Travelogue

Arrival and Entry

The line to get into BMWe keep our motorhome at our son’s house in Bishop, California, so Herb had gone over to Bishop a few days ahead of me to do the necessary dust-proofing prep work.

The official opening for Burning Man this year was Sunday, August 24 at 12:01 a.m., but our plan was to go a few days later. Herb and I were still negotiating whether we should go on Tuesday (his idea) or Wednesday (mine).

As Herb was finishing up the RV prep work, we began hearing horrible reports from Burning Man about a massive dust storm on opening day (Sunday the 24th) with wind gusts exceeding 50 mph on the playa, causing whiteout conditions and the closing of the gates. The storm destroyed several camps and art installations and injured some attendees.

Dust storm upon arrival at the gateAfter reopening, the Gate was shut down again later that evening due to heavy rain and thunderstorms, which turned the playa surface into thick, impassable mud, making driving impossible and stranding many participants in the entry line.

It was sounding more and more like this was going to be a repeat of what happened in 2023.

“I’m not going,” I said, “and I think you shouldn’t either.”

Herb ignored me and continued with this prep work.

The next morning after sleeping in vehiclesConditions at Burning Man seemed to calm down Sunday night and the gates reopened Monday morning after the playa had dried out enough to drive on.

The forecast for the week ahead looked a little iffy on Tuesday, but then great for the next 5 days after that. That was much better than a forecast that went from good to bad where we would have the possibility of getting stuck there for days like what happened in 2023.

So, on Tuesday morning I joined Herb in the RV (I’m not sure if either he or I knew until that moment whether I would), and we set off on the 5 hour drive to Black Rock City, where Burning Man lives.

We're In!Gerlach, Nevada is the gateway town to the event and the last place you can get gas and supplies. We were good on both. From there we continued on NV 447 N through Gerlach and followed the signs to turn onto County Road 34 which led us to the official Gate Road, where we entered the line to enter Black Rock City.

Wow! The line didn’t look too bad. Often it can take over 6 hours to get in. The line was inching along slowly until it began to rain, with the possibility of lightning forcing the gates to close once again, and they probably wouldn’t reopen until morning. Darn, we were so close - only about 100 yards to go to get in.

Our campsite on Kilgore and the playaOkay, this was not ideal, but we couldn’t really complain as we sat in the back of our cozy motorhome sipping a glass of wine, while those in cars had a very long night ahead of them.

To pass the time we tuned into Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR), broadcasting on 94.5 FM on the playa. The station provided a mix of music, news, weather, event information, and public service announcements for participants.

I learned a lot about Burning Man that night.

Welcome Home!For example, I learned that a “Sparkle Pony” is a derogatory term for a person that shows up at Burning Man with expensive, fashionable costumes, but lacks basic necessities like food, water, and shelter. With our fully stocked fridge and no sparkly outfits to speak of I was definitely not a “Sparkle Pony.” We started joking that people over 65 that fit the description were “Sparkle Nags.” Okay, perhaps we were having too much wine.

The most interesting conversation, however, was the news that the famous Burning Man orgy dome had been destroyed in the Sunday storm. We laughed some more as to whether we should just go home then. Definitely too much wine.

Welcome to the neighborhood!Then the talk turned to people finding their “spirit animal” at Burning Man to encourage self-discovery. You do not choose your spirit animal; rather, you invite it to reveal itself to you through self-reflection and openness. I laughed that I am so uptight that my spirit animal would refuse to come out and reveal itself.

Once we were sure that the line would not start moving until morning, we had a quick dinner and went to bed. So, really for us it was no hardship at all being stuck in line. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about the hundreds of people stranded in their cars.

Hi Neighbor!The next morning it wasn’t raining, and everyone kind of milled around at the gate trying to get some idea if and when we would be able to enter. The word was probably about 11 a.m.

True to their word, the line did start moving around then, but we had one more hurdle - getting our actual tickets at the Box Office just inside the gate. We parked our car, but being the novices (or more correctly Burning Man virgins) we were, we didn’t sprint like everyone else to the Box Office, so we wound up being pretty far back in the line.

A friendly neighborFinally, it was our turn to be processed. Here’s what happens:

An enthusiastic Greeter hugged us and said “Welcome Home!” Then she handed us the official event guide and the City Map. We shouldn’t have, but we lied about not being “Virgins” (first time “Burners”) so we didn’t get to ring the bell, lie down and make a dust angel, and shout “I’m a virgin no more!” I would have paid $100 to see Herb do this, but we were anxious to just get a good campsite.

We were not officially in Black Rock City. I explained the city layout in the previous stop (So, What is Burning Man) about how the streets are laid out. Herb had gotten some advice on Reddit about how to find a good and quieter campsite at Burning Man.

Our Burning Man homeWe decided to drive along the outermost street (Kilgore) because that way we would be adjacent to an open playa as opposed to being surrounded by RVs and tents on all sides. Maybe this revealed that we were probably not going to be the rowdiest and most social of “Burners” but hey, at least I was here.

We found a great spot on Kilgore between 3:15 and 3:30 named for their corresponding position on the clock face of the street that radiate out from “The Man”(see City Layout description).

Sunset from our campsiteOnce settled in, you are not allowed to move your vehicle until you leave, so our means of transportation were our feet and our tricked out old mountain bikes.

No need to though. It was a beautiful spot, with the action and chaos of Black Rock City on one side and big open spaces on the other. This was not the playa where all the art installations were, but rather the area where many tent campers set up a home. Also, it's where the temporary airport is, so we got to watch a steady stream of wealthier participants being delivered to their Burning Man experience.

The sunsets from our site were incredible!

Our daily routine

Heading out for a day on the playaBurning Man 2025 had gotten off to a very rough start with a massive dust storm and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph that destroyed many of the camps and art installations, followed by heavy rains which turned the playa into thick impassable mud, forcing the gates to close again.

However, by Wednesday, when we were finally let through the gate, it looked like clear sailing for the next 5 days, with lots of sunshine, temperatures in the upper 80s rather than the 110s that I dreaded, and no big winds.

Black Rock City is pretty big - 6 square miles and a circumference of about 9.5 miles - so the recommended way for getting around is by bike.

Typical day at Burning ManSince the playa can be a very harsh place in terms of the alkaline dust, we didn’t want to bring our good mountain bikes, so we got our old ones out of the attic and Herb accessorized them to make them suitable for the playa.

That meant big cushiony seats so our butts would survive the bumpy terrain and baskets on the front (like the wicked witch of the west) to hold what we needed for the day.

Most importantly, since we planned to do a lot of our riding at night, we had to make sure we could see where we were going and that other people could see us.

Heading back out at nightAfter all, there are 70,000 people in BRC and many of them would also be cruising in random directions along the playa in the dark.

So, Herb installed headlamps on the front of our bikes so we could see where we were going, and LED lights that changed colors on our wheels so others could see us coming.

Those riders that don’t have suitable lighting are labeled as “Dark Wads.”

So far I had learned that I didn’t want to be a “Sparkle Nag,” get “Playa Foot,” or be accused of being a “Dark Wad” out on the playa. So far, so good, but it was only Day 1.

For the next 4 days, we pretty much got into a groove:

NIght on the Playa
• morning walk or ride around BRC
• back to the RV for lunch and a nap
• back out for an afternoon exploration on our bikes
• back to the RV for dinner
• glass of wine in our camp chairs on the playa-side of our campsite
• stop at our favorite “camp” for red wine and cheese (all free of course)
• then out on the playa again on our bikes after dark
• Back to the RV to sleep and get recharged for another day

I wouldn’t say we actually immersed ourselves completely into the Burning Man culture, but rather dipped our toes into what we were most interested in and comfortable with, which was basically riding our mountain bikes to see as many of the Artworks as we could. And visit some of the camps.

Camps and Art we enjoyed in the City

PlayAlchemist Grand PyramidOne of the most ambitious camps was PlayAlchemist whose gift to the community was the 71’ tall PlayAlchemist Grand Pyramid. Inspired by the Great Pyramid of Giza, it isdesigned to be a gathering space and sanctuary during the day and a dance venue at night.

It was created by a Vancouver-based team led by Krystal Commons, and has a steel frame clad with polycarbonate panels.

Once inside the pyramid, you are initiated to embark on an internal journey of personal transformation through alchemy, where the “lead” of your undeveloped consciousness is transformed into the “gold” of deeper knowledge, spiritual awakening, and an enlightened soul.

Wow! It was going to be hard to choose between enlightenment and the free wine and cheese at nearby Treble Makers.

Silk acrobatics at Treble MakerAs I mentioned earlier a “Camp” consists of an organized group of participants that create a specific interactive experience, art installation, or service to share with the rest of Black Rock City. These “gifts,” which include things like food and drink, music and entertainment, and art and absurdity, are given freely to any citizen of Black Rock City who wanders by.

Our absolute favorite camp was “Treble Makers,” a San Francisco-based theme camp offering red wine, cheese, and music.

After dark, the camp transitioned from a more relaxed atmosphere to a "spicier" experience, hosting top-notch House and Techno DJs for dancing and aerial silks for anyone to perform on.

Flamingo Phallus Ring TossHerb pretended to enjoy the views of the sun setting over the mountains while a scantily clad young lady was doing some fancy dancing and upside down splits on the silks, blocking his view of the sunset.

Once we discovered this camp, we stopped there every night after dinner for some wine and cheese before riding our bikes out on the playa. For some reason, Herb always had to wait for sunset.

My favorite camp was a bit more wholesome. Its theme was flamingos, and they had several games we could play. One was a ring toss game where you had to throw a hula hoop onto the giant pink phallus of a flamingo. I was amazingly good at it and got ringers on my first two tosses. I was so proud.

Ride 'em Chicken BoyHerb also got to ride a giant rocking chicken

Every night when we rode back from exploring the playa, we navigated towards a beautiful, brightly lit, temple-like structure, with two interconnected towers, which would bring us back to the Esplanade between 3:30 and 4:00 (streets, not time), making it easy for us to find our way back to the motorhome.

We didn’t know what it was at the time, and we were usually too tired at this point in the day to find out.

Phantasmagoria campWell, it turns out that it was Phantasmagria Camp, another one of Burning Man’s incredibly ambitious and generous “camps.”

It was absolutely stunning. I wish we had taken the time to experience one of their fancy cocktails in their lounge - free, of course, as is everything else at Burning Man.

While most of the large art installations are located out on the open playa, within the city there was one very large, poignant sculpture of a bright blue bowing face with eyes closed, hands palms together, with fingers pointing upwards in a welcoming gesture.

NamaskaramThe name of the sculpture is “Namaskaram,” and it was created by Srikanth Guttikonda.

Namaskaram is a greeting of respect that means "I bow to you".

It is a Sanskrit-derived greeting used in Indian, Nepali, and other Southeast Asian cultures, often accompanied by pressing the palms together at the heart in a gesture known as anjali mudra.

The greeting can also be understood spiritually as "the divinity within me bows to the divinity within you," an expression of respect, hospitality, and peace.

Its location in the Central Camp Plaza, at 6:00 and Atwood, serves as a gateway between the playa and the city.

Day 1 of Enjoying the Art on the Playa"

Black Rock City layoutAt Burning Man the barren landscape of the playa serves as the canvas upon which massive artworks rise, some of them so high that they act as navigational aids to get around this vast space.

This is especially true of “The Man,” who stands out on the playa at the absolute center of the “clock”. He is the central landmark from which the entire city radiates.

From The Man, a series of radial streets extend outwards, named for their corresponding time on a clock face, from 2:00 to 10:00. These radial streets make navigation across the vast cityscape relatively straightforward. You can pretty much locate any artwork by using its position relative to "The Man."

The Center of Burning ManThe sheer size of the art against the vastness of the desert is a breathtaking sight, designed to evoke a sense of awe and wonder.

So every morning and every evening, we would head out on our mountain bikes to see as much as we could see. In the following 3 days we rode over 45 bumpy miles, eliminating my fear of getting no exercise at Burning Man.

Let me share some of our favorites.

I guess it would be appropriate to start with the iconic “The Man,”the only artwork that has consistently appeared at every Burning Man since it started in 1986, where he began as an 8-foot tall wooden effigy.

His height has changed many times over the event's history. It reached its greatest height of 105 feet in 2014 and again in 2017. However, the height varies each year based on the event's theme.

"The Man"The Man for the 2025 event, themed "Tomorrow Today," was a 38-foot-tall effigy that stood at the center of a massive, interactive pavilion called “The World Fair of Unity.”

The entire structure, including the Man and its base, reached a total height of 70 feet.

Unlike the classic, rustic Man of some previous years, the 2025 effigy was designed to match the event's theme. It was a more slender, Art Deco-inspired figure with long, clean lines and an oval-shaped head, giving it a stylized, "retro-future" appearance.

Through the arches in the pavilionThe pavilion, which was designed by artist Mark “Kidnetick” River, is itself an incredibly beautiful piece of art with its dual spiraling ramps and soaring arches through which you can look up and see The Man, proudly standing on his pedestal for all to see. I couldn’t believe that we would watch this all burn down on Saturday.

Inside the Man Pavilion was an interactive art installation called “Carillon” by Steve Brummond. It consisted of three levels of Victorian arched niches which housed giant, oversized bells created from recycled materials.

Striking the bells in the pavilion beneath The ManThere were wooden sticks (called strikers) lying on the ground, inviting visitors to pick them up and strike the bells to make music. I patiently waited for my turn, as a cute little 4-year old boy banged away at the bells.

When it was my turn, I struck away with enthusiasm. The acoustics were awesome, but my playing, not so much so. Still, it was very fun.

What to see next? There are two ways to enjoy the art on the playa. The first is to just wander and see what you see. The other is to try to navigate using the Burning Man map, which gives the location of each art installation by saying what o’clock it is relative to the man, and how many feet away from “The Man” it is.

"The Man in his PJsWe tried that method at first, but it was too stressful, so we switched to just wandering aimlessly.

Not too far from “The Man,” we came across what was to become one of my favorite pieces: a large woolly mammoth called “Reborn.”

I couldn’t help myself and peeked at the map and saw that its location was 5.55/860’ meaning it was located at 5:55 o’clock, 860’ feet from “The Man.” Yep, that looked about right.

The sculpture , which was 12 feet tall, 22 feet long, and weighs 8,000 pounds, was created by Montana-based artist Clinton Lesh.

In the Embrace of the Woolly MammothIt is made of stainless steel with an iridescent purple, brown, blue and gold heat treated patina, making it shine in the desert sun, and is covered with over 5,000 hand-welded metal "hairs".

Its hand-blown glass eyeballs are filled with LED lights that shine through the metal hairs. It was incredible.

Burning Man encourages people to interact with the artworks so, being the true “Burner” I am, I nestled in its embrace by squeezing myself between its tusks and gazed up into his LED lit eyes. It was love at first sight.

"Reborn" after darkWe continued on, vowing to come back and revisit “Reborn” at night, when the 20 LED panels inside its body, shine out through the sculpture's "wavy hairs," creating a brilliant, glowing effect, changing from red to green to blue. Its hand-blown glass eyeballs were also illuminated, making the prehistoric creature appear to come alive in the dark.

Mutant Vehiclel treeAfter "Reborn," we headed towards the 2nd most iconic art installation on the Playa - The Temple of the Deep, giving right a way to a large white tree that was crossing our paths. Yeah, that's normal.

Like “The Man,” the Temple is something that has been a fixture on the Playa since 2000. When it first appeared in 2000, as the “Temple of the Mind,” it was never meant to be something created each year. However, when one of the building crew was killed in a motorcycle accident, the structure became a memorial.

It was so emotionally powerful that it became a tradition to build a temple each year to serve as a spiritual center where attendees could come to grieve and remember loved ones who had passed on.

The Temple of the DeepEvery year a different artist is chosen to design that year’s Temple. This year’s Temple, called the Temple of the Deep, was designed by Miguel Arraiz, a Spanish architect.

Unlike the light, airy and uplifting temples of past Burning Mans, this one was dark and intentionally heavy, designed to look like a colossal fractured black rock rising from the desert floor. Its design was heavily inspired by the volcanic rocks of the Black Rock Desert itself.

It was one of the most polarizing temples in Burning Man history, and people tended to either love it or hate it. I’m afraid that my first reaction when seeing what looked like a large charcoal briquette where I expect the Taj Mahal, put me in the latter category, but I eventually came around when I better understood the following metaphor behind the design.

Interior of the Temple of the DeepThe design was inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is mended with gold, thereby highlighting the cracks as a beautiful part of the object's history.

The fractured black rock symbolized the broken pottery, or in this case a broken heart shattered by loss. The light which glowed through the cracks represents the human capacity for healing and resilience, particularly in the face of grief and loss.

Memorial to a dear friendIn contrast to the rough dark exterior, the interior was a luminous and uplifting cavernous space.

A central opening in the roof, described as a "vortex," allowed a beam of moonlight to shine through.

Arraiz designed the alcoves and chapels and walls in the interior to be a place for people to leave offerings to those that they were grieving for. These offerings included photographs, handwritten letters, or meaningful personal items.

On to the next art installationThere were Sharpies left alongside the edges of the wall to use to write tributes to loved ones you are still grieving for. I hadn’t planned to, but I found myself writing a tribute to my fun-loving, adventurous friend and next door neighbor who drowned when on vacation in India this year. She always teased me for my reservedness, so I wanted to thank her for always trying to push me to expand my horizons and live outside my comfort zone. I wanted her to know that I took her advice to heart and finally made it to Burning Man. It was a very cathartic experience.

The MothThe following two artworks, with their glittery silver finish, very much fit with this year's “Tomorrow Today” theme, which focuses on innovation and creating the future. They definitely were quite futuristic.

The first one is called “Moth,” but often referred to as the “Steel Moth Lantern Bearer.” It was created by a Russian artist named Vitaly K.

The sculpture tries to capture the tension between Western trinity and Eastern duality.

In his three arms he holds a sword (representing will), a book (representing understanding and knowledge), and a lantern (representing exploration). Each of these are components of human striving and are expressions of the self shaping reality through action, thought, and intuition.

Making friends?His two legs represent the Eastern emphasis on duality - yin and yang, light and shadow, life and death.

I wanted to pose with the Moth, but it took a while, as this is a popular place for social influencers to pose in their own shiny futuristic costumes. Finally, when it was my turn, I boldly stepped up to the Moth in my non-shiny ware, allmost a bit too boldly, as his sword was actually quite sharp. I gazed up into his compound, beady moth eyes, just like I had engaged with the Woolly Mammoth. After all, art at Burning Man is supposed to be participatory.

Controversial Elon InstallationI couldn’t find the name of the next futuristic artwork, where two tall brightly silver humanoids reach their hands towards each other in a gesture of acceptance and unity, very much befitting of Burning Man.

An unsanctioned, bold and unapologetic large metal metal sign reading “F**K YOU ELON” sprung up unexpectedly on the Black Rock Desert. Rangers tried to remove it, but it was too heavy.

The irony, besides the fact that Elon is a frequent attendee at Burning Man, is that most people were uploading photos of the sculpture using “Starlink,” which is a company owned by Elon Musk.

Entry to the Sphinx GatesWe had already ridden close to 10 miles on our bikes, this morning, so we headed back to the motorhome for lunch and a nap, before heading out again later this afternoon for more exploration.

We planned to stop at Treble Makers (see above description of his camp) for a glass of red wine before our night ride out on the playa, but when we saw a large group of people forming and moving in the same direction out onto the playa, we decided to follow, to see what was going on.

Raucous Crowd seeking wisdomI had heard that there are concerts at Burning Man, but since it’s Burning Man, they are not scheduled, but rather just pop up spontaneously.

I thought this might be one, so instead of having our glass of wine, we hopped on our bikes and followed the crowd, eventually arriving at the Sphinx Gates, where two 34-foot tall sphinx sculptures stood facing each other.

There were crowds of people gathering by the gates and climbing up onto mutant vehicles. It was pretty raucous, and we had no idea what was going on inside.

Then we saw the signs at the entry to the gates, which read Know Thyself?" and “Connect to your Wisdom” and other such inspirational phrases.

Where's Waldo?There were crowds of people trying to walk through the gates, I guess in search of wisdom and their inner selves, which the project aimed to deliver to those that entered using lights, lasers, and sound to create an immersive and transformative experience.

It was then that Herb and I had the enlightened thought that we could achieve the same transformative experience at Treble Makers, so we hopped back on our bikes and headed back to Treble Makers for an inspirational glass of California red wine.

I’m not sure if I’m cut out to be a “Burner.”

Treble MakersSo back we went to Treble Makers for some enlightening lights, lasers, and sound, topped off with some delicious California red wine and Feta cheese from Spain. It's still amazing to me that these camps provide "gifts" to the community totally free. What a world!!

I had to tear Herb away from watching another sunset at Treble Makers. Those darn girls on the silks kept getting in the way of his view.

We were very excited about our first night ride out onto the playa, when it is transformed into a surreal, dreamlike landscape, as lit-up mutant vehicles cruise across the playa and many artworks designed for night-time viewing are lit up with LEDs, lasers, and fire.

Ready to hit the playaIt's kind of like Las Vegas on steroids. It’s totally unrecognizable from the place we had been biking around all day.

It was also utter chaos, as there are no strict roads to follow, but just randomness, as bikes and mutant vehicles randomly cruise in every direction. Thank God Herb had decorated our tires with colorful LED lights so we could be seen.

I’m glad I only had one glass of wine!

We headed towards a large, multi-sensory cube of light, sound, and haptics (stimulating the sense of touch). It is called Apotheneum, or more affectionately, “The Cube.”

Desert or Vegas?It was composed of two nested chambers made of back-to-back LED nets holding a whopping total of 26,560 light nodes.

The outer chamber was a 40 x 40 x 40 foot cube. Inside it was a 30-foot cylindrical chamber that opened to the sky.

Inside the inner cylindrical chamber there was a 24-foot haptic bed, featuring 96 triangular tiles with embedded servo motors that emitted vibrations in sync with the light and sound, creating an immersive, multi-sensory experience for those lying on it.

ApotheneumOften, in fact almost always, when I am writing up a trip, I discover information that I wish I had known when we were there, so I could have experienced them first hand, like that sensory bed!!

By now, we had learned to expect the unexpected at Burning Man, so we were unphased when a 65-foot yacht named Christina cruised past us. This was one of Burning Man’s “art cars” or “mutant vehicles.”

A “mutant vehicle” is defined as a vehicle that is "radically and permanently mutated" to the point where it no longer resembles a standard street vehicle, or is dramatically out of its normal context.

ChristinaIn order to be allowed to drive out on the playa, it must be licensed by Burning Man’s “Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV). That’s right! Burning Man has its own DMV.

Since Christina is placed on a cement truck chassis and now sails across the desert rather than Lake Tahoe, she falls in the latter category of being dramatically out of her normal context.

Christina has been a staple at Burning Man for decades and even won “Art Car of the Year” in 2010.

Mutant dragon passing throughIt was created by Flipper Manchester, who was originally hired to demolish the yacht but decided to convert it into an art car for Burning Man instead.

With the help of donated labor and roughly $20,000 of his own funds, Manchester put the boat on the chassis of a cement mixer, painted turquoise waves around the hull of the boat, outfitted it with a sound system and lights, and tore out all the bedrooms down below and made a huge ultra lounge where famous DJs from around the world play.

Huggzilla with dancerContinuing on, we gravitated towards a brightly-colored cat, cycling through pink to green to blue.

Her name was Huggzilla, and instead of fur, she was covered with Plexiglas panels that were illuminated for light shows on the playa at night.

She was another gathering place for social influences who posed and danced in front of her.

Nested HeartThere was so much to see that it was a bit overwhelming. Talk about stimulus overload. It’s impossible to describe them all, but here are just a few more art installations that we liked. And to think that this was only our first night!

Next up was Nested Heart, two cormorants, lit up from inside, with wings gently touching, as if they are drying their wings on the playa.

Totem RockThis gesture is meant to symbolize a reflective pause after a triumph and an opening of the heart to give thanks - perhaps for the successful catching of fish?

Inside the bird there was a nest that visitors could enter and reflect on their own personal challenges and triumphs.

Entering the nest triggered an audio loop of music to start playing, enhancing the contemplative experience.

Of course, I didn’t know any of this until afterwards, so we never got a chance to enter the nest and reflect on our challenges and triumphs, but I bet Herb’s challenge would have been trying to get me to agree to come here, and his triumph was that I did.

"The Man"The next artwork we came across was a huge head, just sitting on the playa, its face cycling through a series of reds, blues, greens, orange, and yellow. I am not totally sure, but I think this piece is named Totem Rock, and if so its purpose is to serve as a channel between humans and spirits and ancestors. If not, he's just an interesting face, but I doubt that, because everything at Burning Man has a deeper, spiritual meaning than just aesthetics.

There was still a lot more to see, but we were pretty tired from a very long productive day. We had ridden 18 bumpy miles on our old mountain bikes today. Plus, we had 2 more full days to explore. So we headed back towards the esplanade where we would weave our way through the streets of Black Rock City to find our motorhome.

But first, a good night to "The Man," who was pretty much visible at night from anywhere on the playa. I wonder if he knew that he had only 2 more days to live, but I guess after almost 40 years, he was getting used to it.

Day 2 of Enjoying the Art on the Playa"

To the outer edges of the playa we goWhen we woke up on Thursday, I said to Herb, “I’m not sure what we are going to do today, because I think we’ve pretty much seen everything.”

“I highly doubt that," he said, pointing the the Burning Man map with over 326 art installations listed.

“Maybe a lot of them were destroyed in the severe wind and dust storms before we arrived. Remember the Orgy Dome was obliterated.”

So we decided to do a deeper dive, or more accurately a wider dive, by biking around the entire perimeter of the part of the playa that is defined as Burning Man.

Waves into SkyBlack Rock City has a 9.2-mile-long Trash Fence, the purpose of which is to catch MOOP (Matter Out Of Place), like trash and debris from blowing off the playa and into the surrounding desert. It also acts as the boundary of Black Rock City, so we would use it as our guide during our perimeter tour.

I absolutely loved the first piece we came to, which was called Waves into Sky. So, I guess we hadn’t seen everything.

Tea Anyone?The sculpture consisted of a central pole, with a series of red, white, and blue light and airy fabric wings emanating from it, held in place by a wire above.

Beneath it sat a piano, which welcomed visitors to participate by making their own waves of sound.

The fun part about riding out on the playa is that you never know what to expect, so we weren’t surprised when we came upon a scene right out of the late 1800s - an old cabin with a porch out front from which a woman with a parasol was serving tea.

Apocalyptic Deep Sea PortalContinuing on, we rode towards a large open wooden cube with crocheted, handmade sea creatures and apocalyptic emblems hanging from its frame. Its name was Apocalyptic Deep Sea Portal.

The sea creatures are intended to make people reflect on the importance of the ocean and our interdependence with its creatures.

The artwork acts as a conceptual gateway for participants to travel between a non-apocalyptic world and an apocalyptic one, with the sea creatures serving a guides between the two realms.

Beast ModeWe preferred to stay in the non-apocalyptic one, so we took a chance and headed out to the “Trash Fence” to trace the perimeter of Black Rock City.

Ok, maybe we still were in apocalyptic mode because the first sculpture we came upon was all black and had a scary monster in the middle covered in spikes and entwined with serpents and tentacles. It was appropriately called Beast Mode.

However, there was also hope, because it was surrounded by lamp posts adorned with crystals and lights that emitted a warm glow, creating a contrast with the dark beast.

As many of Burning Man’s art installations are, this one was interactive in that as you walked through it talked about the need to replace hate in this world with love.

Life TripsSo like the last sculpture, this one two symbolized a dichotomy, this time the balance between lightness and dark, fear and wonder, and love and hate.

It was pretty quiet bicycling out near the perimeter, and we hardly saw another soul, until we came upon another cyclist, or at least a sculpture of one.

The piece was called Life Trips and like the past two works, it too was about life struggles and balance, cleverly illustrated by a cyclist struggling to keep his balance as he is about to do an unsuccessful “endo” over the front of his bike.

Herb doing fancy stuffFor the artist, this theme was personal and his “Life Trips” was a perfect metaphor for stumbling over inner demons and past traumas along our path through life, and the struggle to find balance and happiness.

Then it was back to the motorhome for lunch and a nap. We had already biked 10 miles this morning, so we deserved a little siesta.

Getting a little helpIt was pretty much our routine every day to get out in the morning when it was cool, hang out in the air-conditioned motorhome during the heat of the day, when the lighting wasn’t good for photography anyway, and then head out again in the evening when the playa came alive.

This was to be our most participatory night of all. Up until now, we pretty much didn’t realize what we were missing at some of the art installations until we got home and I started doing research to write this trip up.

But we couldn’t miss the hidden meaning of the netted pyramid with the gymnastic hoop hanging down from its vertex, just crying out for us to give it a go.

I can do fancy stuff tooJust to set the scene, everyone else gathered around was at least half our age or less, so when we stepped up, there were lots of oohs and ahs from the young'ns, who probably thought they were about to watch a train wreck.

However, despite our approaching 70, both Herb and I are quite athletic and strong. We rock climb in a gym, work out in a fitness center, run, mountain bike, hike, and swim.

So, Herb had no trouble pulling himself up and getting to a sitting position inside the hoop, before venturing into fancy stuff.

I, however, being shorter, had a bit more of a struggle pulling myself up into the hoop, so the woman whose installation it was, gave me a little ooch.

Waves in the SkyOkay, maybe a big ooch. But from there, I did fancy stuff of my own. Boy that was fun!

I was glad that I had my biking shorts on under my dress

We just love biking around playa at night, so with no real destination in mind, we just randomly went towards the lights - like moths.

Waves in the Sky, which we had already seen this morning, lured us in, as it was even more beautiful at night, set against an amazing sunset.

Golden Gate bridge photo bombs the Sphinx GatesThere were a lot more people out now than during the day.

From there, in the distance we saw the 34-foot high Sphinx Gates, so we headed that way.

Wow! What a difference from yesterday where there were literally hundreds of people trying to get through the gates for a lights, laser, and sound event aimed at helping those you passed through find wisdom and their inner selves.

Sphinx Gates at nightNow, there was no one and no sign of anything having happened here, except for the two sphinxes staring into each other's eyes. It was like we dreamt it.

To make the scene even more dreamlike, we watched as the Golden Gate Bridge drove by in the distance. That was quite a juxtaposition.

I guess the Sphinxes didn’t want to be outdone by the Golden Gate Bridge, so a little later they put on their own show in vibrant reds and blues. They showed him!!

There was one last task we had to do before heading back to the motorhome and that was to say our final farewells to “The Man,” because tomorrow he would burn.

Bye Bye Burning ManWe weren’t the only ones with this idea, so we parked our bikes amongst the hundreds of others and solemnly walked up the beautiful wooden spiraling ramp to the soaring arches upon which he stood.

Before long, the security guards asked everyone to leave, so they could begin securing the perimeter for tomorrow night’s big pyrotechnic display.

Securing the perimeter for the Man Burn is one of the largest and most critical safety operations of the entire Burning Man event. It is a highly coordinated effort involving hundreds of trained volunteers.

The Burn is supposed to be quite a spectacular event, starting with an hour-long choreogrpahed show of fire-dance troupes from around the world, followed by a massive fireworks display that erupts from The Man himself, with explosions, rockets and massive fireballs that roll across the sky, eventually engulfing The Man in flames, and concluding with his collapse and crashing to the ground.

I admit to feeling sad about this beautiful structure being turned to ashes, but "ephemeralness" is a core principle of Burning Man, as the city is built and then completely dismantled to leave no trace that it ever existed behind. So the Burning is a central part of this tradition.

Day 3 of Enjoying the Art on the Playa"

Humanoid?We had seen so much art over the last two days, that I couldn’t picture that there could possibly be that much more, but there was. In fact, I think it would take weeks to see everything.

Well, sure enough, we did see a lot of new cool stuff.

I'm not sure of the name of the first one, but it was some kind of huge humanoid reaching out her hand to something beyond our field of vision or perhaps something only she could see?

She was so large that I could comfortably nestle in her armpit.

One Tin SoldierA bit further on we came to an area full of worn, weathered children’s toys - a monumental stack of alphabet blocks inviting one to climb and play on, an old metal pair of jacks laying scattered about, a giant 12-foot yo-yo buried in the dust, and One Tin Soldier, that sits upon a 24-foot wooden horse, whose reins held a swing, welcoming visitors, such as me, to come and play on, so I did!

The project is an homage to childhood wonder and nostalgia, encouraging participants to feel like small children again by shrinking them next to the colossal toys.

Moonlight LibraryWe all need to rediscover our inner child. I have no problem with that. I have more of a problem finding my inner adult.

I love books, and I even brought 3 of them thinking I would have some downtime to read. Well, guess what? There is no downtime at Burning Man.

So as a consolation, I was very excited to learn that Burning Man has a library, called the Moonlight Library, that encourages people to explore the question, “What does it mean to be human?”

Back of the Moonlight LibraryThis towering two-story installation was designed to look like a Gothic romantic ruin of an ancient library. Rather than a complete building, all that remained was a corner of what was once a much larger, multi-story structure that had otherwise deteriorated.

Placing these books in a ruined library, suggests that even as physical structures crumble, human narratives and shared experiences endure.

On the back of the library there were faux marble tablets containing quotes about the importance of stories in our lives.

Bookshelves of the Moonlight LibraryOne particular quote that resonated with me was: “What you speak becomes a seed. In another heart, it takes root. Stories are flaxen words, woven across time, connecting us to souls we've never met..

The walls of the library were lined with massive bookshelves filled with thousands of real “weathered” books.

Of course, like most installations at Burning Man, this one was interactive.

Up to the 2nd FloorParticipants could take physical books from shelves, place them on a kiosk to listen to them. Some of the books on the shelves had sensors, so when someone touched the spine, it softly played an audio recording of an anonymous personal story.

There was even a hidden "Entity Room" for personal reflection.

These stories were collected by artists at previous Burning Man events, essentially creating a library of human experiences - joy, sorrow, fear, and hope.

And down againIt served as an archive of collective memory, encouraging participants to author their own stories and reflect on their life narratives from the perspective of their final chapter, giving them time to rewrite their narratives before it was too late.

The contemplative mood was enhanced by a lone court musician, dressed in shiny gold from head to foot, standing in front of the bookshelves, playing melodious tunes on a saxophone.

There were additional bookshelves on the second floor, reached by two precarious staircases on either side of the building, neither of which had hand rails.

Ad AstraNeither looked particularly safe, but I chose to clamber up the two to 3-foot blocks on the left sides as opposed to the ridiculously narrow ones on the right, hoping to not have my “final chapter” arrive before I had a chance to rewrite my story.

We never knew what to expect next, but after leaving the Library, we came upon what looked like a modern-day Stonehenge.

Ad AstraIt was called Ad Astra, and it consisted of six monumental sculptures arranged in a circle, with a diameter of 13 meters.

The sculptures were crafted from a combination of artificial stone and polished stainless steel, which blended ancient-looking surfaces with more shiny, futuristic reflective finishes, symbolizing the union of past, present, and future.

Although beautiful by day, with the desert and us reflected in the polished steel, it is supposed to be even more impressive in the dark, when a warm, pulsating light emanates from inside the sculptures, accompanied by a deep, space-like soundscape.

Vessel of LoveToo bad it is so far out on the playa, almost a mile further than “The Man,” so we probably wouldn’t venture this far out again in the dark.

While the last two installations emphasized the profound connections between the past and the future, Vessel of Love was pure fun, closer in theme to the “One Tin Soldier,” which pushed us to embrace our “inner child.”

This vibrant red, 21-foot high, 46-feet long double slide built in the shape of an infinity heart invited participants to climb up its ladders and slide down either of the two intersecting slides, with childlike abandon.

Afterlife ReincarnateBut at Burning Man, even things that appeared as pure fun always seemed to have a deeper meaning as well. This piece was intended as a celebration of connection, joy, and infinite love.”

Yesterday when riding around the perimeter of the playa, we had seen orange barrier tape blocking an area off in the distance. Thinking it was an installation that had been destroyed by the wind and dust storms at the beginning of Burning Man, we ignored it and rode in a different direction.

Afterlife ReincarnateThen the next day, we got a little closer and saw that we had been mistaken, and instead of a destroyed installation, it appeared like we had arrived in Thailand.

The installation, which was called Afterlife Reincarnate, was an amazing 150x150-foot multi-sensory piece, arranged in a Tibetan-inspired mandala, a design used in Buddhist and Hindu traditions as a spiritual tool for meditation.

With its mystical fire-breathing dragons, fluttering prayer flags, and multiple shrines and gates, it was designed to virtually “teleport” participants to the ancient temples, pagodas, and stupas of Asia.

MermanAt night, it must have been even more stunning, as it lit with fluorescent lights, LEDs, and blacklights to create a vibrant, otherworldly beacon on the playa.

Continuing on, we came upon a huge wooden man swimming across the desert. His name was Merman,” and he was created by a Ukrainian team led by Andrii Krapyvchenko.

The 12-meter long sculpture was constructed from 288 wooden blocks and depicts the head, back, and arm of a giant man appearing to swim through the ground. It is meant to be a symbol of endurance and overcoming obstacles, very appropriate for a piece from Ukraine.

Merman was originally supposed to appear at Burning Man in 2021, but was delayed due to Covid and the war.

Rose WondersWe left the Merman behind and rode towards what we thought was a large King Kong holding a small woman in the palm of his hand.

But when we got closer, we saw that instead it was a massive, gentle-looking troll, and the people in his outstretched hand had gotten there voluntarily climbing a hidden staircase. In fact, they waited on line for the privilege.

This piece is called Rose Wonders and it was created by the renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who has made it his worldwide mission to transform recycled materials and trash into something magical - specifically trolls. Rose Wonders is the 158th troll to join his global collection.

Rose WondersMost of Dambo’s trolls have a poem associated with their themes, which in the case of Rose Wonders was the desire to evoke a sense of connection with nature, reflection, and wonder. I don’t think he could have possibly made a more appropriate choice than G.E. Stooke’s poem “I Wonder if it Wonders, which ends with the following stanza:

I wonder if it understands, the world is a connection,
And everything we do comes back again as a reflection
I wonder if it speaks, I wonder what it wants to say
And wonder if it understands tomorrow is today

Coming full circle to the Burning Man 2025 theme of “Tomorrow Today”

Sorry to see it all end, but tonight was the climax - “The Burning of the Man.” Time to get back to the motorhome and get ready for the big event.