Sky Camp: Let Your Imagination Soar

by Tom Knight

Imagine, if you will, you are returning by air from the East Coast, preparing to land at the Oakland International Airport. As you cross the last row of hills on your descent, suddenly the vast open space of the Bay Area appears below… the bay, San Francisco in the distance, bridges, miles upon miles of houses, buildings, highways and byways stretching out far below you in all directions. Suppose it’s night: the twinkling lights sparkle like a vast illuminated electrical quilt and the dark space of the bay is like a black cat stretched out asleep in the center. Imagine you freeze frame that moment and live in a place with that sensational airplane view locked in, a place with that instant of recognition that you are home. There is a place like that: Sky Camp.

Imagine you live on the edge of the forest full of ferns and wildflowers. You hear the echo of owls hooting through the night woods, see red tailed hawks soaring on the afternoon updrafts below you, just as you remember seeing on your last visit to Big Sur. You have miles of hiking trails beginning in your backyard, the solitude of the wind in the trees punctuated by the chatter of the Steller's jays. Yet, you are not quite lost in the wilderness. You gaze out from your perch at the panorama of civilization a thousand feet below. There are no cars passing by. You live at the end of the road, the top of the hill. You live on the fringe of the urban jungle. There is a place like that: Sky Camp.

Imagine the warm winter sun on your outside deck, a quiet beginning of your day with your first cup of coffee and croissant. In your garden patio, sheltered and bright, your Adirondack chair puts you in the relaxed reclining mode for happy hour. Rhododendrons above, roses below, who needs Golden Gate Park? A fresh Acme seeded baguette from the Berkeley Bowl, some camembert from Marin County’s Rouge et Noir, a bottle of spicy Zinfandel from Amador County’s Renwood Winery, some fresh cherries from Frog Hollow. “Eat local” they say. “Slow food” they say. You’re there: Sky Camp.

The floors are wood, the walls are wood, the open beamed ceiling is wood. Is this a cabin in the pines of Tahoe? You throw another log in the wood stove and gaze awhile out the floor-to-ceiling windows. No. You’re on the urban fringe, living on the edge of the beautiful Bay Area. You are at the top of Panoramic Hill. You are where daydreams come easily. You are at Sky Camp.

Not just a house or a place. An experience for a life time. Sky Camp. Imagine it yours.

For images from Sky Camp: http://PanoramicSkyCamp.com