The Woodstock hippie generation

[Bill N]

I was a kid, a surfer, a hot rodder, a dope smoking hippy, a soldier, a biker,  a husband, a father, and now I'm a retired RVer,
everything that I was,  made me what I am today.
 
I'm ok with all of it .

Although I am not  of your generation Tony, I mostly agree with what you said.  What offends me the most is some media stories imply that most of the homeless are veterans as if being a veteran is what led to their homlessness.  Homeless has nothing to do with being a veteran.  Being a veteran, especially in the last few years, has become a point of pride and I am amazed at how many "Thank you for your service" comments I hear nowadays.  It wasn't always that way as many of you can attest.  There are a lot of things about this country of which I am no longer proud but the armed forces and their members are certainly not one of them.  They are the best and each and every one volunteered to do the job.

 

[Mountain high]

A decade old post update...

If the morbid calculations are correct, then 1/3 of the US Baby Boomer Generation have passed away.

 

[LarsMac]

Well, over 60% of us Baby Boomers are still alive.
Though I have noticed that nearly half of those I see in the Obituaries, these days, are Boomers.

The last of the Pre-Boomers are now hitting 80. I, personally, am encouraged by the number of them still getting around.
When I was a Teen, most of the people I though of as 'old' were hardly as old as I am, now.

 

[LarsMac]

As for Woodstock, I was in Navy 'A' School when I saw the news about it. The instructor asked, "How many of you wish you were there, now?"
I and about a dozen others raised our hands.
We were rewarded with a week of extra duty.

 

[Laura & Charles]

A decade old post update...

If the morbid calculations are correct, then 1/3 of the US Baby Boomer Generation have passed away.

View attachment 170481

Attended my 50 year high school reunion last year. Our class has a very dedicated committee doing a committed job of keeping tabs on all our hs classmates. About 2/3 of us remaining sounds about right. We’ve lost at least 2 more since the reunion… so, as one would expect, there’ll be fewer of our class’ survivors every day.

 

[Ray-IN]

Well, over 60% of us Baby Boomers are still alive.
Though I have noticed that nearly half of those I see in the Obituaries, these days, are Boomers.

The last of the Pre-Boomers are now hitting 80. I, personally, am encouraged by the number of them still getting around.
When I was a Teen, most of the people I though of as 'old' were hardly as old as I am, now.

I was 81 Dec. 25; still feel like 61 in my mind_ body says "dreamer". Dad passed a 84, mom at 99. My fraternal grandfather was in the civil war. A cousin was killed in WWII.
I still drive our MH, although a bit slower, hopefully to match my slowing reaction time.

 

[Laura & Charles]

Given the title of this thread, I thought I’d share this pic of yours truly, age 18.

 

[Oldgator73]

Given the title of this thread, I thought I’d share this pic of yours truly, age 18.
View attachment 170495

Is this Laura or Charles?

 

[Tulecreeper]

I was 11, living in Marysville, CA. Yours truly, after a successful quail hunt over the levee behind our house with my trusty, yet unreliable companion, Buck. Yes, I was allowed to go hunting by myself after school. You remember those days - back when young people could be trusted with a gun without parental supervision to not to shoot themselves or each other.

 

[1stimerver]

Wow !! As a Boomer and a member of the Woodstock generation, I'm amazed at the negative images being expressed. Many of us have become professionals, raised families and are comfortably enjoying retirement as the result of our contributions to society. Smoking pot and being responsible and productive are not mutually exclusive, just as using alcohol doesn't make you a drunk derelict. Many got old too soon and smart too late to learn that life lesson.
Safe travels and all the best

 

[Mountain high]

I was 12 years old in 1969 when I joined the Boy Scouts. Made Eagle Scout and avoided drugs. Never heard of Woodstock until much later having been raised in Southern California. That same year my Dad towed a TT for camping. He took us to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado from our home with his 1968 Oldsmobile Rocket 455 V8. It had trouble getting restarted on top due to the high elevation. We also stopped in Ruth, Nevada and watched a huge copper pit mining controlled massive explosion.

I recall camping in Yosemite Valley during that time where it was overcrowded with hippies who tried to steal our family's Coca Cola ice chest. I still have it. The hippies appeared quite stoned or drunk and would jump way too close to us off of the bridges into the Merced River while we rafted underneath. I decided from our family trips in California that when I grew up to move to Colorado. I've never looked back. Wouldn't have moved here if it wasn't for my Dad's TT travels.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I was 25 in 1969 and lived across the Hudson River from Woodstock & Bethel (where the Festival was) at the time. I worked at the IBM Lab in Poughkeepsie so was already a working professional despite my location and age. Timothy Leary lived nearby as well (Millbrook). The entire Mid-Hudson River region was popular with "hippies" during the summer months, though I was never one of them. But we used to visit the town of Woodstock 3-4 times a year in the early 70's and it was a hippie Mecca. Bob Dylan was a regular in Woodstock village in those days and sometimes played his music in the street. We would stop to listen and chat a bit.

 

[Oldgator73]

I graduated HS in 1969 In Daytona Beach, Fl. Lots of pot, LSD and other stuff around. I didn’t partake too much. My drug of choice was Budweiser and J&B scotch. The Almond Joys, later the Almond Brothers, used to play at the teen hangouts. Daytona had its share of Woodstock hippie types. I have no clue what they grew up to be. Left in 1975 for the AF and only went back for short visits.

 

[Compadre]

I attended HS from 67-71. Lots of stuff going on nationally. Woodstock, Kent State and the war in Vietnam were big. Had 2 older brothers serving in the war. One has never fully recovered.

For me, the assassination of RFK and especially of MLK jr had the biggest impacts on my development. Today, on MLK Day, am hoping that our RV community can recognize that our minority members might have it a bit harder than the rest of us.

 

[whiteva]

WOW... 1969? Uncle Sam said some of those folks in VN were bad guys. Here is a BUFF loaded with 108, 750 pound trinkets to give away to those who oppose our politicians.


BUFF