Woodstock NY: Steve's escape weekend

It was a bucket list road trip for me! While I was not quite 10-years old when the Iconic music festival descended on Max Yasgur's farm in 1969, it was the most "interactive" awe-inspiring visit to The Bethel Woods Art & Culture Center. I need to back track to my tires first hitting the Garden State Parkway North. It was a smooth, straight shot to the end of the road where this New Jersey roadway ends and merges with Interstate 87/287 The New York Thruway. From this point on the New York/ New Jersey state line is a straight line 35-40 miles to the Woodstock exit and Rte. 17 to the beautiful land that time forgot. Once in the tiny downtown hamlet, best resembling Cape May's Washington Street Mall without the nearby ocean, residents and visitors together can visit the shops and eateries and be entertained at near by bars. One such popular venue was The Colony featuring a large outdoor back yard stage and picnic table set up. Area performers play classic rock and one such band, The Bob Cats, played a setlist of well known and lesser known Bob Dylan songs. Dylan himself lived in Woodstock for a short while, having moved there in 1963 to escape the pressures of fame in NYC during those early coffeehouse days. To enter the backyard/bar staging area, a simple card table with a scribbled sign said "$10-$20 recommended but Donate what you can." The bouncer was a white-haired "hippie lady," looking like she just jumped out of a Then/Now Festival poster. Her male counterpart, according to my Wikipedia source is "Grandpa Woodstock." He looked and dressed the part of the hippie generation. With flower-power rag-tag attire and sporting a long white beard and cap, he is 81-year old Allyn Richardson, originally from Bristol, Ct. He was a gainfully employed truck driver in his younger 1960's days. He was downsized in his job in 1968 and according to his Wiki legend, he found his way to Woodstock. He claims to not have had a real job since 1968. He maintains his God-given role in life is to spread love and peace to visitors and locals alike. He claims to have fathered seven kids in his lifetime and counts upward to 27 grandkids. So, back to Bethel Woods, the original site of the infamous Rock Festival in August, 1969. Google maps shows the 63 mile distance from Woodstock to the site. These are not interstate miles. There is no direct route. So, that's winding back roads 63 miles and it takes just under two hours. It was well worth it. Winding roads and slowing for deer and fox is common (and happened for us). No bear sightings as we were told that's more likely on trash days when cannisters are rolled out the the roadway. Once having arrived at the Bethel Woods location and standing on that hallowed ground, it was well worth the trip. A museum "volunteer" arriving at the same time, advised us to go to outdoor memorial site (see blog photo)before paying the $22.00 admission for the museum/art center exhibits. He said we could better visualize and appreciate the field layout when watching several of the motion-censored movie theater presentations. One such movie reel shown in a restored hippie bus, where we sit in the bus seats to view the windshield screen. Another larger screen presentation included several beanbag chairs on the floor, which I definitely took advantage of. The restroom corridor walls were adorned with setlists from each artist and the time they were on stage along with pictures. My personal favorites to this day are Jimi Hendrix and John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival). I was Triggered of real life experiences I've had with some of these complicated artists including Stephen Stills and the day I was Emceeing/ introducing John Sebastian on stage at Gardiners Basin in Atlantic City in the early 1990's. I put on my best DJ voice at his main microphone. Apparently, I was a bit too excitable as he personally yanked me away from his mic and started dancing me away with his guitar strapped on saying, I don't want a hype intro. (Bad experience)* Remember, to me at the time he was the "Welcome Back Kotter" guy who sang the theme song to the popular 1970's sitcom. I had the record as a young teen. That was my only reference to John Sebastian. Seeing him well documented at the Arts Center brought it all back for me. Great experiences with John Fogerty brought those pleasant memories back with a smile! ALL in all, If you need a great escape route from the day-to-day and "mayhem coverage" on news channels, the quaint surroundings and peacefulness of upstate New York and Rock N Roll heaven is a must. Oh, I bought a pair of round blue-tinted Janis Joplin styled sunglasses, because, you know, I'm joe-cool DJ.