Do you ever get something on your mind and have to have the answer before you can do anything else? I knew this would be the place to ask.
I’ve been trying all night to think of the name of the group of people who travel around and camp in National Forests all over the States. They are what Archie Bunker might refer to as your “hippie types,”… They make handicrafts, etc. and barter only. They are basically nomads living on the move. They go yearly to Shawnee National Forest and usually the law gives them a little trouble. I think many are heavy into Greatful Dead. Did I spell that right?
Well your description of the wandering folk is consistent with tales of the followers of the Grateful Dead, known as Deadheads.
(Rather more Deadheads are suburban dwellers in middle age who enjoy attending concerts that remind them of the lost innocence of their misspent youth than are actually vagabonds trailing the Dead around the countryside. However, there is a small contingent of Deadheads who seem to actually live this lifestyle for several months of a tear.)
It’s not the Deadheads (as you know) and it’s not the Travelers.
The Travelers are a large interrelated community of scam artists based down south. They travel the country offering to perform odd jobs – mostly home contracting – and end up bilking unsuspecting homeowners of thousands of $$$. (There is another group called the Travelers, but they live expensive lifestyles in cities and are prone to carry big red umbrellers; they have been known to bilk people too, however.)
No, the Rainbow-something is the right trail to go down. Incidentally, weren’t they mixed up in one or more high-profile child abduction cases recently?
The Rainbow Family (their big events are called the Rainbow Gatherings) has been around for years. You can get varied opinions on them. Some of the organizers seem to be responsible, earnest, and not as flakey as you might think. Still, crowds of the size they get place strains on resources no matter how well handled, and the Rainbow Families “no leaders” ideals force them, to come into conflict with the NFS and local authorities. Frankly, I was in a small town once that got “invaded” by the Wally Byam caravan, and THAT was a big nuisance, too. My personal opinion is that no organization of any type whatsoever should create crowds larger than about 5% of the local population they’re descending on, with an escape clause for crowds of under 100 in the middle of nowhere, and for communities themselves sponsoring fairs, festivals, etc.
The Rainbow Family came around here recently. They made a huge mess, took a lot of drugs, and ran up a lot of expenses. They left without paying. And no, they don’t always live like that. They have real jobs, real names, and real lives. I say they should have to pay real money as well.
