Ever Hear of the Rainbow Family Gatherings?

[ruckman101]

I have.

But I've never attended a gathering. Haven't been to a Burning Man, either. I've made the Oregon Country Fair a few times, and rarely missed an Oregon Dead show.

So I have always lumped Rainbow gatherings and Burning Man into extensions of the environs I experienced at Dead shows and the OCF. Far greater extensions into the experiment from what I can tell from what trickles to me about the events.

While the cost of tickets to Burning Man seems to me a red flag waving, there is no cost to a Rainbow Gathering, maybe a bit of helping out, but no money exchanges are allowed.

Eh, I read the wikipedia synopsis, and I would never entertain seeking out the experience, but I find that this year the gathering is literally in our backyard. Gifford Pinchot National Forest above Cougar a bit. In Skookum Meadow. Skookum? Tingling with resonation.

The gathering non-officially culminates the morning of July 4, the event non-officially being held from July 1 to July 7. Thereabouts. And tickets are much more cost effective than those of Burning Man. There are none.

Any one else planning on gathering?


Daytrippin'
neal

[RSorak 71Westy]

I went to the Nat'l Rainbow gathering in 96 or 97 in Arizona. If you like hanging with patchouli smelling Hippies, and green to the extreme, this is your kinda place. Alcohol in general is frowned upon, but everything else is cool.

[skin daddio]

i'm staying home and getting my hugs locally. because i live in the butt end of the willamette valley my productivity is tremendously slashed each june. therefore i have to work much harder throughout the remainder of the year. where as before i would travel without thinking much about it, now i have to hope the bands and such come right into eugene. thankfully furthur is coming back for three shows at the cuthbert where i can vend, socialize, and still put in half days [5-6 hours]. i missed ocf last year, and won't go this year. my children will go, but i can no longer walk the paths like i used to could. my children, homeschooling, visitors, collaborating artists, tenants, and friendly market are my rainbow gathering.

food not lawns.

[Vanwilder]

I am going... See you there perhaps?
Friday - Sunday and I will have Alcohol.

[ruckman101]

Mmmm, edible landscapes. I've always liked home grazing.

Looks like I'll be missing you Vanwilder, it would be Monday/Tuesday probably, since I just found out I have a Sunday funeral to attend.


neal

[Vanwilder]

I am passing aswell. To many trips on the board this
Summer. Going out to The Country Fair next weekend. Gonna stay at Clear Lake though
and prolly won't even go into the fair. lol

We perhaps next time Rainbow is in town.

[hambone]

Too damn many people for me.

[Sluggo]

Going out to The Country Fair next weekend. Gonna stay at Clear Lake though
and prolly won't even go into the fair. lol

Why go if you don't go in? Is the outside like a Dead Show parking lot or sumpfin?

[ruckman101]

Didn't make it, drizzly morning, leg still giving me issues, bailed. All that hiking in concerned me. So Cheryle and sister Char loaded up Bertha and headed up in the afternoon after the drizzle burnt off, getting back late the next day.

Cars were parked for miles along one side of the forest service roads leading in, dusty dusty, Bertha was popular, as they stopped often and picked up passengers and pets, the roof rack piled with backpacks. They had quite the adventure.




The road in.




Of course bigger busses were there, too.








Plenty of groovy fashion statements.




Entering the camps.




Skookum Meadow.




Tents everywhere.




A table at one of the kitchens.








And of course free spirits and mud.




Quite the parasol.




And this would be Char hanging with a very naked young man there with his wife and 11 week old baby. I guess at least one child was born at the event.






Ahh well, probably should have gone.



neal

[chachi]

...

[misszora]

Rainbow Gatherings and Burning Man get associated but are different. However, Burners and Rainbow family members attend both events. I can explain over a beer at the Lab.

[Sluggo]

Helped a family in a Bus on the way back from the last campout. They were heading to the Oregon Country Fair from the Rainbow gathering. Nice people but they were using old cracked passenger car tires with mismatched sizes (185/195/205). No wonder their tire exploded. Apparently just before I pulled up it had fallen off the bottle jack and they couldn't get it back up.

[hambone]

"Keeping the dream alive, one stereotype at a time."
Once people say "oh, I'm a *****" I quickly lose interest. Life is too complex for loose affiliations. Remember: a vampire ONLY lives on blood, and turns to dust in sunlight.

[Sluggo]

"Keeping the dream alive, one stereotype at a time."
Once people say "oh, I'm a *****" I quickly lose interest. Life is too complex for loose affiliations. Remember: a vampire ONLY lives on blood, and turns to dust in sunlight.

Que?

[Hippie]

Awesome pictures, Neal.