Burning Man is its own message. To you, or to me. It's not a game of telephone; we do not journey to the Playa for the same reasons. But we do journey there. And that becomes the shared connection.
The site is an ancient lakebed. In the Pliestocene Era - at the end of the Ice Age, water covered most of the Great Basin in North America. The area that is now Black Rock City was, before, the bottom of Lake Lohontan. At an elevation of almost 4000 feet, the lake's depth was (depending upon your source) 500 to 800 feet. The rainy climate gave in to heat and wind. Now, the flat, pale, dry desert lakebed of alkaline, potash cake forms the firmament of Black Rock City. By the end of this week, BRC will be a figment of the imagination. Over 50,000 people have left no trace. That's not easy. BRC lives for many reasons; my overriding kudos go to a sanitation department that works 24/7 to maintain the port-a-potties that line certain intersections within this fairytale community. They keep it practical; leaving the rest of us to dream. Right now there is a contingent of volunteers who are combing the Playa, looking for MOOP (matter out of place) that will be scooped up and sent away. Pulverized granite was placed at the bases of all artwork that flamed - ensuring the integrity of the Playa - even under the weight of a 28 ton Trojan Horse.
The highway turn-off to BRC lies about 11 miles north of the town of Gerlach, Nevada. And Gerlach is a blink of an eye; about 75 miles northeast of Reno. The drive there is through arid scrub, framed by rocky, thirsty mountains - and a view towards Pyramid Lake that appears like an oasis in the Sahara. (If you google Pyramid Lake you'll be surprised! I plan to stop and swim there - or at least put my feet into its sacred Indian waters - next Burn!). At the Burning Man turnoff - it's just a small sign - we head onto the hard gravel road. The terrain quickly changes to Playa surface, and the 5MPH trek home begins. Even at 8 lanes wide, it can take hours to traverse the 3 miles or so to the actual entrance, where vehicles and tickets are checked. We were part of a small contingent, arriving early, but still the wait was about 2 hours. We danced; we took photos; we hugged with joy. We returned. And, nine days later, we parted - our campers filled with trash bags containing everything from bottles and corks to kleenex and baby wipes. You take home what you bring in.
There is an airport - just beyond 4:30 on the clock. Adam could have arrived there after a commercial flight to Reno; or from the Bay Area. Most flights come in early in the morning when the air is still. The weather was heaven-sent for Thursday thru Sunday. Barely any wind. Flights - and skydivers, and parasailors - were spotted in the blue sky at most every hour of the day.
Sharing is key in this community. Sharing food; sharing a pendant or memento; giving thanks for what is generously received - these are actions that transcend every marker of separation known to man. There is no color here; no age; no gender. And there isn't supposed to be a class demarcation - heaven forbid. But something was different this year. Help me figure this out. 'Mutant vehicles' (creative, imaginative, slow-moving, outrageous works-of-art on wheels) criss-cross the landscape of the Playa; they move slowly so as not to stir up dust, and move slowly in order to allow random Burners to embark/disembark at will. This is thrilling! The random interaction with random Burners on a mutant vehicle creates conversation, inspires ideas - and connections are discovered and made; and then it's onto the Playa for another universal re-enactment of the circle of life. I hopped aboard many times this year; but on the night of the Burn, some vehicles were reserved for 'special parties' - - a first, for me. I caught wind that execs flew in for Saturday night; and with friends/wives/cohorts rode across the Playa. It was a chance for them to experience the amazing color and light - - - and observe and judge the 'burners' - so clearly, from above the fray. If this is so, it needs to stop.
Because Burning Man is not a circus. It is not a sideshow. The Burn attracts its fair share of people who find it to be an uninhibited land of experimentation and celebration. Those who party meld with those who seek enlightenment; those who are here to appreciate engineering and technology sing "Here Comes the Sun" on the platform of Burning Man with complete strangers. No one can interact or learn from or engage with people who watch them from the second-story lounge in air-conditioned comfort - and then head home to espouse on the meaning of this festival.
For one week, Burning Man is the greatest art display in the world. You have seen the photos, I hope! The city is laid out like a clock. Burning Man statue is the center of the timepiece. Above the statue, at 12 o'clock, is the Temple. 3 o'clock, 6, and 9 o'clock are 'portals' - large areas with medical stations as a centerpiece (
). 6 o'clock portal has a centering artwork - this year, it is the design that looks like a cog, or metal notched bolt - and, beyond the portal is the "Center Camp" I talked about in an earlier post. Given the layout of a timepiece; the avenues circle around the hours, ever-widening. The smallest circle - the one closest to the Burning Man (center of the timepiece) is called Esplanade. The next 'circle' is an avenue that goes in a circle from 2 o'clock to 10 o'clock - and it's name begins with an 'A' - last year, the Burn Theme was Metropolis, so the name of avenue A was "Athens"; this year, the theme is 'Rites of Passage' and avenue A is named "Anniversary". The next circle avenue "B" is named "Birthday"; avenue "C" is "Coming Out". Then it gets tricky. Avenue "D" is "Divorce" - and lots of people didn't like that! Nor did they like avenue "F" - "Funeral"! So, all over this revolutionary town, street signs were changed to "debauchery", "delight", "fucking awesome" - and so forth! Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to find different camps. If someone is at "7:30 and Graduation" you don't need a map to find your way there.
Most of the artwork of Burning Man is made somewhere else and brought here in the few weeks before the festival. Crews are here almost year-round now; either cleaning up or preparing for what is to come. I've heard via network news that too many participants showed up for 2011. BM has a close relationship with BLM and the Native American Tribes of the region. I know nothing about their interactions, other than to say that the preservation of the environment is of utmost importance to all concerned.
What can burn will burn. The exquisite photos of the dragon eating its tail; the twisted flower; the lighthouse; the geodesic dome of umbrellas; the cosmic clock - - they are now memories; and inspiration for the next curious work of imagination. NoAngel spoke of this creative process in her Sunday essay. Her literary comparison to childhood creation and destruction and new ideas and creation again was exquisite. And Burning Man is like that. We are children. And we create, and we kick the sand castle and begin again. The memory remains and inspires.
Here's practical stuff:
Riding a bike on the Esplanade at 2AM is scary. No one is looking where they're going.
The guy at the Naked Bar was wearing a penis ring.
Temps range from a daytime high of near 100 to a low of 40 or below before sunrise.
Playa dust makes your hair feel thick and furry.
Bicycling is the only way to go. Decorate! And make sure you have a basket; and always carry a cup. You never know when you'll ride by a camp offering margaritas or hard cider!
Don't ever head out without water. On the Playa - twenty minutes away from 'home' and thirsty - no.
You have to weigh 150 or less to get a ride on the hot air balloons
Bring your ID; bars were told they'd be busted if they served anyone under 21.
Music plays 24-7; bring earplugs if you need to sleep
No bathrooms. Not one. Get used to holding your breath and peeing fast.
Most Burners belong to a 'camp' - camp designations are made by request at burningman.com - once a camp is designated, the cars/campers create the perimeter, and within the perimeter is where the tents and eating areas, etc. are set up.
Many camps have themes or artwork; and they need help getting it going! At the website you will be able to see requests for all sorts of volunteers. This is how I became involved in the Trojan Horse Project!
Burning Man is not for everyone. Some people come and leave; give it a try but it's not for them. Some come and enjoy; and then hit a 'wall' - find a way to get through it or say goodbye and leave the Playa.
As far as my experience:
Yes, I think it was Adam on Sunday morning. But I wouldn't have intruded upon his happiness or his moment any more than he would have interrupted my quest to see sunrise at the Temple.
Burns began on Thursday night, starting with the exhibits that were created by Burning Man 'sites' around the world and brought to Black Rock City. Works of art from Japan, London, Detroit, Australia, and more - were burned after sunset. It was amazing. Fires everywhere on the Playa! Coupled with the neon, the music, the movement - - OMG, OMG - - beyond even the visuals!
On Friday, all works of art - save the Man and the Temple - go up in flames. The Trojan Horse was the magnificent highlight at midnight! DH was Dionysis; and he 'led the slaves' as they pulled the horse to the gates of Troy. Thing was, no one knew if the horse would really move! We had 300+ volunteer 'slaves'; and a symphony was written for this event. The fanfare was to last about 10 minutes, during the march/pull. I listened to the 'dress rehearsal' on Friday morning and cried at its sincerity. Well, when it was time to actually pull the horse, the 'slaves' were so adept that the horse traversed its distance in less than a minute! We ran to stay out of the way! The burn was unbelievable. So hot. We were up front and a firework hit my neck. Yikes! We went to the burn site on Sunday; it's still smouldering. I gathered nails that we'll use to make necklaces for next year. Dionysis helped.
There aren't words for the Temple. Actually, the Temple is all words, and a trove of longing left to immolate to the stars. Yesterday, when we climbed upstairs for the last time, I remarked how smooth and weathered the 2x4 railing was. Railing that was 9 days old. It felt the hands of centuries. What is left at the Temple; what is written; are stories too honest and eloquent and sad to bear. How could the world witness such sadness? The photo of a young mother and her child - she was still in the womb; and they both died in childbirth. The ultrasound of a baby, never born. A daughter who died in a plane crash on her way to work in a orphanage in India. The shoes of a boy. The photos of mothers, fathers, lovers, beloved friends, teachers, pets. We left a message for our Cameo; and then I looked away to gather myself; and there was "The Rainbow Bridge", posted on the wall.
The Temple is a silent place. The only sounds come from bells, soft sadness of humanity, or from the harp - a harp that extended from a side tower to the top of the spire.
This year, the Playa was hard-packed and easy to navigate. Just a year ago there were areas where it would suddenly get 'soft' - as in flour - and it felt like quicksand. Me and my bike hit the dust several times then - but not this year.
Just like the Playa, every year has it texture; its quagmires; its tests; its joys and its particular sorrows. I see alot, working in emergency services. I'm sad for the Australian who came all this way, only to become so done for and hyperthermic that he will never know what it was like to see the man burn. My heart hurts for the young couple who thought sexual experimentation would be fun; until it was really happening. I lose my patience with the kids who think 'playa foot' won't happen to them!
And joy fills me up when a freshly made donut, covered in sugar and cinnamon, is delivered to me by a caring soul. And then my shift is done, and I'm free to explore this place, and find me.
Last year, when I left I knew it was time. This year, i left because it was time to go - but I didn't want to leave. I think about a song I used to love; and, since Adamtopia is filled with music - music that awaits Adam - here is what I'm thinking tonight. Remembering where I was, 24 hours ago.
"It's Over"
If time were not a moving thing, and I could make it stay
This hour of love we share would always be
There'd be no coming day to shine a morning light
And make us realize our night is over
When you walk away from me there is no place to put my hand
Except to shade my eyes against the sun that rises over the land
I watch you walk away; somehow, I have to let you go
Now it's over.
If you knew just how I really feel you might return, and yet
There are so many times that people have to love and then forget
Though there might have been a way, somehow I have to force myself to say it's over.
And so I turn my back. Turn my collar to the wind
Move along in silence trying not to think at all
I send my feet before me, walk the silent street before me
It's over. It's over.
There's much more to Burning Man.
From the Universe above that desert sky, it has inspired a star.
momtomany
got a great sense of humor and she would appreciate that 'size 1 mutter' of yours!
I've felt really loved today. 
). 6 o'clock portal has a centering artwork - this year, it is the design that looks like a cog, or metal notched bolt - and, beyond the portal is the "Center Camp" I talked about in an earlier post. Given the layout of a timepiece; the avenues circle around the hours, ever-widening. The smallest circle - the one closest to the Burning Man (center of the timepiece) is called Esplanade. The next 'circle' is an avenue that goes in a circle from 2 o'clock to 10 o'clock - and it's name begins with an 'A' - last year, the Burn Theme was Metropolis, so the name of avenue A was "Athens"; this year, the theme is 'Rites of Passage' and avenue A is named "Anniversary". The next circle avenue "B" is named "Birthday"; avenue "C" is "Coming Out". Then it gets tricky. Avenue "D" is "Divorce" - and lots of people didn't like that! Nor did they like avenue "F" - "Funeral"! So, all over this revolutionary town, street signs were changed to "debauchery", "delight", "fucking awesome" - and so forth! Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to find different camps. If someone is at "7:30 and Graduation" you don't need a map to find your way there.