Mojavegreen,
Back in 97 I went to Florida to visit my 3 sons. I had a simple request of my X I did not want to be any where near the guy whom I caught having sex with my wife who she is now married too. Simple request was returned as I was crazy and I could not take my sons to Disney world. I was crazy for loving her so much.
So I went to the Ocala National Forest where there happened to be a gathering. As I hiked down a trail between 2 lakes for some alone time I walked past a tent with a large German Shepard who did not bark at me. The woman in the tent was so impressed by my aura of peacefulness. She offered me a free massage. She said her dog barked at everyone except cool hippies like me. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. She was a registered nurse just like my X. We spent the next 2 weeks together and she went back to Tallahassee with me to visit my sons with me. I spent many hours writing love letters to her and I sent her pictures of DCHS. She was planning a trip to California when she died in a car wreck.
Before that and several years earlier I was at a gathering at Oh My God hot springs near the Salton sea.
Then I was at the first gathering in Colorado back in '72. Both were extremely terrific unforgettable experiences. I did things you would not believe. You might even say I was crazy if I told you about them.
Sorry to hear that you could not catch that groove, I guess I was jus lucky.