Burning Man 2012 - The Burn that almost wasn't

Last year, Burning Man sold out for the first time, and with that event, the event changed.  Suddenly, there was a chance that you couldn't go to Burning man, even if you wanted to, because there was a scarcity of tickets. In response to that event, this year's tickets for Burning Man were done differently. It was supposed to be fair, with a lottery system, allowing you to only buy a limited number of tickets. The problem is, that in a scarcity based economy, scalpers thrive. They cheat professionally, so they are very good at it. In contrast, the good people of the Burning Man Community obeyed the rules, and so it is that by some estimates over half of the available tickets went to the scalpers, leaving the other would be burners stunned and confused about how they didn't get tickets... What about the community? What about the theme camps that can't fill their ranks? Will it just be a bunch of rich yuppie frat kids? WHAT ABOUT BURNING MAN??? 

We know a number of Burners. Most of them didn't get tickets.We didn't get tickets. So, we started looking on ebay, and found the $300 tickets going for upwards of $3,000.  Not only were we not willing to pay that much for tickets, but we also weren't interested in helping out scalpers.  Thus it was, that we decided that we weren't going to Burning Man this year...  Several of our friends that had gotten tickets, were so disappointed with how things were going, they sold theirs. 

Time goes by, Barbara has a job commuting to the bay area, it's the Sunday Night that Burning man is starting. We've heard rumors that there are a few tickets floating around that aren't scalpers. Barbara is frustrated with her job and the recent corporate take over. She wants a vacation.  Since I wasn't going to Burning man, I had already used up much of my vacation time - only had a few days.  Delilah wanted to visit her cousins in Oregon, even if we weren't going to Burning Man, so she was already set up to fly up there... We started talking out loud. It may have sounded a bit like an argument, but it was more about momentum, and overcoming that which was, for that which could be... We decided that we would try to make it happen... 

So, Monday, we start calling around about tickets, get cash in hand, start e-mailing about who can watch Delilah after she flys back from Oregon on Friday - we find that her friend Sophie's family would be able to watch D Friday till we return the following Monday.  Barbara finds some tickets - one in Temecula, and another in Encinitas, and hops in the car to buy them, as I start furiously throwing boxes into the RV, filling the water tank, loading some food, a bucket of clothes, the essentials, but without the planning for any of the luxuries - none of the extra water for daily quick showers, just enough to drink and clean, no light sticks, no playa gifts (other than the Thom Kha Guy soup which I took fixings for).  By midnight, it was as loaded as it could be on such short notice, and I had to go to bed, since we were waking up at 5AM to take Delilah and Barbara to their separate flights in the morning... 

Tuesday, 5AM. Up, last minute checks - boarding pass and ID, added some extra laundry to D's bag for the extra days, off to the Airport - Barbara escorts D to her flight, then takes her own flight to SFO.  I head home and finish off the RV loading, and drive the RV to work. Dad calls, computer problems.  Crap. Have to stop by and check out his computer. Ok, leave work even earlier 1PM, stop by dads, his cable TV and cable modem are both out. Work with cable guys for an hour, sure enough, it's a real problem - cable guys coming tomorrow, I'm outa here... North, hit a WalMart for oil change (woops - a bit overdue on that) and supplies, dinner then back on the road - sucking down energy drinks, got to Coalinga about 2AM and sleep in a rest stop. 

Wednesday, 7AM. Up again, talk with Barbara on phone, plans have changed - trying for noon pickup in SFO instead of east bay... On the road again, after a GPS debacle, backup on the Bay Bridge, and some political intrigue at her work, I rescue Barbara from Agesong, and we're on the road to Burning Man... Barbara actually drives the RV once were in line, as I organize and make munchies. Line only takes 3 hours. It's Wednesday night. A few days ago, we weren't going.  Now we're here.  Yes, it's a shorter trip this year. Yes, we're traveling lighter.  Yes, it's a different experience - more newbies, many of the theme camps are under staffed, a few have folded. But, we're here. 

Every year, Burning Man is different. It is measured in disconnected moments, not in linear events. Instants that impress a mark on you - most positive, some hard, many remarkable.  So, how did it compare? It's apples and oranges.  It was amazing - but in a different way from other years. It seemed both smaller and bigger. More personal and more distant. Things kept vanishing - sometimes they'd come back, other times never seen again.  But always, something else was there, some other image, moment, person, art, image, thoughts.

We've decided that in the future, we shouldn't bother to try to fool our selves that we aren't going.  We just need to go.  Hopefully the ticket debacle will be resolved, and next year, we'll just buy tickets on the first round, and now that we are going, and it will be different, just like every year. Different - Just like this year. 

View of the Temple from the Burning Man Dias

This years theme was Fertility, so there were signs of virility scattered around

Barbara and Joe, our part time camp mate

One of a number of wind storms. There were "more, lighter" storms this year, few white outs, but almost always a persistent dust blowing. 

I actually used the umbrella to propel the bike ala wind surfing for a while

Art Project with The Man in the distance

A "city" built in the sand 

Barbara enjoying the view

A few examples of night life - a torus made of LED rings, a spinning wheel of fire, and the full moon on the playa

Barbara resting on an art structure, harkoning to a spiders egg sack, made of zip ties and glowing balls... 

And with the shorter trip, I took fewer photos - but I was there. And it was good. Heck, it was great. 

Back to the roots...

Having recently returned from a weekend camping trip with Delilah's school to Potrero regional park (which was a great success), I come to appreciate once again how nice it is to have an RV.  In retrospect, most of this blog is about events that transpired in or around the RV - The Big Trip, many vacations, Burning Man, even the time between the houses was spent living in the RV.

It has had folks renting it out, others finding refuge from the storm of life. It has been a haven for kids to play in, a calm place to reconnect, a great place for sleep, a statement of sorts, a framework to attach the bling to... So many things that it has been, and so, this entry is an homage to the RV, and some of the useful things, tips, and realities I've found along the way.

First - a question of "Class"...
There are several "Classes" of RVs. This "class" definition has to do with what the RV looks like, how it works.
"Class A RV" is one that looks like the classic Winnebago, sort of like a bus, with a large window up front that typically goes to the roof. The are mostly front engine, with a few rear engine models. These are usually the largest and roomiest RVs, some of them 40+ feet long. These often have multiple discrete rooms, walls, and partitions, to make something that is very much a house on wheels. Typically have all the amenities of home - shower, toilet, refrigerator, microwave, multiple beds, sofa, TV, etc. Many of "slides" which are sections of the vehicle that slide out like a drawer to expand the floor space in the vehicle once parked.  Mileage is often around 6MPG, due to the large size, but there are also some diesel versions that do a bit better.

"Class B RV" is the "Camper Van" or "Van Conversion". In stark contrast to the class A, most of these are well under 20 feet, with no interior hard walls. Many don't even have a toilet (or perhaps a porta poty). The most minimalistic ones offer little more than a fold out bed, and a small sink and perhaps gas stove. Mileage is typically in the teens to lower twenty MPG.

"Class C RV" actually falls somewhere in between the A and B.  Their definitive mark is that they will have a bed above the "cab" (the drivers seat). Usually, there is at least one other sleeping area, and almost all have basic kitchen, shower, toilet and dining area. They are usually in the 20-30 foot range. They offer many of the comforts of a Class A (including some have slides), while being more easily driven and parked, and typically 10 or so MPG.

"Pop Up" is a small trailer, which has a tent like canvass structure that creates the walls for the top portion, allowing it to telescope up. This makes for an easier trailer to tow, since when down, the driver can see over the trailer through the rear mirror. They are light, and relatively inexpensive, and offer all the basics including in most cases toilet and shower. One down side is the canvass doesn't provide much insulation - either thermal or sound. Thus, they are very much like camping in a tent. Towed with a traditional tow hitch, it can be hauled behind many cars.

"Trailer" such as the "Wind-stream", "Teardrop" or others are a mid sized option. Typically larger than a pop up, and with amenities to match. Range from about 10 to over 30 feet in length. Some few have slides.
"Fifth Wheel" is a larger trailer, typically with lots of amenities, but it is physically so large that it requires a special mounting on a truck to haul it, called a fifth wheel. This is the same basic mounting that is used by Semi-Truck and trailers to hitch their trailer.  These trailers can be quite luxurious in accommodations, slides are standard on more recent ones, and some configurations are made to haul "toys" - off road vehicles for "Desert Rat" type folks.

We chose a used Class C RV, which I feel has the best combination of features - easy to drive, park, reasonable mileage, nice amenities, and don't have to tow anything.  I've been very happy with our choice which was a Ford F-350 based 25 foot Fleetwood Jamboree, with the Triton V-10 6.8L engine. With over 100k miles, no oil drips from the power train, and she still runs like a champ. 2000 model year was just before slides started coming out in the Class Cs, so it has a little less floor space than some of the newer models, and at 25', she was one of the shortest available, but that makes her easy to park - which has been a real blessing, since she is parked in our back yard here in Hillcrest most of the year!

Stuff that we found particularly useful -

An awning is such a nice thing to have - providing shade from the sun, and shelter from the rain. The thing to watch out for is that these things are fragile - and not to be left unattended unless very well secured. An unexpected wind can bend the thin aluminum struts into mangled masses in no time, making them inoperable or worse, making it impossible to drive the vehicle until they are cut off. At Burning Man we have either lashed our awning to someone elses, so that they support eachother, or covered the whole awning with either sides to prevent wind from getting under, or a parachute around it for the same reason.

An electric water heater element.  The water heaters in RVs are typically pretty small - ours is 6 gallons, which is enough for two very short showers. Typically they use propane to heat the water, which takes about 15 minutes. If you are plugged in to shore power at a park though, it is nice to be able to heat the water with park electric, which both saves you LP (and $$), as well as being much quieter (albeit also much slower).  You can buy the electric water heater elements to install in gas water heaters, by pulling out one of the drain plugs, and then mounting a thermostat to the tank to control the temperature.  After initial fiddling to set it up, ours has worked great for years.  The only down side to this is that you need to either unplug or install a switch for it if you are parking RV powered, but unattended for extended periods.

Storage bins.  You quickly realize that no mater how large your RV is, that you only have so much space.  Finding bins that closely fit to the space you have allows you to easily move the bins around to try to find the illusive thingy, or reorganize on the fly. Some of these bins are available in a stacking configuration which makes easier layering of stuff.

Stove top cutting board. This has a padded bottom, and is designed to go on the stove top. It has serves many purposes - first, it keeps the stove grates from rattling while driving. It also works as both a cutting board, a trivet for hot pans, a small table, a serving tray, even a back seat for the Burning Man Trike Conversion. With limited space, finding things that can do lots of different things is a blessing - this is one of them.

Another such thing is the humble "Salad Spinner". This is basically a large plastic bowl, with a smaller colander that fits inside, and a lid with one of several means to spin wet lettuce placed within it to dry.  Finding one that will fit in an RV provides a nice sealed way of storing washed salad.  But more than that, the large bowl comes in handy for many things, and the colanders plastic is sturdy enough to withstand boiling water to drain noodles and boiled vegies (potatoes, etc), so again, multi-taskers are great things.

Portable Jump Starter/Air Compressor - though we've never had to actually jump start the engine, the self powered compressor, and the portable DC outlet has come in handy many times. Ours also had a lantern function with CFL lamps so a nice source of light.

Fubar - this is a "Functional Utility Bar", designed for demolition, for tearing out 2x4s. But in RV space, it is also a heavy hammer to drive in spikes to secure the awning or ground covers, a high leverage pry bar to pull them back out again, working in conjunction with a hatchet, you have a great wood splitter, tearing pallets apart for bon fires, etc.

Hydration pack with snacks, flashlights, sunscreen, Swiss Army Knife, Water, band-aids, assorted pills, bandanna (also multi-functional), compass, note pad and pen, and calling cards.

And finally, an old school, printed on paper travel atlas. This is still the most sure fire way to get at least the large scheme of where you are going, and how to get there, and to visualize what's along the way, or find alternate routes. Reinforcing the spine with Duct Tape not only makes it last longer, but gives it that certain RV j' ne cest qua...

Ok, I guess that's it for this episode. RV Power Activate!

Life's a trip, and then...

You still out there? Wow, well thank you for your patience... Yeah, I know it's been a while.

So much going on in life, on so many fronts.  One of the core happenings of the last few months has been my mothers passing.  Passing is a good word for it.  It didn't happen in an instant.  It was a slow process. It was like passing a truck on a hill, while you're driving a motor home, with a trailer... Some time around June something happened, she had a fall, broke a vertebrae, and along the way lost of alot of her presence and spirit.  We thought it was the pain, or the meds, or the pneumonia or the infection, or the next pneumonia... But after a while, it became more obvious that however she lost it, it wasn't coming back.

I can't even keep track of all the maladies that she fought off - I think there were 4 or 5 bouts of pneumonia, several UTIs, her COPD, Congestive Heart Failure, 3 or 4 visits to the hospital... It was months of her slow passing from here to there - moving "on".  It was hard on all of us. On Dad, with his diminished capacity to remember and understand, the change in schedules was tough; it was hard for him to take care of the dog, mom's dog, hard for him to see mom as she faded.  It was hard on Delilah in more subtle ways - she always seemed pretty happy around mom, but her behavior became so unstable for a while, lashing out, yelling, thrashing at it all - psychically kicking and screaming about the unfairness of mortality.  It was hard on me, for all the time, the energy, the drain of it all.

Towards the end there was only the family Christmas for her to live for - one final gathering of the family.  Christmas was her holiday - and she held out for that last hurrah.  So, we put it all together. A little Christmas Tree in her room in the care facility, little lights, flowers, cards, reminders.  The whole family came together to celebrate a few days after Christmas - the clans from LA, from Oregon, and San Diego, all gathering for her, all spending some moments with her.

Strange the things that trigger.  Delilah's counselor suggested that I help Grandma make some hand prints on paper - which we could then give to all the family and grand kids. I happened to go in towards the end of the day, after mom had exhausted her energy, in hopes of having her make hand prints.  But I was alone with her, just randomly, no one else was there to help me. So I started trying to get a palm print, but mom was passed out - nearly lifeless even then - and I couldn't manage to control her hand and the pad at the same time.  So I settled for a finger, and repeatedly inked the finger, then stamped it on a sheet of paper. Her finger was so frail, and her skin so cracked; and the process of stamping the paper required moving so many things at once, that this simple, silly task reduced me to tears. I didn't want to get the ink on her new pajamas, but she couldn't help me - she wasn't home. I know she would have loved the idea of the art, but she wasn't there to give it, so I had to move her like a puppet...

She died a week later. She had been put under hospice care just a few days before, and had been fading quickly. Jan, my brother's wife, had come to spend some time with her. Suzie, my sister, was flying down from Oregon to be here. Barbara and Delilah and I went up to visit mom, and spend some time with dad.  I visited mom before dinner, and she was barely there. She was gurgling, working so hard to breathe. We ate with dad, and returned to his condo.  Soon thereafter I got a text from Jan saying that we should come soon.  I told dad that we needed to go now.  During the 5 minutes or so that it took to walk from the condo to the care unit, I felt sort of an upside down waterfall of energy and wondered to my self if that was mom leaving.  When we got there, sure enough, Jan and the hospice nurse were in the hall - "She just passed".  We went in to her room, and apparently dad hadn't heard that she had already passed.  He put a hand on moms chest, and after a moment said "I don't think she's breathing..." We explained that she had passed, and he slowly walked to the other side of the bed so he could reach her face, and planted half a dozen gentle kisses on her face - the most passion that I had ever seen them share...

For a few weeks, I was her Attorney in Fact, then co-trustee to the trust, and now executor to her will. There are things that you think are going to be hard, things that you simply don't know, and things you think will be easy. Some times you're right. There are things that should be easy but aren't, things that shouldn't be bearable, but some how are. There are things that you wish you could ask for help for and can't, and others, you find magically done before you needed to worry about it.  All of this is my life right now.  There are things that are just tough - just taking so much energy, and others that just flow. There is love, and there is frustration. There is wonder and there is disdain. And this is in so many aspects of my life - opening my self up to a full spectrum of possibilities of how things may be.  I am trying to just be, to just take this moment - study it, be in it, wonder at it, and know that it will pass to the next.  To be in a relationship with each moment as a seperate thing.  Each moment, passing into the next, on this grand trip of life...