What IS the Rainbow Gathering? To me, it is Woodstock with amateur musicians and I’m in the band…
Thousands of people go backpacking for a couple of weeks… Every year during the end of June and the beginning of July… The location is different every year but it is always in a National Forest… It’s an intentional temporary village…
This is a description about my trip to The Rainbow Gathering in California 2004… I wrote this to help me remember…
Thousands of People chant OM. This photo was snapped just before I decided it was time to put away the camera and experience the event… Yes, it’s important to remember to LIVE LIFE instead of DOCUMENTING LIFE.
I made it to the 2004 rainbow gathering in beautiful Modoc National Forest of California. I got there July 1st before sunset and left July 6th in the morning. On July 1st, I hiked in a minimum distance and slept outdoors near the giant lava rock. At that point I was upset because I smelled burning clutch when I parked my mom’s car in the sagebrush. It turned out that the car in front of me was the source of the smell but I did not know that then. I drove over from Eureka and had a pleasant trip but I did drink 3 GIANT Pepsi-colas and was wired on caffeine and sugar…
I chatted with my fellow campers and we got along great. They told me the layout of the area and informed me about bears, cats and other local conditions. No problems with the animals. Then I went to sleep. I woke up and was cold and stiff from sleeping on the ground. It was a full moon and I walked all over looking at the sagebrush meadow. Another nap and then at dawn I went back out to the car and got supplies, more clothes, raincoat and water bottles. I walked back in and visited many campsites and chatted with locals… getting a clue about where it was all happening.
Got directions for a short-cut to the main circle… followed those directions and wandered around lost for a while…I really enjoyed the quaking aspen groves up on the mountain. I visited Bread of Life kitchen and listened to people blowing shofars and singing Christian sing along songs.
I was Living in Chico, California and working at the plastics factory when there was a layoff, my wife suggested that I borrow the car and drive over to the gathering. My friend Mike Jensen wanted to go and so we checked the oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid and water and set out on a classic American road trip. We made it as far as Reno the first day and slept by the side of the road.
Normally I'm creepy about just pulling off and sleeping because there is the possibility of being hassled by the police but Mike soothed my fears and we spent an uneventful night there. Then on thru Nevada to Winnemucca and a turn North to get to Boise traveling thru the High Desert. Boise is a very beautiful town in a fertile valley. The directions printed from the website recommended going an extra 50 miles out of the way thru Sun Valley instead of taking the shortest route because the
road was supposed to be difficult to travel. We drove thru the Sawtooth Mountain Range (stunning beauty) and finally saw the tiny sign directing us to the Gathering.
About a mile down the dirt road, the car stopped running. All it needed was 15 minutes rest and it started right up. We had been traveling fast for hours and it was over whelmed by the demands i was putting on it. Many people drove by offering help. I was upset but Mike calmed my fears and sure enough it was fine.
Another 5 miles down the dirt road there was a fork with a sheriff... he directed us to the left and gave us a piece of paper telling us that it was an illegal gathering. Mike wanted to ask him a bunch of questions but I just wanted to go and avoid police contact... We found parking and walked in with our few belongings and set up camp. Went to sleep.
Mike was interested in finding "Serenity Ridge" (a 12 step AA/NA meeting-we met at Mom's AA in Chico and were both interested in the program at that time) ... and so the next day we started our search...
On a side meadow there was a sculpture made out of branches that formed two interlocking three sided pyramids. One with the pointy end up and one with the pointy end down. It formed a three dimensional star... Like the "Star of David"... On the path we saw "Dun Dun Village". They were doing drumming and synchronized dancing.
I ran out of water and was getting really thirsty. Mike suggested that I ask the nearest people for help and "Just bliss out"... It so happened that the people not only had fresh clean drinking water and a glass, but the had herbal tea... I was very grateful... not only for the physical help I got but for the knowledge that my needs were going to be taken care of for the rest of the event... I gave myself permission to "just bliss out"...
Then we went to the main campfire and danced to the drums for hours... actually all night long... It was cold up there in the mountains of Idaho and we only had sleeping bags, no tent... If we left the campfire, it was uncomfortable, so, why NOT stay and enjoy the unique experience of 30
drummers...
The next day I went over to the "Relaxation Station" near the entrance and sat there all day long. I played my guitar and sang for all the newcomers to the gathering. A man wearing a silly "Dr. Seuss" hat sat down with his guitar and I taught him how to play "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead. We played it for a very long time... It seemed to him to have an odd chord sequence but after repeated instruction, we got it down. Fortunately, I had brought my hand written songbooks and the lyrics/chords to hundreds of classic rock/folks songs were in them... We had a fine time at "Relaxation Station" a place where newcomers were encouraged to stop and rest after their long journey... A lady was telling fortunes with Tarot Cards... we had beverages, food and anything else that a weary traveler could want... Grass, music and shade...
There was a fellow that was playing a trick on passers-by... he had a piece of foam that looked like a concrete block. he would ask the stranger to help him lift it because it was so heavy, then he would "accidentally" drop the block on their toe... They thought it was going to hurt them because it appeared to be a very heavy object, but it actually was very light... The "OH NO!' experience turned into silly laughter when the passers-by realized the joke... He did this to about 15 people during the afternoon I spent there... ahh, simple minds easily amused by cosmic theatre...
The next day was July 3rd and I walked over to the main campfire... Playing my 12 string guitar and singing loudly to the assembled thousands of people. Mostly "Iko Iko"...
ONE DAY WE ALL NOTICED A GIANT RAINBOW IN THE SKY. IT WAS CAUSED BY ICE CRYSTALS IN THE CLOUDS BEING DIFFRACTED... My wife calls this phenomenon a "Sun Dog"... It stretched for over half of the visible sky and stayed there for hours. You could tell something was happening because the people in the meadow all of a sudden started pointing at the sky... In our campsite under the trees I could see the main meadow and saw hundreds of people spread out for a mile stop what they were doing and point...
The people camped next to us were 20 something years old and they had long involved conversations about their careers in computer businesses in the Midwest... they also talked about their body piercing and the trouble with infections/who to go do the piercing that had clean tools
etc. I sat with them for and afternoon and sang them songs. One of the fine things about having my handwritten songbooks is that the people I play for can select which songs to sing from the index. Often they would exclaim "That's my favorite song!" and so we would sing it... It helps because they often don not know the words and can read them while we are singing...
I had to leave the gathering before the big July 4th celebration because my wife had bought tickets to a concert in Clear Lake, California. I took the shortcut road home and it was fine. The directions to the gathering recommended going the long way because of high winds... IF YOU ARE DRIVING A BUS WITH A VOLKSWAGON VAN WELDED ON TOP... But my little Honda car went smoothly.
I drove home alone and Mike stayed there at the gathering and found his own way home... as it turned out he stayed there for a month and got a terrible ride home in an old bus with bad brakes...
On the way home I experienced a light rain shower in the High Desert of Nevada. I stopped the car and walked around the in rain... It is so very rare to have rain in the desert so it was a happy time. I also watched fireworks as I was approaching Reno from the east.
Back at home we packed the car and camped out at a state park near Konocti Resort. Saw Dan Fogelburg and danced it the bar to a local band... Overall, a fine trip that was an unexpected blessing... I was so fortunate to get laid off at the Factory (for a week)...
Read More of My AutoBiography at:
http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html
Pennsylvania Rainbow Gathering Memories:
I was driving around the East Coast of the USA on Vacation and...
My hitchhikers said the Gathering was at the intersection of 6 and 666 in Pennsylvania. I drove there by myself and was greeted by a man that said "Welcome Home, Brother". I parked and walked in carrying a backpack and sleeping bag... no tent... so the entire time I was sleeping in random different locations... When I arrived at the main campfire circle I noticed that the Gathering was located on a creek and so I wandered downstream to find a nude swimming hole... There by the creek side was a sweat lodge and a group of bathers. I went swimming and waited for the opportunity to go into the lodge. By this time I had been approached by someone's child who recommended that I not smoke tobacco during my time at the Gathering... I took that advice and soon was feeling the withdrawal symptoms from my addiction... A group left the sweat lodge and I went in... a person asked me to leave as there were two couples that wanted a private sweat and I was a fifth wheel... I got angry because I had no knowledge of a queue waiting for the sweat lodge... and I was freaking from the tobacco "JONES"... I left after arguing a bit and later got to sweat with many other men... The sweat was very therapeutic and helped with my nicotine anxiety. I wandered up to the main circle and met a fellow that manufactured plate glass xylophones and wooden marimbas. I borrowed one and played at the main circle. Then went over to a stage near the entrance and joined a group performing there. I was not wearing any clothes... It's the one time in my entire life that I have performed on stage nude... We mostly played songs like "JINGO" by Santana... that classic beat...
And the song "Infinite Sun"
Lyrics:
We are all one 'neath the Infinite Sun,
forever, forever, forever...
I will never forget you,
I will never forsake you,
forever, forever, forever...
Later that day I met some women and retired to their blanketed campsite for a back rub... One was named Terri and we became friends... Traded phone numbers... She decided to leave the Gathering Early because she wanted to go to the Bob Dylan and The Dead concert at RFK Stadium in Washington DC.
I selected to not go because the Gathering was a better event... In my opinion...
On July 4th at the main circle I found a bowl of Peyote unattended... It had a sign saying Sacrament, Help Yourself... and I did... For the entire day I ate small bits of Peyote... Just a small amount and then wait a half an hour, then another small amount and wait... after about 12 hours I had eaten a LOT and truly got the Mescaline High without barfing. The flavor of Peyote is quite bitter and many people find it to be so bad that they barf... I prefer the slow, steady approach.
I wandered over to a stage made out of hay bales and enjoyed the music. There was a cable slide built into a tree and I rode that often. How it worked: there was a steel cable leading from a platform about 15 feet up in a tree stretched tautly to a stake in the ground... A person sat in a leather seat that was attached to the cable by a freespinning wheel and chain... Jump off the platform and ride the cable to the ground... whee! swing the seat back up the cable for the next rider... That was an amazing ride, home made by Rainbow Gatherers just for our own amusement... Thanks!!!
Then I started dancing with a lady that had coarse brown hair... we became friends and were kissing on the ground when she suggested we go on stage and sing for the rest of the tribe. By this time I was very high on Peyote. She gave me a choice of three songs to perform... the names of the first two songs were incomprehensible so I selected Kumbayah, the third choice. We did go onto the stage and sang for the rest of the tribe... by that time she selected to go to her campsite and we parted ways... I located my sleeping bag and found that another lady was in it... I told her to not worry or leave and we slept together like spoons...
In my reading about the Native American Church, one of the things that happens is that a person high on peyote meets Mescalito and is taught their song... then they perform it for the tribe... My experience was similar... I felt as if the woman with the coarse brown hair was Mescalita and we did perform my song...
A couple of days later I drove home and went out on a date with Terry. We had a fine time and she and her girlfriend wanted a ride to an Ashram in rural Virginia. So the three of us went to visit Dar San Singh near an army base on the Potomac. We could hear the explosions of the warriors practicing with their weapons. The sound provided contrast for what was happening at the Ashram.
The Spiritual Study of Indian Religion.
I didn't quite grasp the message of this GURU (mainly because I could not understand a word he said-heavy accent, talked quietly) so I and the Terry's girlfriend came back to DC and I dropped her off at her house.
And THAT's how I spent my summer vacation...
~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
My trip to the Rainbow Gathering in Utah after I retired from work. 2014
Since I had time on my hands and money in my pocket... it was a perfect opportunity to go camping with 10,000 hippies in the woods.
I drove my Ford Windstar Van with the bed in the back to Chico and picked up my friend "Rainbow" Mike Jensen. We drove for two days to thru Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City where we went shopping for groceries. The clerks were very helpful and in General the Mormon People were kind to us. I drove past Park City and turned off the main road just before Heber City. I had gotten the driving directions from the WelcomeHome.org website and we traveled a long way on dirt roads into the Utah wilderness. I parked in a field and we relaxed for a day in order to get acclimated to the high elevation. A camper who parked next to me was complaining that he had forgotten to pack Bungee Cords and he was upset as that was an essential part of his backpack. I had a few extra that I gave him and in his gratitude he gave me some Marijuana. I was at the gathering for 5 minutes and already stoned.
Mike was excited about going to the main part of the gathering and he packed up his backpack and hiked down the trail. I wouldn't see him for 3 days. I spent the night sleeping in my van on the mattress. The next day I simply relaxed in the parking lot and enjoyed the sunshine. Then I packed my own backpack and walked on down the trail. I did not take my camera as it was low on batteries and Mike had my batteries in HIS backpack. It was exhausting to hike due to the 9,000 foot elevation. I only made it half way to the Welcome Home Tent on the first day. I did take a blissful ride in the back of a pickup truck with a pile of other campers thru the sunny forest... Then I camped out in a location that had many mosquitoes... not a lot of fun... I put my sleeping bag over my head to prevent getting bitten and endured the night.
The next day I walked on down the trail resting often... Including next to the campsite of the Lady Nicknamed "Hitler" who was drinking a lot of booze and loudly arguing with everyone... Eventually she would be arrested by the police for stabbing another camper with a knife... I walked on by without talking to her and arrived at the "Welcome Home Kitchen". I would stay there for two days and nights... smoking weed, singing songs and Tending the Campfire...
I was given the opportunity to focus my attention. Here is what happened...
While at the Welcome Home Kitchen, the Fire Tender wanted to go to another kitchen and trade a cooler filled with coffee for pizza. He asked if someone would watch the fire while he was gone. SOMEONE had to be there... I volunteered. I Said "I'll be here. I'll be the responsable adult. I can do that, I have done that."
he said "Great" and Left with the cooler filled with coffee.
So I took over and made sure we didn't burn down the forest. I also collected wood, placed it carefully on the fire arranging the logs so that they would burn without causing a lot of smoke AND I invited arriving people to help themselves to a cup of coffe or clean drinking water... and to take a break and relax around the fire.
This is a classic way to focus attention as the placement of logs on the fire is very similar to Zen Gardening with sand...
So, during this time... I asked for a Really Big Idea... I had attended Rainbow Gatherings before and I wanted each visit to be different. It's pointless and boring to keep on repeating experiences... so, this time I wanted to get a really big Idea...
and here it is: A SolarFire powered Desalinization Machine. Use a driftwood fire to power a steam engine. Use the force from the steam engine to drive a water pump. Pump seawater thru a pipe in the fire and into a long black pipe with a reflector that focuses sunlight on the pipe. When the water boils, it expands in volume... at the end of the pipe, steam will be billowing out with a great deal of force. Use that force to drive an electricity generating turbine. Collect the steam and let it turn back into a liquid... The result is Pure H20, NaCl and Electricity... all valuable and sell-able.
Clean safe drinking water is a big problem. We could use the collected steam for drinking, bathing, livestock, gardens... AND making Ice for a really great Scotch on the Rocks.
To make this practical, the location of the machine would need to be near a big pile of driftwood. On Agate Beach in California, I have seen a pile of driftwood that covers the entire beach for about a half a mile... In other locations, use whatever resource is available. For Example: In Saudi Arabia it would make more sense to burn oil or gas...
So, during my meditation I Got my really big idea...
Later, the fire tender returned and his mission to get pizza was successful.
Much later I was sitting by the fire and another Rainbow Gatherer approached... He said mockingly: "Have you been sitting in that same spot for two days?" Which was true, I did spend a couple of days at the Welcome Home Tent.
I replied: "No, I also worked as the fire tender... That gave me an opportunity to Focus My Attention... [said slowly] Focus... My... Attention... "
The fire tender was listening and he nodded with understanding... Later we ended up hanging out together and he was a fine fellow... He was also very interested in being in the Cleanup Crew... I assume he got paid a lot in valuable stuff left behind.
~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
Long ago I was playing the drums with some Buddhists at an anti-war protest march... I asked them why we were playing such an odd rhythm... They said that it requires that you Focus Your Attention... It's true... That experience was quite different than bang out a 4/4 on the big bass drum... I also did that at the same protest, our goal was to get George Bush the Father to remember that we didn't LIKE his war... and there were people playing the drums 24 hours a day in Lafayette Park to remind him... His only choices were to listen or flee...
~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
We walked from the Welcome Home Kitchen to camp at The Big Shady Spot at Main Meadow. At high elevation, sunburn is a major problem so our campsite was the very best!
A group of musicians were relaxing in the shade and I played my harmonica. I actually lead the group doing the song "You Are My Sunshine". A six year old girl was demanding the attention of the adults and I played that song for her, everyone else sang along... Big Fun...
I saw a group of people congregating in the Smaller Shady Spot at Main Meadow and I wondered... "What are those people doing?" Then they all came over to our campsite... A Lady asked me if she could teach a healing seminar at our location... I said "SURE, have fun. I was wondering what the crowd of people was for, and was considering walking over there but you came over here..." and she said: "Sometimes Mohammad goes to the Mountain and sometimes the Mountain Comes to Mohammad." Her name is Sonya Sophia and she taught a seminar of Self Help - Acupressure. We put pressure on locations of out body by tapping lightly with our fingers while she told us reassuring statements and we would all repeat what she said... Like: "I Love and Respect Myself." It was a good seminar and I enjoyed it so much that I took her business card and attended once a week internet sessions. Here is a link to a youtube video of her teaching at a Rainbow Gathering...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2r0I8VoxJY&t=19s
That night I attended the GIANT BONFIRE and danced. Some campers brought a laser lightshow.
I tried to get the people to play along with the Drumming Beat [Boom, Boom, Chick] from Queen's "We Will Rock You" but no one wanted to play that beat... Everyone liked "Jingo" by Carlos Santana...
When it was time to leave I found that Mike had mover the Van to a much closer location. Thank You Mike! I never got acclimated to the high elevation and hiking was exhausting.
He also volunteered me as an ambulance driver to take two teenagers to the hospital at Heber City. When we arrived, we took the girl to the nurse and then delivered the couple to the Salt Lake City Airport where her uncle had a ticket home waiting for them... They basically had taken too many psychedelic drugs and were tired, lost, broke and needed some help.
Mike spent some time reading out loud from the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand at the gathering and in our motel rooms.
This is a description about my trip to The Rainbow Gathering in California 2004… I wrote this to help me remember…
Thousands of People chant OM. This photo was snapped just before I decided it was time to put away the camera and experience the event… Yes, it’s important to remember to LIVE LIFE instead of DOCUMENTING LIFE.
I made it to the 2004 rainbow gathering in beautiful Modoc National Forest of California. I got there July 1st before sunset and left July 6th in the morning. On July 1st, I hiked in a minimum distance and slept outdoors near the giant lava rock. At that point I was upset because I smelled burning clutch when I parked my mom’s car in the sagebrush. It turned out that the car in front of me was the source of the smell but I did not know that then. I drove over from Eureka and had a pleasant trip but I did drink 3 GIANT Pepsi-colas and was wired on caffeine and sugar…
I chatted with my fellow campers and we got along great. They told me the layout of the area and informed me about bears, cats and other local conditions. No problems with the animals. Then I went to sleep. I woke up and was cold and stiff from sleeping on the ground. It was a full moon and I walked all over looking at the sagebrush meadow. Another nap and then at dawn I went back out to the car and got supplies, more clothes, raincoat and water bottles. I walked back in and visited many campsites and chatted with locals… getting a clue about where it was all happening.
Got directions for a short-cut to the main circle… followed those directions and wandered around lost for a while…I really enjoyed the quaking aspen groves up on the mountain. I visited Bread of Life kitchen and listened to people blowing shofars and singing Christian sing along songs.
I visited a Jewish teach-in about the history of different tribes. On the main path, a dreadlocked man was playing bagpipes… including some Arabic harem music…Then I wandered down and stopped at Ram Dass’ tent. I spent 8 hours there. Many people came to chat with him personally but I never felt the urge to do that. This tent was on the main path and right next to the information booth so there was a constant flow of interesting people to look at. A couple set up a therapeutic massage clinic right next to me. They did a lot of healing and it was fun to watch people get better. We smoked some grass. They had a sign hung up advertising their massage clinic and many people stopped to ask me detailed questions about it. This turned out to be funny to me because I was just an innocent by sitter and had no official connection with them. And I didn’t know any of the answers to the questions… Some 20 year olds were next to me and they were loudly begging for “zuzu”. After an hour of listening to improbable stories about their time machine that ran on “zuzu” and their need to save their invalid aunt, I asked someone to tell me what a “zuzu” was. It turns out to be secret code for candy or chocolate… I had filled my backpack with LOTS of snickers bars and M&M candy to share with fellow campers so I threw a package of M&M’s at them and there was much cheering…
Info Tent… right next to Ram Dass’ tent…
Then I went out behind Ram Dass’ tent to enjoy the sunshine and get away from the crowds. This was the first time that I had smoked marijuana in a year and I was feeling strange and kinda creepy… It appeared to me that I had smoked too much… I could see the giant tents way off in the distance and they looked like alien spaceships that had landed. I found out later that one was called “simply wonderful” and the other was a Hare Krsna tent.
I enjoyed the sunshine and the paranoid effects of the grass wore off…
The sun set (amazing colors) and I went into a wooded area and played fetch with a dog. There were a LOT of dogs this year and they ran around loose at night. This one brought a stick up to me and dropped it at my feet. We played for a very long time and after I was totally bored he still wanted to play. I kept on telling him that I was not going to play anymore and he kept on trying to get me to play. This experience of inter-species communication was very powerful to me. The grass made everything seem so intense and I had just read a book at school called “A Language Older than Words” by Derrick Jensen that was all about inter-species communication. My ecology class studied this book in detail. We would read a couple of chapters, write a page of analysis and talk about it in groups. So my experience with the dog was strangely significant. Later that night I was eating a stick of summer sausage and another dog came to visit. I fed him some of the meat and we had a good time dining together. He also wanted to stay and eat forever but I was able to get him to go away when I conclusively “proved” that there was no more meat. (I put it inside the backpack and he believed that since he could not see it, it was gone)…
Then I went down the trail in search of drums. This year, there were many drum circles- none could be considered the “main” one. I danced with some people playing a Hare KRSNA beat and waving glowing cyalume lightsticks. I had two super bright LED flashlights (tiny-keychain size) that I tied to a short piece of twine. I could spin them around and make circles of blue and green light. Big fun to dance with. I was slightly concerned about temporarily blinding people because they were so powerful… I also wore them as a necklace and they automatically lit up the trail right in front of me as I walked along. It made the forest look like an underwater scene… blue and green light bouncing around and mixing to form ever changing illumination. Then I visited a tent where a man was telling GURU stories about Hanuman and Lord KRSNA. There was a fire inside the tent and 20 people listening. It was warm, comfortable and I stayed there for a couple of hours.
Main Circle and Simply Wonderful Tents.
Note the Beautiful Rock Formation above.
Then I went to the “Chai-Tea” kitchen and played the drums until dawn. I had my TEAK STICKS and tapped out rhythms in complementary patterns. My wife bought me those teak sticks and they are very lightweight, extremely loud and simple to play. Tick, Tick… Tock… Tock-ta-tic-tic-tic….. I have found that it is possible to make a sound that is similar to a cricket and that makes me feel like I’m a part of nature that is playing in the band. I ran out of drinking water and was saved by a refreshing cup of tea. Truly a miracle. At that time I had not found the source of drinking water and was truly concerned about it.
Then the sun came up and it was time to sleep. Early morning campfire scene.
About noon, I went out to the car for supplies. On the way I stopped for a cup of coffee. VERY strong coffee. At the car I played guitar and sang for an hour. One person was getting stuff from his car and stopped to listen. He wanted to find hot springs near the gathering that he heard were really good. A friend of his just happened to be parked next to him (coincidental meeting? Celestine?) and he complained to her that the noise of the drums kept him awake all night. I confessed to being one of the drummers that interfered with his sleep… I did that! I made that noise… They went away together to find the hot springs (romance?)… I wandered way up on top of the mountain to find the bathroom. This gathering had a huge quantity of people and the tents seemed to go on forever. Eventually, after a very long walk I found the slit trench bathroom… Then I located a wonderful source of drinking water at the “Warriors of the Light” kitchen. I made my way towards the main circle where they were serving dinner but arrived too late. Not a problem because I had plenty of food, candy and water. I also had a large amount of tobacco and shared it with anyone that asked. I was attracted by the sound of the “marimba tent” and went up there for a while playing the teak sticks and a borrowed drum. I smoked a lot of grass for the entire rest of my time there. I did not have any more paranoid effects, just endlessly stoned. Especially the chocolate syrup topping that went onto breakfast waffles… heavily laced with grass…
I ended up playing the drums at the “DunDun Village”. I took some action photographs of the synchronized dancers. The all-female dance troop was so erotic that I did not take any pictures of them. They seemed so sexy that I felt that it would be impolite and voyeuristic to use a camera. I just respected their feminity by taking home memories instead of photographs. Eventually, I spent the night playing drums around a campfire there. They had fire dancers performing at night. They had torches doused with camp-fuel (white gas) that they spun around their heads. One performer accidentally set herself on fire and rolled around in the dirt to put it out. During breaks in their show, I did my LED dance of blue-green circles. Same dance as they did, but high tech. I got a positive reaction from the audience. “GO BLACK LIGHT MAN, GO !”
The word was passed around that the morning of July 4th was to be silent. No talking or drumming at all. Then the sun came up and it was time for sleep. I woke up July 4th in the late morning. I met a fellow that I had played drums with and felt compelled to sing him a song that I had learned the night before. The lyrics are: Om mane padme, Om mane padme, Om mane padme OM. (repeat) The jeweled lotus is blossoming, deep within our soul, The jeweled lotus blossoming is our highest goal. He thanked me for the song but reminded me that we should not talk that morning.
I wandered on down the path towards the main circle and ran into a person from Arcata. Bart Orlando from the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology. He was demonstrating his solar oven. We communicated using hand gestures and I walked over to the main circle. It was about 11:30 AM and we held hands and chanted OM for a half hour. I could not stand up for the entire time. It was a unique event. 16,000 people holding hands… Then a parade left “Kiddee Village”, the clock struck NOON and we all cheered. I had to find shade and relaxed under the quaking aspens near the Marimba tent.
Many people came and went. Here is a photo of a maiden playing with a ribbon toy…
A fellow gave me the last half of a marijuana cigarette but I had had enough. So the next group of people set down, and I gave it to them (two couples, about 40 years old). They thanked me but said “We won’t actually smoke that “shake” right now because our HASH is better”. They stayed for a long time and it was funny because the ladies got into a detailed conversation about home-loans and re-financing mortgage rates. One of the guys made fun of her for bringing in “Babylon ideas” to the gathering. Often the outside world is referred to Babylon… I guess that is a reggae/biblical reference to capitalism… We had a great time chatting in the shade.
They showed me a knife that was made out of a deer bone. It was sharp enough to serve as a letter opener, butter spreader or cheese cutter but it’s hidden significance was… no metal… easily smuggled past metal detectors/xray equipment… The lady that owned the knife explained that she lived in a dangerous city and wanted it for self defense but refused to be hassled by police with metal detectors. I guess I will not be flying on an airplane any time soon since such a simple weapon can totally defeat homeland security efforts.
Some people walked by dressed up as cats on stilts…
An oboe player sat nearby and played middle eastern tunes.
Then we admired a lady that had a KORA. It is a west African 21 string harp used by storytelling singers. She was a tiny oriental lady with a lovely wrap around dress and BALLOON HAT.
I woke up and went to dinner at the main circle. We ate great vegetarian food and I put a dollar in the Magic Hat to help fund the Rainbow Gathering.
I relaxed near the giant rock outcropping and watched the sunset. The stars were especially bright that night. I saw the constellation Aries the Ram. (I THINK) I pointed it out to some people I was sitting with and we all could see the outline of a giant goat with curly horns standing on the top of the mountain. To find this constellation, follow an imaginary line made by the last two stars of the big dippers handle. They point directly at the Ram’s head. Also that night there was an electric parade… people walked by on stilts with their bodies outlined in lights… I spent the night at the Marimba tent.
Drumming at the Marimba tent… in the afternoon…
They had two marimbas (covered by blue cloths in above photo) and the leader would teach a volunteer how to play a simple bass line on one while he improvised on the other. They were not in use during the day of July 4th. That night, they were both played…
They also had a complete drum set with cymbals, violin, gypsy dancers, 10 conga drummers, acoustic guitar and ME on teak sticks. I was amazed at how loud the bass drum of a drum set is when you are sitting very close. It was like getting kicked by a mule in the chest.
A lady had a red LED flashlight and we both played with our lights on the white parachute that formed the top of the tent… wiggling the lights in time to the music… making a psychedelic light-show… her doing red, me doing blue and green…
mix all three and every color of the rainbow is possible… RGB…
At dawn, I went to the Warriors of the Light tent to get water and sleep. July 5th was spent walking out. I would walk a little, rest a lot, walk a little, rest a lot. I met a guy from Chico that said he was a mural painter and that he owned “The Palms”. (a large farmhouse in rural Chico that is a rock and roll/art commune) I showed him my computer art (prints of my websites) and we had a good time talking about our experiences in Chico.
He took the picture of me standing in front of the giant lava rock.
(my campsite on July 1st)
The fellow in the foreground of that picture offered to sell me some magic mushrooms but I declined. The other fellow has a grass pipe on a fishing rod that he dangles out onto the trail… hoping for someone to fill his pipe… “fishing for weed”
I spent some time near the “CALM” medicine tent and drew a pen and pencil sketch of it. They provide general medic services for free.
Photo of the CALM Medic tent…
Then I walked out to the car and had dinner, played the guitar and slept soundly inside the car.
Picture of the Sunset on the last night…
I listened to AM talk radio and ran the heater… It gets really cold up there at night. The next morning, I tried to drive away but the rear tire dug a big hole in the sandy dirt. STUCK! I jacked up the car and filled the hole with dirt, let the car down to compress the dirt, jacked up the car to add more dirt and eventually, was able to get out. We had to park in a field that was covered with sagebrush and very difficult to drive thru. Major hassle getting in and even worse getting out. Driving home I saw about 20 wild horses running free…
I drove home stopping only for a giant hamburger in Redding and a swim in the Trinity river. Many road construction delays and unbearable heat in the Trinity Alps. That dip in the river was so fantastic… I drank so much water I got high… So, how was your summer vacation?
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Rainbow Gathering Idaho 2001: I went to the gathering with a goal in mind. I wanted to play my guitar and sing in public. Yes, mission accomplished. Part of My Autobiography...
I was Living in Chico, California and working at the plastics factory when there was a layoff, my wife suggested that I borrow the car and drive over to the gathering. My friend Mike Jensen wanted to go and so we checked the oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid and water and set out on a classic American road trip. We made it as far as Reno the first day and slept by the side of the road.
Normally I'm creepy about just pulling off and sleeping because there is the possibility of being hassled by the police but Mike soothed my fears and we spent an uneventful night there. Then on thru Nevada to Winnemucca and a turn North to get to Boise traveling thru the High Desert. Boise is a very beautiful town in a fertile valley. The directions printed from the website recommended going an extra 50 miles out of the way thru Sun Valley instead of taking the shortest route because the
road was supposed to be difficult to travel. We drove thru the Sawtooth Mountain Range (stunning beauty) and finally saw the tiny sign directing us to the Gathering.
About a mile down the dirt road, the car stopped running. All it needed was 15 minutes rest and it started right up. We had been traveling fast for hours and it was over whelmed by the demands i was putting on it. Many people drove by offering help. I was upset but Mike calmed my fears and sure enough it was fine.
Another 5 miles down the dirt road there was a fork with a sheriff... he directed us to the left and gave us a piece of paper telling us that it was an illegal gathering. Mike wanted to ask him a bunch of questions but I just wanted to go and avoid police contact... We found parking and walked in with our few belongings and set up camp. Went to sleep.
Mike was interested in finding "Serenity Ridge" (a 12 step AA/NA meeting-we met at Mom's AA in Chico and were both interested in the program at that time) ... and so the next day we started our search...
On a side meadow there was a sculpture made out of branches that formed two interlocking three sided pyramids. One with the pointy end up and one with the pointy end down. It formed a three dimensional star... Like the "Star of David"... On the path we saw "Dun Dun Village". They were doing drumming and synchronized dancing.
I ran out of water and was getting really thirsty. Mike suggested that I ask the nearest people for help and "Just bliss out"... It so happened that the people not only had fresh clean drinking water and a glass, but the had herbal tea... I was very grateful... not only for the physical help I got but for the knowledge that my needs were going to be taken care of for the rest of the event... I gave myself permission to "just bliss out"...
Then we went to the main campfire and danced to the drums for hours... actually all night long... It was cold up there in the mountains of Idaho and we only had sleeping bags, no tent... If we left the campfire, it was uncomfortable, so, why NOT stay and enjoy the unique experience of 30
drummers...
The next day I went over to the "Relaxation Station" near the entrance and sat there all day long. I played my guitar and sang for all the newcomers to the gathering. A man wearing a silly "Dr. Seuss" hat sat down with his guitar and I taught him how to play "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead. We played it for a very long time... It seemed to him to have an odd chord sequence but after repeated instruction, we got it down. Fortunately, I had brought my hand written songbooks and the lyrics/chords to hundreds of classic rock/folks songs were in them... We had a fine time at "Relaxation Station" a place where newcomers were encouraged to stop and rest after their long journey... A lady was telling fortunes with Tarot Cards... we had beverages, food and anything else that a weary traveler could want... Grass, music and shade...
There was a fellow that was playing a trick on passers-by... he had a piece of foam that looked like a concrete block. he would ask the stranger to help him lift it because it was so heavy, then he would "accidentally" drop the block on their toe... They thought it was going to hurt them because it appeared to be a very heavy object, but it actually was very light... The "OH NO!' experience turned into silly laughter when the passers-by realized the joke... He did this to about 15 people during the afternoon I spent there... ahh, simple minds easily amused by cosmic theatre...
The next day was July 3rd and I walked over to the main campfire... Playing my 12 string guitar and singing loudly to the assembled thousands of people. Mostly "Iko Iko"...
ONE DAY WE ALL NOTICED A GIANT RAINBOW IN THE SKY. IT WAS CAUSED BY ICE CRYSTALS IN THE CLOUDS BEING DIFFRACTED... My wife calls this phenomenon a "Sun Dog"... It stretched for over half of the visible sky and stayed there for hours. You could tell something was happening because the people in the meadow all of a sudden started pointing at the sky... In our campsite under the trees I could see the main meadow and saw hundreds of people spread out for a mile stop what they were doing and point...
The people camped next to us were 20 something years old and they had long involved conversations about their careers in computer businesses in the Midwest... they also talked about their body piercing and the trouble with infections/who to go do the piercing that had clean tools
etc. I sat with them for and afternoon and sang them songs. One of the fine things about having my handwritten songbooks is that the people I play for can select which songs to sing from the index. Often they would exclaim "That's my favorite song!" and so we would sing it... It helps because they often don not know the words and can read them while we are singing...
I had to leave the gathering before the big July 4th celebration because my wife had bought tickets to a concert in Clear Lake, California. I took the shortcut road home and it was fine. The directions to the gathering recommended going the long way because of high winds... IF YOU ARE DRIVING A BUS WITH A VOLKSWAGON VAN WELDED ON TOP... But my little Honda car went smoothly.
I drove home alone and Mike stayed there at the gathering and found his own way home... as it turned out he stayed there for a month and got a terrible ride home in an old bus with bad brakes...
On the way home I experienced a light rain shower in the High Desert of Nevada. I stopped the car and walked around the in rain... It is so very rare to have rain in the desert so it was a happy time. I also watched fireworks as I was approaching Reno from the east.
Back at home we packed the car and camped out at a state park near Konocti Resort. Saw Dan Fogelburg and danced it the bar to a local band... Overall, a fine trip that was an unexpected blessing... I was so fortunate to get laid off at the Factory (for a week)...
Read More of My AutoBiography at:
http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html
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Pennsylvania Rainbow Gathering Memories:
I was driving around the East Coast of the USA on Vacation and...
My hitchhikers said the Gathering was at the intersection of 6 and 666 in Pennsylvania. I drove there by myself and was greeted by a man that said "Welcome Home, Brother". I parked and walked in carrying a backpack and sleeping bag... no tent... so the entire time I was sleeping in random different locations... When I arrived at the main campfire circle I noticed that the Gathering was located on a creek and so I wandered downstream to find a nude swimming hole... There by the creek side was a sweat lodge and a group of bathers. I went swimming and waited for the opportunity to go into the lodge. By this time I had been approached by someone's child who recommended that I not smoke tobacco during my time at the Gathering... I took that advice and soon was feeling the withdrawal symptoms from my addiction... A group left the sweat lodge and I went in... a person asked me to leave as there were two couples that wanted a private sweat and I was a fifth wheel... I got angry because I had no knowledge of a queue waiting for the sweat lodge... and I was freaking from the tobacco "JONES"... I left after arguing a bit and later got to sweat with many other men... The sweat was very therapeutic and helped with my nicotine anxiety. I wandered up to the main circle and met a fellow that manufactured plate glass xylophones and wooden marimbas. I borrowed one and played at the main circle. Then went over to a stage near the entrance and joined a group performing there. I was not wearing any clothes... It's the one time in my entire life that I have performed on stage nude... We mostly played songs like "JINGO" by Santana... that classic beat...
And the song "Infinite Sun"
Lyrics:
We are all one 'neath the Infinite Sun,
forever, forever, forever...
I will never forget you,
I will never forsake you,
forever, forever, forever...
Later that day I met some women and retired to their blanketed campsite for a back rub... One was named Terri and we became friends... Traded phone numbers... She decided to leave the Gathering Early because she wanted to go to the Bob Dylan and The Dead concert at RFK Stadium in Washington DC.
I selected to not go because the Gathering was a better event... In my opinion...
On July 4th at the main circle I found a bowl of Peyote unattended... It had a sign saying Sacrament, Help Yourself... and I did... For the entire day I ate small bits of Peyote... Just a small amount and then wait a half an hour, then another small amount and wait... after about 12 hours I had eaten a LOT and truly got the Mescaline High without barfing. The flavor of Peyote is quite bitter and many people find it to be so bad that they barf... I prefer the slow, steady approach.
I wandered over to a stage made out of hay bales and enjoyed the music. There was a cable slide built into a tree and I rode that often. How it worked: there was a steel cable leading from a platform about 15 feet up in a tree stretched tautly to a stake in the ground... A person sat in a leather seat that was attached to the cable by a freespinning wheel and chain... Jump off the platform and ride the cable to the ground... whee! swing the seat back up the cable for the next rider... That was an amazing ride, home made by Rainbow Gatherers just for our own amusement... Thanks!!!
Then I started dancing with a lady that had coarse brown hair... we became friends and were kissing on the ground when she suggested we go on stage and sing for the rest of the tribe. By this time I was very high on Peyote. She gave me a choice of three songs to perform... the names of the first two songs were incomprehensible so I selected Kumbayah, the third choice. We did go onto the stage and sang for the rest of the tribe... by that time she selected to go to her campsite and we parted ways... I located my sleeping bag and found that another lady was in it... I told her to not worry or leave and we slept together like spoons...
In my reading about the Native American Church, one of the things that happens is that a person high on peyote meets Mescalito and is taught their song... then they perform it for the tribe... My experience was similar... I felt as if the woman with the coarse brown hair was Mescalita and we did perform my song...
A couple of days later I drove home and went out on a date with Terry. We had a fine time and she and her girlfriend wanted a ride to an Ashram in rural Virginia. So the three of us went to visit Dar San Singh near an army base on the Potomac. We could hear the explosions of the warriors practicing with their weapons. The sound provided contrast for what was happening at the Ashram.
The Spiritual Study of Indian Religion.
I didn't quite grasp the message of this GURU (mainly because I could not understand a word he said-heavy accent, talked quietly) so I and the Terry's girlfriend came back to DC and I dropped her off at her house.
And THAT's how I spent my summer vacation...
~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
My trip to the Rainbow Gathering in Utah after I retired from work. 2014
Since I had time on my hands and money in my pocket... it was a perfect opportunity to go camping with 10,000 hippies in the woods.
I drove my Ford Windstar Van with the bed in the back to Chico and picked up my friend "Rainbow" Mike Jensen. We drove for two days to thru Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City where we went shopping for groceries. The clerks were very helpful and in General the Mormon People were kind to us. I drove past Park City and turned off the main road just before Heber City. I had gotten the driving directions from the WelcomeHome.org website and we traveled a long way on dirt roads into the Utah wilderness. I parked in a field and we relaxed for a day in order to get acclimated to the high elevation. A camper who parked next to me was complaining that he had forgotten to pack Bungee Cords and he was upset as that was an essential part of his backpack. I had a few extra that I gave him and in his gratitude he gave me some Marijuana. I was at the gathering for 5 minutes and already stoned.
Mike was excited about going to the main part of the gathering and he packed up his backpack and hiked down the trail. I wouldn't see him for 3 days. I spent the night sleeping in my van on the mattress. The next day I simply relaxed in the parking lot and enjoyed the sunshine. Then I packed my own backpack and walked on down the trail. I did not take my camera as it was low on batteries and Mike had my batteries in HIS backpack. It was exhausting to hike due to the 9,000 foot elevation. I only made it half way to the Welcome Home Tent on the first day. I did take a blissful ride in the back of a pickup truck with a pile of other campers thru the sunny forest... Then I camped out in a location that had many mosquitoes... not a lot of fun... I put my sleeping bag over my head to prevent getting bitten and endured the night.
The next day I walked on down the trail resting often... Including next to the campsite of the Lady Nicknamed "Hitler" who was drinking a lot of booze and loudly arguing with everyone... Eventually she would be arrested by the police for stabbing another camper with a knife... I walked on by without talking to her and arrived at the "Welcome Home Kitchen". I would stay there for two days and nights... smoking weed, singing songs and Tending the Campfire...
I was given the opportunity to focus my attention. Here is what happened...
While at the Welcome Home Kitchen, the Fire Tender wanted to go to another kitchen and trade a cooler filled with coffee for pizza. He asked if someone would watch the fire while he was gone. SOMEONE had to be there... I volunteered. I Said "I'll be here. I'll be the responsable adult. I can do that, I have done that."
he said "Great" and Left with the cooler filled with coffee.
So I took over and made sure we didn't burn down the forest. I also collected wood, placed it carefully on the fire arranging the logs so that they would burn without causing a lot of smoke AND I invited arriving people to help themselves to a cup of coffe or clean drinking water... and to take a break and relax around the fire.
This is a classic way to focus attention as the placement of logs on the fire is very similar to Zen Gardening with sand...
So, during this time... I asked for a Really Big Idea... I had attended Rainbow Gatherings before and I wanted each visit to be different. It's pointless and boring to keep on repeating experiences... so, this time I wanted to get a really big Idea...
and here it is: A SolarFire powered Desalinization Machine. Use a driftwood fire to power a steam engine. Use the force from the steam engine to drive a water pump. Pump seawater thru a pipe in the fire and into a long black pipe with a reflector that focuses sunlight on the pipe. When the water boils, it expands in volume... at the end of the pipe, steam will be billowing out with a great deal of force. Use that force to drive an electricity generating turbine. Collect the steam and let it turn back into a liquid... The result is Pure H20, NaCl and Electricity... all valuable and sell-able.
Clean safe drinking water is a big problem. We could use the collected steam for drinking, bathing, livestock, gardens... AND making Ice for a really great Scotch on the Rocks.
To make this practical, the location of the machine would need to be near a big pile of driftwood. On Agate Beach in California, I have seen a pile of driftwood that covers the entire beach for about a half a mile... In other locations, use whatever resource is available. For Example: In Saudi Arabia it would make more sense to burn oil or gas...
So, during my meditation I Got my really big idea...
Later, the fire tender returned and his mission to get pizza was successful.
Much later I was sitting by the fire and another Rainbow Gatherer approached... He said mockingly: "Have you been sitting in that same spot for two days?" Which was true, I did spend a couple of days at the Welcome Home Tent.
I replied: "No, I also worked as the fire tender... That gave me an opportunity to Focus My Attention... [said slowly] Focus... My... Attention... "
The fire tender was listening and he nodded with understanding... Later we ended up hanging out together and he was a fine fellow... He was also very interested in being in the Cleanup Crew... I assume he got paid a lot in valuable stuff left behind.
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Long ago I was playing the drums with some Buddhists at an anti-war protest march... I asked them why we were playing such an odd rhythm... They said that it requires that you Focus Your Attention... It's true... That experience was quite different than bang out a 4/4 on the big bass drum... I also did that at the same protest, our goal was to get George Bush the Father to remember that we didn't LIKE his war... and there were people playing the drums 24 hours a day in Lafayette Park to remind him... His only choices were to listen or flee...
~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~
We walked from the Welcome Home Kitchen to camp at The Big Shady Spot at Main Meadow. At high elevation, sunburn is a major problem so our campsite was the very best!
A group of musicians were relaxing in the shade and I played my harmonica. I actually lead the group doing the song "You Are My Sunshine". A six year old girl was demanding the attention of the adults and I played that song for her, everyone else sang along... Big Fun...
I saw a group of people congregating in the Smaller Shady Spot at Main Meadow and I wondered... "What are those people doing?" Then they all came over to our campsite... A Lady asked me if she could teach a healing seminar at our location... I said "SURE, have fun. I was wondering what the crowd of people was for, and was considering walking over there but you came over here..." and she said: "Sometimes Mohammad goes to the Mountain and sometimes the Mountain Comes to Mohammad." Her name is Sonya Sophia and she taught a seminar of Self Help - Acupressure. We put pressure on locations of out body by tapping lightly with our fingers while she told us reassuring statements and we would all repeat what she said... Like: "I Love and Respect Myself." It was a good seminar and I enjoyed it so much that I took her business card and attended once a week internet sessions. Here is a link to a youtube video of her teaching at a Rainbow Gathering...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2r0I8VoxJY&t=19s
That night I attended the GIANT BONFIRE and danced. Some campers brought a laser lightshow.
I tried to get the people to play along with the Drumming Beat [Boom, Boom, Chick] from Queen's "We Will Rock You" but no one wanted to play that beat... Everyone liked "Jingo" by Carlos Santana...
When it was time to leave I found that Mike had mover the Van to a much closer location. Thank You Mike! I never got acclimated to the high elevation and hiking was exhausting.
He also volunteered me as an ambulance driver to take two teenagers to the hospital at Heber City. When we arrived, we took the girl to the nurse and then delivered the couple to the Salt Lake City Airport where her uncle had a ticket home waiting for them... They basically had taken too many psychedelic drugs and were tired, lost, broke and needed some help.
Mike spent some time reading out loud from the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand at the gathering and in our motel rooms.