Woodstock 45 Yrs Ago Today

[Thomas Promise]

CBS news coverage of Woodstock August 18, 1969. It was the year I graduated from high school. Wow how time flies by.

 

[tsap seui]

Hey, didn't EVERYBODY go? I wasn't part of the 30 or 40 million (sic) that attended Woodstock, although I did drive through Woodstock, Virginia Sunday afternoon. I was busy playing in a soul band 3 or 4 nights a week that year, often played 2 gigs on Saturdays and Sundays, and attending my first year of college. Missed the whole thing, never even heard about it, that I can remember...so, you won't find my name on the, quote-- list of folks that went to

Woodstock-- unquote.

 

Woodstock was a GREAT event, but in the murky mists of time Woodstock is like Vietnam....EVERYBODY went.

 

I did watch the movie when it came out...LOL

 

tsap seui

[Mick]

I didn't make Woodstock either, tsapper, but I did hear about it. I did manage to make the Atlanta Pop Festival, which took place about six weeks before Woodstock over the 4th of July weekend. I don't know how many folks were there, but it was quite a few. That was the first time I ever saw Johnny Winter and out of all the folks that played at the festival, he was the one that blew me away. Dressed in a bright purple shirt with his white hair flying every which way, he was one site to behold, especially with one's senses sharpened by better living through chemistry.

 

Nope, didn't make Woodstock but I did make it to Nam. Now that was a real party.

[warpedbored]

I intended to go. I was only 15 at the time and had it in my head I was going to hitchhike there. I went out to the highway and stuck my thumb out and lo and behold along came some friends of mine in a tricked out 39 Chevy pickup painted purple (after Purple Haze). They were on their way to McCall Idaho and had some window pane with them. I decided McCall was lots closer than New York so I spent 3 days tripping in the woods. I still remember all the patterns in that shiny purple truck.

[Mick]

I intended to go. I was only 15 at the time and had it in my head I was going to hitchhike there. I went out to the highway and stuck my thumb out and lo and behold along came some friends of mine in a tricked out 39 Chevy pickup painted purple (after Purple Haze). They were on their way to McCall Idaho and had some window pane with them. I decided McCall was lots closer than New York so I spent 3 days tripping in the woods. I still remember all the patterns in that shiny purple truck.

 

Carl, it is funny that you mentioned window pane and McCall, Idaho. Back in the summer of 74 two friends and I spent three months on the road, camping in a huge 8-man tent and seeing the country. We left home with a half-pound of grass and 100 hits of window pane. We camped in the mountains just north of McCall and I had one of the most fearful experiences of my life there. I always got up first, got the fire going and put on some coffee. I rolled a splif, dropped a hit of window pane, and after a cup of java, decided to take a walk in the woods. It was about six in the morning. I came upon a 50-foot cliff and looked down in time to see a huge grizzley bear standing up on its back feet looking up at me. He must have smelled me long before I arrived. Anyway, he was looking for a way up the incline. I had just come on to the window pane and I absolutely freaked. I must have set a land speed record getting back to the camp site. We went down the mountain, all tripping on the window pane, and had breakfast in some little cafe by the lake in McCall. We hung around that area for about a week before heading down to Twin Falls to watch Evel Knievel try to jump the Snake River Canyon on his rocket cycle. We also took in Expo 74 up in Spokane. I remember doing some window pane and going into the house of mirrors, which was a big mistake.

[tsap seui]

Yeah, I missed it, and if I did hear about it I was too busy with my own party to join that one....LOL

 

Carl, you party animal you....LOL YOu too Mick, I can remember seeing Johnny with all that white hair flying high like a freak flag....what great times it was growing up in the 60's and 70's, eh?

 

tsap seui

[Dennis143]

 

I intended to go. I was only 15 at the time and had it in my head I was going to hitchhike there. I went out to the highway and stuck my thumb out and lo and behold along came some friends of mine in a tricked out 39 Chevy pickup painted purple (after Purple Haze). They were on their way to McCall Idaho and had some window pane with them. I decided McCall was lots closer than New York so I spent 3 days tripping in the woods. I still remember all the patterns in that shiny purple truck.

 

Carl, it is funny that you mentioned window pane and McCall, Idaho. Back in the summer of 74 two friends and I spent three months on the road, camping in a huge 8-man tent and seeing the country. We left home with a half-pound of grass and 100 hits of window pane. We camped in the mountains just north of McCall and I had one of the most fearful experiences of my life there. I always got up first, got the fire going and put on some coffee. I rolled a splif, dropped a hit of window pane, and after a cup of java, decided to take a walk in the woods. It was about six in the morning. I came upon a 50-foot cliff and looked down in time to see a huge grizzley bear standing up on its back feet looking up at me. He must have smelled me long before I arrived. Anyway, he was looking for a way up the incline. I had just come on to the window pane and I absolutely freaked. I must have set a land speed record getting back to the camp site. We went down the mountain, all tripping on the window pane, and had breakfast in some little cafe by the lake in McCall. We hung around that area for about a week before heading down to Twin Falls to watch Evel Knievel try to jump the Snake River Canyon on his rocket cycle. We also took in Expo 74 up in Spokane. I remember doing some window pane and going into the house of mirrors, which was a big mistake.

 

Yikes!! We always heard of window pane or blotter out here in the west coast, but rarely saw any pass my way. There were plenty of pills; purple barrells, orange sunshine... very strong. I dropped a tab of orange sunshine in quart bottle of beer and three of us took turns taking a swig and spent another night watching Mexican wrestling on B&W TV until morning when it was time to start farting at the sunrise.

[warpedbored]

Mick my family has a cabin 30 miles north of McCall. If you're going north on Hwy 95 when you get to the edge of town the Warren Wagon Road veers off to the right alongside the lake. After about 20 miles you come to the Burgdorf Y and the pavement ends. Another 8 miles down a gravel roade and you cross over the Secesh River, turn left and go another 2 miles down a one lane dirt road. I've seen moose, elk, deer, black bears, wolves, beavers and lots of other critters. I've never seen a grizzly there but it wouldn't surprise me. That country is right on the edge of a huge wilderness area.

[Mick]

Mick my family has a cabin 30 miles north of McCall. If you're going north on Hwy 95 when you get to the edge of town the Warren Wagon Road veers off to the right alongside the lake. After about 20 miles you come to the Burgdorf Y and the pavement ends. Another 8 miles down a gravel roade and you cross over the Secesh River, turn left and go another 2 miles down a one lane dirt road. I've seen moose, elk, deer, black bears, wolves, beavers and lots of other critters. I've never seen a grizzly there but it wouldn't surprise me. That country is right on the edge of a huge wilderness area.

 

Carl, I can remember some of the area you are describing. I especially recall Burgdorf as that is the kind of name that sticks in your memory. I recall we turned off the main road and took a dirt road that skirted a huge saw mill, then started climbing on a dirt road that kept going up and up, with the Salmon River running next to it. Some of the most beautiful and wild country I have ever seen. I loved it up there. Twin Falls was also really a hoot, what with bikers driving up and down the aisles at a Safeway grocery store we went into. The canyon jump was also a big party to say the least. I saw some of the roughest looking characters I have ever seen when I was there, folks you didn't want to even glance at the wrong way.

[Joecy]

I intended to go. I was only 15 at the time and had it in my head I was going to hitchhike there. I went out to the highway and stuck my thumb out and lo and behold along came some friends of mine in a tricked out 39 Chevy pickup painted purple (after Purple Haze). They were on their way to McCall Idaho and had some window pane with them. I decided McCall was lots closer than New York so I spent 3 days tripping in the woods. I still remember all the patterns in that shiny purple truck.

Does anyone still hitchhike today?

[Mick]

Joecy, some folks still hitchhike but not nearly as many as in past years. I guess the height of hitching was back in the mid to late 60s, when peace and love was the era's primary ethic. These days it is not safe to be hitching. There are far too many crazies out there. Yes, there were nut jobs back in those days as well (see Charles Manson for example), but not nearly what it is today.

 

Back to Woodstock, this right here was always one of my favorite clips from Woodstock. Santana was just releasing their very first album and was little known outside of the Bay Area. This one concert appearance changed everything. Carlos said in an interview that the band all dropped some mescaline and about an hour later, had to go on earlier than scheduled because The Who or some group was stuck in traffic and trying to get a chopper. You can tell by the glow on their faces they are tripping like crazy, especially the drummer, a twnety year old kid named Mike Shrieve, who had an extended solo that blew everyone away. Carlos said his Gibson SG kept turning into a snake - just incredible:

 

[Joecy]

Too bad can't do hitchhiking now.

That's one of the magic things I associate with America!

[chilton747]

 

I intended to go. I was only 15 at the time and had it in my head I was going to hitchhike there. I went out to the highway and stuck my thumb out and lo and behold along came some friends of mine in a tricked out 39 Chevy pickup painted purple (after Purple Haze). They were on their way to McCall Idaho and had some window pane with them. I decided McCall was lots closer than New York so I spent 3 days tripping in the woods. I still remember all the patterns in that shiny purple truck.

 

Carl, it is funny that you mentioned window pane and McCall, Idaho. Back in the summer of 74 two friends and I spent three months on the road, camping in a huge 8-man tent and seeing the country. We left home with a half-pound of grass and 100 hits of window pane. We camped in the mountains just north of McCall and I had one of the most fearful experiences of my life there. I always got up first, got the fire going and put on some coffee. I rolled a splif, dropped a hit of window pane, and after a cup of java, decided to take a walk in the woods. It was about six in the morning. I came upon a 50-foot cliff and looked down in time to see a huge grizzley bear standing up on its back feet looking up at me. He must have smelled me long before I arrived. Anyway, he was looking for a way up the incline. I had just come on to the window pane and I absolutely freaked. I must have set a land speed record getting back to the camp site. We went down the mountain, all tripping on the window pane, and had breakfast in some little cafe by the lake in McCall. We hung around that area for about a week before heading down to Twin Falls to watch Evel Knievel try to jump the Snake River Canyon on his rocket cycle. We also took in Expo 74 up in Spokane. I remember doing some window pane and going into the house of mirrors, which was a big mistake.

 

We used to put window pane in our eyes. Made for a very Heavy eye trip..LOL

[warpedbored]

I've done that. Peak in like 10 minutes. We got up real early, watched the sun come up then watched Saturday morning cartoons. Wiley Coyote was awesome.

 

We used to put window pane in our eyes. Made for a very Heavy eye trip..LOL

 

 

[Mick]

Yep, the old eyeball rocketship to the Van Allen Belt. Like you, Carl, I recall catching cartoons while under the influence of window pane, Mr. Natural, and various forms of blotter. I remember watching an old Popeye cartoon one time and just had to be literally picked up off the floor from laughing so hard. We also once were kicked out of a little Mom and Pop cafe down in Huntsville about eight o'clock one morning. We played Jerry Reed's "When You're Hot You're Hot" on the juke box and for some reason, went into uncontrollable gales of laughter. Also got booted out of a Woolworth's snack bar in Phoenix once after I attacked a banana split that had mysteriously come to life right there on the counter. What made it worse was the fact that it was not my banana split.