Mount Tamalpias

While reading a comment posted by Yorkshire Pudding on this very site; something he said caused me to begin to reminisce. It doesn't take much to get me started.
When I was in Jr. High..It used to be called Jr. High, I lived in San Francisco.
My mother scored some tickets to an outdoor rock festival. I actually Googled the name Mt Tamalpias, 1967, rock festival and came up with this listing for Janis Joplin's band Big Brother.

July 2, 1967 Big Brother
Mt. Tamalpais Outdoor Festival, Marin, CA

Janis Joplin Concert Dates
Then after looking further I got

There was actually one music festival previous to the Monterey Pop Festival - The Fantasy Faire & Magic Festival held at the Mt. Tamalpais Outdoor Theater the previous weekend. The Doors were among the performers at this festival which drew more than 15,000 fans. While covered in the local press, perhaps it was not seen as the beginning of a trend, or perhaps the lack of filming caused it to be overlooked by the media, which would certainly back up Mr. McLuhan's theories.

Also appearing at The Fantasy Faire & Magic Festival were: the Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, The Byrds, The Seeds, The Grass Roots, Tim Buckley, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Capt. Beefheart & His Magic Band, Country Joe & the Fish, Moby Grape, Spanky and Our Gang and many others.

Strange Days Album Notes

I know this was it because, the day that we went I saw all of the above.
The day before were other bands, I think Cream, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Greatful Dead.

As I said my mom worked for the Civil Service on base at The Presido. Somehow or another she came up with 5 tickets. So she took me and the daughter of a woman she worked with, Celeste, an older woman that she worked with and one of the young service men that my mom was always trying to give a home away from home.

We got up very early and drove and drove to get to Mt Tamalpias. Where upon we all parked in this school parking lot and boarded school buses..at least that's what I remember... Then we started up the mountain.
To say that I am afraid of heights is an understatment. This bus sounded like it was just going to die and at times ...I DO NOT LIE... The rear tires came off the road and dangled over the edge of the mountain. I was petrified.
Eventually we got there in more or less one piece. Mom and her friends sat higher up in the amphetheater but Celeste and I sat very close to the stage. We were probably the only ones there not smoking anything. Can we say contact high.
But it was incredible. Marty Balin from the Airplane was splendid in his green suede jacket and everything else was green including his tongue. (nobody take the green acid)(I know it was brown ... but please. Let me have my fantasies)
Does anyone remember the Seeds? The Grass Roots. The Byrds were... no words.
I don't remember the trip home. I don't think I was afraid. Can anyone guess why?
The next year I moved to Mississippi. There ended my life as I knew it.
In 1969 while everyone else was going to Woodstock-I was living through Camille. While the guys were walking on the moon, I was drinking Pearl Beer out in the middle of my street.
At 19 I married and ceased to be me. I became his wife. Thus was my life until I had my daughter 9 years later and son three years after that.
Still I was Donnie's wife. He was safe. I wasn't a threat. My children made me. Perhaps a psychologist would tell you that you need no one to make you whole. However my children were what I needed. Having them was a large part of why I was put on this earth. And my present husband is another.

Part two. My escape and relcaimng to be continued.