Saturday, June 25, 2011

New Updated Directions to the Site

PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE NEW UPDATES (again!) AS OF THE EVENING OF 6/27/11.

These are updated directions from the ones posted earlier, below. They are based on phone calls from folks who have driven these paths. Please note that these directions are based on actual road signs and do NOT directly correspond with the road numbers and road names listed on Google Maps. Many roads have multiple names, for instance, Meadow Creek Road on Google is Wind River Road on the land.

Enroute to the Gathering, please remember the following:
1) Do not camp on private property.
2) Respect the Townspeople and Do not Panhandle.
3) Please shop in the small towns enroute to the Gathering.
4) Speed Limit within the National Forest is 35mph unless otherwise posted.
5) Only park on the left side of the road, coming in, all four wheels off the road.
6) Have a legal vehicle. Tickets are being given for every little thing. Remove danglies from your rearview mirror, and make sure your head and breaklights are working.
7) If you get a ticket, court is being held in Tacoma which is 120 miles north of Woodland, WA.


********************************************
FROM PORTLAND:

From Portland, Oregon, take I-5 North 30 miles (through Vancouver, WA) to Woodland, Washington. Take exit 21, and go east on Road 503. At approximately 48 miles from Woodland, down Road 503, you will come to a fork. One is 503 South and the other is a 503 "spur" to Cougar, Washington. Take the Spur to Cougar. (Looking at Google Maps Street Views... this looks like you should continue straight to Cougar, instead of turning right to Amboy). 503 is also called Lewis River Road.

You will pass through Cougar which is the last village before the Gathering.

Continue on Road 503/Lewis River Road, which will become Forest Service 90 (FS90).
About 18 miles past Cougar, just past the Pine Ridge Ranger Station, you will come to a fork where HWY 25 continues straight and FS90 turns to the right. TURN RIGHT here, staying on FS90. Keep going and then turn right on Curly Creek Road. Drive 5 Miles. (Curly Creek may become Forest Service Road 51). Turn left on Wind River Road and drive 2.5 miles. At the corner of Wind Ridge and FS30, you will see the Forest Service LEO Incident Command Center. Here you turn left onto FS 30 (also called Lone Butte) and drive 1/4 mile to Road 3211 and parking.

Here you will find the first Welcome Station.You have the option to park here and walk about 3 miles to back gate camps listed below. Another option is to drive 4 miles, turn right at junction and then another 1.9 miles to front gate (kitchen supply drop off.) At about 1.5 miles on this road you will pass another welcome station which is where you can walk in about a mile to land at INFO BOOTH.



****
If coming from Portland, an alternate route is to take Hwy 84 East out of Portland for 42 miles to the BRIDGE OF THE GODS, and pay a dollar to cross the river onto HWY 14 East in Washington. Go East to Carson, and follow the directions from Carson below. This route is advised for BUSES and large vehicles as it is much less twisty than 503 from Woodland to Cougar and in. It is easier for night driving as well.
********************************************

FROM CARSON, WASHINGTON
If you're coming from points east - Take I-84 to Hood River Oregon. Go north on the Hood River Bridge (Hwy 20) to Hwy 14 in the state of Washington. Go west on Hwy 14 to the town of Carson, Washington. Going out of Carson, turn left onto Wind River Road
(signs will say
"Carson" and "Carson Hot Springs", but road is not well marked at junction which is a few miles East of Stevenson.) Once on Wind River Road, go 30 miles north. Just 1/10th of a mile past Mile Marker 30, make a left onto the road Lone Butte Snow Park. Here is the first welcome station. You have the option to park here and walk about 3 miles to back gate camps listed above. Another option is to drive 4 miles, turn right at junction and then another 1.9 miles to front gate (kitchen supply drop off.) At about 1.5 miles on this road you will pass another welcome station which is where you can walk in about a mile to land at the INFO BOOTH.)


***********************************************


We'll gather on the land at Skookum Meadow which is at 3,200 feet about sea level. For current weather, click Weather


CRITICAL INFORMATION:
Cougar, Washington and Carson, Washington are the closest towns. PLEASE be respectful to the locals... pick up garbage and NO SPANGING please!!!! We are getting way too many reports of panhandling from the townsfolk.

TEMPERATURES, SNOW, and MAIN MEADOW CONDITIONS:
Come prepared for lots of MOSQUITOES! Long sleeves and repellent are good things to bring.
Come prepared for cold wet weather... you are coming to the Great Northwest and this summer there is still snow in the shady areas, and alongside roads and paths. It was 46 degrees at noon on the 24th of June in Main Meadow and it gets down into the 30s at nighttime. Another reports said it can get down to the 40s, though. So, the lows are fluctuating. Pack accordingly. BRING WOOL SOCKS! Main Meadow snow has melted and the meadow is currently a marsh. It is unknown if it will dry up as time goes on.

PARKING:
Parking is going to be alongside the roads this year, on the left side of the road as you enter, but currently many of the road edges are still covered in snow. It might be wise to bring a shovel if you have one to dig yourself a parking space! You will be towed if you park on the right side of the road. Local authorities are being very cooperative this year, but please make sure your vehicle is in good running condition, is legal, and that you give them no reason to get messed with!! Make sure your head and tail lights are working. Remove danglies from your rear view mirrors. GP National Forest speed limit is 35 unless otherwise noted.

FRONT GATE:
Drop off may be 1-2 miles from gate in next few days as the larger volume of
people arrive. Gear can be dropped at gate, and left while you go back and find parking.



THE HIKE IN:
The front door has a long hike in, but pretty much all on a road. One source said 3 miles, another said 4 miles. Images of the path and the meadow can be seen in this news footage. There are two back gates, but parking is limited there. The first one is for Supply. FS220 is gated (looking at the map, perhaps this is FS3220), but people can walk in from there, on a road, and then a short cut off the road into the meadow. Do not have info at this time on how to get to the back gates. This is a great site for wheeled conveyances like wagons, carts, wheelbarrows, etc.

AIRPORTS:
The closest large airport is Portland Oregon (PDX). After that Tacoma would be next and the Seattle next closest after Tacoma.

BUSES:
I don't have a lot of information about buses. What I do know is that there is a Greyhound station in Longview, WA on I-5, which is just a couple miles north of Woodland where you begin to travel east. I am told you can also take the bus to Hood River, and follow the directions from there. If you have other Bus information, please post it in the comments for this post.

LOCATIONS OF SOME KITCHENS:
Near the Back Gate is Lovin' Ovens, Montana Camp, Camp Eugene, and Kid Village.
There are three large meadows. The first is Skookum but there are not many kitchens there because of water on the ground. Then there is the Middle (Skinny) Meadow, where you will find Phat Kids, Bread of Life and Montana Mud). There is a large meadow on the other side of the Middle (Skinny) meadow and there you will find INFO BOOTH, Nick at Night, KID VILLAGE (which I hear is across the meadow from INFO) and I-Don't-Know Kitchen.

LASTLY:
Leash your dogs...and please walk lightly on the land... bring garbage bags, and hike out your garbage. At the end of the Gathering, take at least one bag of garbage when you leave, and take it at least 100 miles away before finding a dumpster for it. DRESS WARM!

You're walking into the most well-known Bigfoot habitat, Skookum Meadows!!
Have fun and we will see you there!!!

The link to the map below can be found by CLICKING HERE.



22 comments:

  1. anyone driving from the north east? im looking for rides for my self an friends whether its in the same vehicle or not but still looking for rides, we travel light, an we have food,goodies, n love to share. we can help with driving n sum trading n sum gas if needed, we have tents/hammocks/sleeping bags/tarps if u need we can bring some extra along if need b. please let me know if anyone knows of any rides either by car, by bike, by boat or train. wer down for any adventure, as long as its a positive one.

    email me at; urge2sync@live.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. RIDE SHARE BOARDS:

    http://kindrideshare.org/

    http://www.starsrainbowrideboard.org/

    Your local craigslist has one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am from Seattle, so just want to add that there is no distinct Tacoma airport (or Seattle, for that matter) for commercial flights. Only SEA-TAC serves the Seattle-Tacoma metro area and is between Seattle and Tacoma (but much closer to Seattle), not far off I-5. Welcome home my friends. It is wonderful to have you here in our great state of Washington.

    ReplyDelete
  4. For anyone who has been to the site: I will be heading up with my seven-year-old daughter on the 1st. It sounds like it will be a very long walk along the FS road by the time we get there, since the parking is only along the side. We were planning to bring backpacks, but since the hike is mainly on the road, I wonder if it would be smarter to bring a cart or something? Or is it feasible to drop off at the gate and then go back and park? Any idea how far from the gate to Kid Village? I went to lots of gatherings when I was younger, but this will be my first time bringing a kid; it's definitely going to be different! Thanks! Loving you all :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Me Eric Mandala & Zu Zen got our tickets to Portland, Arriving June 30th 6:36pm,
    We Need a ride to the Rainbow and a place to stay in Portland that night...
    Anyone in town or passing through who we can get a ride with?
    mandalastudio@yahoo.com

    http://www.myspace.com/mandalaworldmusic
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Mandala/50052811123
    http://www.reverbnation.com/ericmandala

    ReplyDelete
  6. Please use RIDE SHARE BOARDS for ride shares :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mercedes,
    Yes, it is feasible at the gathering to have some sort of cart, and it is a great site for that. Gear may be dropped off at the gate while you get parking. There will be no one to watch it, though. Perhaps bring a tarp to cover it. You will see that I updated the parking and drive-in info since you asked your question and based on that new info, it seems the second welcome station is the best place to park for Kid Village. Ask at the first welcome station.

    ReplyDelete
  8. And yes, please do not post ride-requests here. Rideshare posts are listed above.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Updated info for those traveling Greyhound Bus from the East. Yes, Hood River is the closest Bus stop to the gathering, but local family recommend bailing off the bus @ The Dalles (20 miles east) because The Dalles has a toll-free bridge, better shopping, and Hwy. 14 is beautiful & has small towns that would love our business. ~ Happy Trails ~

    ReplyDelete
  11. cant wait to come home its been to long.... This year 6 of my kids will be coming home too for the first time.............We are all so excited...Does anyone know if there is still a large amount of snow...Love to all oxoxoxox > Mamma Jo <

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so excited, the universe has allowed me to come home this year. This will be my second gathering and I'm so excited to do the things I was timid to do my first year. It truly feels like home and were so blessed to be together and to be able to share this experience. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there.. Thank you everyone for helping in putting this all together and for the opportunity to allow us all to connect. What a gift..

    Thank you.. Peace and Love.

    ReplyDelete
  13. a beautiful site awaits all with a bellybutton,and the ovens are built and kid village is in big trees,the snow is melting away fast,hurry!henry the fiddler is fiddling everywhere,senior 2nd national fiddle champion,2011.....WELCOME TO WASHINGTON. we loooooove yooooooouuuuuuu-WINTER,LOVIN OVENS

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Still need ride from Seattle to the gathering, hopefully tomorrow. It is worth going,even for just 1-2 days. Contact GT at 206-926-9283.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Rainbows must be outlanders because these directions are whack. The first route makes u climb over the flanks of the volcano, then into gravel territory instead of a nice paved road. Who drives on Curly Creek Rd when u have a paved 90/5110 highway? Curly Creek will take half the life out of your VW minibus and the rusted muffler out of your Subaru GL. Then u'l surely get tickets for burnt out bulbs, cracked windshield, and the noise.

    From the western route, as u go past the Road 25 split, cruze on 90 until u get to a well-marked T-intersection and turn right towards Carson. This is a paved road that goes straight uphill, there's no mistaking. At the top of the hill there's an overlook park where u can legally pee and/or poop, take a rest and review further directions/maps. Continuing, u will come to another T intersection with Wind River Rd. Turn left on Wind River Rd, drive past Curly Creek Rd, left at the Y split onto FS30/32, and then as advertised.

    From anywhere near Portland use the alternate directions - much faster and smoother. Here's my concise version:

    Hwy 14 east from Vancouver,

    3.7-3.8 miles past Stevenson bear left on Wind River Rd towards Carson. (Carson is north of 14 along Wind River Rd.) It's a high-speed intersection but u might have to stop for oncoming traffic.

    Cruze many songs past Carson, go straight past Hwy 90 intersection.

    Go straight past Curly Creek intersection, if u can spot it :-) In any case, take the left-hand path at the Y split onto FS30/32 and follow advertised directions to the gates.

    I didn't even know that there was going to be a rainbow gathering. I was hiking at Ape Cave last week and took a hippie to the aforementioned ranger station, because he did not know where the rainbow gathering is. I hope he did not get pneumonia from the 40-degree drizzle.

    P.S. Seatac airport is not really applicable here. From Kelso train station u'l have a hell of a time getting to the gathering. Portland & Vancouver are the 2 closest major cities. If u must lodge in a hostel that would be on SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland. I would not recomment Portland DT unless u wanna risk getting robbed by a gang of homeless youths.
    Damn hell, blogspot's javascripts are getting so terrible that it took 2 hours to finally post this :-(

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gas included with ride from Seattle(see above ), if you can go tomorrow. Thank you.
    contact, again, GT at 206-926-9283

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you, User1265... I kept trying to get confirmation on road 5110, but couldn't get hold of anyone. The folks on the ground kept passing me the Curly Creek route info, and I didn't want to change it based on Google Maps. There seemed to be a lot of discrepancies between google road names vs: what the signs on the road actually said.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Howdy Family! We just returned home after a week at Home...lol, good times at Kiddie Village spent working hard and playing harder!
    My Family wants to send much Love and Peace to you Karin for the perfect directions (we went in and out without a hitch).
    Happy Travels All, see you next year!
    Tony, Crystal and Stella

    ReplyDelete
  20. Despite all the troubles we had with the location, the sun came out on the first and blessed our gathering! What an amazing time. See you all next year family!

    ReplyDelete
  21. the person of interest your looking for goes by the name snake he lours wemon all the time who end up dissapearing i do not know his real name but i hope that is a start
    anomous

    ReplyDelete
  22. bí quyết chữa hôi miệngHôi miệng giờ đây đã không còn xa lạ gì với chúng ta nữa
    phương pháp điều trị bệnh hôi miệngVậy nguyên nhân là do đâu và cách chữa trị bệnh hôi miệng này như thế nào?
    cách chữa bệnh hở van dạ dàyNhững triệu chứng phổ biến thường thấy của bệnh trào ngược dạ dày thực quản là khan giọng, nóng rát và nuốt thức ăn khó khăn
    thuốc chữa bệnh đầy hơi chướng bụngThường xuyên gặp vào buổi sáng. Đây là hiện tượng dịch dạ dày có kèm axit, trào ngược lên thực quản rồi lên miệng kèm theo dịch mật (dịch mật có vị đắng).
    thuốc chữa bệnh hôi miệngBình thường, trong khoang miệng chúng ta có chứa hơn 700 loại vi khuẩn, khi các thức ăn thừa còn sót lại trong các kẻ răng, những dạng protein này sẽ bị vi khuẩn phân hủy và bốc mùi.
    cách chữa trị bệnh đắng miệngNgoài ra, việc ăn uống, ngủ không điều độ (ăn quá no, quá đói, nằm xuống ngay sau khi ăn), chúng ta là mục tiêu hoàn hảo cho căn bệnh trào ngược dạ dày thực quản.
    bị ợ chuaNiêm mạc thực quản bị kích thích bởi HCI hoặc dịch mật trong dịch dạ dày làm bệnh nhân có cảm giác nóng rát lan từ thượng vị lên dọc sau xương ức
    bệnh trào ngược dạ dày thực quảnKhi acid dạ dày trào ngược với tần suất lớn sẽ ảnh hưởng tới niêm mạc thực quản gây phù nề, là nguyên nhân gây ra hiện tượng khó nuốt.
    phương pháp chữa hôi miệng Hôi miệng xuất phát từ nhiều nguyên nhân, để có cách chữa trị hiệu quả bạn cần xác định rõ nguyên nhân tại sao hôi miệng.
    cách chữa hôi miệng bằng mật ongĐể chữa hôi miệng bằng cách dùng nước vo gạo, bạn có thể áp dụng bằng 2 cách. ]
    phương pháp chữa hôi miệng bằng chanhThường xuyên áp dụng bí quyết này bạn sẽ không còn lo ngại mùi hôi khó chịu từ miệng nữa, đồng thời nước vo gạo còn giúp ngăn ngừa được bệnh sâu răng, ngăn ngừa sự phát triển của các loại vi khuẩn.

    ReplyDelete