Here are some things you need to know.
Law Enforcement is on the road into the gathering. Please read right side bar to make sure you have all the information on how to get in without a mandatory court appearance ticket. Be especially careful when you turn onto Forest Service Road 24.
Nights have been in the 40s and even occasionally into the 30s. Be prepared with cold weather gear for night. Days have been in the 70s and 80s - bring sunscreen and a hat.
Wild horses live in the area. If you do not have a horse and are charged by a wild horse, please make lots of noise and use Bear strategies to scare them off. If you have a horse, be aware that a group of riders were attacked by a wild stallion and one person died.
We are trying to get town Shanti Sena and porta potties going in John Day. We need someone to check out the scene in Burns, Oregon to the south and see if we need town Shanti Sena and/or porta potties there as well.
If you come through John Day, Oregon, please stop at Chester's Thriftway and pick up family trying to get home. If they need gas, please pitch in so we can keep people rolling to the site and not be a nuisance in town. If you come through Burns, please look for the grocery store and pick up family and get them home or help them with gas money.
June 26 & 27 a US Forest Service contractor will be flying helicopters over the site for a wild horse count. This was planned months ago.
There is a prescribed burn in the area. Click here for details.
Key things to know about the site:
- Stay 200 feet away from the creek to protect trout eggs and nesting birds.
- Only cut down timber that has a trunk less than 1 foot in diameter. If a larger tree is marked with blue spray paint, it's OK to cut.
- Dogs must be on a leash to protect wildlife resources and the creek.
- A representative from the Burns Paiute tribe has sat in council with us and we hope some of the tribal members will come back and help us learn how to protect their traditional lands.
- Pink ribbons mark sensitive resource areas that we need to stay out of.
- Green ribbons mark areas that are good for us to use.
- From the main parking lot, there is an old forest service road into the gathering which is awesome if you have a wagon. Just past Welcome Home (at the corral), there is a short cut to main meadow but it's no good for carts.
I left the gathering this morning after spending 7 days working at both Welcome Home and Kiddie Village.
ReplyDeleteI come back to my van down by bus village after being gone for 3 days to find it thoroughly vandalized.
Someone stole everything of value including every penny I had, my ID, debit cards.
After 11 national gatherings, I'm sorry to say I am done with Rainbow. Until someone steps in and gets a hand on the madness and the thievery of the dirty kids the dream of Rainbow is over.
What we have let it become is a foul drunken party and it has nothing to do with the original vision.
It was good to see you and John Buffalo, a tip as a hat and I hope you have a lovely Gathering.
I don't know what it means to read the "right side by". I can't see it on my phone, and certainly don't want a ticket!
ReplyDeleteIf you scroll to the bottom of the page it will show you "view desktop version" click on that and you will be able to read the sidebar for more information.
DeleteWhen I left this morning there were 14 leo's inside the gathering and at the junction of 24 there were 12 trucks with officers. Parking is be going to become an issue, they have closed the road shoulders for parking on either side.
Ah, Tony, your story makes me sad. It makes me consider how we will handle our ID and stuff, maybe we will keep it on ourselves rather than risk it stolen.
ReplyDeleteKarin, the right side bar cannot be read from a mobile phone. I hopped onto the computer because I was worried. All of those things seem logical, we'll pay close attention. My guy and I fit into Babylon pretty well, so I won't worry so much, we'll have all our papers in order. Thanks for the warnings!
I will say it is one of the best sites I have ever been to. And the drive out 26 from my home in Coos Bay was a delightful two day road trip.
DeleteOregon isn't sounding too friendly. Read the June 27th report just posted. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/malheur/home/?cid=FSEPRD546597 If you go, bring your own makeshift toilet.
ReplyDeleteI feel it has a lot to do with seed camp this year. From the moment I arrived, even parking was seemingly out of control. Resource officers were taping off restricted areas they were trying to protect and yet the very next day there were tents going up next to the creeks.
DeleteThe entire parking area is surrounded by creeks and springs.
I'm supposed to be heading back to the site with my daughter on Friday but I am having a lot of second thoughts.