We get email. This one’s from our friend Stephanie at EcoShack…
Ever read the classic 1975 utopian novel Ecotopia? People in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest break from the US to form their own country. We love the book because in Ecotopia, everybody lives in a commune!
With Ecotopia as inspiration we’re visiting as many ‘communal hotspots’ as possible in an 8-day period: Ojai, Big Sur, Santa Cruz, Oakland, Bolinas, Sonoma County and beyond… from Aug 12 – 20, or so.
Know of any must-sees? Should we visit you? Post your ideas (and invites) to the ‘Wanna Start a Commune?’ Facebook wall at http://tinyurl.com/my3dfn.
These are the stomping grounds of counterculture’s forward-thinkers: The Merry Pranksters, The Diggers, Ant Farm, and the “hippies who built the internet.” (Don’t believe it? Read ‘From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism‘).
We’re gonna honor what’s old, experience what’s new, and spread the word about what we’re up to with WeCommune. We’ll Tweet from the road. Follow us at: http://twitter.com/WeCommune.
Check out the WeCommune site at http://wecommune.com (be sure to click on ‘visit our commune’ to get a feel for how the system works).
Happy communing!
Stephanie
Arthur Magazine 
Sounds like a wonderful voyage!
If you haven’t already seen it, check out my book SPACED OUT, RADICAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE PSYCHEDELIC SIXTIES (Rizzoli) in which I chronicle many of the alternative communities, domes, zomes and hobbit holes of the counter culture. Some of them are still in tact–Libre in Colorado is best example that just celebrated its 40th anniversary and Hornby Island in British Columbia still has many of the hand-built communitarian buildings made from recycled driftwood in the late 60s and early 70s. Web site for book is http://www.spacedoutthebook.net
Have a great trip!
Alastair Gordon