Burning Man 2021

Entries from September 2021

Saturday, September 25. 2021

Synchronized Drones

Saturday September 4, 2021 at Black Rock Desert Nevada I gathered at 9 pm with thousands of others to see if there was going to be some sort of a burning of an effigy like at the previous Burning Mans I've attended.
And we were in for a treat! Listening to a remix of Jimmy Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower (a song that I love) playing close by I watched as several lights suddenly appeared and started moving back and forth in a cloud formation above the crowd.
I realized that it was drones......synchronized drones and then they formed the Man as the crowed loudly cheered. It was AMAZING and beautiful and I loved it. The Man raised his arms while turning and then fell down. A great moment that I am happy I got to experience. That was three weeks ago today......







There are plenty of videos of this online. My pictures do not make it justice.

Friday, September 24. 2021

Renegade Burn

I have read different numbers for the amount of participants at Renegade Burn, some people also called it Plan B. Today the Burning Man Org reported that at the most there were 13 000 people out in the Black Rock desert for the gathering earlier this month but I have read numbers higher than that. Not that it matters that much to me. What matters is that it was a good time - and it was!
Before I went I was scrolling through all kinds of opinions online from large amounts of people predicting deaths, violence, accidents, overall mayhem and poop everywhere (so many poop discussions, a very popular topic). Well, actually Renegade Burn got an A in how well it went. The event went exceptionally well. And I realized for myself that I do not need to use the public porta potties next year, if Burning Man happens next year.
You never know.
Here are some pictures......
Of course I brought my bike, I love biking around out there. It is an amazing feeling.



I FINALLY got to wear my pink super soft fur (fake fur OF COURSE) jacket that has been hanging in my closet patiently waiting for this.





There was food in case you suddenly got hungry when out and about. Potatoes?
Yes please!



Late night oven baked pizza? Of course! And THANK YOU SO MUCH to the guy that made it for me.





Refreshments were plenty. Like this drink which I enjoyed one afternoon.



All you need is a cup.



I brought books that I actually read.



The owner of this Magic Bus and his friends were my neighbors.



My camp. It was not easy to find your way home after dark. I will say that. No street signs and coordinates this year.....so I found my way back to camp by looking for landmarks.
Like the mountains and after dark I looked for certain lights or camps but I got lost a few times. A bit scary. I think I will get a GPS, people were using those to find their way back to camp.
Home sweet Burning Man home!



Sunday, September 12. 2021

Necessities

Some necessities at Burning Man. This year was different from previous years....no porta potties (some people brought their own), no Center Camp Cafe (bring your own coffee), no to a lot of stuff from previous years. This year was basically all about bringing everything you need. Do not rely on others. At all. Which is what Burning Man is about. It is part of the 10 Principles. Radical Self Reliance. BUT I borrowed a ratchet from my neighbors....so it is all about helping each other as well, of course.
Even though I had a camper trailer with a toilet inside I decided to not use that toilet.
After a few days of using an RV toilet in desert heat it starts smelling pretty bad. There was a general concern for how to poop out there this year since the porta potties would not be there. People were talking about bringing 5 gallon buckets and cat litter.....great idea I thought. So I got some buckets and cat litter. And dog poop bags. Having your own toilet instead of breathing in the stench inside a hot porta potty (BLERGH seriously) felt great and so much more hygienic. Double bag the results. And of course transport all the poop with you, bagged in a double trash bag. This is how I am going to do it from now on!
No more porta potties.....I have to put essential oil on a bandana and cover my nose with it before going inside one of them. Wear an outfit only to be worn inside the porta potties and make sure no part of it touches anything, it is a whole ordeal for me. No more of that torture.



For pee all I need is empty water jugs and a funnel. No problems here either. The jugs get taken all the way home and emptied into the toilet.



Coffee is another necessity, I tried a cold brew from Trader Joes which was very good.



I drink one bottle of Gerolsteiner each day out on the Playa and I like to cut up cucumbers and eat them with salt.



Thursday, September 9. 2021

The Journey

I came back from Burning Man the other day. The theme this year, well there was no theme because Burning Man as it's known was actually postponed until next year. But the people decided to go ahead and have their own Burning Man and decided to call it Renegade Burn. Of course I needed to be there!
The journey to Black Rock Desert took longer than I planned (of course). That's kind of the way it goes every time. There are about 480 miles from Portland to Gerlach NV and then you continue down Highway 34 for 12 miles as well. I had a camper to pick up and pack, then there are several stops for gas and rest etc until you FINALLY reach the destination......



Somewhere between Portland and Gerlach.



A setting sun.



Only 87 miles left to Gerlach!



Pretty mural in Cedarville.



I have many more pictures from Renegade Burn to come.....! ;-)