Hello Laughing Bear, and the rest of you Happy Soakers! I am back safe and sound from another wonderful adventure to this years Burning Man Gathering. The weather was near perfect, except for a couple of dusty afternoons. Jobe was able to make it up this year, had a great time, and is already talking about his plans for next years event :-) I spent alot of time at the Center Camp, the hub of activity for Black Rock City. Lots of people to watch there, and endless entertainment happening at the Center Camp Stage. This year " The Man " was positioned atop a maze of rooms filled with various forms of art. Finding your way through this maze eventually led you to either of two ladders that take you up to the first level deck below the Man, then up ladders to the top level veiwing deck, where I also spent alot of time, since the Man is situated in the center of Black Rock City and provides a great location to see the many activities out on the open Playa. The scenery and sounds on Saturday night, when they Burn the Man, was just fabulous! Its just something you truly have to see, to believe, its huge, magnificent, wonderful, etc, etc :-) The Big Burn is so interesting and entertaining that I always stay up way late, this year finally heading back to my Playa Ride from the Coals of the Man at 4AM :-) On Sunday about half of the people of Black Rock City begin to leave. At about 12 noon I found that my truck would not start, battery had gone dead, and in the process activated the alarm system, which prevents the vehicle from being started. I rode into the Center Camp, and found to my supprise that there was erected there, what looked to be a pay phone, one that you could REALLY use to call anywhere in The World, For Free! I actually got a hold of AAA and to my suprise was able to get them to send out a tow truck within a couple of hours. Got my tow to the town of Fernely, about 75 miles away on HWY 80, were I had previously reserved a room at Super 8 Motel. You see, since I haven't been using my alarm system on my truck, I didn't have my alarm clickers with me to reset the alarm system. So on Labor Day morning, it looked like I might be stranded for a while, since everything was closed for the holiday, but my wife and I started making some calls, and around 12 noon my wife called me with good news. She had luckily caught a guy down in the High Desert who owns an Alarm System Business who was closed, but just happened to be by his work phone, and he new the system on my Ford F-150, and told my wife where there is a reset button for the alarm. I was on my way home by 12:35 PM, only 3 hours behind my original schedule :-) Jobe took a bunch of photos at Burning Man with his digital camera. He sent me some by e-mail, and I put one he took of me at my Wizard's pictures link below. I took 5 rolls of film myself, and they should be developed by tomorrow. This weekend I'll work on getting the better ones at Wizard's pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing what images I captured, and Dreaming already about next years Burning Man Extravaganza!
