now, where were we...
well, black rock city, of course.
after missing a year, it was really nice to get back to our fair city. and, thankfully, all was pretty much how we left it: insanely chaotic, and yet reassuringly in tune. to borrow a description from yesteryear: "a surreal assortment of interconnected freeze frames that simultaneously motivate, amuse, inspire, befuddle, enrich, entangle, electrify and delight."
good times with kindred spirits do we seek. and never do we leave with anything less a full serving.
truth be known, it's quite likely that you'll be over-served. and that's ok.
no double rainbows this year, but there was a planetarium-like full moon which ensured that total darkness would never prevail in the 89412.
in fact, for those meteorologists scoring at home, the conditions were just about idyllic. high 80s/low 90s during the day. mid 60s at night. a couple dust storms along the way, but otherwise pretty much calm.
well, not totally calm.
and it's still one kick ass place to call home for a week. a glorious community, whose population is now just a couple free spirits shy of 50,000.
alas, here's a rundown of the happenings...
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CAMP BOJON... over 70 peeps. over 10 RVs. wow. logistics not an insignificant undertaking. real deal compliments to agent kevles who took the reins and led the way.
crafty decision in the prep stage to register as a theme camp to lock in some pre-defined real estate. we fashioned ourselves as a "sunset bar" to compliment our deep playa sunrise saloon.
mission accomplished as we got early passes and set up shop with plenty of room to accommodate the posse.
not sure we ever stuck to the sunset happy hour theme, but we did have a bar. and we did serve anybody who came by. with a smile.
uncle velvet and mikey D hooked it up the again by charging up early with the truck and building the camp. can't say enough about how big a deal it is to have these cats roll in ahead of the masses and set up shop. fellas, BIG SHOUT OUT.
seattle came strong once again this year and brought a cadre of new faces with them.
in fact, lots of virgins in the camp this year. not sure of the final tally, but it was north of twenty. and at least three of them were fathers to long time camp bojon burners. gotta love it watching your pops ring the bell.
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ART INSTALLATIONS... a bountiful assortment of art this year. all shapes and sizes, some playing to the evolution theme, and others playing to their own theme.
every year there is at least one piece that everyone saw and/or rode. this year it was the slide. rather beautiful in its simplicity. so much so that it's hard to believe its never been done before. funny thing was that the astro turf on the slide left its mark on just about everybody who took the plunge. the raspberry it left behind became a tangible badge of courage (and a burden on the medical tent).
here's a nice shot of the great heracean charging the wedge on a short board...
the rocket got a lot of attention this year as well. by almost all accounts the "launch" was anticlimactic since the vessel was never built to actually take off. crazy thing is, expectations of the unfathomable are so high at the burn that had the rocket actually lifted off, people would have taken it in stride and moved on.
the oversized rubik's cube was also a crowd favorite. it was actually possible to make the panels move, but it took some doing.
the butterfly was also pretty striking and fun to ride.
and like most years, the devil was in the details. the more you took the time to explore , the more you were rewarded with creativity extraordinaire.
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ART VEHICLES... sweet development this year as we linked up this year with some friends from SF who had an art car. agent nies debuted the white rhino on the playa, and we all enjoyed it immensely.
big props to the janky barge as well. this rolling sound system made its way out to the outter playa and hooked us up with a killer saturday morning set. dj motion potion already has his time slot reserved for next year...
other vehicles of note were the rolling house...
and the golden gate bridge...
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BIKING THE PLAYA... remains one of the best activities on the planet. playa a little chopped up this year, but still down hill in all directions...
rigs come in all shapes and sizes...
and there's always a helping hand out there for those who are lagging...
of course, if you topple over, you're on your own. but even that can be fun.
and check it out, a good doctor siting. this species is rare indeed, but not yet extinct...
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THE TEMPLE... captivating temple this year. flower like shape was well conceived, and the walk around ramp made for easy access to all levels.
we again paid tribute to duff and tuttle. even as the years pass, the memory of these fellas remains strong.
night view of the temple was especially sweet this year. perfectly backlit to reflect the tone...
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THE MAN... the man stood well-perched above the playa this year...
and when he burned, it was with a rush of fireworks...
and yet he stood tall for some time, not quite ready to submit...
and yet the story ended as it must... to enable us to do it again next year.
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SWASHBUCKLER SUNRISE... sun's up, morning's here, up and at 'em engineer...
the swashbuckler sunrise served as an outpost for pirates, vagabonds, and ne'er-do-wells located along the outer reaches of the playa near the boundary. twas an ideal place to catch a sunrise, either to start your day or end it.
all about rum this year. and that led to the pirate theme. and a well-crafted bar with an upper deck that held the ship's quarters.
and yes, there was a plank...
nice to have a few DJs roll our way this year and spin some desert magic. the space cowboys sent the unimog out on thursday...
and motion potion sailed the janky barge out to take the lead on saturday...
here's a little video sample from the scene:
and a few other shots from the action:
bar set up squad...
early settlers and lead pre-burn construction team...
the good captain owning the joint...
scene from an old western...
four reasons not to stay at the bar too long...
sunrise right on queue...
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and so, that's a wrap.
and another dose of proof that:
upon return, one of our crew sent an article around that took a shot at summarizing the life lessons one can pull from the burn. worth a read.
gotta say that there are some years i head out of black rock not knowing if i'll be back. this year, i left with the sense that my work there is not done. and so for those out there thinking about a trek out to the desert, 2010 might be a good year to get on board.
