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A Suburban Mom's Journey to Burning Man

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Don't forget to scroll all the way down for the video**

The Man

 Can you believe this structure gets burned at the end of each event?

I must admit, I was a bit taken aback by the mostly negative reaction I got from people when they found out I was going to Burning Man. The conversation would usually go something like this.  "You're going to Burning Man?!?" Said like I had just announced I was moving to Afghanistan. 

Me: "Umm, yeah...why?"  Them: "Well, I heard that it's a bunch of stoners/hippies/group sex/druggies."  Me: " You heard or you've been?"  Them: "I've heard."

Let me put your mind at ease.  At the heart of it, Burning Man is an Art Festival.  Disorderly conduct and irresponsible behavior is highly discouraged.   And since you shouldn't just believe everything you hear....you should research the actual Burning Man site to verify this information. The one that states, "The use and possession of illegal drugs are violations of the law." And "It is a State and local offense for anyone under 21 to consume alcoholic beverages or to pass themselves off as being of age. It is a violation of Pershing County law for minors to even possess alcoholic beverages."

Having said that, were there dudes wearing ass less chaps.  Yes, a few.  Were there some topless ladies?  Indeed, there were.  To be completely honest, I suspect there was some pot smoking too!  Considering it's a city of 60,000, (albeit a temporary one) there's going to be a little bit of everything.   But you don't have to go to Burning Man to experience heavy drinking, pot smoking and kinky sex.  I guarantee at least a couple of your neighbors drink two to three bottles of wine every night.  I'll bet that at least one of your neighbors is cruising the Casual Encounter section of Craig's List looking for some NSA sex.  Hint: It's usually the super pious one.  The point is, there's no need to drive 7+ hours to partake in "illicit" activities.  All of those things exist right in your back yard.

In addition to some amazing art installations on the Playa, Burning Man has hundreds of official and unofficial theme camps (much like booths at a convention, if you will)   These camps offer everything from AA meetings, (proof that not everyone there wants to party like a Rock Star) to a Genital Photo Booth (no, I did not.)

Here are just a tiny sample of what's available:

Unnecessarily High Fives

The Meaning of Life in Five Words. Yes, I opened it and I can't tell you.

 I ordered a Warm and Fuzzy with a side of Pinch.

   My neighbor made a Mobile S'more Station out of his bike. I asked him if he's ever done this in the real world.  He did once and got fined $230.  It took six cops to figure out what to put on the ticket.

They finally came up with "dispersing embers in public."   Buzz kill!

While this is just a sliver of the kind of services available, I can tell you from first hand experience that the majority of them are rated PG.  Don't get me wrong, there were also camps that offered adult beverages, spankings or a ride on the Orgasmator. You will find the kind of experience you seek.  For the record, I did not ride the Orgasmator!

It's worth noting that Burning Man is a commerce free community. Which means services and goods are offered as gifts. Yes, these generous folks transported the necessary supplies all the way out to the desert to build and man their booths for free, all for your enjoyment. And they did it with a smile.

Another unique aspect about Burning Man is no cars are allowed.  The exceptions are Rangers, Medical, Art Cars and Mutant Vehicles.

Art Cars are large, float like moving vehicles.

Some invite participants to hop on for a ride. 

Mutant Vehicles are smaller personal vehicles

Bikes are the most common form of transportation. 

Many of them are decked out! 

This is one of my favorites.  It's decorated like a donkey.

This one is decorated like a pirate ship.

Gas powered surf board. Yet another creative way to get around.

What makes the art extraordinary is that not only do each piece need to withstand the extreme conditions of the desert.  It must look interesting during the day and evening - since the "gallery" is open to the public 24 hours a day. If you think about it, traditional art installations are done in a climate controlled environment.  Where the artist can manipulate the lighting at will.  Or do final tweaks in the comfort of a warehouse.  When you remember that all necessary supplies, including electricity need to be transported to the desert in order to complete the final assembly.  You truly appreciate the dedication and work it takes for each piece to come together.

The Man at Dusk.

The Man at Night

(see what I mean about consideration for staging an installation for day and night?)

It gets extremely windy and dusty.  My eyes hurt so much the second day I had to visit the Medical Center to have them flushed.  Much thanks to the nurses and doctors who volunteer their time at the Medical Camp.  I was very impressed at how efficient and organised the clinic was. 

There was so much to see and experience, I barely scratched the surface.  Click here for more info about the art at Burning Man. 

The "City" is formed like a Clock from 2:00 - 10:00.  Your address is the time and a street name from A - J  (or maybe it was K...)  My address was 5:00 and Jasmine. The middle round area is the Playa where all the art is located.  It would take 45-60 mins to walk across the Playa.  That's where a bike comes in handy!

For more photos and clips, check out this short video

Thanks for checking in.  Hopefully, this post offered another point of view to Burning Man.

Happy Trails,

RB

PS: Some people were confused about how I switched from driving up with Rosebud and ended up flying home. I traded with someone to use my trailer + drive it back to the Bay Area for a private plane ride home.  

Tent Trailer I Built for Burning Man

For those who are familiar with the plight of Burning Man.  You know that one of the biggest threat on the desert is wind.  This led me on the hunt for an easy set up and stay put solution.  Roof top tents seemed like one way to go.  If your structure is bolted to a 4000lb vehicle, that's a good way to stake down your tent, right? At the end,  I decided that having to climb up and down the roof of our SUV was not going to work for our family. Especially in the middle of the night during bathroom runs.....(I was thinking beyond Burning Man)

I came across a lot of complicated DIY tent trailers, tear drop trailers and everything in between.  And if you read the About Me page, you understand I am not at all handy.  Then I stumbled upon Compact Camping Concepts. This site contained plans to exactly what I wanted. 

After several emails and a few phone calls to Scott Chaney at Compact Camping, who was incredibly patient and helpful. I went for it.

Here's the frame I put together (it is only 4' x 4' excluding the tongue): 

Here's the floor made with marine grade plywood:

Here's the wall panels I ordered from Dinoot Trailers (wood floor is a different color because I applied  several coats of  weather sealant)

As with all things in life, things that you think will be easy end up being difficult and vice versa.  I was so nervous about fiberglassing on the fenders to the side panels.  That turned out to be one of the easier steps.

Added L beams on the tongue to support a marine battery.

Here's the completed Mobile Condo 

The tent flips open 180° like a clam shell to sleeps 3 (kind of) 

Plenty of room for gear underneath the tent.

I painted a "bedliner" epoxy on the interior to weather proof the raw fiberglass.

Her name is "Rosebud" - a homage to "Citizen Kane."  If you haven't seen the movie, I promise it is worth your while (don't Google the answer!)  Here is the opening scene to whet your appetite.

It took me approximately 75 hrs to complete.  The hardest part was cutting the fiberglass to fit around my tires and fenders.   I hated it as much  as math class in 7th grade. The panels were expensive and  I had limited opportunities to get it right.

And can we talk about wiring the tail lights?  The thing is, electrical wiring is a different set of skills than carpentry.  And it came at the very end....when you think you're almost done.  "It's just two LED lights, how hard can it be?"  Hard, because sloppy wiring is the shits.  I spent 4+ hours on wiring alone.  

On the evening I completed Rosebud, my neighbors Mark and Kelly brought over a celebratory cocktail.  How cute is this??!!  Note the umbrella - straw combo and the cherry, lime and pineapple garnish.  Neighbors that bring you alcohol are the best.

Be sure to check back in September to see how my rig held up at Burning Man.

A reminder that the products and vendors I mention on my blog are not paid sponsors.

Happy Trails,
RB

Why a $46 Campsite Beats the Four Seasons Hotel

We visited Mt. Shasta over the weekend and although some of the other spots we've stayed at were memorable, the view of the snow capped mountain top of Mt. Shasta from Lake Siskiyou is down right assaulting.  Imagine sipping your early morning coffee a few hundred feet outside your trailer and seeing this. 

If you're up for a seriously rugged experience, you can drive a little higher up in elevation from Lake Siskiyou (about 7 miles) and camp on Lake Castle. At this time of year, large chunks of ice were visible. There are no developed camp sites here, just pitch a tent and enjoy.

We treated ourselves to French Toast at Lily's, located on the main road.  I usually don't drink tap water but something about the glass left by our waitress looked refreshing.  It was the BEST tasting water ever.  Better than any bottled water and certainly better than any city water. Our server told us their water comes from the melted snow off the mountain.  She recommended we visit Waters Head where the melted snow meets the Sacramento River. 

And that is why a $46 a night campsite beats a $400 a night room at The Four Seasons. Some of the most beautiful vistas can only be found in our National and State Parks. 

Reduce your cooking time up to 70%

Last year I wrote about how to cook twice and get four meals.  Today I am going to discuss the miracle method of pressure cooking which reduces your cooking time as much as 70%!

Although pressure cookers have been around for decades, I did not discover them until a couple of months ago and I will never go back to using a crock pot or cooking a pot roast in an oven ever again.  This thing has literally given be more hours in a day.   I can not tell you how many times 5:00 has snuck up and slapped me in the face and asked, "What's for dinner?"

Pre Pressure Cooker, I would run through half a dozen recipes in my head only to dismiss all of them because there would be no way I could get to the store for ingredients, chop, brown and braise or roast in time to serve dinner at 6:30.  Either one of two things usually ensued 1) Delivery or  2) My infamous "Three Continents" which is just a fancy way of saying, whatever hodge podge items found in the fridge, freezer and panty thrown together. 

Post Pressure Cooker?  Well, I could fit in a marathon, that is if I ran.  Take today, I went to the store at 4:45 to pick up three pounds of pork shoulder and I was serving tender as butter goulash at 6:30.  Technically, it was ready at 6:10 but why raise expectations?!?  Look for yourself:

Browned and ready to go.

Eight minutes later.  EIGHT -  as in single digit.  
And yes, those are potatoes you see.

As you can see, I saved about 1.5 hours of slow simmering or 6 hours in a slow cooker.  Just like everything else, pressure cookers come in a range of price and sizes. I started out with a cheap TFal from Target for $37.00.  I have since upgraded to a $300 Kuhn Rikon.  Worth every penny. The Tfal one would have taken 35 mins for this recipe. Still a huge time saver for all intents and purposes.  Because of the material used in the Kuhn Rikon,  Eight minutes and BAM!, you're done. 

I recommend getting the next size up from the one you think you need.  You can always freeze a second portion for another night (perfect for camping!)  If you would like to learn more about pressure cookers, check out Ms. Vickie's site. 

Tomorrow? I am thinking of scheduling a massage.  You know, because I have all this extra time on my hands. Am hoping to try a cheesecake recipe soon. I will be sure to post the results.

2012 Resolutions

One of my New Year resolutions is to do more art. I first learned about these realistic looking dolls known as "Reborn Babies" on 20/20 a couple of years ago. They are hand painted by artists in the UK and sell for upwards of $2500.

I certainly was not going to spend that kind of money for a doll. So my "do more art" resolution became a challenge to paint one of these myself. Since I had absolutely no experience in doll making, I turned to the foremost authority on everything : The Internet. Armed with some How To videos from You Tube, I was optimistic.

I knew the key to realistic looking skin meant layering and baking each color in order for it to fully dry before going to the next. So I was emotionally prepared to spend 10-12 hours on that portion.

Baking in between each layer of paint 
(Pro tip: Don't leave disembodied doll parts in the oven if you don't want to freak out your house cleaner)

What I wasn't prepared for was spending SIX hours attaching hair. One night I was up until 4:30 in the morning working on just the hair.

Each strand is attached one at a time.

I am the type of person that needs to ride the momentum or will throw in the towel if I stop in the middle. Especially if it is a mundane task. I'd rather suffer all at once, than get slapped with an unpleasant chore over several days.

Here is Molly, the finished product.

Close up of the "blush" on knees and toes.

Also note the mottled skin on the limbs

It's hard to see, but there are little veins throughout to add another dimension.

The hardest ones to paint were the eye brows because they are front and center - no room for error!

Officially, there are eight layers of paint. However, it was more like 20 if you count the ones I messed up on and had to re-do. I don't fault those people for selling their dolls for $2500! I think I did a fine job for my first ever doll.

Here are a couple of dolls done by professionals for comparison.

Here are a couple of dolls done by professionals for comparison.

Oh! I almost forgot. I installed a mechanism in the body that when squeezed, "beats" like a heart. (The husband: "This just went from cute to creepy.") There is also a magnet in her head so you can attach a pacifier if desired. She weighs 6lbs and is 16" long.

Yes, I am aware this posting has nothing to do with camping. But it's too cold for that and a girl must occupy her time with other things!