Recovering, welcoming

Posted 1 September 2016 at 08:30 at age 28.
Created 29 September 2016 at 06:51. Edited 30 September 2016 at 11:05.

I skipped the annual naked bar crawl Wednesday morning. The race no longer conflicted as in previous years, but having run it, I was less enthusiastic about the bar crawl than I imagined I would be. I relaxed at camp for the afternoon, and Dave arrived with Matt in the evening. With Erik and Phillip, we all went out for a sober night out exploring. We checked out the guild workshops around The Man before seeing some of the more prominent art – Firmament, Sonic Runway, the lighthouses – and briefly visiting The Temple. I had a good time, but also felt my first slight longing for a partner with whom to share this adventure.

This entry is No. 7 in a series of 14 entries.

Wednesday, August 31: Slept 05:13 to 11:46 and 13:59 to 16:54.

This year many friends planned to join the naked bar crawl that occurs each year on Wednesday. I ended up doing it my first year – it was a mess – but have been unable the past two years since the Burning Man 50K Ultramarathon was the same morning. But this year, the race was moved to Tuesday, and I thought I’d actually do the bar crawl once again. Well, plans change!

I woke up at 11, either at the same time as or an hour after the pub crawl started. I was exhausted from the race and then dancing all night, and was quite content to stay at camp. Erik and Phillip went, though late, as did a number of others. I relaxed, browsed the event book and took a nap. Later those two returned with word of adventures next to Steven in a nearby camp’s tent, and then at 18:30, Dave arrived with his friend Matt.

They drove a car Dave rented in Chicago before picking up Matt in Denver and passing through Wyoming and Utah. Despite coming from the north, they ended up having to drive down to Gerlach due to the access being closed. Before that, they spent a good amount of time assisting a couple whose rental car got a flat tire on the rough, gravel road. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but apparently the newer car’s design made replacing the wheel needlessly complicated. They didn’t hit traffic till they reached Gate Road at around 16:00 or 16:30, and only then due to a dust storm strong enough to warrant the organization to stop traffic with cones.

Erik and Phillip tried to attend this year’s TED talks. It was announced they would be held not at the original venue but at the bigger DISTRIKT, but the dance party there was apparently raging unstoppably such that the talks could not get started.

I spent time cleaning the yurt and organizing my electronics and gear. I tried freeing more space by stacking the water containers, but that ended regrettably leaky. I also repurposed the circuit board from my hat to my coat, for I didn’t want to finish soldering another one and figured I wouldn’t need to wear both at once. It was a bit clunky, but it mostly worked. Sometime after dark, I took my third shower of the week, with the sponge.

Dave and Matt arrived Wednesday evening, as expected but later than originally planned. They set up their tents and then headed out with Erik, Phillip and me to take some photos and explore.

Dave and Matt arrived Wednesday evening, as expected but later than originally planned. They set up their tents and then headed out with Erik, Phillip and me to take some photos and explore.

That night I went exploring with Dave, Matt, Erik and Phillip. I hoped I could take the opportunity to focus on photos for a night, but my foot ended up hurting and I was quite tired after just a few hours.

The story continues in the captions below before some concluding paragraphs.

As we biked toward Esplanade, we passed Panorama and decided to go up and have a look. I thought it might be more interesting for Matt to first see Esplanade on the ground before going up and seeing it all, but it was still breathtaking either way!

Equipped with my SLR, I managed to get a better photo of these lovely trees, which come alive so beautifully at night despite looking dry and dead during the day!

Equipped with my SLR, I managed to get a better photo of these lovely trees, which come alive so beautifully at night despite looking dry and dead during the day!

We again happened upon El Pulpo Mechanico, the fire octopus friend we camped by a couple of years ago.

We again happened upon El Pulpo Mechanico, the fire octopus friend we camped by a couple of years ago.

We again happened upon El Pulpo Mechanico, the fire octopus friend we camped by a couple of years ago.

Once on Esplanade, we decided to head to the Man, who was quite a bit smaller this year. The theme was DaVinci's Workshop, so the Man's feet were alive with "guild workshops, modern day maker spaces conceived in the spirit of the Renaissance."

Dreams of Flight, figures flown with helium balloons, created by Michael Gard.

We explored some of the guild workshops in the piazza by the Man.

We explored some of the guild workshops in the piazza by the Man.

We explored some of the guild workshops in the piazza by the Man.

Exploring the playa Wednesday evening

Exploring the playa Wednesday evening

Exploring the playa Wednesday evening

Exploring the playa Wednesday evening

I loved these whale creatures.

This is Firmament by Christopher Schardt. It displays beautiful patterns and plays classical music while the audience lies underneath taking it in.

This is Firmament by Christopher Schardt. It displays beautiful patterns and plays classical music while the audience lies underneath taking it in.

These excited me so much. I was hoping to build a giant cloud, but time and size led me to a simple umbrella. These clouds are a smaller version of what I was thinking, but perfect for bikes, obviously!