Anybody else going to be at Burning Man this year? I know BobWhite will be there in his 182...I'll be looking for you Bob. If anyone from here ends up there, I will be in my silver Tundra at 3:45 and Catharsis, our camp has an observation tower constructed.

What an event. A temporary city of 38,000 people springs up from the desert playa, featuring art, engineering, random "art cars", and of course your normal pagan hippy attractions like naked people riding bicycles with a paper mache likeness of ET in a basket on the handlebars. Yes!!

Zane

zane wrote:...and of course your normal pagan hippy attractions like naked people riding bicycles with a paper mache likeness of ET in a basket on the handlebars. Yes!!

Zane

I guess that's O.K. as long as the naked people don't look like ET.

The Twin Commander(or is that an Islander?) behind me is one of about 50 aircraft that showed up.

I'm back. I am going to stop describing Burning Man as a hippyfest, because while this is the kind of thing that attracts hippies, it is really about creative people who are party to something truly amazing.

Photos: http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=77

A temporary city of 35,000 people materializes from nothing, populated by extreme works of home garage engineering. It reminds me of Da Vinci Days in Corvallis, OR, where science and engineering meet art. Hundreds of Mad Max style vehicles roam the desert playa, ranging from ours (multi platform hauler based on a John Deere Gator chassis) to enormous double masted land-schooners like the La Contessa, to propane blowing choo-choo trains hauling a mobile disco. It's the rave culture meets open minded designers, in a brutal environment. It's a celebration of human ingenuity in a post-apocalytic environment. I knew this as soon as I climbed up the side of the ThunderDome. Yes, that ThunderDome, from Mad Max III starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. Two men enter, one man leaves.

We breathed a lot of playa dust as we rode umpteen million miles on our bikes, wearing makeshift bandana respirators and ski goggles. Check the photos. I have to tend to my sunburn. Zane out. [/i]

Hey, I learned how to dance when I was a hippy.

Mellow, nude, hippy girls in the desert. Sounds like paradise. I'm showing up next year with my mountain bike, loincloth and bandana. Trying to figure out how to fill the jacuzzi once I get it there.

http://www.burningman.com/

Noticed on the ticket sales information page they state you must be prepared to pay in cash at the gate and they don't accept sexual favors for gate fees.

Where does Burning Man burn-- is it at Alvord, Bonneville Salt Flats, or ??
Does anyone's creatively- engineered vessel/platform do anything productive and/or efficient, or is it just to put on a show?

Eric

Burning Man is held on the Black Rock Desert playa about 100 mi NE of Reno. It's an environment very similar to the Alvord.

Zero - The contraptions don't have much practical use other than riding something fun and exciting to look at across a huge desert playa. Kind of like a chaotic parade of really good floats.

Supercubber - "Sexual favors"... Not to far from the reality of what goes on out there in some cases. We'll see you in your loin cloth next year! Umm wait, that sounds weird... nevermind.

It said if you pay on arrival the gate fee is $350.00, so I can imagine they do get offers of every kind, sexual and otherwise.

Guess if you buy your tickets early you can get them for around $250.00 or so.

Where did you buy your tickets and how much were they?

They also have information on how you can become an ordained minister in a few minutes by visiting another site so you can officially/legally marry couples at the event.

Did you see this girl there

Edited to insert pic...

We got our tickets for $195, prepurchased online in January.

I didn't see that exact girl but I saw many lookalikes. Anything you can dream up, something weirder exists out there.

The Burning Man airport has over a hundred airplanes fly-in for the event, and there are probably well over a thousand landings and take offs. I gave 10 sets of scenic flights to volunteers and couple of other "deserving" passengers myself. Besides seeing the event itself, I spotted several herds of wild horses and some antelope within a few miles.
The festival itself is to celibrate the idea of gifting to others from the experience of Larry Harvey, the founder. It has evolved into a display of innovative art, Carnival as in Brazil, rock concerts, a few old amusment rides and the Star Wars characters lubricated and shaken well and then poured into a carefully laid out city. Tickets cost $175 in January, the price goes up later. About 35,000 people attend, many staying in theme camps with offering to others in the spirit of gifting.
As in all things human, the experience is different and varies depending on your your objectives and motivation. Some go for things I don't care for at all, but almost all go to have a good time and enjoy the gift of life.
Burn On Bob

zane wrote:Anybody else going to be at Burning Man this year? I know BobWhite will be there in his 182...I'll be looking for you Bob. If anyone from here ends up there, I will be in my silver Tundra at 3:45 and Catharsis, our camp has an observation tower constructed.

What an event. A temporary city of 38,000 people springs up from the desert playa, featuring art, engineering, random "art cars", and of course your normal pagan hippy attractions like naked people riding bicycles with a paper mache likeness of ET in a basket on the handlebars. Yes!!

Zane

A note of info for those who're thinking of attending for their first time:
Check out the website for the basics.
Remember that there are NO spectators at Burning Man. Everyone must chip in to making the event unique, as your own contribution. Let your imagination be your guide.
The previous two years I gave flight-seeing rides to total strangers, (with strange being the operative word, in some cases!) All were nice, gracious and extremely thankful for the gift. Oh, that's right - it's a gift economy, only. No sales, trades, or even expectations of renumeration at the event ('cept for only one coffee & ice booth for the local town school program). It totatlly flies in the face of our material - conditioned culture, and makes it a very especially unique time.
To say much more might be spoiling the plot for those who've yet to go.
Enjoy, Orange Sunshine Cessna, (Berk)

zane wrote:The Twin Commander(or is that an Islander?) behind me is one of about 50 aircraft that showed up.

Hey! That's my old '59 square-tail 172 in the background! What're the chances of that? How cool to see her tucked away, pretending not to notice that she's being caught on camera for publication.
Come see me there. I'll be parked & camped in the front row, where the riders can find me easily - that is, unless my sweetie ends up insisting on avoiding the 6:00 am Continental 0-300 alarm clock, in which case we may park further out in the rows.
Enjoy, Berk (Orange Sunshine Cessna)

I'll probably be attending again this year. Here's a photo of my 'just finished in time - no paint yet' for 2005:



I totally agree on the note to participate somehow. The last couple of years I've helped my friend Hedley with software on his cool 'twelve tall spinning lighted arms - alien semaphore.' This year, I'm making two small devices with lasers motors - we'll see if they work.

With that many aircraft attending are there designated runways or is everyone just landing wherever. CTAF?

Any fuel available?

Closest city?

Thanks

Supercubber wrote:With that many aircraft attending are there designated runways or is everyone just landing wherever. CTAF?

There's a runway put together by an amazing (volunteer!) airport manager and a bunch of other kind volunteers. For more information see http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/airport/. Definitely subscribe to the pilot's mailing list if you are considering flying in.

Any fuel available?

Last year there was some talk of this, but I didn't participate in the group fuel purchase so I don't know how that turned out. I'll bet the pilots mailing list will begin talking about this soon.

Closest city?

Empire is the closest with a runway - but you probably don't want to go there. Winnemucca is a good contender if you are going out to refuel.

This is two mile north of the event, east side of the playa.

The first time I saw the city I was 25 miles out. I thought "No way, that just can't be real." My friends had talked me into dropping them off....I did not know they had a free ticket. They tricked me big time.

Ok so I've been back 6 times.

Did some engineering work on this.


70 feet high, 40 tons, rocks 18k pounds.

Supercubber wrote:Any fuel available?
Thanks

In 2005 some folks pooled their order to get some avgas delivered. Not cheap, but saves time & fuel going to Winnemucca (sp?? ).
Otherwise, bring some cans, and shlep fuel from town, or maybe riders will scrounge some for a gift for you, if you can use mogas.
And remember, everyone's a participant...how will you meld into the mix? It's totally up to you.
Looking forward to being in the desert with all of you! Enjoy, Berk