Omo Ranch Road has to be the most beautiful road for riding bike in the El Dorado National Park in the Sierra Nevada even though it is mostly up.  Practically zero traffic, canopied by redwoods and many other species of trees and beautiful vistas at almost every turn, it simply can't be beat.

As I was climbing up a hill I noticed a guy hiking with his dog.  He looked not homeless, but a little 'earthy' and was carrying a big hawk feather.  His dog was very laid back and nice and as it turned out, so was he. We were the only people around for miles, so I introduced myself and we got to talking.  Turns out he was from New York originally but has been traveling everywhere.  I asked him where he was heading and he said 'Rainbow'.  I thought it was some town up the road.  When we were about to part, he asked me, "Hey, do you happen to have a smoke?"  I said, "I'm sorry man, I don't..."  and he said "What was I thinking?  You're a biker and into health."

I went about 5 miles up the road when off in the distance I heard a girl's voice saying "Hi! How are you!"  I looked up and there were a bunch of people in a camping area, so I got off my bike and walked through the trees to visit.  A group of girls came up and one of the girls asked "Do you know where is Rainbow?"  Thinking it was a town I said, "I'm not sure, I've never been there before."  She said, "There's a big gathering and we're wondering where it is."

Some of the young women had hula hoops and were playing with them and there was a guy near a dead campfire with a guitar.  All of them seemed to really be at peace and were genuinely happy people.  It was like being propelled back into the late 60's during the time of peace and love.  Even their dogs were laid back and very friendly.  By then, Jaine pulled up and we visited with them for a while and told them about our trip.  They were very excited for us and wished us the best.

That evening, Jaine and I were curious about where Rainbow was located and discovered that Rainbow was not a place, but a gathering.  Every year there is a gathering in many places. Usually they descend on national parks and can get up to 30,000 people at a gathering.  The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Rainbow Gatherings are temporary intentional communities,^[1] held annually in various locations in the United States,Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Europe. These gatherings seek to encourage the practice of ideals of peace, love, respect, harmony, freedom and community, and seek to serve as an alternative to consumerism, capitalism, and mass media. They are strongly associated with counterculture and the hippie subculture.

When I visited Haight Asbury in San Francisco a few days ago, it kind of had that feel, but with an undertone of danger because of the strangeness of some of the characters that wander around the streets.  The people we met here seemed to be the 'real deal'.  

If you want to learn more about Rainbow Gatherings, check out the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Gathering

Didn't know these things still happened.  :-)

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