When it rains at Burning Man, everything comes to a halt! You are looking at the reason why. Thick mud that sticks to your feet makes it extremely difficult to walk. It’s impossible to bike. And driving is an absolute no-no. These are my shoes. It felt like they weighed 20 pounds each!
Peggy and I have been going to Burning Man off and on since 2004. We definitely aren’t virgins, which is what Burners call newbies. In fact it’s hard to be much more veteran than we are although there are old timers around who have been going since its San Francisco beginning in the mid-80s. Over the past 19 years, we’ve seen everything the Black Rock Desert has to throw at people who come to this unique event north of Reno, Nevada. The worst is usually high heat, strong winds, and blinding dust storms where dust rules your universe. The only thing you can do is put on your goggles, wrap your bandana around your face like a bandit, and proceed. If it’s a white out, you hunker down until you can see where you are going. Not doing so is a recipe for disaster.
Rain has been relatively rare compared to dust storm and requires a different response. The Burning Man Organization (BM Org) shuts everything down until the rain stops and the Playa dries out. It’s quite dramatic. There is no driving except for emergency vehicles. Driving tears up the desert floor and getting stuck is almost guaranteed. Since Burners are required to park their vehicles when in camp (except for mutant vehicles), it isn’t much of an issue unless you are driving in or out. That happened to us once when we were coming in and we had to wait for three hours— along with the thousand or so other vehicles entering at the time. It turned into a party. Typical Burning Man.
This time it was different, as you have undoubtedly seen or heard about on the news or through social media. It just kept on raining. What was normally a 2-3 hour wait went on for three days. Burning Man was featured in headlines around the nation and around the world. 70,000 people were literally stuck in the mud. Even the President was briefed on the situation. We managed to escape yesterday. Our story is best told in photos. All of these are taken by either Peggy or me.
We were happily sitting in Serafina, our 22 foot travel trailer, and sipping a glass of wine when the rain started. We had an ‘impressionistic’ view out our window as the rain made its way through the ever-present dust. “Great,” we thought, “it will cool things down and dampen the dust.” But the rain had something else in mind… We leisurely wrapped up our cocktail hour and checked outside. As expected, Burning Man had shut down all driving. Clouds were threatening more rain! This is Jackalope Road, BTW. We lived at Jackalope and 5:30, out on the edge of Black Rock City. We had come in on Monday and sites closer in were all taken.An hour or so later, we heard yelling and quickly looked out to see what was happening. An impressive double rainbow was stretched over Black Rock City and Burners were celebrating the beauty. On the bad news side, rain was beginning to cover the playa.We took lots of photos! This is looking east.The colors were incredible. But was there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?We turned around and took photos to the west where the sun was busy setting. What would Saturday morning bring?The extent of the problem became apparent when we got up. It was clear the nobody was going anywhere.Or, if they were, it was on foot. I walked out on Jackalope Road to take photos. Peggy took photos of my progress. The photo at the top was from my brief journey!While I was busy doing something else, I turned around and Peggy was trying to scrape the mud off my crocks. What a woman!There ia a solution to the mud stuck to your shoes challenge. Wear garbage bags. The mud doesn’t stick to them. Peggy held hers up with Bungee cords. I told her she was a fashion statement, ready for Vogue. A group walked in back of our camp. It was obvious that they weren’t wearing their garbage bags!As the day wore on, conditions did not improve. A few people ignored Burning Man’s no-travel restrictions and escaped Black Rock City. Most ended up stuck in the mud. What a surprise. It became apparent that the Man would not burn on its traditional Saturday night. There would be no great party out on the Playa. We resigned ourselves to hanging out at our trailer and reading some of the good books we were carrying. It was also important that we had a more than adequate supply of beer and wine.This large RV slid off of Jackalope Road, getting stuck and almost hitting cars parked beside the road.Street conditions had worsened considerably by Sunday morning, the traditional day when about half of the people leave Burning Man. BM Org still had a no-drive rule in effect, however. It was a rule that more and more people were choosing to ignore.We watched a pickup slide up the road. At first I was irritated. On the other hand, BRC radio was predicting more rain, which would mean more mud, which would mean more delays. Maybe we would get out on Monday, maybe we wouldn’t. We had a slight window of opportunity on Sunday Morning, however. Would we take it? Should we go or not? Since Animalia was the Burning Man theme for the year, the stress brought out the werewolf in me…I felt like I was in the middle of a 40s era black and white horror film. It was a hair raising, nail biting situation.To relieve our stress, Peggy and I decided to walk down to the port-a-potties, 2 1/2 blocks away on 5:30. The path the people followed had been walked over enough times that garbage bag shoes weren’t required. Maybe the road the escapees were taking would be similar. But 5:30 did not look promising. How would you like to be in the RV coming up the road with thoughts of getting through this mess. The green building on the right are the port-a-pots. Looking down the road, the Man stands out on the Playa, undoubtably laughing.The port-a-potties were not pretty. I took a photo of the mud covered floor. Actually, it was quite nice compared to the toilet itself. The sewer trucks could not run and the toilet was close to the, um, full. Unfortunately, our trailer’s tank was getting there as well. Hanging around much longer was looking worse and worse. I distracted myself while doing my thing by reading the comics that some Burner had posted on the door.And another… which I felt was somewhat appropriate for for the situation.Walking back, we noticed a skeleton about to grab unsuspecting Burners.” It’s time to get out of here, Peggy.” I exclaimed. A Burning Man official was directing what traffic that was choosing to leave. I stopped to chat. “If you have four wheel drive, you should be able to make it,” he told me. Not only did my F-150 come with 4-wheel drive, it came with special gears to handle deep mud and ruts. When we got back to the trailer, Black Rock radio was reporting there might be severe thunderstorms later in the morning with high winds and heavy showers. We were packed and out of there in 20 minutes. Just as we left, a large RV jack-knifed across the intersection of 5:30 and Jackalope. I took off cross country to the next street over.This is a different RV that had got stuck in the mud while trying to escape. Imagine the cost of getting a tow truck to haul it out.
I’m sorry we don’t have more photos of our journey back to the paved road but we were a bit otherwise occupied. Slipping and sliding, we crossed over several mud holes and two streams and made it out in just over 30 minutes, which beat my previous record by almost an hour.
As of today, some 64,000 people were still at Black Rock City and I am pleased to report that the weather is behaving itself. At 1:00 PM, Burning Man told everyone that the road was open. I suspect that it is a slow journey out. Many have even chosen to stay. BM has said the Man will burn tonight and I expect the sewer trucks are out in full force.
We truly enjoyed our trip to Burning Man, even the weather. It was an adventure! And the art was great, which will be the subject of our next several posts.
55 thoughts on “Stuck in the Mud with 70,000 + People: Burning Man 2023 or Mudopolis”
Hooray! I’ll be back later for a detailed look see, but for now I’m just glad you made it out. I’m sure you are, too. You might need a manicurist for those nails!
Our dash out might have been much scarier had we had time to think about it when we were doing it, Linda. I was reading yesterday that the folks coming out immediately after the Burn took up to 12 hours to cover the five miles. I’ll take the 30-40 minutes of terror. Grin. –Curt
Curt captured this part of our experience well! Really enjoyed our showers when we finally landed at an RV park…..grin. But there was so much more……so more to come!
So glad you made it out. We were biting our nails for you too!
Also glad you had the previous years’ experiences so that this one could just be chalked up as a tale to tell in the future.
Thanks, Ray. And our 30-40 minute trip to was a nail biter! Some of those mud holes were deep! Not much time to think about them however: it was slide through it and focus on the next one. The paved road was a welcome site! –Curt
Miss you, too! Unfortunately we had to bypass both Washington and Oregon this time. We found the strange weather this summer kept us on our toes and caused us to change our original route. I guess we should not be surprised by the weather at Burning Man as we had experienced climate change across country! Hugs! Peggy
Thanks, Barbara! An adventure it was indeed. Right up there with the PCT trek that you and Carl dropped us off to begin. Sadly, we aren’t making it into Oregon this time. Another adventure awaits. Peggy and I have to get back to Virginia and prepare for our trip to Africa and the Big Game parks. Hi to Carl. —Curt and Peggy
Burning Man can always be counted on to make memories, Gerard. Admittedly, this year was a bit more dramatic. LOL. Posts on the less dramatic aspects will be coming soon. Thanks. –Curt
Peggy was indeed a fashion statement. I call it the garter belt look. Grin. And it really worked. I wore plastic bags as well after my first forays out into the mud. But they weren’t nearly as creative. Thanks. Have to say, we are really glad that we didn’t get stuck in the mud! –Curt
I am SO glad you posted! We have been worried about you. So glad to hear you got out. What an amazing adventure. You have had an unparalleled Burning Man experience. Hugs to you both.
Thanks, Crystal. So good to hear from you. Peggy and I thought it was important to get a post up quickly. It was definitely one more adventure! And you know how Peggy and I love our adventures— afterwards, more so than during, on occasion. Grin. keeps us young. All in all, it was another great Burning Man experience. Hi to Pedro.– Curt
You should have heard the yells coming from Burners in appreciation of that rainbow, Cindy. In our years at Burning Man, we have only seen one other to match it— while we were stuck for three hours in the entrance line while the desert dried out from another, but much less severe rainstorm. I figure the rainbows are the desert gods taking pity on us. Grin. Thanks. –Curt
What an event to remember. So glad you’re OK, but I miss the previous posts on the event. You know, the ones with sculpture and a man burning and all that goes into it. Not so this year. But stronger memories will be forthcoming. Thanks for sharing!
We were lucky, Rusha, that we had 3 decent days (decent from a Burning Man perspective) to check out Black Rock City and the Playa. Should be several posts featuring the art, Man and Temple! Thanks. –Curt
I have always thought that a lady with garbage bags on her feet cleverly attached with bungees is the epitome of sexiness!! I think I will make the picture my screen saver!!
Glad you made it out and looking forward to more Peggy pictures!
Kind of like the garter belts of yore, eh Steve. 🥹More Peggy pictures coming. I take it you don’t want more photos of my hairy hands and Playa hair. BTW, that’s what the dust does to your hair after a day or so! –Curt
It was quite the experience, Andrew. As weird as this might seem, we enjoyed it— other than dealing with full port-a-potties. Grin. Had we stayed for the burning of the Man and left afterwards, I might have a different story. I read where the 5-mile exit to the paved road took up to 12 hours, as compared to our 30-40 minutes! Thanks. –Curt
If I learned anything during my cruising years, it was that the ‘worst’ (i.e. most dramatic, most irritating, most worrisome) experiences always made for the best stories. You’ve no doubt got stories galore to tell — all from the comfort of a nice, washed-up world. One of the funniest videos I saw of the Great Escape was someone with an enormously powered truck pulling their huge trailer making their escape early on. They were so eager to get out, they’d forgotten to put up the trailer steps, which certainly added a touch.
I’ve never seen anyone look as spiffy in plastic as Peggy does!
Have to agree, Linda. It’s the challenges (at least the ones you survive, grin) that make for the best stories. I suspect that the the RV had some rather muddy steps, LOL, if they made it through! The after story that caught my attention was that the folks who left immediately after the Burn took 12 hours to make the 5 mile out. Ouch! –Curt
You had told us you would be there this year, so yes – I was very concerned with the news reports. I appreciate you texting back to Linda at shoreacres because she made a visit to my site to let me know you two were alright!!
You have better photos than the news had too!
Hey, GP, great to hear from you and glad Linda let you know that Peggy and I are still alive and kicking! We had fun, as always, and took full advantage of what good weather we had at the beginning to check out the art. We could have used more time, but we saw a bunch, which I will soon be posting about! 🙂 –Curt
Looking forward to the photos, but get out and recovered first.
Laughing. We are well on the road to recovery, G. One more adventure! Peggy is already pushing me to get up the next post. No rest for the wicked, or even not-so-wicked. 🙂 –Curt
You have a good woman there, Curt. Listen to her!
Thought of you when we saw the news stories and hoped you’d taken a break this year. Turns out we didn’t need to worry. So good to hear your experience was anything but bad!
It was great, as always AC. Thanks. Peggy and I are pretty good at coping with challenges and kept our sense of humor up (most of the time). Grin. How’s the AC business going? –Curt
As always, we had a great time at Burning Man. The rain just added to the adventure. I do wish we would have had more time to explore the art, which is why we go. Still, we saw a lot, and I will start featuring it in my next post. Thanks. –Curt
Sooo unsurprising that you two made lemonade out of such a slew of lemons. I have, you know, wonderful memories of being at BRC with you. The Burn looked lovely on the live feed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRBWmzU17mg), but your reasons to leave when you did were obviously compelling.
I’m guessing the shelter-in-place there would have been a sort of deja vu of the pandemic. Suddenly you’re just, inconceivably, staying indoors, reading, listening to music, etc.
I’d be interested in your perspectives on how BRC has changed over the years. BMOrg published stats show changing demographics (richer, older, more couples). I’d already decided that I am not going back unless I can figure out how to go in an RV. Looking at your and others’ pictures, it seems there’s been a big trend away from tent camping. Such a different experiences, I guess, between Burners’ sleeping in RV’s, several inches above the playa, and Burners’ with tents, sleeping in their cars because the floors of their tents were underwater.
Great to hear from you, Don. I know how much you loved the event over the years. We had some great times out there. Had Peggy and I been virgin Burners, we would have stayed to see the Man burn regardless, but having seen it some 12 times, we didn’t feel so compelled. Certainly no regrets, here about leaving when we did, a fact that was underlined when I read it was taking people 12 hours to get out after the Burn. Grin. Apparently it’s back to the normaL 2-3 hours. All in all, this year was the same adventure as always! I do wish we had more time with the art. But there were a couple of days that were great and we took full advantage of them. I am going to do a post on our perceived changes. I’d say ‘not for better’ but then again, I do recognize that times change. I just can’t see anything that would suggest it is better now. –Curt
Curt, not much to say except: What a muddy mess! Not sure if you’ll count yourself lucky, but you’re part of history, from a meteorological standpoint anyway. I love Peggy’s practical solution to the mud. I definitely wouldn’t want to own the closest car wash. BTW, outstanding rainbow shots. ~James
Burning Man is always an adventure, James, but this year it became even more so. I wonder if the mud will become the rule rather than the exception. it’s been the fine dust in the past that takes months to eliminate. At least the mud came right off… and reduced the dust! Peggy and I stopped at a car wash in Winnemucca. You could definitely tell that Burners had been there. Grin. Peggy says thanks on her trash bag get-up… –Curt
Wow! I’ve been hearing about it on the news but seeing and hearing about it from someone who was there really puts into perspective what happens to the desert when it rains.
Thanks, Diana. It was certainly different from the usual dust storms Peggy and I have experienced over the years at Black Rock City. Welcome to the world of global warming! –Curt
Well you took me right into the centre of that with words and pictures. I knew people were stuck for a few days because of the rain and mud but had no idea of the extent of it.
An adventure indeed!
Alison
Burning Man has always been fun for us, Alison. And always comes with challenges, like severe dust storms, heat, and winds. This just added another element. Grin. Our trailer, Serafina, was quite comfortable and we came supplied with plenty to do! Our only regret was that we didn’t have more time to explore the Playa and Black Rock City, missing a fair amount of the art and quirkiness that always make the journey so interesting. We are now zooming back to Virginia so we can get ready for our next adventure, exploring several big game parks in Africa. How are you guys doing? –Curt
We’re doing well overall. Don has recovered remarkably well and is about 90% back to his usual self. We’re both adjusting to this new normal – a quieter life with travel outside of Canada unlikely, though planning for Montreal for Christmas.
Hope you two are also fine. Africa – how utterly fabulous. Have a great time!
Alison
Glad to hear about, Don, Alison. At our age, the question mark about the future always looms large. One thing that you and Don have, as Peggy and I do, is a life well lived. –Curt
I remember you mentioning a while back you’d gotten tickets for this year’s Burning Man, so naturally I wondered how you fared in the mud. Maybe being on the periphery was a blessing – less mess to navigate around. Looking forward to more picks, the rainbows are awesome!
It was an experience, Dave. The fact we escaped on Sunday made a huge difference. It took us 30 minutes to get out. When Burning Man officially opened up for travel it took people 12-13 hours to make the five mile drive to the gate. Other than the fact that we didn’t have as much time as to explore the art, which is why we go, it was fun, albeit a bit hairy on our 30 minute run. –Curt
I admire the way you accentuate the positives in what must have been a potentially very negative experience, Curt! Some of those mud pics have a curious beauty all their own and of course the photos in your other posts are very much business as usual.
We half expect extreme weather when we go to Burning Man, Dave, including extreme heat, high winds, dust storms, and even the occasional rain that temporarily brings things to a grinding halt. This was just ‘a bit’ above and beyond, he noted in understatement…
Wandering through Time and Place 
Hooray! I’ll be back later for a detailed look see, but for now I’m just glad you made it out. I’m sure you are, too. You might need a manicurist for those nails!
Our dash out might have been much scarier had we had time to think about it when we were doing it, Linda. I was reading yesterday that the folks coming out immediately after the Burn took up to 12 hours to cover the five miles. I’ll take the 30-40 minutes of terror. Grin. –Curt
Curt captured this part of our experience well! Really enjoyed our showers when we finally landed at an RV park…..grin. But there was so much more……so more to come!
Showers!! Like heaven!!
Have to confess, it was a long one! 🙂
Yep, there’s more to come. My lovely friend is already pushing me to get up the next post. Grin.
So glad you made it out. We were biting our nails for you too!
Also glad you had the previous years’ experiences so that this one could just be chalked up as a tale to tell in the future.
Thanks, Ray. And our 30-40 minute trip to was a nail biter! Some of those mud holes were deep! Not much time to think about them however: it was slide through it and focus on the next one. The paved road was a welcome site! –Curt
Simply Fabulous!!!
What an adventure and I loved your blog. Happy Trails to you! Are you heading this way? Miss you both!!
Barbara
Miss you, too! Unfortunately we had to bypass both Washington and Oregon this time. We found the strange weather this summer kept us on our toes and caused us to change our original route. I guess we should not be surprised by the weather at Burning Man as we had experienced climate change across country! Hugs! Peggy
Thanks, Barbara! An adventure it was indeed. Right up there with the PCT trek that you and Carl dropped us off to begin. Sadly, we aren’t making it into Oregon this time. Another adventure awaits. Peggy and I have to get back to Virginia and prepare for our trip to Africa and the Big Game parks. Hi to Carl. —Curt and Peggy
Such stuff that memories are made of. Fabulous rendition of stuck in the mud.
Burning Man can always be counted on to make memories, Gerard. Admittedly, this year was a bit more dramatic. LOL. Posts on the less dramatic aspects will be coming soon. Thanks. –Curt
I thought of you two the minute I heard about the weather this year at Burning Man. Good to know you made it out. Love the garbage bag look.
Peggy was indeed a fashion statement. I call it the garter belt look. Grin. And it really worked. I wore plastic bags as well after my first forays out into the mud. But they weren’t nearly as creative. Thanks. Have to say, we are really glad that we didn’t get stuck in the mud! –Curt
I am SO glad you posted! We have been worried about you. So glad to hear you got out. What an amazing adventure. You have had an unparalleled Burning Man experience. Hugs to you both.
Thanks, Crystal. So good to hear from you. Peggy and I thought it was important to get a post up quickly. It was definitely one more adventure! And you know how Peggy and I love our adventures— afterwards, more so than during, on occasion. Grin. keeps us young. All in all, it was another great Burning Man experience. Hi to Pedro.– Curt
Ha! It’s always more fun to laugh about it afterward. I’ll pass on the Hi to Pedro.
Wow! Love the rainbow photos. Gorgeous.
You should have heard the yells coming from Burners in appreciation of that rainbow, Cindy. In our years at Burning Man, we have only seen one other to match it— while we were stuck for three hours in the entrance line while the desert dried out from another, but much less severe rainstorm. I figure the rainbows are the desert gods taking pity on us. Grin. Thanks. –Curt
What an event to remember. So glad you’re OK, but I miss the previous posts on the event. You know, the ones with sculpture and a man burning and all that goes into it. Not so this year. But stronger memories will be forthcoming. Thanks for sharing!
Rusha Sams
We were lucky, Rusha, that we had 3 decent days (decent from a Burning Man perspective) to check out Black Rock City and the Playa. Should be several posts featuring the art, Man and Temple! Thanks. –Curt
I have always thought that a lady with garbage bags on her feet cleverly attached with bungees is the epitome of sexiness!! I think I will make the picture my screen saver!!
Glad you made it out and looking forward to more Peggy pictures!
Kind of like the garter belts of yore, eh Steve. 🥹More Peggy pictures coming. I take it you don’t want more photos of my hairy hands and Playa hair. BTW, that’s what the dust does to your hair after a day or so! –Curt
I read it in the news and wondered if you might be there. A great escape story.
It was quite the experience, Andrew. As weird as this might seem, we enjoyed it— other than dealing with full port-a-potties. Grin. Had we stayed for the burning of the Man and left afterwards, I might have a different story. I read where the 5-mile exit to the paved road took up to 12 hours, as compared to our 30-40 minutes! Thanks. –Curt
The Great Escape!
Indeed!
If I learned anything during my cruising years, it was that the ‘worst’ (i.e. most dramatic, most irritating, most worrisome) experiences always made for the best stories. You’ve no doubt got stories galore to tell — all from the comfort of a nice, washed-up world. One of the funniest videos I saw of the Great Escape was someone with an enormously powered truck pulling their huge trailer making their escape early on. They were so eager to get out, they’d forgotten to put up the trailer steps, which certainly added a touch.
I’ve never seen anyone look as spiffy in plastic as Peggy does!
Have to agree, Linda. It’s the challenges (at least the ones you survive, grin) that make for the best stories. I suspect that the the RV had some rather muddy steps, LOL, if they made it through! The after story that caught my attention was that the folks who left immediately after the Burn took 12 hours to make the 5 mile out. Ouch! –Curt
You had told us you would be there this year, so yes – I was very concerned with the news reports. I appreciate you texting back to Linda at shoreacres because she made a visit to my site to let me know you two were alright!!
You have better photos than the news had too!
Hey, GP, great to hear from you and glad Linda let you know that Peggy and I are still alive and kicking! We had fun, as always, and took full advantage of what good weather we had at the beginning to check out the art. We could have used more time, but we saw a bunch, which I will soon be posting about! 🙂 –Curt
Looking forward to the photos, but get out and recovered first.
Laughing. We are well on the road to recovery, G. One more adventure! Peggy is already pushing me to get up the next post. No rest for the wicked, or even not-so-wicked. 🙂 –Curt
You have a good woman there, Curt. Listen to her!
Thought of you when we saw the news stories and hoped you’d taken a break this year. Turns out we didn’t need to worry. So good to hear your experience was anything but bad!
It was great, as always AC. Thanks. Peggy and I are pretty good at coping with challenges and kept our sense of humor up (most of the time). Grin. How’s the AC business going? –Curt
Suspected you might cope with it all. We’re busy as usual with lost of smaller trips. Makes for slightly less interesting blogging, sadly.
I’m pretty sure the animals and your customers appreciate the trip regardless of its length. 🙂 –Curt
Nice to hear you had a great adventure! Was pretty sure that whether you chose to stay on site or leave, you would choose the best time and route!
As always, we had a great time at Burning Man. The rain just added to the adventure. I do wish we would have had more time to explore the art, which is why we go. Still, we saw a lot, and I will start featuring it in my next post. Thanks. –Curt
Sooo unsurprising that you two made lemonade out of such a slew of lemons. I have, you know, wonderful memories of being at BRC with you. The Burn looked lovely on the live feed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRBWmzU17mg), but your reasons to leave when you did were obviously compelling.
I’m guessing the shelter-in-place there would have been a sort of deja vu of the pandemic. Suddenly you’re just, inconceivably, staying indoors, reading, listening to music, etc.
I’d be interested in your perspectives on how BRC has changed over the years. BMOrg published stats show changing demographics (richer, older, more couples). I’d already decided that I am not going back unless I can figure out how to go in an RV. Looking at your and others’ pictures, it seems there’s been a big trend away from tent camping. Such a different experiences, I guess, between Burners’ sleeping in RV’s, several inches above the playa, and Burners’ with tents, sleeping in their cars because the floors of their tents were underwater.
Great to hear from you, Don. I know how much you loved the event over the years. We had some great times out there. Had Peggy and I been virgin Burners, we would have stayed to see the Man burn regardless, but having seen it some 12 times, we didn’t feel so compelled. Certainly no regrets, here about leaving when we did, a fact that was underlined when I read it was taking people 12 hours to get out after the Burn. Grin. Apparently it’s back to the normaL 2-3 hours. All in all, this year was the same adventure as always! I do wish we had more time with the art. But there were a couple of days that were great and we took full advantage of them. I am going to do a post on our perceived changes. I’d say ‘not for better’ but then again, I do recognize that times change. I just can’t see anything that would suggest it is better now. –Curt
Curt, not much to say except: What a muddy mess! Not sure if you’ll count yourself lucky, but you’re part of history, from a meteorological standpoint anyway. I love Peggy’s practical solution to the mud. I definitely wouldn’t want to own the closest car wash. BTW, outstanding rainbow shots. ~James
Burning Man is always an adventure, James, but this year it became even more so. I wonder if the mud will become the rule rather than the exception. it’s been the fine dust in the past that takes months to eliminate. At least the mud came right off… and reduced the dust! Peggy and I stopped at a car wash in Winnemucca. You could definitely tell that Burners had been there. Grin. Peggy says thanks on her trash bag get-up… –Curt
Wow! I’ve been hearing about it on the news but seeing and hearing about it from someone who was there really puts into perspective what happens to the desert when it rains.
Thanks, Diana. It was certainly different from the usual dust storms Peggy and I have experienced over the years at Black Rock City. Welcome to the world of global warming! –Curt
Well you took me right into the centre of that with words and pictures. I knew people were stuck for a few days because of the rain and mud but had no idea of the extent of it.
An adventure indeed!
Alison
Burning Man has always been fun for us, Alison. And always comes with challenges, like severe dust storms, heat, and winds. This just added another element. Grin. Our trailer, Serafina, was quite comfortable and we came supplied with plenty to do! Our only regret was that we didn’t have more time to explore the Playa and Black Rock City, missing a fair amount of the art and quirkiness that always make the journey so interesting. We are now zooming back to Virginia so we can get ready for our next adventure, exploring several big game parks in Africa. How are you guys doing? –Curt
We’re doing well overall. Don has recovered remarkably well and is about 90% back to his usual self. We’re both adjusting to this new normal – a quieter life with travel outside of Canada unlikely, though planning for Montreal for Christmas.
Hope you two are also fine. Africa – how utterly fabulous. Have a great time!
Alison
Glad to hear about, Don, Alison. At our age, the question mark about the future always looms large. One thing that you and Don have, as Peggy and I do, is a life well lived. –Curt
I remember you mentioning a while back you’d gotten tickets for this year’s Burning Man, so naturally I wondered how you fared in the mud. Maybe being on the periphery was a blessing – less mess to navigate around. Looking forward to more picks, the rainbows are awesome!
It was an experience, Dave. The fact we escaped on Sunday made a huge difference. It took us 30 minutes to get out. When Burning Man officially opened up for travel it took people 12-13 hours to make the five mile drive to the gate. Other than the fact that we didn’t have as much time as to explore the art, which is why we go, it was fun, albeit a bit hairy on our 30 minute run. –Curt
I admire the way you accentuate the positives in what must have been a potentially very negative experience, Curt! Some of those mud pics have a curious beauty all their own and of course the photos in your other posts are very much business as usual.
We half expect extreme weather when we go to Burning Man, Dave, including extreme heat, high winds, dust storms, and even the occasional rain that temporarily brings things to a grinding halt. This was just ‘a bit’ above and beyond, he noted in understatement…