The Great Gay Outdoors
You can relax and be yourself at Rainbow Ranch
by Karen L. Morgan

Nestled in the lush, green rolling hills of Central Texas beside Lake Limestone, campers can find the Rainbow Ranch, a gay/lesbian campground, which offers a "home away from home" atmosphere to all that venture there. The Ranch is located six miles out of Groesbeck, off of Highway 164, drawing campers from Houston, Austin, and Dallas.

Even if you didn’t know, as soon as you enter the Ranch’s secluded gates, you’d know this was a gay campground. Colorful gay flags wave proudly from the Yellow Ranch House (a.k.a. the office), and a rainbow-colored table and chairs adorn the porch. Strings of neon lights cover the trunks of trees and twinkle colorfully after dark. Campers decorate their individual campsites with windsocks, pink flamingos, and still more colored lights.

Giant shade trees dot the 151 acres, and large trash bags hang suspended from branches for recycling cans. Whimsical, weathered signs read "Wildlife Crossing: 14 1/2 m.p.h." The camp has nature trails, a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, a fishing pier, along with paddleboats and rowboats lining the shoreline.

As owner/manager/custodian, Peggy Thomas is the heart of the Rainbow Ranch. Direct, outspoken, and sometimes downright gruff, Thomas spent 20 years as a licensed nursing home administrator before finally, burned out, she cast about for another way to make a living.

She says she had never felt comfortable camping at a state park with straight campers all around her. "You are never sure what they might hear you say, or what they will do," Thomas says, "so it was not always a relaxed or fun weekend." Crediting God with the inspiration, she hit on the idea of opening a gay/lesbian campsite.

After quite a bit of research, she found that there were not very many gay/lesbian campgrounds in existence and none in that area of Texas. Thomas and her partner at the time looked around and found the piece of land bordering Lake Limestone. The 151 acres was more than they wanted but they fell in love with the land and purchased it in September of 1995. In May 1996, her dream became a reality and the Rainbow Ranch was opened.

However, a few of the good folks of Groesbeck, the nearest town, were not as excited about Thomas’s project as she and her partner were. After receiving some of Thomas’s mail, a neighbor was alerted to the nature of the new campground. The neighbor posted the Rainbow Ranch’s advertisement in the County Court House and local churches, and tried to get a petition together to run the gay oasis out of town. Some other neighbors down the road called Thomas to warn her, concerned about harassment. Fortunately, the petition never went anywhere; aside from some "Sunday drivers" idling by slowly to view the "queers," there were no repercussions. Even the drive-bys ended fairly quickly as nothing is visible from the road. Now, Thomas feels that the additional business the campers bring to surrounding communities alleviates any discrimination the camp might suffer.

"To my knowledge the townspeople have never been rude to any of my campers," she says proudly.

Thomas ruefully admits, though, coming from the city, that she had no idea what she was getting into. A woman who owned another campsite warned her how much work was involved. Thomas thought to herself, "How much work can it be?" She snorts with laughter now as she thinks back . . . famous last words. "I had never done my own yard when I lived in the city, as I did not like to be hot, sweaty, or dirty. Now I seem to stay that way!"

The campgrounds themselves take from 12 to 14 hours to mow, the land that can be mowed, and 16 to 24 hours to weedeat the other areas. Thomas sells ice and firewood at the office and delivers the firewood to the individual campsites herself. She is also a self-proclaimed fanatic when it comes to the cleanliness of the restrooms. She says it is hard to keep them clean when the campers are there as she is usually running the office, but she has several "regulars" that make sure that there is toilet paper available and that the bathhouse is up to Thomas’s standards.

In fact, Thomas runs the Rainbow Ranch with a little help from her friends. She has one volunteer weekend a year and regulars at the campground are urging her to make it at least twice a year. The last volunteer weekend was in April of this year and about 20 people showed up to help. Even her web page is designed and maintained by two campers free of charge. Thomas says that all the campers try to pitch in whenever possible. Several of them feed her on the weekends, as they know that she burns her food regularly when she is cooking and working the office at the same time. "I must say that they spoil me very well," she acknowledged gratefully.

After some lean times, the Ranch is going full swing with lots of friendlycampers. Most are repeat customers or regulars, although Thomas has also had vacationers from Oklahoma, Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Louisiana in the past. Advertisement is by word of mouth or her website. Apparently the word is out.

The campers have, in essence, become her family. "I feel like the camp is a part of me," she confessed. "I love the fun that all the campers have. I like to watch first-time campers as they reach out to touch their partner, draw back their hands, then realize that it is okay to touch each other here."

For more information or reservations, call 1-888/875-7596 or check out Rainbow Ranch’s website at: www.rainbowranch.net. Fees are $10 per person, plus $5 per campsite for electricity. RV hookups are available, plus all event activities come with the price of admission to the ranch, and there are no extra fees to use the park's boat, sport, and game equipment. A limited number of tents (small & large) are also available at no additional charge.

Upcoming RR events

• 4th of July Party (actually Sat., July 7). Smokin’ Hair Day will perform. Bring your favorite finger food dish and beverage and we will all enjoy the festivities together.

• Rainbow Ranch 2nd Annual Steak Out Party, Sat., July 28, 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to bring their steak, chicken, hot dogs, or hamburgers. We will have the grills up and running ready for you to cook. Rainbow Ranch will provide all the fixin's and a couple of salads for everyone to enjoy.  

• Rainbow Ranch Hawaii Luau, Aug. 17—19.

• Labor Day Weekend at the Ranch, Aug.31—Sept.2.

• Autumn Bash Weekend, Sept. 21—23.

• Fall Volunteer Day, Oct. 13.

• Halloween Party, Oct. 26—28.

• Rainbow Ranch Thanksgiving, Nov. 22—25.