immediately sipped. | hesitated, but afer the students gibed me about zn bourgeois hangup, Texingused the light and ook off my clothes, The excreted out ob groping and feling each others bodies uander the water. When T detected Helen fiddling with my toe, T curled up, fete, in one comer ofthe baths The next morning. ae thanking Murphy and Pie fr their hospitality and cleaning up my cotage, I headed south fom Big Sur toward "Sea- ‘rot."4 commie whose members had withdrawn permanent, to start 2 new and slfsucient he- According to Murpy, many of them had fpased through Esalen and now wished to commit themseles toll to the counterculture. They were not jus seeking sation from ther et sonal problems, but were ent upon creating a society thal, fll went ‘according to plan, would be the seedling fora new age. Pethaps I would Find that at Seacrest the fave hide ad contd realty me dct than had the weekender at Ean, ‘Somewhere Between Esalen and Willam Randolph Heart’ catle, the ‘personal utopia he had built for himself and Marion Daves, | tuned off the main highsay- Bearing ca [headed down neglected, poled read that slashed into the mountains. Iran along a gowe in a sharp ineine, ‘rosed back ad forth over a steam, and came toa halt in font of an ‘lobe ledge. Studded with yucea and low chaparal, the canyon opened into a small meadow of sage ad buckwheat, where a etd of mangy goats ‘raed amid the rubble ‘Atl man with long blond hai and a Zapatalike mustache stepped fiom the lodge and geted me. Lhad known "Lary" when he waa pel strdent at Stanford Now, by vite of his ful’ ommerip of the Sea- ‘ost land, he was the defacto leader ofthe community of leven men, hine women, and five chien. The other members, 1 soon leamed, “phat dere that one pea sn he comm ed more autho ‘or power than another, That woud contradict the basic Heoogy oftheir Snarchit, propels community, which supposedly made dectsons only withthe umanims consent of all. Yet [noticed that they dered 10 anys opinions. Because of the liberality of his veh parents, he alone contolled the land, the community van, and a steady ow of eash fom Hisallowance Lanty had changed dramatically since his yar at Stanford. Ther, he had been a frivolous ad lop Fatty man. Now he wore 2 raoad ‘nan’ bib ost an Indian headband to kee his long hai place, and Faking bots Afra bret of brown brad, cereal and eri, and a cp of warm goat's il, Lary told me of his journey from Stanford 10 Seacrest hate the nine,” he sid “Talking al the time, reading pointes stl, forever taking the tinal tp. as heading nowhere, just anther ‘The Coma f Hower Cher: End Seet” 67 Cipher n a gyal wit. was ners ed shin, bt that Skint do any good. {hated my pres They aed all ofthis ber, taal wade bt di nothing about A hey waned wast accom lemon aed ewe ener “aut thy give you the and ber,” sad ite mitchisouy. 00 leamed tht not only Lay but rot of the other Seacrest people came fom fae that wee ply and pychologeally ier "Nes Lary sai ring. ket me we the nd, bt ju sti of me “What te your goals here” “To stat» tue community. We share all we have. Evry ounce of property. Web cverthing am scratch, We een aed hwo make ‘bes rom the eal Indians, and put up his hose. Here we've stated a tribe: Wee simplifing. geting il ofall the exces hagage. We ty to lowe cach oer enon I eamed at Elen” “But youl have confit” "Oh yeah Some. Over women. Over who hs to do the dhe. Over sera of chav: But were making i. So many of wae ging fumed on that we forget our pty jelous. 12 new age At Seacrest cveryone cats frome another. No ne hs © work but the work ge dine because we love and undentand the nd.” "Bat ely you get you share of mis," Tid. “Loaf. Lazy people. An agaresin nt oo” “People cme and go," said Lary uneasy. “We've an open-dor pol fey. Anyone i welcome a long a there's rom. You cago when ou want. Nobody bases you or kek you ot. Ad people st hep Hocking Tere when they her about or new sce.” ‘Why di people come to Seacrest, ad to al of heater communes seated arn the United Sete? war ean not fx phys conf, Tscon eae fom the Seacrest experience. Life there wat dreary ad or except or the hour nso aay pent smoking mariana). Abt hall {th ads and most ofthe chien were sk fom Bor june Tht ict may have ben adequate, but twas hardy ht of 4 gourct. Mi rom the ocean died in ding the cay morning nd nights people ‘sr aay complaining tht they wer cold. But thy fd wlingy adopt ths prime form of ie exchange for he sell exstence mot of ‘hem ad lel ar chlden of te pampering sich. "The Seacrest of Ameria lag aac ua, young, white, enor smouly diatsied people who bad aleiy sought solace fom othe ae tative (Nove of Seseets member hd been poo ble entering the ‘Commune; none wer Mack, Asa, happily mard, or veri "The pokntialconerts at Seacrest and corre in Amen, wet, above all-unkappy with theches Zblockss sey of commana