On the way to Burning Man

We've been talking about going to burning man for years, and finally this year we are doing it. After talking with some folks on the web, we decided that for our first year there, that we would do it without Delilah. Fortunatly, a few years ago, my Sister Suzie in Eugene had offered that if we wanted to leave Delilah with them some time, they would enjoy that...

So, we did research on what to bring, what to buy, what to wear. We bought stuff, we modified the bikes in an attempt to make a single motorized cruiser, we bought extra water containers that Barbara aptly dubbed "water puppies" for their propensity to wander around the RV, and leak on the floor. We bought way to many Otter Pops to hand out. Then we spent days staging and loading the RV, and finally on Thursday the 21st we were off.

We headed north, and did a diversion through Los Olivos to do some Wine Tasting and stretch our legs, then made it to San Luis Obispo, and after some confusion with the hotel (our only hotel night - we wanted to stay in town), we did the Farmers Market there.
Friday, was Delilahs "real" birthday, so she got some goodies in the morning, and we got off to a late start, which made for a VERY long drive to Lassen, where we were to camp that night. The additional complications included that the camp that we reserved at wasn't even accessable from the southern entrance that we came in, and would have been several additional hours out of the way. Fortunately, we were able to find a spot, and pulled in and made a quick camp. The following day, we explored some lava caves there, and then continued north to get into Eugene Saturday evening. We stayed in the "Bed and Breakfast" at Suzies there and had a great time as always, though the compound was much quieter than usual - many of the usual residents were camping or doing there end of summer travel.
Sunday, we did a little Birthday Party for Delilah with her two cousins, Lydia and Kolbe at a Pizza joint which is somewhat reminescent fo Shakeys. They have a merry go round, a few games, and a great view of the river. We managed to do a few last minute shopping bits for hats and shoes, and stayed the night again for Monday AM departure, leaving Delilah there for the 5 days until the next Saturday...