Mechanic removed a link and added a spacer to the spindle, which seems to have helped. Test ride at Sugar Bottom (http://www.icorrmtb.org/) was much better than before, with the exception of one shift over rough terrain that caused the chain to suck up into the frame, but it dropped right back out. Hope to do more testing over the next few weeks.
Actually my frame is a 2001 Homegrown Factory Limited and the specs are very similar to what are found here:
http://bonustomato.com/models/2001-homegrown-factory-limited-factory-ht