1. The eastern slag pile (upper section) at Sundown Quarry. The heavily traveled south shore trail is in the background. There, on peak days it felt like nude sunbathing alongside a busy downtown sidewalk.
2. The western slag pile at Sundown. This area was lightly used because this end of the quarry was quite shallow. In contrast, from any rock in the eastern slag pile one could safely dive into the deep.
3. On the wall at Half moon Quarry. Full moon, Half moon and Sundown laid side-by-side, north to south in that order. Since all were in the same excavation in the hillside, they could be considered as one 'hole,' but each had a distinct basin of water, hence their individual names. The three basins' close proximity made for much crossover; those who spread their towels at one quarry often visited the other two; all day long dozens of barefoot bathers strolled back and forth to swim in one quarry for a while before climbing out and dunking their bare butts in another. On peak days better than half of the total number of attendees on the property could be found somewhere in this triple complex.
4. For those of you geographically inclined: the triple complex as it appeared in 2005. The pink dots represents slag fill that wasn't present 'back in the day' and the thin red lines shows the former shoreline. The entire three quarry complex is 200 yards north to south and 150 yards east to west. Note the slag piles beside the gravel service road and elsewhere.
5. Long hole had another name: some called it 'The mile long quarry' even though it was only 1/4 mile long. Even so, along its entire length was a nearly continuous slag pile, both up at trail level and sloping steeply into the long, narrow pit. Difficult access to the water made Long hole a sparsely used quarry for swimming but the slag piles were favored by those seeking a place to sunbathe in relative privacy like this couple. From a distance of 70 yards I sat and stealthily watched for a time to see if they might get jiggy but no such luck; they were just enjoying quiet time for two.
6. On the slag pile near water's edge, Long hole.
7. Out for a stroll near Long hole. Pat and this couple weren't the only ones to venture on long walks, leaving every stitch of clothing behind; many others did as well. And I did the same while skulking around seeking photo ops. No one needed to worry about having their stuff stolen; slag piles everywhere offered thousands of hiding places for towels, clothes, etc. Nudity was legal at Packinghouse but even so, while hiking the grounds, being far removed from any possibility of covering up lent an extra measure of excitement to being naked in public especially when encountering groups of clothed young women. On the trail between the parking lot and Sundown, in late August first-time college girls were easy to spot; upon spying their first nudist, their smiling expressions always gave them away as if they were thinking: Oh my God! It is true!
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