The three-year old Further Festival (which has kept the Grateful Dead legacy alive, tie-dyed and on the road with acts like Bob Weir's Ratdog) won't be making its fourth long, strange trip this summer.

Dead spokesman Dennis McNally told MTV News Wednesday that the health of former Dead bass player Phil Lesh, who underwent liver surgery three months ago, led to the decision to take the summer off. Lesh, who McNally says has made a great recovery, will play the sold-out "Phil And Friends" in San Francisco in mid-April, allegedly with Internet-rumored guests Phish. McNally also said that Bob Weir is slowly but surely writing songs to add to the 20 he already has set aside for a debut Ratdog album.

As for the long-discussed "Terrapin Station," a psychedelic exploratorium for Deadheads, the band members have not committed to a site on San Francisco's waterfront as reported in the "San Francisco Examiner" on Monday. McNally said "We'll shout it from the rooftops" when a site is finally found.

As we first reported a year ago (see "Deadhead Mecca Planned For San Franciso"), the proposed destination would be a high-tech endeavor geared at helping fans relive the Dead experience.