Ready for burning man . . .
We drove in to South Lake Tahoe to get ready to go to Burning Man. Burning Man is a community built in the desert for a week of art, workshops and bike riding and so much more . . . . . The pups are not allowed. We decided to take them to the Tahoe Lake prior to dropping them off at the dog sitter. We took them to the Tallac Shoreline or what I would call doggy Disneyland. It had all the different smells, species and water. They had fun frolicking with others and enjoying the walk. By the time we got to Gabriel, the dog sitter, they were tuckered out.
We had gone by Goodwill earlier and had found two good bikes for the Burn. You ride your bike around the approximately 8- mile diameter perimeter. We loaded them up and headed towards another boondocking site high up in the hills. It overlooked Lake Tahoe and a burnt-out forest. It was quiet, dark and rocky – perfect! It was called Echo Summit. We built a large fire and watched the light show of the sun setting over the opposite mountains.
When we entered California from Nevada earlier that day we had to stop at a check point. They wanted to make sure our firewood did not contain any critters or fungus. They also checked for spider eggs. Interesting enough they didn’t check our produce or ask anything about the dogs.
We drove in to Reno for our first hotel stay in four months. The full-size shower and the Indian food in the restaurant were great. We had done our shopping for Burning Man in Carson City, the capital of Nevada (population 58,000). You must bring everything you need in to Burning Man. There is nothing for sale except ice.
Burning Man had started on Sunday. We were planning on going in on Wednesday. The site is located on a flat, dry alkaline lakebed. It is referred to as the “Playa”. It is a temporary city built and then dismantled – leaving no trace of its existence. The weather had been a little volatile the last couple of years (hmmm – wonder why?). There was a huge dust storm on Saturday and Monday and rains. Some of the camps and art were destroyed and not to be rebuilt. The ground becomes a mud mess. I remembered in 2023 you have to take 30 lbs. of mud with you on each step. The gate for entry to the event was even closed a couple of times this year due to the weather early in the week. When we looked at the weather on Wednesday there was more rain and wind storms expected. We delayed our entry until Thursday morning.
We drove up to the west side of Pyramid Lake and camped at the northernmost spot on Wednesday. You had to stop in the ranger station and get a permit to camp on the tribal lands. We experienced a fantastic storm that afternoon with a double rainbow. The storm was between us and Black Rock City (Burning Man). We watched the lightning, sand storm and rain move across the lake. What a sight. We even saw our camper as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (of which I think it is). The sunset afterwards was a magical orange glow.
We arrived at the entry gate with no lines about 11a.m. on Thursday with the sun shining and no wind. Bill was a sport and rolled in the dirt and rung the bell as a virgin Burner. When you arrive, you are initiated in to the dusty land this way. Every one greets you with “Welcome Home”. And it does feel like home in surreal way . . . .
We had signed up to be a part of the Do-It-Yourself camp (DYI). There are many different camps at Burning Man. We drove to C and 5:45 and parked our camper truck next to my best friend Darlene’s tent. This was our fifth burn together and our first one where we each brought virgin burners. Not fifteen minutes later we were set up to “work” (volunteer). Bill handed out “aqua fresca” or flavored electrolyte water and I worked the crafts. It was a great beginning. After a couple of hours, we rode out on the Playa and looked at the detailed and LARGE art. We came back to camp, ate a little dinner, and then walked out to witness the spectacle of Burning Man at night. It can be a little sensory overload at night. There are so many lights, people, bicycles, art cars about that you can get overwhelmed. We made it back after a couple of hours to lay our heads down to the booming beat of music everywhere.
Burning Man – to me – is about community, ART, self-expression and self-reliance. Each year I go people ask about the drugs, sex and rock and roll. They are certain this is what it is all about. It’s how our society views those that do not exist within the realms of what is considered normal. I can only relate to my own personal experience. I haven’t seen anyone wasted, having sex and the music I hear is what I choose. Just like the extremism that was noted about the rains – nobody was stranded- people weren’t struggling to survive. If they were, they came unprepared and there was surely a person there ready to help. The creativity of the artists that place their work (where some is burned during the week to show life’s impermanence) is my reason for showing up. I am always inspired.
Our camp mates were fun. Riding out to the playa during the day and night were two different experiences. The art at night with the lights on them looks completely different than the day. The roads from the rain made it extremely bumpy. It was quite hard on the lower extremities. At night it was just easier to walk around. We went in to center camp Friday night to a futuristic “robot “show of human beings. We left there and went to the Jazz club. Musicians just show up and start playing music together. It was fantastic! The keyboard player, two saxophones, base guitar, drums, double base were all in sync and had never played together. They asked the audience if anyone could come up and sing a certain song and a woman gets up – says she’s never sang before in public, and nails it. The unexpected pleasures of Burning Man. The Man gives youwhat you need.
We walked out with our camp mates on Saturday to sit together and watch the Man burn. It was a beautiful evening with the moon setting behind the mountains. The fire dancers were many and the desert was aglow. The fireworks show that begins prior to the man lighting on fire was spot on. Then the man explodes and begins its fiery demise. Watching it with 50,000 other people was a site. There is always loud booming music that resonates on the playa. It feels no better than the pulsating man burning. We walked back to camp with a contemplative nature of what might be.
A video compilation of our view of Burning Man 2025 can be seen here: https://youtu.be/dfdzMeVuMpg
We left out early Sunday with no traffic and no bad weather during the time we were there. We went back to Pyramid Lake and unwound. Our short time there and we felt sensory overload. We watched as cows walked by us wondering what we were doing there. It was a peaceful and calm day. We had another beautiful campfire and sunset.
We drove in to Reno the next day and picked up the pups on Tuesday. They were excited to see us and we were them. We didn’t know what to do when we didn’t have to step over them in the camper (!?!).
We are off to visit Bill’s nephew in Nevada City. . . .