A yearly event, Black Butte River Ranch put on a free July 4th party for the community, and for several years the Cavepainters were on the bill. Across from the hunting camp at the confluence of the Middle Eel and Black Butte Rivers, someone had erected a stone shelter and a wheelchair ramp up to the home above. This is a favorite photograph of Steve, supremely happy. We usually took off into Mendocino National Forest after a gig in this area, but this time we had a passenger, so we headed right home.

Nevermind, we were soon to head north to Portland Brewfest, staying at Steve’s sister’s house, and then continuing on to Washington to visit my brother and his wife. There was a great deal of chaos going on in the background, and I ended up with a case of shingles, after suffering weird painful sleepless nights for a couple of weeks. I did very little writing, and my powers of observation were blunted. Brewfest was fun, though, many beers were good, and Portland was still lovely back then. We just had to hike along the river through great stands of Mullein, and cross a bridge to the festival, no driving.

My brother had always built model cars, and this is a small selection of his collection. I’m really sorry I couldn’t take some, later. There were some rare gems, very nicely done. The back of the property was wilderness down to a ravine and Mill Creek, later to become the name of the little town that grew up around them. There was a catio on the back deck, three inside cats and several outdoors, and of course, raccoons..

From there we took a ferry across to Port Angeles, where I was unable to connect with an old aquaintance in Sequim, so we continued around through just-then-famous Forks to the Hoh Forest.

We continued camping down the peninsula to Wyanahoochee Dam, then on to Oregon to visit my sister and her husband, with an obligatory visit to the Grand Ronde casino.

Heading down the coast we stopped at Foster’s Bar, a campground on the Rogue River where there was once a farmhouse. Finally on the Van Duzen River we did a final packup, sorting things to be washed and things to be stored. Heading home, we unloaded at sunset on what might have been August 6, and it was wonderful to sit on the porch again and watch the twilight roll in through the wires.

Meadow Muffin XXXIII, a yearly celebration on Memorial Day Weekend, at the Browns Valley Aerodrome above Marysville, below Collins Lake and the Feather River. The Cavepainters, Matt, Rick, Laurie, Steve, Barry, John, Ed, played Sunday afternoon, May 25, 2008.

This is me by the creek, wearing the commemorative shirt, 33rd anniversary edition. Though not every year had Muffins, all the years since 1975 were still counted. And here’s Steve.

Monday morning we headed out Hiway 120 to Benton Hot Springs in the Rain-and stayed at the Inn. Then through Chidago Canyon–a stop to check out the petroglyphs, and sublime cool winds from a storm over the White Mountains.

After stopping in Panamint to buy a bottle of wine at an exorbitant outpost price, we camped in Snow Canyon, where a short way above our campsite Steve found a Puma carcass, well picked by local varmints.   There was no way through, so we headed back to Death Valley and on to Beatty for gas, maybe a hot dog lunch at Scotty’s Castle.

After gassing up in Beatty, we drove back through Death Valley and up Warm Springs Road. We enjoyed dips in the warm spring pool and spent the night at the Camp, foolishly cleaning the swimming pool and trying to divert water to it.  Mistake.

Up early and on the road to Striped Butte to check out the open cabins there, we turned around because of the impassable condition of the road to Goler Wash. It was scary hot, a little muggy after the storm, so back for a second night. Heading out the next morning through the Valley to Lone Pine, we camped that night near the the base of Whitney Portal, in a little canyon up George Creek .  .  .  where we saw a ghost.

The next day we went for our traditional last day breakfast of chicken fried steak in Lee Vining, then up over Tioga Pass, returning May 31 in time for the Ravines’ Webcast at Ex’Pressions, and to play Spud’s on Sunday June 1 w/ Arsene Kounde on crazy drums. More gigs and parties to come.