Rainbow Family Portraits

By popular demand, here are the rest of the photos I took at the Rainbow Gathering. There are few photos of people because I felt awkward wielding a camera. I thought I had taken a photo of a way-cool earth shelter known as a "debris hut," but it didn't come out. I've been thinking about debris huts for several years and had never seen one in real life before, but they make a sensible alternative to tents. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

This first shot is Forest Road 119, which runs along the outside of the Hickory Creek Wilderness Area. All parking was strictly limited to the side of the road opposite the designated "wilderness." This is the entrance to the gathering place. In the trees above the awning, see the official "Welcome Home" banner.













These people are waiting in line at the "Information and Rumor Control" table. Notice all the children present.












The sign reads, "Welcome, Rainbow Family." The tepee in the background looked strangely authentic...but there were tents everywhere.












Of course, cell phones are no use in this quadrant of the forest. So people communicate by message board.












I wish I'd gotten a better shot of this event. In the distance, you can see about fifteen people dancing in a circle. The dance was unfamiliar to me, and it was accompanied by African style bongo drums. The circle of dancers would move in time, three steps in one direction, cry out, jerk forward, then move three steps in the opposite direction. Some ancient, druidic antecedent to line dancing?












As for the meanings of these signs, your guess is as good as mine. However, I believe the sign to the left is advertizing a fire that campers can share for cooking and boiling drinking water, in order to conserve firewood.












"One Love" was a recurring theme in the signage. I kind of liked the idea of quoting Bob Marley among the hemlocks...












This is the trail toward the main clearing, looking back toward "A-Camp," the outpost at the main gate where alcohol is allowed.












This is a big, communal kitchen at "A-Camp." If you look closely you can see a string of flags over the driveway; that marks the entrance from FR119.













I loved seeing these hundreds of cars parked along FR119. And not a one of them double parked! People drove from California and Washington State to attend this event.