Bohemian Groove!

Just returned from a great trip up to the Russian River and the Bohemian Grove.  My friend Chris has been a member for many years and he invited me to join his camp.  We arrived about 3pm on Thursday and quickly integrated ourselves into the music scene.  That day we saw about 7 bands at the various camps and venues.  It was amazing.  There are about 2500 members and guests - all male in attendance this weekend.  Meals are sometimes in the camps but there is also a huge common area for meals.

The most amazing thing about the camp is the location.  All the redwoods are 1st growth so many are over 1500 years old.  The canyon is tight and beautiful.  Camps are spread thru a large area and many are perched on the sides of the valley.  It is truly spectacular. No electronics are allowed, the only way to communicate with the outside world is a bank of land line phones.

The days are filled with lectures and music.  Our camp was very nice with a huge deck and stage as well as an enclosed area with seating inside.  We had a musical performance on the stage as well as a speaker one afternoon.  Lunch at the camp followed.  Prepared by our crew of 4 in excellent fashion.

The musical highlights included a soul/R&B show with some of my favorite songs, a tribute to the Eagles (we scored front row as Chris had his timing down) and a jam session at one of the camps with fiddlers and guitars.

I met some very cool folks and had a very memorable weekend.  They have been hosting these weeks and weekends for over 100 years at this venue.  A weekend I will not soon forget!