Well, Day 2 actually as it is 5am Saturday morning as I write this. I have been up for 22 hours. It’s been a grueling day and it’s not over yet; I’m just taking a break.

We got a two and a half hour late start this morning. Chris and Kaly had some trailer packing issues. So, we arrived much later than planned, but that is not unusual for Burning Man. Overall, however, the drive was pretty uneventful. There were some traffic jams here and there. Nothing major.

Checking in at the Gate was a stressful experience for me. Being as I am a Burning Man “virgin” I have no idea what to do here. I followed Chris and Kaly’s vehicle but then we got separated. I had my ticket waiting for me at Will Call and they had theirs in hand so we ended up going to different places.

Finding Will Call was a challenge in itself. It was dark, after 10pm, and very dusty. It was so hard to see. I didn’t know where to go. When I finally made it to the box office I saw Chris and Kaly drive through the Gate. Great. Where were we going to meet up? I was very nervous.

I got my ticket and made my way to the Gate where my vehicle was searched and my early arrival status was verified. Someone nearby asked if my last name was Gordon and told me my friends were waiting for me at “D Camp”, wherever that was.

Things started to get more confusing as I was simultaneously dealing with the people who were helping me hook up with Chris and Kaly and the people who were taking my ticket at the Gate.

I was tired, confused and more than a little nervous. But finally everything was worked out and we made our way to the Greeter Station where I was enthusiastically received as a First Time Burner.

We were told where to go to get a camp placement as we are not a part of any registered Theme Camp. But Chris knew where he wanted us to camp. It took quite some time but we were given a fairly spacious (we were saving space for other people who were arriving later) spot in a good location.

Anyway, we have been spending the last five or so hours building the shade structure. It’s not quite done but it’s in pretty good shape. I’ve got my tents pitched and I am just waiting for Chris and Kaly to set up theirs so that I can stake mine in the ground. Then I can blow up my air mattress, move some of my gear in and try to get a few hours of sleep.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day as I have to check in at the Artery, find out my placement, get the tree installed and finish setting up camp. Then maybe I can begin to get my bearings. I don’t even know where we are right now!

This place is huge. I am beyond overwhelmed. And I haven’t even seen anything in the light of day.

Late Afternoon in the Dust Bowl.

Oh my. It is incredibly windy and incredibly dusty. Has been all day. It’s very difficult to tolerate for such a long stretch. I’m just not used to this. Apparently it’s been like this for weeks. Less than normal rainfall this winter has left the playa dustier than normal.

So, after setting up my tents very early this morning and getting a bit organized and unpacked I managed to crawl into bed a little after 7am. I was up for over 24 hours. I don’t do that very often.

I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep and then the wind was so bad the tarps were flapping hard and making a lot of noise. I couldn’t sleep much after that so I got up, cleaned myself up, had a little breakfast and then geared myself up to walk (I’m not quite ready to bike around this place yet) to Center Camp and check in at the Artery.

My timing worked out well so that after I got checked in I was able to get a ride over to the Green Man Pavilion where my art coordinator Bettie June was holding a meeting for the pavilion exhibitors. It was good to hear what she was saying to them because most of the info was relevant to me as a Man Base artist.

I found out my placement, which is quite prominent, by the way, near the main entrance into the pavilion. I got me and my team’s pavilion access laminates and found out about the special parties that I was invited to. One is Sunday night at the pavilion for all Man Base artists and another is Monday night at the Artery for Honorarium (grant) recipients. Pretty cool.

At that point I knew what I needed to do. The next thing was to get back to camp and figure out when we were going to go set up the tree. The weather was just not cooperating. We got the trailer loaded up with all tree related stuff and waited for a break in the dust storm.

However, no such break ever came so we decided to slowly make our way to the Man and set up the tree. I have to say, it all went pretty well. It was windy, but not nearly as bad as it had been at our camp. Still dusty but we did just fine. Chris was amazing. He did a great job despite the fact that he has had very little experience putting the tree together. Kaly got some great shots of us.

The tree is dealing with the wind so very well. My worries regarding stability are gone. It is definitely holding its own out here. All of my preparations are working. I am so relieved. I’ve just got a few caps and flowers to apply here and there on the tree when the weather clears. And hopefully by tonight the electricity will be ready so I can get plugged in.

Otherwise, everything is great. I am so happy! Okay, it looks a little small all on its lonesome. Some of the other trees around it are bigger and in larger groupings. But it is a nice splash of vibrant color in a mostly metal-toned bunch.

Honestly, I still can’t believe I have pulled this off. But now my challenges here at Burning Man are just beginning. This wind and dust sucks! And to top it off our shade structure had a serious breakdown while we were gone. It’s not destroyed but one side needs major repair. Chris and Kaly are trying to figure out how to proceed next.

Mostly we just have to wait out this dust storm. It’s so bad right now; I am being pelted by sand as I write this. It is total white-out conditions. No one said this would be easy! The inside of my large tent is getting SO dusty. My bed seems okay, though I dare open the smaller tent to look for fear dust gets in.

I am so glad I packed all of my stuff in plastic bags. I never expected these kinds of extremes. But really, I should have.

Welcome to Burning Man.

3pm in Kittyville.

Well, the wind finally died down yesterday and we all spent a good amount of time making major repairs to the structure. Chris worked late into the night reinforcing the tarps and shade cloth. There is still more he wants to do but on the whole we are doing very well.

“Kittyville” (Chris named our camp) is pretty darn comfortable. I had a chance to clean out my tents last night so things are more livable in there also. But I am just going to have to deal with a certain amount of dust being present at all times. That’s life here.

I had a chance to do some wandering and exploring last night. I am beginning to get my bearings but it’s hard for me as I don’t have the best sense of direction. I think that is made more difficult by the fact that the event has not officially started yet (tomorrow 12:01am) so there is a lot of open space around us. That makes it harder to distinguish the roads. Daytime is easier than nighttime and it’ll get better when more people are here and there are more established camps. Then I’ll have some landmarks to guide myself by.

I got an okay night’s sleep last night. I am such a light sleeper, even with earplugs. There is already so much going on here – you can’t get away from the noise.

But it’s okay because this is all what I expected. It’s what I knew when I signed up. In fact, I feel so lucky to be here with Chris and Kaly. They’ve been the best in regards to my acclimation here. Their experience helps a lot. And I am really enjoying getting to know them better. They are such good people.

Anyway, I got up this morning around 9am and it was still cool and calm out. So, I rode my bike to the tree to adhere some last minute caps and flowers to the tree. I also saw that the electrical boxes were in place so I pulled out my extension cord and unfortunately it was a few feet short. D’oh!

I rode back to camp to see if Chris had an extra one. Of course he did. A few actually. This guy is prepared!

I hung out at camp for a bit and then went back to the tree to finish up. I laid the extension cord into the ground and plugged it in and (YES!) all the lights worked. I cannot wait until tonight to see it all lit up. Yeah! This is so cool. I am having a great time.

Evening.

Wow. I am beginning to lack words to describe what is happening here. It’s just becoming more and more amazing now that more people are here.

Last night there was a party at the Man for all of the Man Base artists and crew members. It was a nice time of socializing and we got a chance to see some of the other Mangrove trees and the exhibits that are in and around the pavilion.

Seeing my tree when it was dark with the lights on was great. It looks so cool, if I do say so myself.

After the party we went to a nearby bar and I had a great time meeting more people. Kaly wasn’t feeling well so she and Chris went home but I stayed around. Over the course of the evening I roller skated at a roller derby rink, danced at a dance club that had a cool indoor lounge area that was completely covered in fur and watched some fire hooping. It was a blast. I didn’t get home until dawn.

I spent today alternately resting, eating and exploring. So far today I have experienced the following:

        1) Woke up to a neighborhood that was full and teaming with life (a stark contrast to my first morning here)

        2) Had pancakes at the pancake camp just down the street

        3) Experienced a day of almost completely clear skies and no wind or dust

        4) Checked out more of the exterior of the city including some majorly cool art out on the far reaches of the playa

            5) Went to a party celebrating all the grant recipients.

Mid-day and dang it’s hot!

Last night was a blast. After getting some much needed sleep, we set out a bit after midnight to have some fun. First we went to a hoop related camp for some hooping while watching the eclipse begin. I got to hoop for a bit with a lighted hoop. That was so cool. I definitely want to get myself a lighted hoop.

After that we walked toward the esplanade and hung out for a while at a fire pit. The eclipse was awesome to watch and the sky was so clear. I don’t think that I have ever seen a full lunar eclipse. It got so dark.

We decided to go check out the Man and as we walked towards it, it looked like the Man was on fire! That’s not right. What’s going on, we wondered. We headed over and sure enough it was blazing. Fire trucks were trying to contain it and prevent the pavilion underneath from catching on fire.

It was pretty exciting to watch but also scary knowing that it wasn’t intentional. Turns out it was arson. Someone snuck in while everyone was watching the eclipse. Apparently that person has already been apprehended. The Man will be rebuilt in the next two days so that it can be burned again on Saturday.

After the fire was put out Kaly and I decided to see if we could find a relaxing bar to hang out in. We ended up at the Moonshine Tavern and had ourselves a little homebrew. Wooooo! Fire Water! It was strong but we earned ourselves a cool shot glass. They had regular drinks too and so we hung out on one of the couches and met some great people. We stayed there until the sun started to come up and then went out onto the playa to watch the sun rise. It was beautiful. Then we went home to crash.

I didn’t get more than a few hours of sleep before my tent got too hot to stay in. So I decided to get up. I can nap later. I haven’t done much today. It’s just too hot and also my allergies are really bothering me. It’s the dust. My eyes were watering so badly and my nose is pretty stuffed up. I took an antihistamine and that is helping.

Tonight I am going to take it easy and take more antihistamine. But first I think I’m gonna hit the Cooking With Soy workshop over at Veg Camp. And then later have some Orgasmic Vegan Sushi at sushilovecake. The food here is great!

Oh, and my trade items (biodegradable necklaces made out of fiber pulp and clay paint with wild flower seeds inside) are going over very well. I am definitely having lots of fun.

Morning.

Whoa. Really? I’ve been here six days?

I am so knocking wood right now. The awesome weather that we’ve been having the last couple of days is still here. It’s really nice this morning - sunny, a few clouds, light breeze. Feels Good.

I also feel good because I got a great night’s sleep last night. About 6 or 7 hours. My nose is doing a lot better. The antihistamine has helped.

Yesterday was a good day to rest because it was so hot. I tried to go to the Cooking With Soy thing around 4:30pm but I couldn’t easily find the camp and it was too hot to get off my bike and walk around trying to find it. So I went to the Man and took a roll of slides of the tree. I hope they come out okay. I’ve got one more roll so I’ll take some pictures on Thursday or Friday as well.

I saw the burned Man getting lowered down. That was cool. Right now the pavilion is a work area while they rebuild the Man so it doesn’t look so great around my tree. But people can still access it which is cool. None of the trees in the Man Grove sustained any damage from the pre-burn.

Chris and Kaly put up a shower tent yesterday so we all had a chance to get (relatively) clean. That felt good, especially after being so hot yesterday.

Last night was a lot of fun. First we had vegan sushi for dinner which just rocked. Then we went for a drink at the Green Man Pub and that was lovely. Met some really cool people there. Afterwards we danced at a 80s music dance party. I felt like I was 13 again but without all the, you know, awkwardness. I could have danced all night but I was determined to get in early. Chris and Kaly were up for an early night as well so we headed home and went to bed just before midnight. Wow. How reasonable.

Late afternoon.

It’s Baaaaackkkk! The wind and dust, that is. It had been just dead beautiful for three days. Couldn’t have lasted forever. The shade structure is holding, though. This afternoon’s winds were the hardest we’ve had since we got here.

The nice weather was sure great while it lasted. Yesterday was pretty darn hot but Kaly and I decided to explore on our bikes anyway. We had a great time doing all kinds of fun stuff. One of the best things we did was climb to the top of this three story structure where we got some killer aerial playa views. It was a great view of the growing city.

The evening was another round of fun on the playa: exploring, meeting people, seeing art, having drinks at various bars. It’s starting to get seriously hopping here. On the other side of the playa from where we are staying the esplanade is like Vegas. There are huge dance clubs. So much music and tons of people dancing. There’s really big fire performance areas, too.

It’s almost a little too intense for me. I prefer our slightly calmer (though no less fun) neck of the woods.

Today we haven’t left camp. First it was way too hot and we were way too tired. Then the wind storm blew in. Lori arrived this morning and fortunately it was nice while she got her tent set up and car unpacked. I’m glad she’s here. She’s a great addition to my adventure.

Morning.

Wow. It’s Friday! I feel like we’ve been here forever and I just got here all at the same time. We take the tree down tonight at midnight. It should go pretty quickly. The hardest part will be pulling out the rebar stakes.

Yesterday’s dust storm got even worse. The wind really pushed our structure to the limit but it pulled through in the end. A storm was looming on the horizon so we prepared camp for rain but fortunately it went another direction and we avoided it.

The weather cleared and we had another beautiful evening. We started with some organic vegan sushi (again) and then did the usual wander, explore, party routine.

People go to major extremes to set up clubs and theme camps for the enjoyment of others. It’s truly amazing. I have these pangs of guilt when I take advantage of their hospitality because I’m going around having lots of fun while these people work hard. I am just relaxing and having a good time. But then I remember that I worked my ass off all year to bring my art here. I deserve to be having fun!

It is frustrating knowing that a huge number of people, mostly arriving starting yesterday, are just here for the free parties, to get loaded and to look at naked people (of which there really aren’t that many, actually). These people take but don’t give. I think part of why I have never come here, to Burning Man, before was because I didn’t want to be that. I needed to have a bigger purpose for being here then to “check it out”. And this was the year that purpose presented itself to me.

Surviving out here is so challenging, especially if you’re not in an RV. It’s great to be going through this experience, though. See who I really am as a person when placed into such extreme conditions. But I really don’t think this is something I could do every year. Perhaps I will come again with Eric. Definitely in a trailer or RV.

Evening.

What a day. And there is still so much left. Lori and I spent the late morning and early afternoon riding around checking out various playa art installations. There is some cool stuff out there but also a lot of crap. That’s what you get when anyone can contribute art. Oh well.

Afterwards we waited to get our breasts painted so that we could participate in the Critical Tits ride later in the day. The Bodypainting Guild camp was very crowded but eventually it was our turn. We both were hand painted instead of airbrushed. It came out really nice.

Critical Tits was insane. Thousands and thousands of topless women were all riding en masse around the playa. It ended at a large area set up for a big party with a sound stage and a live band. It was very crowded. Things were great until a sudden and massive wind storm came in. All we could do was stand there with our dust masks on.

Most of the time I’ve been fine with my wraparound sunglasses and my respirator but I really wished I’d had my goggles with me then. We sat around until it seemed like maybe it was clearing up and then decided to trek out towards camp.

But it just got worse. We couldn’t see a thing and the wind was so hard it was pelting sand on us. Then it started to rain, though not very hard.

We were making our way through the storm okay and then we ran into the boundary fence. Oops. We had gone the wrong way. So we followed along the fence line for a really long time (along with a bunch of other lost souls) until we saw a landmark and turned inward back to the camping area.

It was just a miserable ride. Not fun at all. We finally made it back to camp, exhausted. It was such hard riding.

The wind calmed down and the sky started to clear up and there was a rainbow. Very faint at first but eventually it became more pronounced. Then there was a second rainbow. And pretty soon we could see a full arch double rainbow. And then it got better.

The bottom rainbow was so clear you could see violet and then color spectrums below even that. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. It was beautiful and humbling. Words and even photos really cannot describe it.

What a wonderful sight after our difficult journey in the storm. The sky was really pretty so I rode my bike out to the tree to take some more slides. I think they will come out really nicely. Now I am just hanging out for a bit. We have about three hours before we have to take down the tree. The car has been moved out of the shade structure and the trailer is hitched up. We are ready to go.

I cannot wait to get this done. Then I can celebrate. I will have finally made it!

Home.

I stopped journaling after Friday night, after I took down the tree. It was funny how that event marked finality to my experience at Burning Man. It was as though my whole mind and body just suddenly relaxed after months of anxiety, excitement and tension. It was over, I had made it, my trip to Burning Man was complete, though far from over. I did less during the day after that but I just had no desire to write. So, here is my recap of my final four days in Black Rock City.

Friday night and the de-installation of the tree was a whirlwind of emotion. We took off from camp around ten to go watch the scheduled burn of an art installation called Crude Awakening, a gigantic oil derrick surrounded by metal sculptures of large, worshipping figures. It was pretty powerful. But the burn, for some reason, was rescheduled for the next night, after the Man burned. 

So, from there we decided to ride over to the Man Base to my tree. Lori and I were going to hang around there while Chris and Kaly went to get the trailer. There was still plenty of time before I could begin breaking down at midnight. Or so I thought.

Well, I am glad we got there early because everyone around us was tearing down their art. It was just past 11pm. Turned out that the time for breakdown had been changed and was now from 10pm to midnight. I was beyond stressed. Chris and Kaly took off immediately to get the trailer. I knew that it was going to be awhile before they got back because it takes a bit to ride back to camp and then the drive is slow because you can only go five miles per hour, through droves of people.

So Lori and I had to sit there and wait for them. There was not much we could do as all of the tools were on the trailer. We were able, though, to take out the electrical cord and fill the trench I had made. I was a ball of nerves.

I was wondering when that was going to happen, actually. Here I was, out in this crazy environment, plenty of stresses abounding, getting little sleep and the whole time up to that moment I had been pretty darn calm, feeling like I had everything under control and knowing what I was doing.

Then this happened and all of sudden it was like that control was all a façade and I was back to feeling like I had no idea in the world what I was doing. It was awful. But, of course, as always, everything worked out alright. We got the tree down (Chris again was a major champ – that guy comes through!) and I checked out with Bettie June and that was it. It felt weird. All of those months of work, stress, and preparation were over. But I had made it!

I was still pretty strung out when we got back to camp. I needed to relax. So, that’s what we did. We all just chilled out, had some cocktails, relaxed. Some friends from another camp came by to hang out with us and we had a great time just kicking it in the shade structure all night long. Boy was that needed.

After that I totally lost the desire to see much around the city. I spent all day Saturday hanging around with the rest of our campmates at our camp. It was really great, actually.

The burn was that night and Lori and I decided to head out on our own instead of waiting for the rest of the group just because we wanted to make sure we saw the burn and it was possible some of these veterans wouldn’t get off the couch in time to see it.

I will say right off that the burn itself was less then I expected. In fact, it was probably the low point of my trip. It just felt so highly produced. Maybe I am too cynical. But I felt like I was at Disneyland or something. There was this big fire dance performance going on around the perimeter and that was definitely cool to watch but all I wanted was to see the Man burn. Light that sucker already. Then there was this big fireworks show, like it was the Electric Light Parade or something. Come on, just torch it; I’ve seen tons of fireworks shows.

Finally the Man was set on fire. And that moment, let me tell you, was awesome. There was a huge fireball explosion and then the Man started to catch fire. It was cool. But less so then I thought it would be. I don’t know what I expected. But it wasn’t any kind of amazing experience for me. Oh well.

After the burn Lori and I didn’t have the energy to walk to the oil derrick so we just decided to go back to camp and chill out of a bit. We did see the explosion of the derrick from camp and that was pretty awesome. It was like watching a small city decimate. There were fireworks before that burn, too. What is with all the pyrotechnics? Am I at a Giant’s game or something?

Lori and just hung out for a while listening to music. I hooped a bunch and eventually some of our campmates filtered back from their excursions. Lori and I went off with another gal to hear this totally amazing DJ and danced our butts off for the rest of the night before heading home to bed. All in all it was kind of a lackluster night, though still fun.

Sunday during the day was same old, same old. Just hanging around the camp, lounging and resting. I actually got a little bit of a good nap in. That night David Best’s Temple of Forgiveness was burned. I watched that from a distance and then went out later, rode some art cars, danced to some DJ’s. It was really fun. A good last night.

Monday was Exodus. People were leaving in droves and with them they took some of our shelter from the wind. There was a really bad dust storm that afternoon that didn’t let up until around 8pm. And even then it wasn’t very calm at all. Chris and Kaly were ready to pack it up right then and there and take off ASAP. I was definitely with them on that.

The only thing left that I wanted to do was go to the hot springs that night which I did and it was so incredible. It made me so relaxed. I ended up getting back to camp at dawn and tried to sleep for a few hours, then I packed up the rest of my gear and we headed out around noon. It felt good to leave; I was ready.

Overall my trip to Burning Man was an amazing experience mostly because of my participation as an artist. I really would not have wanted to do it any other way. Everything I saw and everything I did was fabulous and fun and amazing and scary and frustrating and challenging. The journey that I took to get there, to create this particular piece of art, was pretty monumental for me. It has been, without a doubt, the single most challenging thing I have done in my artistic career so far and I am really glad and proud that I went through this. Now, on to the next Adventure!