Pot-Seeking Caravans Headed for Marijuana Meccas

Now that the laws are on the books in both Colorado and Washington state making the recreational use of marijuana legal, boomers all over the United States are hitting the road, plotting plans to get their fair share of the heavenly harvest while doing their best to stay under the radar of the local authorities in surrounding states.

'Maravans' as they are called, caravans of cars that are leaving from cities all over the US and headed for the two states that have what they want--marijuana--are becoming a regular sight on the nation’s back roads.

“Me and the old lady have terrible back pains and we are sick and tired of the doctors giving us narcotics to treat it,” said Graham F., of Austin, Texas.

“Colorado is only a day’s drive from our home, where we have friends who have been growing their quota and are saving us a 'slice of the pie' so to speak."

"And let's face it. The fact that we can also smoke it for the hell of it without being arrested, is like having that slice of pie come ala mode," Graham chuckled.

Graham says the price is hefty, but he and others like him are willing to pay to have what they claim God intended them to have to treat their various medical maladies.

Graham and his old lady, 'Sunshine' (not her real name), are a kindly old hippie couple who have opened their home as a staging area for caravans headed for both Colorado and Washington.

They have turned an acre of their six-acre property into a quasi-campground where friends can congregate and map out the plan to hit the farms in Colorado for their medicinal needs.

Recently, a group of his fellow maravaners drove to his home in Austin from as far away as Charlotte, North Carolina to enjoy some of the down-home peace and camaraderie they have been missing for the better half of their lives.

“It’s like old times again,” said Jesus B., a retired carpenter from Somerset, Georgia, who just arrived at Graham’s home the evening before.

“We’ve been sitting around, giddy like little kids, talking about the good old days."

Marcus, another maravaner, brought his acoustic, and Mary Ellen, his wife, sings along to the old protest songs such as 'Blowin' in the Wind' and Crosby, Stills, and Nash's, 'Ohio.'

"We’re all just having a down-home hootenanny of sorts," said Paul, "with some Dylan and Zeppelin mixed in for good measure.

Paul was also selling home-made tie-dyed t-shirts with a picture of an old Airstream camper with a bumper sticker that says "Colorado or Bust." In Paul's opinion, making the trip to Colorado or Washington for pot is as important today as it was for the gold miners seeking gold in California back in the 1800s.

Graham says he doesn’t charge for allowing folks to camp on his property, and that he and his wife say it's the least they can do for friends who are in dire need of two things--a place to re-live the old hippie days, and a simple weed that cures just about everything that ails them.

“They pay me in friendship,” said Graham.

“And they share their good fortune with me around the campfire at night before they head back home with their treasure,” he added with a smile and a wink. “If you know what I mean.”

As the party winds down, the various couples begin to wander back to their individual campers, ready to bed down for the night and hoping for sweet dreams of finally getting their marijuana legally.

"It's been nearly a half century to finally see this day," said Graham, referring to January 1, 2014, when, for the first time in American history, the recreational use of marijuana will be legal in two states.

"It's just too bad our reasons now for wanting it are to help ease aches and pains instead of partying our asses off, as it was in the olden days," said the optimistic old hippie before limping off to his own bed for the night.

Ed. Note: Beginning Wednesday, January 1, 2014, the recreational use of marijuana will be legal in two states--Washington and Colorado. Traffic to and from these states is expected to be quite heavy, so plan accordingly. And remember, the recreational use of marijuana in the other 48 states is still illegal unless and until you do your part to help get the measure on the ballots in your own states. Go to NORML.org if interested in helping the cause.