds of Guerneville Lodge. If you do not camp, there may be rooms available at the lodge or nearby.
I’m also organizing a trip canoeing 10-mile stretch of the Russian River with Burke's Canoe Trips. Canoes are provided and there’s no need for prior experience.
SCHEDULE
Friday: Arrive after 3PM. You can prepare your dinner at the campground, or grab food at Stumptown Brewery, which is only a short drive from the campground. I’ll get a campfire going in our area after dark.
Saturday: I'll provide breakfast (I’ll make something in a Dutch oven + provide some cold cereal). We'll leave the campground at 10:30 and either carpool or Uber to Burke’s Canoes for the 4-5 hour float down the river. At the end of the float, you’ll drop off your canoe and board a bus back to Burkes to retrieve your car, or if you prefer you can walk back to the Guerneville Lodge campground from the end of the float in under 10 minutes. On Saturday night, we'll have a potluck dinner around the campfire.
Sunday: We need to pack up to leave by noon. If you’d like to stay a little longer and get in the river, you can join me for a short float by inner tube at noon after packing up.
WHAT TO BRING
Basic camping equipment (it won’t rain):
- Tent, sleeping bag, pad and whatever else you need to survive outside
Stuff for hanging out around the fire/sharing meals
- Folding chair
- Food and drinks in a cooler with ice (there is a Safeway 1/2 mile away from the campground)
- Bug spray
Stuff for canoeing
- Plenty of drinking water
- Lunch/snacks
- A hat, sunblock, swimsuit, and shoes for walking in rocky water (water shoes, Tevas, old sneakers, etc. are better than flip flops)
- Beer/wine (optional - don't be obvious at Burke's if you bring beer or whatnot, as they like to pretend that nobody drinks on the canoes for legal reasons, but most everyone does)
Optional stuff:
- Bike to ride around town
- Tube for floating on Sunday
WHO TO BRING
Plus-ones are welcome, though some of us are sparing our partners so they don't have to listen to us nerding out about furniture. Please check before inviting more than one guest. If you want to bring your kids, please note that this place’s website particularly discourages children. Check with me and I’ll direct you to a family-friendly spot nearby. Dogs are not allowed at the campground or on the canoes.
RSVP
Please RSVP as soon as you can because there are only 20 campsites available. If you’re bringing a family or planning to stay in the lodge, just let me know that when you RSVP and I’ll help you organize. If you’re camping/canoeing, you’ll need to send me $20 per person per night for a campsite + $34 per each canoer to cover costs. You can send me money with PayPal (justingodar2000@gmail.com) or Venmo (@justin-godar), or mail me a check.
I hope to see you in Guerneville in July!
WHO'S GOING:
Justin Godar
Julie Ross Godar
Jared Rusten
Jeremiah Nielson
Doug McCollough
Cynthia Su
Joshua Friedman (maybe)
TJ