That Thing In The Desert
The theme this year was "American Dream".
![brc-ghraib](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_trHG82P4vHhqnFwlZz-zKxHKG2wbYP1JtzVeF4Z3XpXlsMZup_EoJtaMsW1H-xjWeVroU6rN9SVW9vvkgR6He2pSrOX8uw9wp8AL5Ej8ahPI6ypZW_rTVWPbvZCq1DYKE=s0-d)
As ever, click on any photo to see a larger version.
welcome to
the vacant heart
of the wild west
![welcome-to](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_utK93gSfvaIT7j_5tqJLlMpZooAveUtTY85X-KU8TO8_2UqSaWVW2-DXD4qAcO4mResCbHJzUCIhPisbofbg9ek0xgaTzwsgTD7uAUpMPOEHJQkgqiWAGxjh3hH-R9Z9k=s0-d)
I spent my first day heavily sleep deprived, because it took me five hours to traverse the twenty miles from Gerlach to the Gate.
![brc-gate](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_su6o_aqNWck6eEcXmL4RFgSk8xjKG5n9NyoACr2UcuHrEiMXQYH_YuSkO6ebLgUTobORT-U0tPgfo4HQAIFKABtKhUzsm-vA1BHGMcs4T8-aOhj4PuIFME5BgMSdRsnQ=s0-d)
Dawn at the Gate.
As ever, the Man himself was something of an attention magnet.
![sun-king](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_suHqQzxwvkVUO28uIyl-raX5PXjZqcR6QFXMAgWheZZkwAq94sf2TbKVhaJ8LOO5CN_X99igXwCWgZcwn-7r-3IrJdO06EDXrTPN7OwWm94D5D1lrgEJylZ87vBKRRYw=s0-d)
A triptych from the 11-story steel structure Babylon (aka "The Hilton"):
![triptych-3](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uA9TFOcaq0Gv3E7P27_P3Qsg7FW5rQA6nVZLhPhQewEiJIsWFScYqprjXQSVlY0RBYPJovLkJDJR4qd64HTcl1vOUiHkBAmLDQCWF47ClJWNUmBFsnMAig2_uMVRNnMQRvwA=s0-d)
One of the most difficult things about any attempt to describe Black Rock City is the total and utter transformation the city undergoes at dawn and dusk; day and night are like two different cities. You really have to be there to understand, but here are a few comparable shots:
![looming-neon](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_upwpUYtK-KwvE2308zxvKXgYxpe8p8dVbgZjLvYyobnNHT5bcUxic650B8WqEb2MDxC-bc0REVzzh7l3potaDMdwCO10C1B16Jxusu3tYsPK--EIu1Gliuzlo4S-bPwA=s0-d)
Day Man and Night Man.
![jellyfish-tree](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t6uLrGU-ABlKuHtQKejtGEYuyV33rUOPyHWfVHjsXN-3vySVPO9FcGy4dFv___MnBZizju28OcJuZepvDB0JQ7PMwQZR0neWFgiltBRVpGG4hxbzdbIL2Kmrb_azjLAXw=s0-d)
Day tree.
![shining-strands](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_svTqcCspn58BZNqA3Yj8CxcVkZqJfgKeEoeNYevmLPhWpzxaC4XaN43vZV7zc37AB6rm5mnvwT27pQsClO1fjr9hedkj3beOog5qDI30iwsxSeldsbVzvuk8TLmuPpUk8=s0-d)
Night tree.
![mutopia-day](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t6RjvQdwzi3OE7wrK_7GR0QfIcBLpNTAdb1It7h9x39e9dIw4X9hiV1oviLEoWLNl3P05K6D6s6SZvR9RQoy4hwbEiki7ktN3GfGhAyTTQyeq4mZQ7-6YphwoZPtYPng=s0-d)
The Flaming Lotus Girls' Mutopia, easily the most awesome thing on the playa this year, by day.
![mutopia-burning](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uXMAlSw1WdjMVX-5wZJ9vcuRd0QA14o8duX8DSLayIWFZlaDgDb_abHmIlg2jz1cdUJzPT1uTpK8S8uwRr0iYgpZVXm3dDxA4bTb7iU640EcZ3zR6V7GazgjngnLHvgQ=s0-d)
By night.
I camped with Snack Food Glory Hole, aka Best. Camp. Ever.
![sf-gh](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vbLtBAo_bwhOAwJjUYCZ1POKHDXxPHVXsckoJ08R2NieVMyQUoDOC7dWf3mXHzpfBUSJvD1RNIPTuM8N9YHKZa0l2AG-5xBTpeREGXjdl5-CzEriZmDYWzvARg5F92G4s=s0-d)
The glory hole.
We snacked hundreds of hungry mouths.
![sfgh-in-action](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uIR1WvOqeh234db7Nb3Is0dsTG9osLTEhXwzQf2AFG3MiZyTbvs07pgNoUH7VcD4ZoCPQzP234P3TAXy30gfYWQ1hsDLGJwbBQfuaU2csUusTDZUu2b2H2IrJK5UumrLA=s0-d)
SFGH in action.
On Monday and Saturday, dust storms raged.
![dust-glory](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vOm_uiYpL-LIMVCW0wQ3ZzaABPENkefGPiSmfuF2djGot06qReC3lEJASZmQoLX45uq-3zafkKSe5uEeKx64M8BEa1JAZ8qU5XnS9LnA1u7ykukS5DntSujcl8nafknD0=s0-d)
Some people raged back.
Things got a little Mad Max around our camp.
![dusty-pepper](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uCLLl4DdqJAzJgFMAyjLDhBhMl1lZqVjo4CwsoEktgF3u-oqDqGFsQt-_z-Cz4YuonpMvKAn74bLT-qbfqLTD7adObC-bxb5tLN4v3yqWRD74F9Dt3dugyrYVfx5Txtik=s0-d)
Pol's hair is not normally gray. Pepper's skin is not normally gray.
Eventually it cleared up, and someone told Jesse to stick a cork in it.
![jesse-corked](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_suysgTjhGEQhIiarEqQuXIZdumjOChLCMio_MJSgkTP-J1f-4JzA2OVGbCccClFKIsB8T4NEcgOd6c6Nr8GtAtNwGiJkB12rel7hPRYXtAoc6nNDoS6pbRT3QWmGp_Qq0=s0-d)
By then the dust had gummed up my shutter some.
The next day I departed for reality.
![brc-exodus](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uDYp2AoCGfLIr4WNOxV9NluPA5KJO28X0dxKyl4YaWDS17eRVzLuJWWv1Z76fEKqBsRMqLnGrq5MMc1MRyU78NjzZ_WB8w0iNxncqmN9Hg6S51NbiIIbKb1WLXCWNqfxc=s0-d)
I was not alone. Exodus took three hours.
![the-end](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tOz79zKCI0Lt41mJCiBaRtJUSTMaEPoeyFWJNlstWIw5zGOdaQKD5RiG7EFkZ4lgnr0wCENpGNRGsiAzcgKXv_JUgoxB_B3kQFmysDC9QT82C9dbo_RDRpIRcX5SDiZT0=s0-d)
As ever, click on any photo to see a larger version.
welcome to
the vacant heart
of the wild west
I spent my first day heavily sleep deprived, because it took me five hours to traverse the twenty miles from Gerlach to the Gate.
Dawn at the Gate.
As ever, the Man himself was something of an attention magnet.
A triptych from the 11-story steel structure Babylon (aka "The Hilton"):
One of the most difficult things about any attempt to describe Black Rock City is the total and utter transformation the city undergoes at dawn and dusk; day and night are like two different cities. You really have to be there to understand, but here are a few comparable shots:
Day Man and Night Man.
Day tree.
Night tree.
The Flaming Lotus Girls' Mutopia, easily the most awesome thing on the playa this year, by day.
By night.
I camped with Snack Food Glory Hole, aka Best. Camp. Ever.
The glory hole.
We snacked hundreds of hungry mouths.
SFGH in action.
On Monday and Saturday, dust storms raged.
Some people raged back.
Things got a little Mad Max around our camp.
Pol's hair is not normally gray. Pepper's skin is not normally gray.
Eventually it cleared up, and someone told Jesse to stick a cork in it.
By then the dust had gummed up my shutter some.
The next day I departed for reality.
I was not alone. Exodus took three hours.
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