Burning Man Update

I made it to Gerlach Nevada without any trouble. The bus performed admirably. It took 5 days of hard driving but I was in a good mindset to get through it without going crazy with boredom. I got some excellent photos of Bonneville Salt Flats at sunrise. I'll post those photos later.

There is no Black Rock City yet, only empty desert. The city is in the process of being surveyed and created. I've been a part of that process for the last two days and for many more days to come. It all starts with finding the location for the Man, and the entire city is based on that first point. Yesterday I helped map out the street; today I helped lay out the intersections - there's over 200 intersections.

This year the city itself is bigger than ever - another five streets were added perhaps. The city perimeter will be a whole mile longer - 8.2 miles.

The weather has been hot (but bearable), sunny, and windy. That's the way it will continue for at least the next 5 days. Dust hasn't been bad yet, but there's hardly anyone here yet to stir it up.

I Set Out Running But I Take My Time

This line from a Grateful Dead song comes to mind so often when I start my annual cross country trip in the VW. It's hard to do anything but take my time when driving a VW. But I've learned to adopt a different driving mentality when behind the wheel of the Dub. I've can't go fast so if I ever plan on getting across the country I have to put in LONG hours to make up for it. I hope to be on the road by mid morning tomorrow.

A Day In The Life Of A V-Dub Owner

Though my uncle and I have spent the last three days working on the bus, it broke down shortly after I drove away satisfied that the thing was rock solid. Apparently the fuel pump has given up the ghost. It had nothing to do with the work we did. So today's project will be to fix that issue, then hopefully I can load the bus and be on my way to Nevada for Burning Man. The perplexing thing about the fuel pump giving out is that it's a good brand name and only has about 5,000 miles on it total. I'm very thankful that it broke here in town and not out in some flat faraway corn state.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

My uncle, Kevin, has gone over the VW bus's electrical system for the past three days in minute detail. He has put a great deal of time and effort into it, making sure that it is done right. Things now work on the bus that have never worked in the entire time that I've owned it. It now has back-up lights, and will even pass inspection for the first time. He has really done an excellent job on the rig.

The Hay Is Done

For the last week or so I've been helping my uncle with the hay. There's been a number of family members helping with the effort. It's been hot and muggy work. The last stick of hay is now in the barn, and it's a good feeling knowing that project is finished for the year.

My ongoing electrical problems with the VW haven't been solved however. I picked the bus up at the mechanic's yesterday and my uncle is going to help try to track down the bug in the works. The bus DOES have a brand new set of brakes. The e-brake works for the first time since I've owned it which is nice.

The Way Is Clear

I just got word that I have clearance to arrive at the Burning Man location around August 6th. This is good news. It will take roughly a week to drive there and I won't be coming back til early in Sept.

Hike In The Whites

For the first time since I left the Appalachian Trail in fall of '05 I went for an overnight camping trip. The first night my friend from college, Adam, and I hiked a short way to Mizpah hut and set up camp. The following day we hiked to the summit of Washington and then back to Mizpah. The day was perfect for hiking. Though it was only 48 degrees on top with a steady strong wind it only felt cool as the effort of climbing kept me warm.

Tip Of The Iceburg (1 of 3)

A few years ago my father and I made an effort to go around the yard and dig up all the rocks that stuck up far enough to give us trouble with the mowing. There was one that we began to dig up and decide it was too big to lift out of the hole, so we filled in the hole we made and continued to mow around it.
I’ve been the one mowing the yard the last couple of weeks and decided that I was going to take care of the rock. I knew I couldn’t lift it, but I could dig a deeper hole beside it and bury it.

In For A Penny In For A Pound (2 of 3)

I lifted the grass and began digging. I couldn’t find the bottom. I had to lift more grass and make the hole bigger. I realize the stone was far bigger than I imagined, but at that point I was committed. Fortunately the back yard is a low area and there’s a good layer of real dirt before hitting hard pan. Still there were other rocks of various sizes that got in the way and had to be contended with. I found the bottom of the rock at about the same time I found the water table.

I WIN!!! (3 of 3)

I called it a day and went back to it the following day. Where there had only been a bit of moisture the day before there was now an inch of water covering the entire bottom of the hole. The water proved to be of great help though, softening up the dirt and it allowed me to undermine the rock just by swirling the water around underneath with the shovel. At last I was able to push the rock over into the hole.

The shovel is a short-handled one about 2 feet long.