Black Rock City

On Becoming Outlaw… Burning Man Costumes

/ Curt Mekemson / 12 Comments

The best dressed member of the Horse Bone Camp is Ken Lake, AKA Scottie. 

I am a minimalist when it comes to costumes. In fact I am a shorts and T-shirt kind of guy. For Burning Man, I add a black hat and a neckerchief and consider myself dressed up. I become Outlaw.

Here I am in my Outlaw persona sans neckerchief. The Great Ape was part of a sculpture on evolution. Playa dust decorates my T-shirt and hat.

Everyone is allowed his or her little fantasies at Burning Man. In fact wearing a costume is highly encouraged. It is a key element in the principle of involvement and an expression of personal art. In theory, and to a degree in practice, people go to Black Rock City to participate, not observe.

Costumes have a liberating influence. They allow us to escape whoever we happen to be in everyday life and become, for a brief time, someone else. There’s a bit of the outlaw, or vamp, or siren, or shaman in all of us. One year at Burning Man, fairies and angels were in and it seemed like every other female Burner had spouted a pair of wings.

This is the most graceful pair of wings I have seen at Burning Man. Note the shadows.

Some guys like to get in touch with their feminine side. Or at least I think that’s what it is.  Dozens of men don dresses. If nothing else, their costumes come ready-made.

A manly man dons a dress.

In 2006 I was standing outside of Camp Center with my camera when the annual costume contest was going on. It’s where Burning Man’s best dressed strut their stuff. Somebody assumed I was ‘paparazzi’ and ushered me over to where participants were having their photos taken, a sort of Burning Man Red Carpet. I dutifully snapped away.

Many of the following photos are from that 2006 experience. Others are more random. I have also included photos by Don Green, a fellow Horse-Bone Camp member who is handy with cameras.

This is one of my favorite photos by Don Green. I can’t help but wonder if this is a costume, or whether it is who the woman truly is. For me, she defines exotic.

Another favorite of mine because the man absolutely bursts with personality.

This shaman represents how elaborate costumes can get at Burning Man. Think of the hours and imagination that went into producing it.

Another costume that caught Don Green’s eye. The pink tint to the glasses and the pink lip stick add a nice touch.

Henna Tattoos and body painting often become part of costumes. This woman was quite striking with her stripes.

I usually don’t post nude or partially nude photos out of respect for Burners and my readers. I couldn’t resist this cute pair of umm… kitties, however.

Purple Man.

 

Green man.

Yellow lady.

Age is no limit. This woman is in her 70s.

Frequently costumes are coordinated. This pair makes for an interesting fantasy.

I’ll conclude with this young woman because I like her hairdo and her smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Man at Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / Leave a comment

Since the beginning of Burning Man, the Man has dominated the event, providing a convenient meeting place, landmark, and viewing platform for six days and burning on the six night.

The Man goes to his fiery death in 11 days.  Drummers will drum, fire dancers twirl, mutant vehicles gather, fireworks go off, and some 60,000 people witness the event. It is the highlight of the week, the one must-do event… and almost everyone participates.

But the Man is more than one final, fire-filled happening. For six days he will tower over the Playa and Black Rock City serving as a meeting place for friends and as a guide for misplaced Burners. Major events will start and end at his feet. He is the dominating figure at Burning Man both during the day and during the night.

With thousands of people wandering around in the dark, mutant vehicles lit up like Christmas trees roaming the playa, and dozens of events happening simultaneously, it is easy to become disoriented at Burning Man. Unless there is a whiteout and zero visibility, the Man is always there to provide a landmark. (Photo by Don Green)

Each year the Man is given a new base that reflects the annual theme. Burners are invited to explore the structure, check out the art, and climb up to high platforms that look out over Black Rock City. The following pictures are taken from five of the six years I have visited Burning Man.

The Man viewed through a metallic flower sculpture in 2009.

A close up and side view of the above photo at Burning Man.

The structure for the Man is always designed to burn. The site is closed down on Saturday while preparations are made. Art is removed and fireworks are inserted.

The 2006 Man provides a good example of how dramatically different each year’s structure is at Burning Man.

The Burning Man structure in 2010 provided great platforms for viewing the surrounding mountains and Black Rock City. Finishing touches are being put on the structure here.

A telephoto view looking into  Black Rock City from the Burning Man tower in 2010.

Another view from the Burning Man tower. In this one I emphasized the surrounding mountains of the Black Rock Desert. Note the bank of porta-potties on the left: not scenic but essential.

In 2007 the unimaginable happened and a misguided prankster lit the Man on fire Thursday night. By Saturday, Burning Man had replaced the structure. In this photo by Horse-Bone Tribe member Ken Lake, the Man (without his head) is being placed on the replacement structure.

A final view of the MAN in Burning Man.

 

 

Sixty Thousand Bikes… Burning Man 2012

/ Curt Mekemson / 7 Comments

Not everybody, but almost everybody, brings a bike to Burning Man. This 30 foot tall archway made from used bicycles by Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector for Burning Man in 2007 reflects the importance of bikes in Black Rock City.

There will be close to 60,000 participants at Burning Man this year and close to 60,000 bikes.

You can walk at Burning Man; in fact I enjoy it. Every block of Black Rock City offers new sights and adventures to experience. The City covers some seven square miles, however.  A bike is a necessity of life for getting around.

The primary requirement for a Burning Man bike is that it have big tires and be old and beat up or Wal-Mart cheap. Translation: the black Rock desert is not kind to bikes. Skinny tired expensive bikes, or for that matter, fat tired expensive bikes will not be happy. Bring a clunker. Dust gets into everything. If it rains, mud gets into everything. Actually mud grabs on to tires and feet alike with super-glue tenacity and brings everything including mutant vehicles and bikes to a screeching halt.

In addition to being messy, Playa dirt is corrosive.

Preparation for night is important. You want to be seen. As you might imagine, thousands of bikes wandering around on a dark night is a disaster waiting to happen. Bikes are adorned with headlamps and tail lights or at least glow sticks.

Smart Burners also bring spare tubes, bike oil and basic tools. Remember the motto of radical self-reliance. You will also want a bike lock. In a city of 60,000 there are bound to be a few thieves, or at least people who borrow your bike for a short ride or several days and then abandon it.

The Horse-Bone camp is lucky. Punkin-Beth, owner of B&L Bikeshop in Davis California is a master bike mechanic and member of our tribe. In addition to helping us with bike problems, she gifts our neighbors. There are camps at Burning Man dedicated to helping with bike repair.

Pimp your bike! Decorations can be simple or elaborate. Burning Man is all about art. Your bike is a blank canvass waiting for your creative touch. Burners will appreciate your efforts, your bike will be easier to find in a crowd of several thousand look-alikes, and people are less likely to ‘borrow’ it.

Bikes lined up in front of Center Camp looking a lot like each other.

A bike with a personality… easy to find and unlikely to be stolen.

 

Tiger Bike.

Wild horses are often spotted in Nevada. These are actually steeds of the Horse-Bone camp.

Luna, AKA Peggy, adds decorations to her horse.

Fender art.

Crash testing a bike?

The biggest bicycling event at Burning Man is the CT Parade where over a thousand women take off their tops, decorate, and go on a joyous bike ride.

Another picture of the bike tower, surrounded by bikes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mutants in the Desert… Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / 81 Comments

If you find a convertible that has morphed into a cat, the odds are you are at Burning Man.

If you wish to drive a vehicle at Burning Man, you have to obtain a permit from DMV. I am not talking about the Department of Motor Vehicles here; I am talking about the Department of MUTANT Vehicles.

Cars, golf carts, trucks, and busses have to change into something completely different and unrecognizable to cruise through Black Rock City and out on the Playa. Only bikes are allowed to roam free. And even they are known to morph into dragons, horses, camels and a multitude of other creatures. (Check out my next blog.)

The same creative energy that goes into art, costumes and performances at Burning Man goes into the production of mutant vehicles. A tractor pulls a false-front house and bar across the playa while an outhouse trails behind. An old bus changes into a riverboat, the Lady Sassafras, courtesy of Fractal-Nation. A convertible morphs into a cat. Dragons, polar bears, bugs and pirates roam the playa with impunity. There is even a vehicle for the couch potato.

A closeup of the cat car that prowls the nighttime streets of Black Rock City.

Out on the edge of Burning Man’s Playa we found a false front house and bar being pulled by a tractor.

Dragons are common themes for mutant vehicles at Burning Man. As for the dancing lady on the left, who knows?

This River Boat, the Lady Sassafras, was created by Fractal Nation, one of the major theme camps at Burning Man. (Photo by Tom Lovering)

A mutant vehicle for couch potatoes. Note the license plate.

I am not sure whether this Praying Mantis or her shadow was more frightening.

A human-powered mutant vehicle? Note the fuel in the engine’s left hand.

Like the man pulling the piano, I am not sure Mama Bear qualifies as a mutant vehicle. (Actually I am sure they don’t, but I have to put these wonderful images somewhere.)

This Conestoga Wagon seems appropriate for the desert. Pioneers once made their way through the Black Rock Desert on their way to Oregon following the Applegate Trail. The device on the side of the wagon is for shooting out flames at night.

My all time favorite mutant vehicle is the Neverwas Haul, a three-story Victorian house with the characteristics of a railroad steam engine including a cattle catcher. Horse-Bone Camp member Sailor Boy, AKA Tom Lovering, likes the Haul so much that he donated an antique ship-telegraph last year. The telegraph was designed to allow the pilot to communicate with the engine room.

The Neverwas Haul.

The Whimsical Art of Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / 3 Comments

What’s not to like about this lovely face? Burning Man art often comes with a sense of humor attached. See what’s attached to this face below.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of the artists who display their art at Burning Man have a sense of humor. I mean anyone who is willing to brave hundred degree plus weather, unending noise, towering dust storms, minimal bathing and a week of well-used porta potties must have a sense of humor. Right?

I like the word whimsical. It means to be playfully fanciful in an appealing or amusing way. It also means acting in a capricious manner. Both seem to fit Burning Man. Each year I wander around Burning Man with my camera in a totally capricious ramble looking for amusing art. I am never disappointed.

Here’s the body attached to the face above… a suave sphinx.

Art doesn’t get much more whimsical than these sculptures created by Pepe Ozan.

This dog by Pepe Ozan was particularly amusing. My friend Ken Lake, a noted contrarian, immediately climbed on the dog and rode him backward. Imagine trying that at a museum.

I keep coming back to this rabbit in my blogs because he makes me laugh. Isn’t that a OMG expression on his face? There is an annual bunny parade at Burning Man where a thousand or so people put on rabbit costumes and hop around Black Rock City.

Dragons are common at Burning Man… no surprise there. But this guy struck me as more whimsical than ferocious. After dark, his fire-breathing personality takes over, however.

Here’s another sculpture with scary potential that I found humorous. His creator, Diarmaid Harkan, named him Metaluselah but I dubbed him Pitchfork Man.

Certainly a see-through goat with trash in his stomach qualifies as being fanciful. Check out the shadow.

This violin fiddling hare was found in Center Camp, which is always a great place for art. (Photo by Don Green)

This amply endowed Statue of Liberty welcomed visitors to Silicon Village. Apparently her baby default mode was off and she and an ear piece for translating guy speak. Silicon Camp has over 200 members, most of whom come from Silicon Valley.

One day I was wandering around Black Rock City, I found a camp that specialized in photo montages. There must have been a dozen works and each captured a unique slice of Burning Man. Check out this photo carefully. What you see reflects the fun of Burning Man.

And finally, the Peripatetic Bone insisted on being included in this section on whimsical art. He jumped on the nose of my noble steed, Horse with No Name, and declared the horse was a Unicorn. “Art,” he claimed, “is the process of changing the usual into the unique.” I told Bone he looked more Rhino-like that unicorn-like. He said, “Whatever.”

The Big Rig Jig, Bliss and Ecstasy… Burning Man Art

/ Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

I return to Burning Man for a number of reasons but the art is what truly captures my imagination. This sculpture by Dan Das Man and Karen Cochrane is titled Ecstasy. At night, fire shoots from the statue’s hands.

Art, for me, is the essence of Burning Man. Today I am going to feature three monumental sculptures that I found to be particularly impressive during my six visits to Black Rock City.

The 2007 theme for Burning Man was The Green Man. Artists were encouraged to develop pieces with an environmental message. Mike Ross, a New York sculpture artist, chose to cut up and weld together two 18-wheel oil tankers as a reminder of the impact oil consumption has on our environment. Like much Burning Man art, people were invited to climb over and into this 42-foot high sculpture titled the Big Rig Jig.

Two 18 wheel oil tankers were cut up and reassembled to create this 42 foot high sculpture created by Mike Ross of New York.

Another view of the Big Rig Jig by Mike Ross at Burning Man. Each year Burning Man selects a new theme and encourages artists to create works of art that reflect the theme.

I really like this photo of the Big Rig Jig taken by my fellow member of the Horse-Bone Tribe and friend, Ken Lake.

Dan Das Man who works out of the Bay Area has had several sculptures featured at Burning Man over the past decade. My favorites are his colossal human figures.

The statues by Dan Das Man at Burning Man are guaranteed to excite photographers and elicit emotions from Burners.

A new definition for spiked hair?

The bikes and Center Camp provide a perspective on the size of this sculpture by Dan Das Man at Burning Man.

In 2010 it was the 40-foot high, 7000-pound sculpture Bliss that caught my attention. Treasure Island was the birthplace of this piece by artist Marco Cochrane.

In 2010 the monumental sculpture named Bliss by its creator Marco Cochrane caught my attention.

Almost any time of the day or night a crowd was gathered around the 42 foot tall, 7000 pound sculpture Bliss at Burning Man.

The sun provided a Kodak moment at Burning Man for this photo of Bliss.

I added a green background in my final photo of Bliss.

Burning Man: It’s Not for the Faint Hearted

/ Curt Mekemson / 12 Comments

Burning Man’s roots go back 27 years to the burning of an 8 foot tall statue on Baker Beach in San Francisco. Today’s man stands some 40 feet tall and rests on a 60 foot pedestal. The wooden man and his fiery demise symbolizes the annual event that takes place in the remote Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

Finally I have lucked out and scored a ticket to Burning Man. Now I have to scurry about and get ready. The event is three weeks away; it is serious countdown time. This means my usual blog is going on vacation. For the next three weeks, my posts will be all about Burning Man. I am going to reblog some of my most popular Burning Man blogs and include many of my favorite photos.

Afterwards I promise full coverage on what the 2012 event was like. You are invited along!

I discovered my passion for deconstructing pumpkins in 1992 and came to accept Halloween as an adult holiday. I still had a major hurdle, though; I refused to wear a costume. Even as a kid I resisted dressing up for Halloween. Somehow it seemed un-cool.

Five trips to Burning Man have changed my mind. If you are one of those folks who can’t wait to morph into Count Dracula or Suzy Siren, you might want to visit this annual event.

Burning Man is close to Libertarian in its rules. You are, however, highly encouraged to wear a costume. These range from the simple, such as this guy wearing a neck piece and a bowler, to the more fanciful such as the woman with high shoes and a bikini bottom. Expect some nudity.

 

But be warned: Black Rock City, the home of Burning Man, is not for the faint hearted.

Temperatures can rise to over 115 during the day and drop to freezing at night in this instant city located in a remote section of the northern Nevada desert. Dust storms whip across the Playa creating zero visibility and coating everything with a fine layer of dust. Eyes, ears, lungs, clothes, tents, vehicles, cameras and laptops become instant victims in this environment. Cleaning up afterwards is a weeklong process, so serious that some RV companies refuse to rent to Burning Man bound celebrants.

A huge dust storm makes its way across the Playa creating close to zero visibility along the way. (Photo by Don Green.)

Just when you believe you have mastered the heat and dust, it rains and you find two inches of mud caked on the bottom of your shoes or bike tires.

None of this seems to deter participants. They come in the thousands to this happening, which runs for a week including Labor Day. Burners, as they like to be known, come from all over the world to see and be seen, to party and perform, to enjoy and create art. And they get there in almost every conceivable mode of transportation including ancient busses, trucks, autos, bicycles, airplanes and over 3000 RVs – all loaded down with the paraphernalia necessary for a week of desert survival.

Overnight, a community of 50 thousand plus rises out of the desert, making Black Rock City the fourth largest city in Nevada for its one week of existence. Burners arrive to a well laid out semi-circular street system, some 450 port-a-potties, a Center Camp Café, the 40-foot tall Burning Man statue (perched on a 60-foot plus base) and little else. Everything they need must be brought with them.

This year a city of 60,000 people will appear and disappear in the Nevada Desert during Burning Man. This photo illustrates what it looks like early in the week. There are still spaces. My van Quivera, is in the foreground. (Photo by Ken Lake)

Center Camp is one of the few structures Burners find set up when they arrive. Here it is operating full tilt as shown by the hundreds of bikes (BM’s primary mode of travel), which are parked outside.

With the exception of coffee, tea, lemonade and ice, nothing can be bought or sold. There is zero commercialization.

As for what the event is, it can be almost anything an individual wants it to be. The only requirements are that you pay the entrance fee and follow a few basic rules.

I asked my friends to describe the event. Their answers included 1) Las Vegas glitter with a new age twist, 2) Haight Ashbury, Woodstock and Mardi Gras rolled into one, 3) a medieval fair dropped into an ancient Greek Bacchanal, and 4) a frat party with avant-garde art.

I view Burning Man as one of the greatest shows on earth. It ranges from the whimsical, as represented by this rabbit, to more serious themes.

My own take is that Burning Man may very well be the greatest show on Earth, a modern-day ‘Hippy Happening’ of gargantuan proportion. New age idealism combines with personal liberation, art, exhibitionism, holistic healing, self-discovery, environmental awareness and partying. Step aside Barnum and Bailey.

The event reaches back 27 years when an eight-foot version of the ‘Man’ was first burned on Baker Beach in San Francisco. Legend has it that Larry Harvey, the creator of Burning Man, was mourning a lost love.

Revisionist thinking suggests something deeper was involved, a search for meaning and unity in our Post-Modern world. And there is an element of that at Burning Man. Certainly much of the art is reflective of Post-Modern thought. There is also an underlying Utopian fervor among the BM true believers that the event can create positive change in the world.

Next Burning Man Blog: Beware of Large Bears with Tuning Forks

When I think Burning Man I think art. This colossal woman appears to be celebrating the event.

 

It’s Not Kansas Anymore, Toto… It’s Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / Leave a comment

Of the dozens of candidates for the Wizard I found among my photos, I opted for the Green Man.

What if Dorothy landed at Burning Man instead of Oz? Would she have known the difference?

No doubt she would have found a wizard and the odds are high she would have discovered a number of good and bad witches. There’s even a chance she would have stumbled upon a scantily clad, very, very bad witch wearing black leather and carrying a whip. (I think I have a photo.)

This woman, I decided, would make a great witch.

As for rusting tin men, cowardly lions, and uncoordinated scarecrows, they’ve probably all visited Black Rock City. Think of tens of thousands of people dressed up in costumes.

I can even imagine Larry Harvey, the founder of Burning Man, hiding behind a large psychedelic screen and yelling at Dorothy in a booming voice, “Gift me the witches broom and I’ll gift you a trip to Kansas.

And for some reason, I'm not sure why, I selected this young woman for Dorothy. Maybe it's a sense of innocence.

Gifting is big at Burning Man. So is radical self-reliance. Dorothy and her bosom buddies would have been on their own in searching for the broom without a corporate sponsor to be found. Nor would she have been able to buy food, water or even a new axe for the Tin Man. Consumerism is a no-no.

And how would Dorothy get home? “Follow the yellow brick road, sweetie, and tap your ruby slippers together,” was sound advice for Oz but what about Burning Man?

She’d be better off looking up the Midwest Burners. They are bound to have at least one Fairy Godmother who would happily gift Dorothy and her scruffy dog a ride home to Kansas… after the Man has burned. (BTW… Dogs aren’t allowed at Burning Man. Dorothy might have been sent packing as soon as she arrived.)

It’s serious countdown time here on the Applegate River in Oregon. Burning Man is four days away. The Emails are flying back and forth between the Horse-Bone Tribe.

The Horny Princess is planning on coming in on Tuesday and leaving on Saturday ‘depending on the dust.’ This is absolutely her last Burning Man she announces for the third year in a row.

“Don’t worry about the dust,” Sailor Boy responds. “There’s plenty to go around.”

Luna is picking out her hat; Pumpkin (our second year Burner) is bubbling; Scout is just glad he doesn’t have to cook. So are we. I heard from a spy in the Bigger Sacramento Book Club that Scotty was modeling his latest outrageous Burning Man get-up at the book club meeting.

Details, details, details… like where are we camping, who’s bringing what food, when are folks arriving and what walkie-talkie channel will we be using.

But that’s easy stuff. We are, after all, Burning Man Veterans. Thirty minutes of chit-chat and everything is settled.

My thanks to all the folks who have followed my Burning Man Blogs this year. And special thanks to WordPress for featuring the blogs prominently. This is my last one before the event but I will be back immediately afterwards with photos and stories from 2011. This year shows promise of being one of the best ever.

Sailor Boy toasts Burning man and shows off his colorful outfit.

My Eyes, Ears, Nose and Mouth Are Clogged with Dust and 5000 People Don’t Have a Clue Where Camp Is… Surviving Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

Radical Self-Reliance is the primary catch phrase at Burning Man. This is my "Bring on the dust storm" outfit. A painter's mask works better but when your Burning Man name is Outlaw...

Surprise! The Black Rock Desert is a desert. Temperatures climb to over 100 degrees in the day and massive dust storms create zero visibility. It is all part of the experience of Burning Man. Veteran Burners call it ‘fun.’ They whine when it doesn’t happen.

After six years I still have doubts. But I guarantee it will be more ‘fun’ if you are adequately prepared

Last year I failed to take my advice. It was a beautiful evening for Burning Man. Temperatures were moderate, the sky was clear and a beautiful sunset bathed the surrounding mountains. A major event was scheduled on the far side of the Playa. The umpteen thousand square foot MEGATROPOLIS was to be burned

I joined fellow members of the Horse-Bone Tribe and a long line of Burners as we trekked across the Playa to the site. There were great fireworks, an impressive fire and all of the other hoopla that goes along with a Burning Man event.

My wife Peggy, our friend Beth and I had just started back when the massive dust storm hit. Everything disappeared.

“Which way do we go?” Peggy asked.

Unfortunately, I had left my goggles, my dust mask and my sense of direction back at camp. I didn’t have a clue. All we had going for us were 5000 other people caught in the same storm.

Someone in a large mutant vehicle filled with madly gyrating dancers yelled, “Center Camp is that way!” and we started trudging in the suggested direction, all of us, lemmings marching to the outer edge. What followed was weird, a Hieronymus Bosch scene scripted by Edgar Allen Poe and directed by Salvador Dali.

Sixty mile an hour winds battered us with dust. Visibility climbed from zero to a hundred feet and back to zero. Other Burners and mutant vehicles became ghostly reminders that we weren’t alone. The three of us held on to each other; being lost together was better than being lost alone.

Time slowed down, almost seeming to stop. At one point a cyclist zipped past going in the opposite direction. “Center Camp is that way,” he said, pointing in the direction we had come from. I was prepared to believe him. Up was down, north was south and east was west.

A thick coating of dust covered my glasses and trickled into my eyes. It clogged my nose, coated my mouth and stuffed my ears. Our clothes and skin became a muted Playa Gray. A full day of hiking and biking collaborated with my 67 years and began to sap my energy. Walking became work. I was not having ‘fun.’

Then, for a brief second, the wind shifted. I caught a glimpse of Black Rock City’s most prominent landmark, the Man. He was exactly the opposite of where I expected him to be and we were further from camp than when we started. But I was ecstatic.  Now I could orient myself and get us back to our camp.

Eventually we made it home, two hours after we left the burn. A box of baby wipes, several sneezes, eyewash, ear swabs and a cold beer repaired most of the damage. Exhausted, I fell in to a restless sleep. Giant dust devils pursued me through the night.

Under any circumstances, our trek through the dust storm would have been challenging. I could have done without dust in my eyes, nose and mouth, however. I now carry my goggles and dust mask whenever I leave camp. Lesson learned.

Radical self-reliance is the primary catch phrase of Burning Man. You are expected to take care of yourself. That means we bring our own food, our own water, our own shelter and all of the necessities required to survive for a week in a harsh desert environment.

Niceties matter as well. You can choose to shower by running along naked behind the water truck or you can choose to clean up in a more private manner.

Burning Man provides an excellent list of what to bring. Newbies and veterans alike will benefit from visiting. I return to it each year.

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/radical_self_reliance.html

Being seen at night is one of the most important survival tools at Burning Man. We invited our grandkids to decorate us for this blog with glow sticks. Mom, they decided, needed spiky hair.

Here's how Tasha looked when she and the kids finished. Note how easy she is to see in the dark.

Our grandkids somehow thought I would look good as a chained man with cat whiskers.

While it's impossible to persuade six and three year olds to hold still for night time photos, I liked the sense of movement that Peggy caught.

Quirky Burning Man

/ Curt Mekemson / 4 Comments

This strange 20-foot tall Alice in Wonderland type rabbit is a great introduction to the quirkiness of Burning Man. Photo by Tom Lovering

Burning Man is wonderfully quirky. Want proof? Walk 50 yards down any road.

I love it. Where else can you get a cold brew from a beer tap drilled in to the side of a coffin or discover an army of Barbie Dolls in their birthday suits.

Walking down one of Black Rock City's many roads, I came upon an army of Barbie Dolls in their birthday suits. Who knows what they were up to...

People wear quirky clothes, drive quirky vehicles and create quirky art. Check out the expressions on the fish below and on the Pitch Fork Man. Or what about the Cat Car? Or how about, uh, twin cats???

Murals are common at Burning Man. I love the expression on the striped fish and how the octopus is hitching a ride on the whale.

Pitch Fork Man is the very definition of quirky.

The Cat Car has always been one of my favorite mutant vehicles.

Here kitty kitty.

Naturally, Bone fits right into the environment. Grown men riding around on stick horsies also qualify. We are, after all the Horse-Bone Tribe.

Burning Man is a Bone kind of event. He is definitely quirky. Here, he plays unicorn on a horse's nose.

Grown men playing cowboys on toy horses also qualify as strange.

Here are a few more of my favorite examples of Burning Man quirkiness.

A tree made completely of bones.

The Suave Sphinx.

Desert mirage... a bar with its own outhouse being pulled by a tractor through the remote playa . We climbed on board and took advantage. Photo by Tom Lovering.

Man crashing bike into empty boxes. The boxes were set up specifically for that purpose.

Couch Car.

See through goat with shadow. Note garbage in stomach.

One Tribe focuses on capturing images of Burning Man and then putting them together in photo collages. I thought this collage did an excellent job of capturing the quirkiness of Burning Man.

And of course there is nothing quirky about me. I am the one on the left.