Burning Man is a 24 hour-a-day festival, with activities from early morning to very, very late night.  There’s no way to do it all, and that’s especially true for those of us more mature Burners.  We have to conserve our energy.  For those of you who have attended Burning Man in the past, most of this advice will come as no surprise.  But our site is mainly intended for new Burners who do not have the benefit of long experience.

While everyone is different in how they deal with the heat of the desert, I personally find it better to explore Burning Man during the cooler parts of the day, and rest when it’s too hot to enjoy yourself.  Early morning is a great time for touring the Playa, seeing artwork and planning your evening.  Not only is it cool in the early morning, but there also aren’t that many people out and about.  Remember your cup and even a paper or plastic plate and utensils because there are a number of possible breakfast stops for the early riser.  Several pancake camps are open early with their delicious fare.  If you’re early enough, there won’t be a line.  Of course, it’s all gifted to you.

There’s nothing quite like a Playa sunrise, which is another reason to be up and about early in the morning.  The fact is, you’ll practically have the Playa to yourself if you’re up early.

While you’re out in the cooler part of the day bring your activities brochure with you so you can search for places you might want to visit later.  Get used to the layout (is 9 o’clock to my right or to my left?) and identify the precise locations of camps and events you want to visit.  Remember, not everything is happening on the Esplanade.

In my personal experience, mid-day is the best time to rest up.  It’s as hot and uncomfortable as the desert gets during this time, and you’re more likely to suffer heat exhaustion and dehydration.  Save up your energy for nighttime when the action really gets going and the temperatures moderate.

But you should also keep in mind that nights can be very cool, so you should be prepared to dress in warmer clothing once the sun has set.  Staying in your lightweight, daytime dress at night can result in serious exposure problems and a possible visit to the medical tent.  Nighttime is also the time when people come out in their Playa finery – the costumes they worked on all year.  It’s great to have a costume or two, but not necessary – especially for your first year.  Just remember that nights are very dark on the Playa and you’ll need lights on your person and your bikes.  More about lighting yourself up in a future article.

Lights from a party art car

Night is also the time for big parties with plenty of music and dancing.  If that’s what you’re looking for, then sample a few places and find the style that suits you.  There are also plenty of musical art cars with parties and lots of dancing on board.  Nighttime is party time at Burning Man.

Despite the focus on tickets seemingly by the entire Burning Man community, we here at Sunrise Burners will continue to provide information on the 2012 burn for people 50 and over.  To read the latest on the ticket issue, we suggest you check on the Burning Blog at http://bit.ly/wuXalo.

Another great volunteer opportunity that I strongly recommend is taking a Greeter shift.  There’s nothing quite like standing at the gate and welcoming new and returning people to Burning Man with the words “Welcome Home.”  The look of excitement in their eyes as they arrive at the iconic festival is energizing.

However, your job as a Greeter is far more than just the welcome.  There’s important information that you’ll be trained to deliver – including warnings about driving too fast between the gate and your campsite (yes, you will be ticketed by BLM Rangers for speeding), instructions about the Leave No Trace principles and reminders to stay hydrated.  Greeters are also responsible for handing out the festival guide that lists almost all of the 24/7 activities scheduled to take place during the week.

One way to arrive in style on the Playa

The best job as a Greeter is welcoming first-timers – “virgin burners.”  Every virgin burner has to ring the virgin bell and declare themselves “not a virgin” anymore.  Typically, Greeters also ask the virgins to make some kind of sacrifice to the playa – such as making dust angels on the playa surface.  I like to tell them that they’re becoming one with the playa at that moment.

Some virgins – especially those from out of the country – might be asked to sing their national anthem.  It’s the gentlest of hazing, and it’s a Burning Man tradition.

What’s physically required of a Greeter is your ability to stand up for a long shift (usually three or four hours), and use your voice.  As a Greeter, you’re encouraged to wear playa finery so the newcomers get the right impression of the fun and whimsy of the event.  One day a week is usually “naked Greeters day,” so you want to check your shift carefully if you prefer to be clothed.

To find out more about Greeters and Greeters Camp, contact toplessdeb@gmail.com.

More volunteer ideas to come, but I also want to encourage our experienced readers to send their own ideas in so we can publish a broader array of volunteer opportunities.

As always, thanks for visiting Sunrise Burners.  See you on the playa.

There are many ways to experience Burning Man, including just absorbing it all and enjoying yourself by doing so.  But for some, getting engaged more fully is the way to go.  Volunteering for one of the many Burning Man activities is one way to enrich your experience and engage in the festival in a meaningful way.  This article is one of several we plan to publish on volunteer opportunities.  We hope others will contribute their experiences as volunteers, helping to identify situations that are well suited to people in our age group.

Many of you who read this site already know that my wife and I stay at Lamplighters camp, but you may not be aware of the fact that everyone at Burning Man is eligible to volunteer as a Lamplighter any evening.

Lamplighters light the city nightly in a ceremony that has become an iconic part of the Burning Man experience.  It takes volunteers from throughout the community to move nearly 1,000 kerosene lanterns out each night.  We generally begin the process at 5 p.m., which is when volunteers should arrive at Lamplighter’s temple adjacent to Center Camp.  One of the first things volunteers do when they arrive is sign up for a specific duty.

Lamplighters get a ride home on Luci

There are three volunteer roles to play in the ceremony – carrier, lifter and support.  Carriers walk with a post supporting 10 or 12 lamps which are put one by one up on wooden lampposts.  Lifters pick the lanterns off the posts with long, specially designed polls and hoist the lamps up to hooks near the top of lampposts.  Support people make sure the lamps stay lit and help lifters get lamps onto their polls.

For people our age, I generally don’t recommend the carrier role.  I’ve personally done it (once!) and it’s fine if you’re a strong person with a good back.  But it’s the most physically demanding job and should only be undertaken if you’re confident you can handle it.  To me, lifters and support are better jobs for us.

You’ll get to wear our Lamplighter robes when you participate.  They make you look a bit like an Arab sheik.  The entire ceremony is a site to behold with the leaders calling out “make way for the Lamplighters,” and the citizens of Black Rock City calling back, “thank you Lamplighters.”

By the way, if you don’t want to walk in the ceremony, you can also volunteer as a rober — helping drape the ceremonial Lamplighters in appropriate garb.

And, to top it all off, you get a specially designed Lamplighter charm for being one of our volunteers.  You can learn more by inquiring at Lamplighters camp or simply by showing up at the Lamplighters temple at 5 p.m.  Hope to see you there.

It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to dress or go naked, you’ll need to pack appropriately for Burning Man.  Even nudists get cold in the desert night and need something draping their bodies.  But for everyone, I recommend you always wear shoes.

The playa surface is highly alkaline and can do some real damage to unprotected skin.  My wife and I make a practice of always wearing socks, even with sandals.  And we bring several pair of socks because they become infused with playa dust and stiffen up during the week.

We try to keep all shoes and socks outside of the RV to minimize dust within our living space.

Judie and Alan dressed for a day of playa fun

And we always keep handy lotions for our feet to keep them from cracking and other damage from the alkali surface.  Vinegar is one of the inexpensive secret treatments to counter the effects of the playa on your feet.

What about clothing for the rest of your body?  Remember that days are hot and you’re better off in shorts and very light tops (tank tops, tee shirts, etc.).  Since most costumes tend to be warm, save them for the evenings or for special events (including our famous Lamplighter Bloody Mary Brunch on Wednesday and the Sangria Soiree on Monday).

Evenings tend to be cool and sometimes outright cold.  Long sleeves, pants, leg warmers and fur, fur, fur are right for night.  But be sure to light yourself up for safe traveling during the night.  Because while some roads and art installations are well lit, most of the playa is inky black.  If you can’t be seen, you can become the victim of a bike or art car rundown.

Look for a future article just on lighting.

These are just a few hints of what to pack for Burning Man.  But remember, the worse it looks in the default world, the better it’s likely to be on the playa.  Fashion takes on a whole new meaning at Burning Man.  The unexpected is expected.  If you wear your regular day clothes, you might be thought of as “performance art.”

Lottery results will be announced on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 31 and February 1.  We already know from the Jack Rabbit Speaks that there were many more requests than there were tickets  (40,000 were allotted to this “main” lottery).  What if you didn’t get a ticket?

The Burning Man organization believes that there are actually plenty of tickets available, but because people ordered more than they need or, by asking others to order tickets for them, more than they were actually entitled to (2 per person).  According to the Jack Rabbit Speaks (JRS):

“…the reality is that there are now a lot of tickets held by our community that will now simply be redistributed to those who need them. Based on analysis we hold a strong belief that things will settle out over the course of time, once that redistribution takes place, such that most everybody who wants a ticket will find their way to one.”

This sounds a little simpler than it may be, but the fact is Burning Man has developed a system for helping people find tickets or get rid of tickets to someone else who needs them in the Burning Man community.  Again, from the JRS:

“The STEP (Secure Ticket Exchange Program) is a web-based system that will allow Burners to sell their unneeded tickets, and Burners wanting tickets to access them.  This will allow for safe and secure transactions in a central place for community-monitored, face-value resales.”

Check the tickets area of the Burning Man website (http://tickets.burningman.com) for more information on STEP as well as other details on ticket sales.

Finally, the JRS has asked that Burners not use “secondary resources (eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, etc.) for the resale of tickets, and we encourage those who do not obtain tickets from the Main Sale/Open Sale to utilize community-centric sources to keep a handle on this process together.”

This information may not feel fully satisfying at this point in the ticket purchasing process, but we all need to be patient and try to let the system work so that everyone who truly wants and ticket and plans to go to the Burn in 2012 can get a ticket.  Please remember, if you have extra tickets, do your best to sell them to a real Burner and not a scalper.  There is likely to be some panic early on over tickets, and scalper will try to get the maximum price they can during this early and unsettled phase of the process.

Sunrise Burners will continue to watch for updates on the ticketing issue and let our readers know the latest information.

Judie and I live part of the year in a retirement community, and I’ve always thought it would be hilarious if someone set up a Del Webb camp at Black Rock City for retirees.  Well, someone else found the idea funny enough to create a website about just such a community.

Read and enjoy it here.  The site is a great example of the whimsy of Burning Man.  Hope you find it as amusing as I did.

You’ll hear this warning over and over, but it’s important to heed it:  drive the speed limit and drive carefully on Highway 447.  Watch for changes in those speed limits as you frequently go through small towns or tribal areas that usually post 25 MPH speed signs.  There are Nevada and tribal cops just waiting to pick up speeders on their way to the Burn.  Burning Man is the biggest week of the year for this area and therefore the biggest opportunity to bring in some cash to the local coffers.  Save your money for the merchants rather than giving it to the Nevada and tribal courts.

Passing on 447 is not difficult because the road is mostly flat and straight (albeit with some climbs and curves here and there).  Obviously, you should always pass with care.  But you should also make an effort to stay out of the way of others who want to pass you.  Slow down just a little as they go around you to make their passing easier.  You’ll always see some hot-shots in an enormous hurry to get to the Burn.  Let them get by you.  Later on, you’ll probably pass them on the side of the road with a cop giving them a ticket.

Helping others:  it’s a Burning Man tradition to help each other while at Black Rock City.  Does this ethos extend out to car problems on 447?  That’s an individual decision, and one you should make with caution.  We find it best to help out by making certain people have a way of contacting the authorities or AAA for help rather than getting entwined in their problems and changing the arc of our own trip.  It’s a lonely road and you don’t want to get involved in something that could end up costing you dearly.  I’m speaking here for us older folks and preaching caution.  Others may feel differently.

Luci, the Lamplighter vehicle would never survive the trip down Rt. 447 (with Judie sitting up on top)

Picking up hitch-hikers:  I’m more inclined to pick up a lone hitchhiker or two if there’s room in the vehicle.  Just make sure they are willing to stick to your rules (e.g., no smoking in the vehicle) and aren’t carrying any illegal substances that could cost you your entry into Burning Man or even a night in jail.  It’s a judgment call.

Now for the enjoyment part:  if you travel by day, you’re in for some visual treats, including the desert itself.  You’ll pass beautiful Pyramid Lake on your left as you’re traversing 447.  It’s a huge lake with almost no development around it.  There’s fishing, but only with reservation-issued licenses.  Although I’m sure there’s boating on the lake, we’ve never seen a single vessel on the water in all of our trips.  But we love just watching the lake go by and wondering at its beauty.

Traveling by night has the advantage of fewer cars on the road, but you’ll see almost none of the unique geography that marks this area.  Of course, you can always drive back during daylight hours.  But we find it more exciting to actually see the desert evolve around us.  Plus, the Gerlach and Empire shops are usually closed at night.

As you near the festival, you’ll hit two towns that are badly in need of whatever you can afford to spend.  Both Empire and Gerlach were hard hit by the bankruptcy of U.S. Gypsum – the only major employer in the area.  Both towns have been enterprising in finding ways to serve Burning Man customers with their shops and eating places.  You can even buy a bicycle in Gerlach and benefit the struggling public schools.

There’s not a lot of room on the side of the road, and there are many Burners who traditionally stop at these small towns for supplies or a bite to eat.  The traffic can be a bit tricky at times, and pulling in and out of the little shops requires full concentration.

But you’re almost at the Burn when you’ve reached Gerlach, so let yourself relax and start smiling.  You’ll soon be at the gate and where at Greeter will say, “Welcome home.”

The trip to Burning Man is both a joy and a chore.  Be ready for both.

The number one rule of thumb for our family is good preparation of the vehicle.  The final leg of the trip that most people take – highway 447 north from Wadsworth to Gerlach – is 75 miles of lonely two-lane highway with only limited space to pull off for a flat tire or other repair.  Once you reach Gerlach, you still have a good 8-10 miles to the gate, and you sometimes have to wait as traffic snakes along slowly.

While there’s no way to prevent car problems, you can take sensible precautions to reduce the potential for breakdowns.  Check those tires.  If you’re driving an RV or pulling a trailer to Burning Man, remember that your tires may look better than they are.  RV and trailer tires can rot from lack of use and still look like they have plenty of tread.  My personal advice, replace suspect tires before you depart.

Overheating can be a significant problem as you approach the Black Rock Desert.  It’s hot, you’ll have your air conditioning on and you may find yourself in a long line creeping slowly toward the gate.  Prevention is the key to making the trip a safe and enjoyable one.  We always check all our fluids, belts and hoses and replace anything that is slightly suspect.  We also carry extra supplies of oil, brake fluid and radiator coolant.

(Judie and I will be putting together a post on how she prepares our RV to enter the Burning Man environment and depart without heavy dust contamination.  We’ll also discuss other RV-specific issues.  Look for it soon.)

The drive down 447 offers some interesting safety challenges of its own.  There are areas without much in the way of shoulders, so you don’t want to drift over too far to the right.  If you’re sleepy, stop and rest, or, better yet, change drivers.  There are a few places along the road where you can pull off and rest (and there are even a few food stands – most featuring Indian Tacos).  It’s always nice to give some of these tribal folks your business as they rarely see much traffic along the route.

Our son Jacob joyfully motoring his way to Burning Man

Don’t depend on timing your gas consumption for a fill-up in Gerlach.  We usually top-off when we get there so we have plenty of fuel to run our generator and so we can leave the burn without making a stop in Gerlach, but we try to go onto 447 with a full or nearly full tank.  You can always fill up in Reno (if you’re coming from the west), but you can also do so at the Wadsworth gas station that is very friendly to Burners.  It’s the only one between 80 and Gerlach, so think hard before you pass it up.  You can also get a decent cup of coffee at Wadsworth to help you stay awake on the road.

In Part II we’ll cover safe driving on Highway 447, plus the “joy” section of the tale.  Meanwhile, for more about how to reach Burning Man, click on http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/how_to_get_there.html

Whatever the cost of Burning Man tickets, there are always plenty of people who worry about the expense (with good reason…we’re all worried about our budgets).  This year, with changes in the way tickets are being offered and some price increases, there’s even more ferment out there about BM prices getting out of hand.  I’d like to put a little perspective on this matter.

Judie and Alan’s 40th anniversary wedding, a priceless Burning Man experience

You could easily spend $200 to attend a two-hour concert by some rock band or to see a top tier Broadway show.  If you spend between $240 and $400 for a Burning Man ticket, look at what you’re getting:

• Up to seven Days of fun
• Music, art, adventure 24 hours a day
• A community that you’ll never forget
• Lifelong friendships
• A magical place to stay
• An experience that makes you feel younger

The money is a pittance compared to the experience – in fact, compared to any experience at any price.  So don’t let yourself get hung-up on the cost of the tickets or the complicated (and confusing) lottery system.  Just go.  The money is the last thing you’ll think about when you count up your memories of Burning Man 2012.

For more about the new lottery system for buying tickets, go to http://tickets.burningman.com/.  Remember, tickets for the first tier lottery are on sale from January 9 – January 22.  Those tickets will cost anywhere from $240 to $390 each, depending on how you are selected in the lottery.  Two tickets may be purchased per person, and your credit card is charged once you are selected.  Selections will be announced by February 1.

Why the lottery?  The fact is, last year’s initial ticket sale was a cyber-disaster with a multitude of technical problems on the web-based system.  The result was much “gaming” of the system in order for people to purchase the lowest priced tickets.  Others without the technical knowledge or wherewithal to game the system simply lost out.  The new system eliminates unfair advantages by those who can manipulate the web better than others.  The chances of not getting a ticket through the lottery are tiny, but the ability to control the price at which you purchase your ticket is greatly reduced.  It’s a trade-off the Burning Man has elected to employ in order to avoid the confusion and frustration of last year’s ticket purchase misadventure.

So good luck as the ticket sale lottery opens up for Burning Man 2012.

Those of you who have been regular readers of this site know that one of the things I love best about Burning Man is its whimsy.  I have just watched one of the best examples of that whimsy ever in a video shot at BM 2011 based on the Dr. Seuss book “Oh The Places You’ll Go.”  I’ve attached a link so all of you can see it and revel in it as I did.  Enjoy.

Here’s the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahv_1IS7SiE