A trip back in time to Rainbow 2006- Part 3

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Continued from the previous two posts about Rainbow. Scroll past the People names and Dictionary if you've already seen it!

Part 3- Third Day, Michelle Arrives!

I left off telling you about my day with the Six Up, escorting them around the Gathering. It was the second day I was in Rainbow and still no Michelle yet! Last I heard from her before my phone went out of service was that she would look for the bus, which she would hopefully recognize from all the photos, and leave me a note.

I had learned from wondering around the gathering that I really didn't think it was a good idea to not WAIT for her when she came, because it was just way too easy to get lost the first few days. So the night before I knew she would arrive I spent the night in the bus, which is about a 2.5 mile hike from our campsite. I planned on sitting my ass there at the bus until she showed, now knowing the bus wouldn't be too hard to find.

The morning of June 29th rolled around and still no Shel, but I figured she probably wouldn't show up until at least noonish, or one. So I sat a round at the bus playing with my time.

You know…it really is an amazing feeling to have truly FREE TIME. At rainbow you have all the free time in the world. There is no place to do your work, check your email, take care of the bills, do homework, get something fixed at the house…nothing. Just You, nature, a ton of other people, and endless free time. So what do you do with this free time?? It took me a day to really let it sink in that I had no responsibilities and not feel guilty that I wasn't working on my to-do list. But when it did sink in, I sat around and talked, built things, took naps, walked around, etc.

While I was waiting for Shel that morning I got my Green Papasan Foldy chair and wrote "Dani's Thrown" on the back with the sharpie markers we had brought to color all over ourselves. Then I sat it in front of the bus and read my book. Wow was that so relaxing! But I couldn't keep my mind off of my new friend that could be arriving at ANY minute…or hour. And I began to get nervous that she may miss the turn to "Bus Village"…so I used my free time to craft her a sign! Then I wondered around looking for a stick to tape it to. Nemo, our new vehicle-parked neighbor, gave me some duct tape! Then Pavel and Chris helped me install the sign out by where all the cars were driving in.

I used my peaceful anarchy symbol, because I thought it would answer the question "Is that sign for me??" if she saw it and questioned.

So after that the boys decided they were going to hike back in, and I decided to keep waiting. I kept getting nervous and thinking "Uh oh, did they get lost? Did they get scared by the Six up shakedown at the entrance and turn around? Did I not put the sign up quick enough and she missed this parking area, and now is wondering around the gathering trying to find me amoung 5 thousand people (It grew to an estimated 11,000 by the fourth)?" And there was no way to contact her!!

I tried to calm myself and just sit and wait when my SECOND occurrence of rainbow's lesson of "stop looking and it will come to you". No, not Michelle yet…but a present that I had planned to share with Michelle! I Had been hoping and hoping and hoooooooooooping to find it while at rainbow, and spent the first day fretting about being able to find it. Well, very randomly our neighbor Nemo, a well seasoned Rainbow in his 50s, came up to me while sitting in my thrown waiting and started telling me this story of how the other day before he left for his rainbow trip he came across a pile of junk in the side street. He said it looked like someone had just dumped the contents of their bag out on the street and left. He looked through the pile and low and behold…he had found exactly what I was looking for!

I gawked at his story, wishing I could be so lucky one day and asked him if he had brought it (without much hope). And he said "Yeah!" My eyes popped open as he handed me a bag and I inhaled that oh-so-blissful smell! I couldn't contain myself and stood up jumping and dancing, holding onto my camie pants as I did because they were falling down. A car of girls drove by yelling with me in exaltation!

I asked if there was anything I could trade for at least two people, and he said "we'll see what happens on the fourth"! I handed him back the bag and thanked the cosmos for the blessing!

Then…went back to sitting and worrying.

My little green thrown kept me comfy for a while, but it began to get hot as midday rolled around! So, I decided with my free time…that I would build myself an awning! I gathered my very limited materials- a sheet, tape, a few sticks, and some string, and set to work! It was quite the pitiful contraption…but I was very proud! Kept my out of the sun and the few sprinkles of rain that teased all we Rainbows! (There was a fire ban because it was so dry…dust EVERYWHERE!!! We didn't really listen to the fire ban though…)

After a while I was bored and still worried. So I decided to go for a walk! I figured I would walk OUT the entrance! There was only one way into Rainbow, so I figured if I walked out of it and they were coming in at the same time they'd see me! So I loaded up my camies with my essentials- my food cup/bowl, utensils, camera, and pretty rocks. Then just set out walking!

I walked past Shake Down Lane, chit chatting with my Six-up friends as I passed, shaking a joking finger at them for hassling people (while watching out for the mean Six-up so they didn't hassle ME!).

At one point, I looked down on the side of the dirt road and saw a small memory card for a camera! It had names and contact information all over it. I thought- WOW! How lucky you are Jon Zap! I'm gonna send this to you when I get back to Babylon (and I did)! So I slipped the thing in one of the buttoned pockets of my camies and kept walking.

I kicked up the dust, picked flowers and freestyled out loud to the tune of some third eye blind song I cant remember, another one of our neighbors was singing with his guitar before I left. A good amount of cars rolled past me, who I yelled Welcome Home to, or flashed a peace sign. A couple of my Six-up crew drove by and said "Dani! What are you doing way out here?!" and I handed them flowers and told them I was waiting for the friend I had told them about…and not to block her from getting in!

I think I strolled about 2 miles out, and then turned around and walked back because I was thirsty and worried again that somehow they had passed me and hadn't known it. When I got back to the bus and no note from her, or sign of her and her mom…I decided I was going to catch a ride into town and call. So I got a backpack ready and went and sat where the shuttle (which is actually just a beat up pick up truck that someone volunteers to drive back and forth from the parking lot to the tree line) picks up. I was hoping the trash runners would come by again (who were volunteers that brought bags of trash from the Gathering into town), and I could head into town with them. So I sat near Shel's sign waiting and trying to peek into every car that drove in to see if I could recognize Shel…who I never have seen in real life…only pictures.

I sat for maybe 45 minutes, watching the cars coming in, and A-campers being rowdy before Little Hawk came over to me! Little Hawk is a Rainbow Legend! He's been to nearly all of the Rainbow Gatherings, including the first which was actually held in Colorado 30 years ago. Little Hawk is an older man, pretty damn rough, and always hangs out at A-camp. I had heard about him through Dan and Rayven and so pretty damn special that he decided to come sit with me! He started telling me about how he grew up without TV and modern things, how his family didn't understand Babylon and the only part of it they saw was when a Big Silver Bird flew overhead. He told me a few Native American fables about the evergreens, and the tribes of the world…in between yelling insults to the new arrivers that didn't follow his parking directions and downing his cup of beer. He asked me my name three times and still couldn't get it by the time I was done talking to him…hahaha!

I asked him if he had ever met MiJanTee, my brother (my brother's real name is Casey, but he took the name of his best friends and mushed them together when he ran away at 16 to live on the streets of California…which…he does still do five years and two babies later). That he's an A-camper. I knew if Little Hawk was at the Gathering Casey had been at, that he'd know him…and he DID! But he hadn't seen him in 3 years. So that was neat.

After about an hour of talking with Little Hawk, I was pretty relaxed and happy. I resolved to just go back to the bus and chill out, and stop freaking out about Michelle getting there. So I got up, walked down towards the bus, and about 30 feet from the bus, a girl walked out from behind a car to my right about 5 feet in front of me…she turned and looked at me right as she was slipping something in her back pocked, and I looked at her…It was Michelle.

We recognized each other immediately and hugged huge! TAAAADDAAA!! My THIRD confirmation from Rainbow that once you stop looking for something that you want…there it appears. This was TOTALLY the cosmic meeting that made complete sense for us to meet for the very first time! The thing she slipped into her back pocket was the note she was going to leave on the bus. PERFECT COSMIC TIMING!

I nervously rushed out how I had been looking for her all day, and HERE she was suddenly! What an interesting feeling to meet someone you were best friends with for MONTHS with…for the first time. Was she what I expected? YUP! Except she was shorter than I imagined, and was whiter than me at the time (not for long!)!

She introduced me to her mom…soon to be called BOOBACITA! Why you ask…I'm sure you can guess. I hugged Boobacita and Welcomed her Home…I love Boobacita, she so kicks major butt.

I mean SERIOUSLY!!!! Here is this middle aged woman, FULL of life, a total free spirit…that has willingly and EXCITEDLY driven from Reno with her daughter…to camp in the backwoods for a week! She is an absolutely wonderful woman, and I aim to be friends with her the Rest of my life!

But I'll be DAMNED if those two didn't have a lot of stuff to hike in! They finished packing up what they wanted to bring in from the car…including chairs, pillows, a COOLER full of food, the tent, and their backpacks. Me bein' the youngin, insisted on dragging that damned cooler in…PHEW! But…I was hella happy about it throughout the next few days when I got to eat Turkey sammiches in a Peta Bread, cookies, cherries, Tons of lunch meat, and COLD water! Heheheee! A little taste of Babylon amount the bowls of Rainbow Mush and Krishna food!

Before we hiked in, saying good bye to any chance of Michelle and Boobacita's clothes making it out clean, I showed Shel La Fonda (the bus) which she dug! Then we made our way on the long hike from parking to the tree line. I was so excited to introduce them to a completely NEW world. Especially Shel, being that I know she was a city girl, republican…but has an undying adventurous spirit and experience with the Hippy world through her Dad.

We were thrown Welcome Home's like crazy with out gear in our hands as we snaked our way to the camp site Chris and My's tent was already set up. I helped them set up there big ol' tent right next to our Creek with the Shitty foot bridge…thus expanding the population of Shitty Bridge Creek Camp by two! Boobacita absolutely adored the view and the sound of the water by her new home. She's so cute!

And so, I'll stop here and let you catch up.

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Photos

Shel's signs
Made of cardboard, perminant markers, and duct taped to a few sticks.

My wait station
I built this! I'm proud of my little awning!

Shel doing the sitting thing
She's so cute! All in her babylonian chair and with her cold yummy water...

Boobacita and Shel Hiking!
Yay! My two favorite ladies at Rainbow! They rock soooo hardcore for coming out there!

Boobacita near the water!
Boobacita and her Shitty Bridge Creek! Cuuuutie!