The Sun Shines Out Your Where? (Notes on naming the campground)

There’s always a backstory, and the name for ‘Ray of Sunshine Camping & Glamping’ might not be one that you’d expect.

The Inside Joke

Remember the 2007 movie Juno? Cool, cool. I was obsessed with it in my early teens. 

Saw it in theaters a few times.

Had the soundtrack on repeat.

Spent winters with that movie nonstop.

There’s a part of the move that my dad always alludes to: 

Mac Maguff: Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That’s the kind of person worth sticking with.

Juno MacGuff: Yeah. And I think I've found that person.

Mac MacGuff: Yeah sure you have - your old D-A-D! You know I'll always be there to love you and support you no matter what kind of pickle you're in... Obviously.

My dad’s saying is a little simpler. It goes like this, “The sun shines out your ass, kid.”

As I was ideating the campground, I wanted to create a place that catered first to women and marginalized groups. Cabins are named after my grandmothers and mother; tent sites are named after women & girls who have deeply influenced my life.

That being said, my (adoptive) dad is an immeasurable source of strength, guidance, and laughter. He got us outside camping when the family unit was new. He taught me how to check my oil and change my tires. He’s helping me build the campground and mill the materials, for goodness sake.  I couldn’t forget him in the naming of Ray of Sunshine Camping & Glamping.

Through break-ups, car issues, family strife, and lay-offs, we’ve told each other “the sun shines out your ass.” Over the years, we’ve gifted each other t-shirts and mugs that declare us as “rays of f*cking sunshine.” It was only fitting.

Love a Multi-Purpose Tool

Ray of Sunshine Camping & Glamping exists as a bright spot in, what can be, a dim area. It’s no secret that rural America can be a challenging place to be different.

This campground offers a bit of hope on those extra gray, extra rainy, extra cold days. 

It’s a promise that there will be another summer of simply being, creating, and exploring.

It’s a reminder that even when the world feels heavy, even when the news cycle is bleak, even when you’re exhausted from having to explain your existence, there are still pockets of sunlight.

Ray of Sunshine Camping & Glamping isn’t branding, a trend, or a cute outdoorsy phrase. It’s named after the way love shows up in campfires, new experiences, and in inside jokes that stick for decades. It’s named after the belief that real joy is an act of resistance.

This campground is for the ones who shine even in the chaos. The ones who keep choosing hope. The ones who know that laughter, belonging, and a patched-up tent can be radical things.

And if no one’s told you lately? The sun shines out your ass, kid.

Ready to see why this space is so warm? Book your stay now.