I headed into the Ochoco National forest in Oregon for a Rainbow Gathering. The dirt road in was long and bumpy, and by the time I arrived at the front gate everything in my bus was on the floor. But I was greeted with “Welcome home!” and felt a sense of calm and belonging.
It was a small gathering deep in the forest. There were three kitchens and one cafe set up. They used fallen logs for makeshift counters with dug-out fire pits for cooking.
Sky, the man who ran the green and purple kitchen, showed me around the gathering, helping me get a feel for the layout. We also walked a bit away from the gathering so Sophie could run around off leash, releasing some of her energy.
On the way back I met Alex, a guy who lives in his van and has a motorcycle. He told me about a beautiful flower field he had found a few miles out. He was thrilled once he found I had a bike of my own, even if it was only a moped that goes 25 miles per hour. He helped me unload the bike from my bus and we both rode out. He had to drive slowly for me to keep up, but I had a blast. And the field was beautiful. It was mainly green with random pine trees growing, but here and there were flecks of yellows and orange where the flowers popped up. As we started driving back, my moped ran out of gas. Alex said he could pull out his fuel line and pour some of his gas into my tank. I wasn’t sure it would work, but after balancing his bike on a stump, we were able to get it high enough to pour enough gas in my tank to get me back.
Every evening right before sunset, a main circle was held, located in a big field with a heart-shaped fire pit in the middle. You knew it was time once you heard cries of “circle” being called. Each kitchen brought out a big pot of food they had made, normally soups and various salads, to serve. It was up to each person to bring their own “bliss,” which were eating implements such as bowls, plates, cups, and silverware. Before eating, everyone joined hands in a circle while singing a song. Announcements were made and everybody “omed” before they passed out food and we all ate. It was the only time when everyone from the gathering was in one spot, and I loved it.
During the gathering I mainly hung out at the “Closer Than You Thought Cafe,” which always had tea and coffee ready. It was run by a man named Poet and his partner Summer. We hung out there with Greaybeard, Goat, CJ and many other new found friends. I quickly got to know everyone there, and by the end of my first full day, I felt completely at home with my new friends, like I had known them for forever. They adopted me into the group and it wasn’t long before I was helping run the cafe.
Every night there would be fires where people gathered at every kitchen. I always stuck to the one at the cafe though, where most of my newfound friends were. One cold night we all cozied up in a cuddle-puddle next to the fire, where we leaned on each other for support. I could have slept there next to the warm fire bundled up with all my friends, but eventually, everyone’s legs fell asleep and we had to disperse.
Sophie and Maggie had to be kept on leash within the gathering, but everyday I would walk out of the gathering with my friend CJ and we would let the dogs run free while we explored. Thomas the cat, with his cat door on the bus, could come and go as he pleased, and mostly hung out near the bus. However, he would occasionally follow me around the gathering and come to the kitchens. By the end of the gathering, he had gotten a reputation for being the cat who beat up pit bulls because Thomas had charged multiple dogs, putting them in their place. More people knew my cat than knew me.There were many times when I got to my bus that someone would make the comment, “Oh, Thomas is your cat!?” Even though he was quite the trouble maker with dogs, everyone seemed to love him.
One day I rode out to a nearby lake with Alex on his motorcycle. The lake was beautiful, but there were a lot of people around. It felt weird to be back around “normal” society, and it made me miss the gathering, so we didn’t stay long.
Another day Summer, Poet, CJ, our friend CC, and I took a blanket out into a field surrounded by woods. We needed to escape the hustle and bustle for a bit. We spent almost the whole day in that field, having the best time just hanging out, talking and laughing.
When we walked back into the gathering, we all held hands, weaving through the gathering like we were a train. It was a simple day, but my favorite one there.
Then there was the wedding of Maple and Breakfast. It wasn’t a real wedding, but more just a reason to celebrate and have fun. Rumors spread of the wedding all day, and it was supposed to be juggalo themed, Maple spent the day painting many faces.
That night after main circle, everyone met down in the parking lot. A car was decorated with cans and driven over to the stream. Everyone lined up along the walkway and the wedding started. It was a short ceremony, with Hash, the guy that married them, talking about their plans to be married a week and then get divorced. The bride and groom kissed, and just like that it was over. They drove back across the gathering with people riding on top of the car. Short, sweet and fun.
This Gathering had the joy of a wedding, even though it was silly, but life can’t be all sunshine and rainbows, even at a Rainbow Gathering. Sometimes there’s death. There was an alcoholic traveler who came in with liver failure. The doctors hadn’t given him long to live, and he came with the goal of getting sober, wanting to make sure he left this world in a sober state. He reached his goal, but sooner than expected.
He had come with his dog, and asked Sky to make sure his dog was taken care of. My friend CJ was in search of a dog, and he had been taking care of the dog when we found out the owner had passed. He was working hard training the dog as it hadn’t known any commands and had been trying to attack other dogs. CJ was told he might be able to keep the dog as long as the family and the police were okay with it. They all said it was no problem, and by the end of the week the dog listened to everything CJ said, and could be around other dogs with no problems. He and that dog had become best friends.
Everything was going great until two women, who had been friends with the guy who passed, showed up. One of them decided the dog should not be with a traveler and should go live with a man who had never met the dog, who also had eight other pit bulls. She took the dog from CJ. I tried to talk to the woman, telling her that the dog and CJ were already bonded, and it would be cruel to both of them to separate, especially since the dog had already lost one owner. Also, he had already been told by the family and police he could keep it. I couldn’t convince the woman. She would get angry, yelling that CJ was a bad owner because he made the dog sit. Multiple people tried to talk to her, but she couldn’t be reasoned with.
After a while Ratchet Camp, a camp consisting mostly of travelers, decided to take matters into their own hands. As the woman was walking away, a group of people surrounded her and switched the dog’s leash, and ran off with the dog. We hid the dog in a car while CJ packed up his belongings. The whole time the woman kept screaming at everybody. Once CJ was ready, we loaded the dog in his car without her noticing, and he and the dog took off, together like they should be.
Once the gathering was coming to an end Poet and summer left a day early. Grey Beard and I took over the cafe the last day making sure everything ran smoothly. Then with the help of multiple others the kitchen was broken down, the fire pit was buried and the kitchen looked as though it was never there.
It was a crazy, wild, beautiful gathering which I was grateful to be a part of, but it was time for me to leave the West Coast because I was headed to the East Coast for another Rainbow Gathering in New Hampshire. I had a 48 hour drive ahead of me.
The real magic of these gatherings can be hard to capture through writing. Most of the enchantment comes from the small conversations and connections made. The amount of love I feel at these gatherings from people who were strangers just a few days before is unlike anything else.
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