Monday May 9th 2022

Hello!  We arrived home around 4 after a 5-hr drive.  It was a good festival, though it got cold (in the 60's with cold winds, and dipped to the low 30's at night) the last two days.  That curtailed the usual night-time jamming for us (we don't own a space heater).  But we had a good time anyway.  Jammed during the day, caught a few bands' sets, visited friends, made new ones.  Only came home with four mosquito bites! 

It was quite a rustic setting, in the midst of rolling hills of cattle ranches.  Parkfield's population is 18, which swells to 1500 during the bluegrass festival!  The V6 Dude Ranch hosts greenhorns, for cattle drives, rodeos, and trail rides -- the whole dude ranch experience.  There is a Parkfield Lodge, with 7 guest rooms, as well as the bunkhouse out at the dude ranch.  The Parkfield Cafe features local grass-fed beef (dh and friends loved their burgers and ribeye steaks), and they serve a wonderful chicken tortilla soup (there is a black bean veggie burger available too). 

We camped in a large field populated with large oak trees with their gnarled branches, and had to dodge many large squirrel holes, when walking place to place (if one didn't stick to the dirt road). 

Parkfield is the home of MANY seismic studies and measurements.  I went on a tour given by a geologist, who explained Parkfield's importance in the area of earthquake monitoring, and answered questions.  We walked 0.5 miles down the road, to a bridge over a ravine.  Water was still running in the bottom of the shallow ravine -- which was formed by the pulling apart of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates!  There is a slight bend to the railing of the bridge, from constant "seismic creep."  Every 20 years or so, Parkfield experiences a large earthquake, then the creep continues again.  It was a very interesting presentation! 

Anyway, it's good to be home, and good to see the fur-babies again!  I had no cell phone service while at the festival, so used a "spare" phone that dh carries.  I didn't get on AN or FB with it (too complicated for me!), but I was able to play Spider Solitaire and read via kindle on my phone (books were already downloaded and ready).

We are unpacked and I have the second load of laundry almost ready to go in the dryer.  I may post photos tomorrow. 

Have a good evening!