1 September 2011 We were up a 5:30AM, did the final packing, and Dick and I were on our way to Strawberry while Cris went to work. This was my introduction to the many variations of the “Strawberry Shuffle”.
The first shuffle is to get into the venue, Camp Mather, just outside Yosemite Park. We were in “the line” by 6:30AM. There were hundreds of vehicles ahead of us and by the time the venue opened at 7:00AM there were hundreds behind us. The goal is to get in and stake out a camp site before all the desirable spots are taken. Once we were in, Dick took a shortcut to where he wanted to be and we were happy with our land claim. I'm thinking that this behavior is appropriate here in the region of California made famous by the gold rush.
The next shuffle, repeated daily, is to stake a claim for your chairs in front of the main stage. On this first day it starts at 2PM and on subsequent days it starts at midnight. People bring their sleeping bags and sleep in “the line” in order to secure real estate for their chairs. Dick chose to do this for us each night (thanks mate!). We usually got him “in line” about 1AM and he was 40 or 50 back from the head of the line. By 7AM, when the line is allowed to feed into the stage area, there are hundreds in “the line”. There is a staff member on duty all night to look after “the line” and issue “potty passes” so you won't lose your stake when nature calls. On this first day, the chairs were in place by late afternoon, then Dick introduced me to several of his friends and we had a wee jam.
The next shuffle was when Cris showed up about 6:30PM and we went to stand “in line” to buy dinner.
Finally we went to the main stage, and our well placed chairs, to enjoy the evening concerts.
Americana for the day: waiting “in the line”
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