Marlee and her anvil

The installation of the last spire  is another of the key milestones in the building of Black Rock City. And it’s a big reason to celebrate. The work is nearly at an end, the guests are about to arrive, and it’s time to make the transition from work to play.

Yesterday afternoon, workers from all over the city got together in the near playa by the Jub Jub camp to put in that last funky, janky spire, which was “decorated” by all the various work crews here. Then there were cool refreshing beverages, and a bit of socializing. We may be under-describing the activities, but you get the idea.

Marlee supervised the blasting of a 100-pound anvil into the air. Why did they do this? Well, one big reason was because they could. She and her dad do it in the default world as well, and strange as it may sound, they know exactly how to engineer the blast for the maximum pop and maximum safety.
Which is not to say that you want to try and catch that anvil, because as we mentioned, it weighed 100 pounds. It took a pound of black powder and a special launching base, but the resultant boom and lift were truly amazing. The anvil soared almost gracefully into the hot desert sky, then crashed back into the playa to general hoots and hollers. The bang was big: even seasoned DPW workers were startled by the power of the thing.

Then there were beers, and a sledgehammer toss, and a pizza party, and general merriment. Yesterday had been one of the hottest days so far this year, and it felt good to catch a little shade and rest. And maybe admire the work that’s been done here.

BooYa can really toss that hammer.

This is the biggest Black Rock City that’s ever been built. Retro reported this morning that there had been more than 50 miles of “roads” laid out. (The city got bigger by two streets this year, and many of them were widened, too, so the footprint of the city is larger than it’s ever been.)

Many of you might be on the right by now, or just about ready to leave. It won’t be long until the gates are opened and we can truly get this thing going. As Logan said, “Let’s do this thing.”

What follows is a gallery of pictures from the get-together, featuring a lot of the people who’ve been working hard out here for so many weeks for you.

Read more »

Today is the day that many of us have been anticipating for weeks or months or years: The day that we leave our default realities for the playa.  After  all of the packing and preparation,  we’ll get into one kind of vehicular pod or another and scurry off to the desert, fixated on just one thing: getting to the other side of the Greeter’s station.

Rites of Passage is my 12th burn. I’ve often wished that I “had time” to stop in some of the beautiful places we pass through on the way to Black Rock City. After I made it into California I noticed that the stars were amazing, and the moon was starting to rise and had to stop and take it all in.

I find the Surprise Valley to be especially beautiful. This year it was just starting to get light as I made my way over Cedar Pass and I saw that a spectacular sunrise was about to unfold, so I pulled over and shot this four-frame panorama.

A little further South is Eagleville, and the sunrise was still indeed amazing.  I caught the tail end of a Burner’s Airstream in one of my photos.

And then the sun was up, and I was in Nevada, and that’s where the cattle grates begin to appear in earnest. That’s when you know you’re getting close to home.

Speaking of home I know you’re all thinking, gee, Holden, this on the road stuff is great, but how about some photos from the playa? Well, I’ll leave you with this one, and promise to post a bunch more soon….as I write this the sky is just starting to get light and there is some amazing art that I need to go photograph.

The road to Gerlach and Burning Man passes by Pyramid Lake

There’s been a dramatic  shift in the city over the past four or five days.

The people who build the city have been joined by the people who make the art and run the big theme camps, and now the city  is fleshing out and filling in. What once was open playa is now crowded with trailer camps, the big vehicles circled like wagon trains.

And it seems that people are throwing their arms around each other all over BRC, as another celebration of  community, art and FIRE draws very very close. It’s like the day  of a big dinner party; everyone will be coming over soon, ready to laugh and drink and dance, and you can’t help but be a little nervous even as your excitement mounts.

Much of the Temple of Transition is up, in all its glory

It’s hard to get population numbers at this point, but you should know that there are more early arrivers here than ever, or so it would seem. While in previous years you’d see signs saying “Reserved for Theme Camps” all over the playa, they’re not needed anymore, mostly because those folks are now coming in early to get things set up before the event begins.

The city reminds me of what it used to look like on Monday or Tuesday of the event week. People are in the throes of  getting used to the desert, of setting up their stuff, of getting everything ready for a week of adventure.

The newcomers arrive bright-eyed and anxious to get the playa dust all over them (it has strangely beautifying effects on almost everyone).  Then, by the end of that first day, there are flushed faces and tired-looking eyes. That’s what working in the dust and the heat all day will do to you.

But then evening comes, and the sky goes all orange and blue and purple, and the temperature drops, and the twilight lingers for what seems like hours, and you hug and scream when someone you haven’t seen for so long finally makes it to the playa, and you remember again what you came here for. You came for the art, you came for the music, you came for the desert, but most of all you came for the people. The community of freaks and bright lights and big hearts that call this place Home.

Read more »

There are miles and miles of welcome signs and road signs to put up in Black Rock City, and a dedicated crew of about nine, with occasional drop-ins and transfers from other departments, has been tackling the task since July.

They create all the signs out at the Ranch, and the crew not only makes the street signs that help you find your way through the city, but they also create the old-time sequential signs that line the road into BRC.  In all, about 1,500 signs of various signs and shapes are produced, and then attached to stakes in the desert floor.

Today the Sign crew was out on the entrance road, installing the signs that give you something to read on the way in. The first signs remind you that the speed limit is 10mph, but crew members regularly had to flag down early arrivers and tell them to slow down. The day was hot and dusty, and every vehicle that came in kicked up a little more. The faster you go, the more dust there is, so remember on your way in to do the city a favor and slow down.

“That’s the whole idea,” After Five was saying. “Slow down and read the signs.”

Read more »

The Temple started its ascent towards the heavens this morning, as a 120-foot crane arrived and started stacking the component pieces of the main tower.

It was a complicated and delicate operation, and the preparations for it have been long and intense. It’s no casual bit of engineering going on out here. When the gates open, the Temple of Transition will consist of an intricately decorated 12-story tower,  surrounded by five smaller towers. It’s an amazing space being created in an amazing place.

Boom lifts surrounded the main tower, as the huge crane lowered the first piece atop the main tower. The crew adjusted the placement and then made sure it was level before attaching it to the tower base.

From the ground, and framed by one of the openings from another tower, the second story of the central tower was secured into place.