Black Rock City 2008

Comments and faves

1. 

   rennemy (47 months ago | reply)

   Cool :) Very interesting.

2. 

   furtographer (47 months ago | reply)

   By order of the BLM, we will eventually again be on the path of stamping our footprint on the entire playa? Did we really leave ruts from 2001-2005? Was that why we moved last year?

3. 

   jlam (47 months ago | reply)

   Furtographer, the Special Recreation Permit swapped locations A & B in previous years and created a contingency location C for populations expected to reach 50000.

4. 

   DangerRanger (47 months ago | reply)

   Its funny how our perspective has been changed by the artifical environment that we inhabit. Whatever "ruts" you may see with a remote viewing space technology database, they are not visible when you are actually there. Black Rock City is doing a remarkable job of erasing itself, unlike the terrible footprint that exists at other places in the desert where humans have gathered... places like Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

5. ★

   Scott Beale added this photo to his favorites. (47 months ago)

6. 

   potatotrap (47 months ago | reply)

   ie, it's a composite image.

   Doesn't mean past events haven't left marks currently visible, tho.

7. 

   the eye of disorient (47 months ago | reply)

   nice.

   i'm the urban planner of disorient (a camp at bm). is there any way that we could connect the .skp file of our camp with the william keller's google map overlay?

   here's what we're doing this year:
   wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Urban_pla n#.22Mandala...

   thanks.

8. ★

   the eye of disorient, eyefleye, and SDTJ added this photo to their favorites.

9. 

   jovino (47 months ago | reply)

   "Whatever "ruts" you may see with a remote viewing space technology database, they are not visible when you are actually there."

   I think it all depends on your perspective, but I've seen the ruts left by previous events while out on the open playa. I understand and acknowledge the amazing job of post-event clean-up, but comparing Burning Man to a place such as Los Angeles is completely un-fair. Cities have many things that BM does not. These include an established civil infrastructure, commerce, sustainability, jobs... the list goes on. BM can flaunt its no-commere, freedom to express and whatnot, but it is impossible for it to sustain beyond a week without outside intervention. There is no long-term plan for survivability. Therefore, it will always be a festival, or party -- not a city.

10. ★

    Qathi added this photo to her favorites. (46 months ago)

11. 

    Steven_Bradford (46 months ago | reply)

    "I think it all depends on your perspective, but I've seen the ruts left by previous events while out on the open playa"

    Of course, once the ruts have been there long enough, we work to preserve them-- as with the wagon trails from the 19th century.

    I wonder of future historians will be pissed at us for leaving no trace.

12. 

    DangerRanger (46 months ago | reply)

    It is a matter of perspective across time. Before Burning Man arrived, the Black Rock desert had a lot more trash on it. During the early years, we scoured the wide open playa picking up whatever trash and debris we could find. We hauled off several tons of household appliances, stoves, refrigerators and even car bodies and took them to an approved landfill outside of Reno. (We even removed the old tires that were used as milage markers, but the locals kept putting them back.) We later learned that the BLM rule for "historical artifacts" is 50 years and we should have left some trash on the playa. Even the spent shells from when the military used the Black Rock desert as a bombing range during the '40s & '50s are now "protected artifacts". The day will come when it will become illegal to remove any moop that might be found at the site of the first Burning Man. Early pioneers seldom see value in the footprints that they leave.

13. 

    eggchairsteve (46 months ago | reply)

    With the new, further location, perhaps the 12mile could be used additionally to alleviate exodus congestion?????

14. 

    jlam (46 months ago | reply)

    With 50000 exodus …please something! Unfortunately, Gerlach is the choke. Can nobody devise a scheme for travelers leaving northwest on NV-447 and otherwise bypassing Gerlach? It'd alleviate congestion for everybody.

    Why not use a special exodus lane, with flagged escort along NV-34 to 447. Those using it must depart northwest and not turn back. To prevent cheaters from turning south, close 447 southbound at NV-34 and staff with sheriff during peak exodus.

15. 

    3l3tronic (46 months ago | reply)

    sweet now the drive will only be 4 hours instead of 3 from the access road! ;)

16. 

    jimhairphoto (46 months ago | reply)

    great work.
    please let him know that he has " airpot " road listed.
    oh, and when the next flood comes it will wash away all the marks,
    so no worries mate.

17. ★

    laurenlemon, ►mikehedge.com ♫, michicat, johnmctaint, and virginied added this photo to their favorites.

18. 

    Hapto (46 months ago | reply)

    Re: Ruts -- If you scan the edges of the playa, you can find some places where the drivers had spelt out names... googlesightseeing.com/2006/03/07/car-art-blac k-rock-city/

19. ★

    Zack Sheppard added this photo to his favorites. (46 months ago)

20. 

    zhahai (46 months ago | reply)

    The ghost "ruts" you see in the lower left are NOT still visible from earlier events - it's actually just an older aerial photo which by chance happened during setup in 2004 or 2005. The marks were only days old when the photo was taken, but have long since washed away (Google doesn't need to reimage and process remote areas very often).

    Then there is another photo overlaid in the middle, from a high res aerial of burning man festival specifically made for Google in 2006. In that one the city looks vibrant, you can see people and tents and vehicles (but they are not more still there than the "ruts" of the 2004 image). Of course you have to zoom in within Google maps or earth to see that.

    Finally, there is a line drawing of the 2008 plan in the upper right. Simplified, anomolously colorful, graphic.

    However, it *looks* like a sepia toned ghost of the past (2004), a living present (actually 2006) and an electronic projected future (2008), accidental but cool.

    There's not much historical moop left after Burning Man; there are always some flecks of glitter or feathers from boas (now discouraged) or a lost bead - but nothing like the wagon wheels of old or the shell casings of the 40's. Maybe some fully buried tent pegs?

21. ★

    grammy2boys, LoveOurEarth, avaDarlene, macabucha, and dances.in.air added this photo to their favorites.

Want to format your comment?