Burning Man 2023 - The Mud Apocalypse

When we woke up Friday we had lots of plans. We'd been taking it fairly easy Wednesday and Thursday, knowing Friday through Sunday would be very late nights. We started getting ready to visit the Foam villege for the foaming/cleaning event and were excited for the experience - and not needing to put up our own shower and evaporation pond was a plus. Our friend Rob had mentioned the previous day to keep an eye on the weather; since he was out at the airport they had access to regular forecasts. As we prepared to ride our bikes out we felt a few spots of rain, normally something to be ignored. However Sara turned on the radio and tuned into to hear what Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR) was broadcasting. Good thing we did, the advice was a weather event is coming, with up to .8 inch of rain and high winds - shelter in place, conserve water and food and to take care of your neighbours. 

Burning Man is held in the Nevada desert on a dried lake bed. Normally it is very dusty, a fine alkaline talcum powder like dust that gets everywhere. When it rains the surface turns into a thick clay mud, which makes driving a vehicle or riding a bike impossible. The clay builds up on your feet creating large platform like shoes. So when you're told to shelter in place it is best to listen!  For the rest of Friday we rested in the RV, occasionally opening the door and looking out at the rain and strong winds. We were treated to a magnificent double rainbow Friday afternoon and hoped the rain was over and the normal winds and heat would dry out the playa surface and our fun could resume. 

Burning Man 2023 will be known as the Mud apocalypse which hit the international news with dire reports of 70,000 people trapped and running out of food and water. The more outrageous reports included an Ebola outbreak, an active shooter, cannibalism and anarchy. In reality the majority of people made the best of the situation, shared supplies with people who had planned to leave earlier, took care of each other and made mud sculptures. It did rain off and on for three days which prevented the playa from drying out fully until Monday. Some people walked out the six miles to the tarmac road and Burning Man had buses available to take people the 100 miles to Reno. Traffic into and out of Burning Man was officially closed since vehicles were quickly getting stuck. 

Saturday we needed to get out of the RV, so we fashioned booties out of the plastic and tape we'd taken to protect the inside of the RV. We had a lovely afternoon sitting under the now rain shade and chatting with our neighbor Margot and enjoying pancakes Sara made for everyone. It was Margot's first Burn and she was part of a group of fire dancers who were going to dance at the now delayed Man burn, she was really fun to hang with. We took a walk to the porta potties and were amazed to find the pump trucks had managed to get out to service the potties. Everyone we spoke to was positive and embracing the experience, even if they were flooded out in areas of their camps. 

Sunday was more of the same and we continued hanging out, reading and listening to the radio. Three emergency cell towers had been delivered in the city and some limited internet was available. We were all touched about how many people reached out to check on us. The weather resulted in some magnificent skies and sunsets and the music continued nonstop. Burning Man did an excellent job dealing with an ever-changing situation, here's an interesting update of how they were addressing the situation: Burning Man Wet Playa News.  We enjoyed a short firework show Sunday night as a preview for Monday - maybe the pyrotechnics folks were getting bored and needed something to do!

The radio kept us up to date and entertained with some very funny public service announcements. The one that amused us the most was how the message about road closures changed. Starting with gate road is closed and no in or out is allowed, changing to no one is preventing you from leaving, however be aware you will likely get stuck and will impede emergency vehicle access. The final statement was if you do get stuck leaving against our advice you will be towed out last - always consequences for poor decisions.  

Finally the weather cleared and the sun and wind started to dry out the playa. The Burn was back on for Monday night now that the ground was dry enough for the fire trucks to move. Although Burning Man is portrayed as a free for all there are a lot of rules and regulations needed to keep a city of 70,000 safe, one of these is fire trucks when you are setting off large explosions and fires around people!

We had always planned to stay through Monday morning, so our main disappointment had been missing three nights of exploring and seeing the art. Sara said "I'm not leaving until I see something Burn", so we agreed we would leave early Tuesday.  Exodus officially started Monday afternoon, this is the term given to the official departure process and many people started to leave. We packed up camp and then prepared for the night event. 

Tha Man burn is always magnificent, and this year is was particularly spectacular. The fireworks were the best we've ever seen and the overall atmosphere was festive and joyous. All the mutant vehicles circled the Man, inside people were walking around and dancing. Check out the videos in the album - the show went on for much longer than the videos!

We left at 4am Tuesday morning, it only took four hours to get from our camp to the road which isn't bad at all. There were eight lanes of vehicles on gate road that had to be funneled on to a small 2 lane road. We were treated to an amazing sun rise and spectacular views of the mountains. As we left we checked in on our friend Matt who wisely said "We get the Burn we need". This must have been the universe telling everyone to slow down and enjoy the moment and catch up on sleep! 

We've been home three weeks now, the dust is cleaned off most items and the plastic bins are back in the attic. We found a cool aerial view of the city taken with 600 drone shots and were able to find our camp. Check it out and be sure to zoom in: BRC Aerial View. There are still people on the playa ending their month of MOOP removal (matter out of place), a requirement of the special permit granted by the Bureau of Land Management. This is an interesting read about how Burning Man's principle of Leave not Trace is handled: Playa Restoration 

Overall our fourth Burning Man experience was amazing, and we are talking about when we will go back again - The Man Burns in 335 days! 

Click here to see the photos and videos

Burning Man 2023

This was our fourth time to attend Burning Man and as usual it was epic and extraordinary. To build a temporary city in the middle of the Black Rock desert in Nevada and to have over 70,000 people come from around the world and stay for a week is no easy task. It is hard to explain to people exactly what Burning Man is, and there are many incorrect perceptions typically based on sensationalized themes of drug fueled crazy partying and rich tech attendees. This year a weather event caused Burning Man to hit the global news with some really outlandish reporting - more on that later! 

In reality Burning Man is a global nonprofit supported by a network of humans inspired by the 10 Principles, and united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected life. The global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert.

It is amazing the myriad of emotions you go through to attend this event, it is not easy to say the least. A core principle of Burning Man is radical self-reliance, you must have your own shelter, food and water for a week in a harsh unpredictable environment. There is usually months of preparation; you need to plan your transportation out and back, building a shade structure to protect from the harsh sun, plus enough food & water for the week, and of course costumes and bikes. The only thing you can buy during the week is ice, no restaurants or shops to support a forgotten item.

The environment is extreme, there are usually dust storms every day and this year we had major rains. The dust is like a fine talcum powder so when it combines with rain it makes a sticky mud that prevents all movement by cars, bikes, and extremely difficult walking. It is critical to make sure you read the Survival Guide published by the organization to be fully prepared!

This year we elected to rent an RV which turned out to be a really great idea! Dallas to Black Rock City is 3,800 miles round trip and it took us four days to get there and three days to get back. We stopped in Colorado to pick up our good buddy Phil Huff who has attended all the Burning Man events with us and finally we arrived late Tuesday.

We spent Wednesday and Thursday getting settled in, talking to our neighbors, and starting to explore the playa, the area of desert which has 100's of amazing art structures which light up at night. Burning Man is so huge it is impossible to see all the art or take in a lot of the activities of the theme camps. There are hundreds and hundreds of theme camps that have yoga, food, drinks, music, dancing, and everything else imaginable. We always plan to visit some camps and attend talks and in four visits have always got distracted with other things. The music is mostly techno, loud, and 24/7. It makes it a little hard to sleep at night but ear plugs help. The party goes all night for sure.

Every night we were out cycling the playa taking in the sights and mutant vehicles. Often getting back to our camp around 1am. One morning Sara cycled out to the walk in camping area and made it to the trash fence that encloses the whole area (about 7 square miles). She managed to text our friend Rob Dubin who was working at the temporary airport, providing him our location (2:42 & H) and Rob amazingly found us!

The Burning Man organization comes to the playa a month before everybody shows up and lays out the city streets and builds two structures - the Man and the Temple. The atmosphere around the Man is joyous, excitement, and festive. The atmosphere around the Temple is exactly the opposite. It is very quiet and reverent, people come to the Temple and bring pictures of loved ones and friends that have passed away. A lot of people write notes of love on the walls. These people gather inside and sit quietly or mediate. Sometimes there is chanting or singing.

Some highlights from our first two days were:

• A drone show in the dark sky
• El Pulpo - a flaming octopus we first saw in 2011
• A morning ride out to the trash fence and a view of the city
• The Burning Philharmonic orchestra and a wedding
• The flaming Pegasus and some incredible fire dancing

Thursday evening very late we amazingly found our friend Matt Foglia who we met at Burning Man in 2011. Matt was volunteering at Zendo camp which provides mental health counseling during the event. It was wonderful to chat to him after so many years and he told us about the adjacent camp, the Psychedelic Foam Village sponsored by Dr. David Bronner and his infamous Bronner soaps. The Foam camp gifts participants with an opportunity to clean up with a group foaming which we excitedly planned for Friday afternoon. There are no showers at Burning Man so you have to setup one and have a plan to remove the water so this is quite the gift! Sadly as we prepared to ride over the camp on Friday the rains started and we were very disappointed to miss this experience - next time! A second post is coming but for now enjoy this album of photos and videos.

Click here to see the photos & videos

Exploring for Lights

Thursday March 23rd was the start of three nights of exploring for lights on our own. We set off with plenty of warm clothes, a flask of hot tea and the phone number of a towing company just in case we got stranded. We started with a drive on the local ice road to the small community of Dettah just 6.5 km on the frozen Great Slave lake or 23 km by road in the summer. 

We stopped several times on the side and John persuaded Sara to lie down in the middle of the road for a photo which turned out really great. 

The next three nights followed a similar pattern. We bundled up in multiple layers and warm boots and drove out of town and up the Ingraham trail. The road is paved for about 65 km then becomes the world's longest ice road going 600 km north to three diamond mines. The ice road has to be constructed each year and is only open for 8-9 weeks. There is a lot of traffic on both roads, as the mines try to get all their fuel and supplies shipped while the road is available.  We decided to stay within cell range given we were out until 3am and -20F temperatures and only drove 30 km north. There are many tankers and trucks on the narrow road and everyone is told to only stop at the official parking areas. 

We checked out a number of the snow covered campgrounds and decided we liked Pontoon Lake the best. So for the next three nights we parked on the frozen lake and for 3+ hours were treated to amazing views of northern lights. They are different every time and never get boring! John had fun with all his cameras, and was able to also get a good time lapse video. (First video in the album) Sara enjoyed walking around on the frozen lake and staring up at the lights that were right over us.  A few times we got really cold and sat in the car with the heater full blast to warm up. No warming huts for this part of the trip! Luckily we had no problems with the car starting and didn't need the towing service.

We spent a few hours each afternoon exploring the town of Yellowknife. John had hoped to photo some great grey owls, but after a drive on the only road going south we weren't able to spot any. We did find some very cute ptarmigan birds, little fluffy snow quail that were very entertaining. 

One afternoon we visited the snow castle - an annual event with snow carvings from artists from around the world. It was a fun afternoon, and we got to meet the "snow  king" the local man who has led the effort for over 25 years. It was a lovely sunny day and we were amused to hear the snow king shout at a local child "put your shoes on" since she was running around in just socks!

We were incredibly lucky to see stunning lights every night. There were a lot of solar flares the week we were in Yellowknife and it was certainly worth the effort to bundle up each night and venture out until the early morning hours. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Click here for the photos

 

 

Dog Sledding Fun

Wednesday March 22nd we had a dog sledding adventure. We were picked up at the house and driven to the kennels where about 50 dogs are cared for and trained to pull different types of dog sleds.

We chose North of 60 Adventures a family owned business. They offer different tours to share the cultural traditions and teachings they learned from their grandparents. The young men running the sledding were a lot of fun and took great care of us.

We had enjoyed the Norwegian dog sledding experience so much we decided to select the 'you drive' option again. This time John had a more comfortable sled with a few cushions, although it was still on the bumpy side. Sara was "Musher Girl" again!

We had a wonderful time cruising over the frozen lakes and through the forest. Luckily the dogs were kind to the rookie musher and kept to the trail. We got some cool video from the GoPros. One fell off right at the start after a big bump, but the lead guy kindly picked up and took some excellent video from his snowmobile. Here's Sara's first video editing attempt: Click for Dog Sledding Video. 

After the dog sledding we warmed up in a cabin and enjoyed some hot drinks and bannocks (Canadian like scones). It was really a wonderful experience!

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Fantastic Yellowknife Auroras

We enjoyed last year's Finland aurora experience so much we wanted to take another northern lights trip. John researched and found Yellowknife, Canada in the Northwest Territories is a prime location with visible lights over 240 nights a year. Yellowknife has crystal-clear skies, ultra-low humidity, and is in a perfect location beneath the "Auroral oval", a band of maximal Auroral activity.

Sunday March 19th we flew north almost 3,000 miles to start our adventure! We rented a small house which was perfect as we were up until 3am most nights and could enjoy the peace and quiet during the mornings. Monday we started with the grocery shopping for the week and then took a quick drive to explore and enjoy the sunny day. Yellowknife is next to the huge Great Slave lake, and there are smaller lakes everywhere. All currently frozen, and many with temporary roads connecting the one main road to cabins in the back country. We drove down one of them in anticipation of our time alone later in the week.

Monday evening we started our three evenings at the Aurora Village, a local Aboriginal-owned location providing five viewing hills located throughout their wilderness property. They also provide traditional teepees with wood stoves and hot drinks when the -10F temperatures become too much!

Each night we bundled up and walked a block to the bus pickup point at 10pm. We were driven 30 minutes out of town to the village where we stayed until 2:30am. Most nights we stayed out taking photos until 1am, and then popped into a teepee to warm up and get a hot drink. Then back out to catch some more lights. We were very lucky that each night was clear and the aurora was out in full force for most of the 3 hours we were at the village.

It was brutally cold every night. John got excited the first night and was changing cameras and lens, which meant he had his gloves off for far too long. He ended up with frostbite on five fingers, three of them pretty bad. Change of approach for the rest of the week. No camera lens changes and a trip to the local outfitting store to buy some electric heated glove liners which worked great. 

We saw incredible lights every night at the Aurora village. Very vivid and on many occasions we were mesmerized to see the curtains of lights moving across the sky - something we didn't seen in Scandinavia. To the naked eye the lights are a very light green, almost white with the occasional red hue. The camera however picks up the vivid colors, and the altitude the solar particles collide with the atmosphere determines the green, red, pink or occasionally purple colors. 

John recently won a camera modification from a virtual Night Sky Photography conference he attended and was excited to use the camera that can now see Hydrogen Alpha (H- Alpha) wavelengths. This camera now sees red colors much better and the results were spectacular.

Click here to see the photos!