After hundreds of miles of traveling the West Coast, we capped off our summer by attending Burning Man!
What is Burning Man?
It’s hard to capture its essence in words. Burning man is an annual gathering that takes place in a remote corner of the NW Nevada desert at a place called Black Rock City. The “city” is a temporary metropolis that is created entirely by participants of the event and completely disappears after the festival ends. There are a number of distinct principles that serve as guidance for participants. Some things that make this event stand out are it’s commitment to non-consumerism and the requirement that each participant practice “radical self reliance”. It’s also an amazing place filled with creative art, costumes, structures, music, workshops, and things to interest people of just about any persuasion, age, or background.
Desert Camping
As part of the whole self-reliance thing, we had to show up completely prepared to survive 10 days off-grid in uniquely harsh desert camping environment. Having a good deal of time boondocking under our belts, we weren’t the least-prepared first-time Burners. Still though, there’s a lot we could’ve done better. The good news is that we toughed it out and came away with plenty of notes on how to make a better camp next time.
Driving through the salt flats of Utah.
Heading into Black Rock City. The dust caused near white-out conditions.
Minimalist daytime camp set-up.
Dust storm in BRC.
Biking the Playa.
Cruising the Playa during the day.
The Man. (He’s at least two stories tall.)
LOVED the Dough Boy shrine at the Man!
The Temple, with an art car parked out front. Art cars were one of the things we loved the most about the experience.
Ryan, biking to one of our favorite art structures. The quality and scale of the artwork really blew us away!
So disappointed that we didn’t get to see this robot in action!
Neighborhood at the edge.
There’s that tower again – P.S. The top shoots flames every half hour.
Victriola at Night.
Playa at Night. It’s all LED’s all the time.
The Man on Burn Night.
The Burn.
Post Burning Man
Though we tried to keep it out, by the end of the week the Playa dust covered every surface of our bus. After Burning Man, we spent over an hour at a car wash in Reno power washing all of the dust off the bus’ exterior. Cleaning the interior was another beast, and took us about 12 hours to wash everything inside the bus with a white vinegar solution. Four loads of laundry later and all traces of the Playa were gone.
Taking the bus to the car wash.
After 10 days in the desert, we were very ready for a chance of pace. So, after picking up our pets from their boarding facilities in Reno, we headed to Lake Tahoe and spent a week enjoying the cool, clear waters, and lush forests.
The perfect antidote to the desert.
Would we go back?
Despite all of the prep work required and the harsh conditions, the answer to this question is a resounding HECK YES!
We Got Schooled 
Ok. You guys vased on those pictures did a total 10 day Mel Gibson Mad Max/Road Warrior adventure. Brave hearts all the way!
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We went many times while you two lovelies were at Burning Man, to U-Tube to watch many videos about it. Hoping each time we would we would spot you. Ha, no such luck!!! Actually we found ourselves considering attending Burning Man also, sometime soon, Thank you for the pictures. Love to both, John and Verla
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WOW.
I CAN SEE WHY YOU WENT, AS ARTISTS IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY INSPIRING AND AMAZING. Your G Ma would be prou of your adventures spirits. What a long strange trip it’s been.
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