Rainbow Family converges on Wash. forestland

Marijuana and psychedelic drugs abound ...Around 3,500 people were already camping out in the Skookum Meadows area -- and organizers said the number would likely triple the population of Skamania Co.

Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown said his department has used the past two weeks to prepare for the influx of as many as 20,000 visitors.

“We're obviously a small county and our resources are limited. We have a small jail that's two-thirds full right now and we could fill that up over the next week,” Brown said. “Yeah, I'm concerned about that and I'm concerned the taxpayers in this county are covering the cost.”

Brown also suggested that anyone who is not part of the Rainbow Family gathering should avoid the camping areas for the next couple weeks

Three weeks ago, there was a influx of these people at Chewelah Wa, where I have a small farm. ( actually, my farm is at Horse Shoe Lake, so far out there its not even on most maps) They had planned to stay in the mountain medows between Chewelah and Usk, off the Flowery Trail. One of them was making a nusance of himself in Chewelah, so I got him out of town by giving him a ride up the mountain. ( his name was Sunshine, go figure)He told me where they were going to spend the summer. Now the Chewelah area has had a very wet spring, I let him know if he was going to stay in the area they had planned on he was going to be very wet. The mountain meadows in that area are water logged. He told me they stay in touch by cell phones. Told me how they make markers at road junctions so people who were in the know knew where to go. He spoke about us who live in Babalon were fools, how they just lived off the land. ( meaning us from Babalon). I got him out of town because it was getting late, and I did not want him wandering around at night, things have a way of dissapearing in small towns with these folks around. I even took him to the store and purchased some food for him and his crew. When I dropped him off, I told him if they were to stay over the summer, to be very carefull about were they went in the area, beleive it or not, the Chewelah area is real western hillbilly country. There are place’s you just don’t go uninvited. Later that week we knew they left for Western Washington. It was to wet and cold up our way. Also, some of us locals were keeping tract of what was going on in the area. We found out that they do not like redneck-hillbillys in pic-ups and guns wandering the countryside keeping watch. Not much profit for them. Things were tied down to tight for them to survive, we keep watch, and are dammed serious when we do. I do feel sorry for those in the area they have invaded. May god grant they safty from this hoard! P.S. Should anyone ever want to live in a very safe place, Check out Northwestern Washington, Stevens County.

The Rainbow Farm in Michigan was an illegal drug business. The produced and sold weed and held paid commercial events on their land without permits or paying taxes. Finally, when it all came crashing down, the proprietors of Rainbow Farm burned numerous buildings and fired guns at the police before being shot to death by authorities.

That ain’t exactly “free love, free weed”.

I will tell you a story. In 1991 the Rainbow people came to the Davy Crockett National forest in East Texas. I was trauma surgeon on call when they brought in a yount 26 year old woman who had been run over by a jeep in the camping area. She had a son with her in the camp when some local redneck came into the camp harassing and threatening the group. She asked them to leave. The said no. So she laid down in the road in front of her and they ran over her.

So, I me this woman named "No Guns" in the ER. The long and short of it she had multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung and a ruptured speen. I took care of those problems, but she had to stay in ICU for several days. Here after a few days we started he on clear liquid diet, which she refused to eat. I spoke with her and told her if she did not eat I would have to hyperaliment her. It was then that she revealed that she could not eat what we brought to her (jello, chicken soup, ice tea. etc) and asked if she could eat her normal diet. I asked what that was and she informed me she ate seaweed and macadamean nuts. So we fed her brown seaweed and the nuts. Slowly she improved. Her home was the big island of Hawaii, well not an actual dwelling, but she lived on the beach. I lost track after she left east Texas. She was a very nice person....but she was screwed up.

All red necks are not created equal. I would never harass some one like that. We watched what was going on because we value our community. We also guard our property from those that try to take. We beleive in helping those in need. Being a redneck is not a bad thing in most cases, however sometimes there are those who let their brain coast. One thing though, I have not locked my door in a long time, and dont have people out my way looking to cause me greif.

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