I know that hill well, Sourdough, and I had a similar experience a few years ago. I'm often thought of attending Strawberry, but I hate driving two-lane roads in the Sierra on holiday weekends. A traffic jam in the mountains seems to be a desecration of the sacredness of nature.
Sorry you weren't able to make it to the festival. Here's a link, so people will know what you missed.
-Joe Offer-