Taylor Camp: A Slice of Time

My previous marriage gave me ties to the beautiful island of Kauai during its 5-year run. Her parents lived there where her dad--being Hawaiian--was able to buy property in a native-only town. Visitors to the island routinely drove past their town on the way to sights like the Kilauea lighthouse, or still farther up the highway to the beautiful inlet town of Hanalei. Not far past that the road dead-ended at a popular beach spot. I was able to visit Kauai a few times, and I had been up that highway at least twice every time I had visited. I knew it pretty well.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that a the end of the highway used to be home to a group of people on property owned by one Howard Taylor. You may have heard of his sister, Elizabeth. Apparently the actress' brother donated it out of frustration with the local government. The property turned into a haven for freedom-seekers, hippies, and other earth-children of the era. If I had only known--I might have poked around there when I visiting!

Anyway, this is what gave it away for me recently. I saw this map and said, "Hey, I know that place! I've actually been in the Blue Room!

I have to admit, this whole story had me seduced in many ways. I totally love the island of Kauai, and I also felt a certain admiration for the hippies back then. I was at the tail end of the Woodstock generation. I wanted to be loose and free, but I was still a tad young, plus I was raised with a level of discipline that made me too chickenshit to leave and wander the world without a support network. I found that support when I ended up joining the Air Force for 6 years. Talk about polar opposites!

There are a lot of articles on the web about Taylor Camp, but I love the abundance of stellar black and white shots in this one:

Paradise Lost: The Hippie Refugee Camp

and here's a link to the site that produced the film:

The Edge of Paradise

Taylor Camp stood for eight years, being finally knocked down and burned by the local government in 1977. If you ever visit the north side of Kauai be sure to visit the area. When you do, let your mind wander to a point in the past when, for a select few, life was simple and clothing was optional.