Alternate Routes from LA

mirzuuu · Post by **mirzuuu** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:27 pm

Community,

We have a very large truck + auto-hauler that's going to be coming up from
the LA/SoCal area and is packed to the brim with heavy freight. Last year
we took the 395 route and had a rough time going through Sonora and some
of the dicier steep passes.

This year we were stoked to take the flatter & freight-friendly Spooky
Desert Route
(http://www.burningman.com/preparation/t ... o_brc.html).
Except we've read about the tribal police incidents on Highway 95 near
Schurz, NV and would rather avoid them.

I've been spending some time with Google Maps to find an alternate route
that avoids Schurz. The best I've found is to make it to Carson City and
then cut out via HWY 50 on the California Emigrant Trail. The only
advantage is bypassing some of the hairyness of the HWY 80 inclines. But
other than that, it looks like we might be S.O.L. or packing on several
hundred additional miles.

Can anyone offer a better suggestion other than I-5?

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:50 pm

I would do the Spooky Desert route anyway. Look, if you are obeying the speed limit (most important item), don't have a cloud of pot smoke following you, behave in a civilized manner and possibly drop a few dollars at a local business establishment, I really don't believe anyone is going to bother you.

Dressing to default world cultural norms would probably be a good idea too if you are going to take that route. Just look square and act square when you go through and I seriously doubt you are going to have trouble. If you are speeding, you can smell pot a mile behind you, tossing cans out the window, rowdy behavior, music full blast, orange hair, no top, and short-shorts ... yeah, they are probably gonna want a better look to see if they can possibly raise some revenue.

If it were a general problem, there would be alerts out by AAA in adition to BMORG. There are a lot of people on vacation the week before labor day, look like a group of friends out for desert camping and you should be just fine.

mirzuuu · Post by **mirzuuu** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:38 am

well problem is we'll be towing a huge art car behind the moving van. So we are not going to look 100% default. . .

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:11 pm

Still, I suspect that if you were behaving yourself and handled yourself in a default manner, you won't have a problem. In other words, when you are in their area, being respectful of their cultural norms will generally lead to fewer problems. What tends to get people into trouble is when they pull into a place and attempt to force their culture onto the locals. Just pretend it is like going to a foreign country where you are trying to be respectful of their culture and customs and not come off as the "ugly burner" overwhelming them with YOUR culture, which might not be appreciated.

Post by **AntiM** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:07 pm

Just pretend it is like going to a foreign country where you are trying to be respectful of their culture and customs and not come off as the "ugly burner" overwhelming them with YOUR culture, which might not be appreciated.

Ugly burner example: Winnemucca not California, but I think it holds true: don't light up a fattie in the Flying J parking lot. I couldn't believe it. Sure it was late at night, but all the 24 hr. truckstops have security cameras. Sheesh.

Davoid · Post by **Davoid** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:21 am

The Survival Guide warning says "In 2005 several participants reported that tribal police in Schurz harassed, searched, and arrested them without probable cause. Do not attempt to drive through Schurz on hwy 95" Now, you can wonder if they were dressed as and acting like asses and attracted undue attention, or you can take them at their word.

I will be driving in very normal looking clothes, staying within the limits, not lighting any fatties or otherwise pissing anyone off. But my car will still be stuffed with all manner of potentially odd-looking items, and there will be a pair of odd-looking bikes on the back of it. I will be headed for Burning Man, no doubt about it.

If these cops might suspect any and all such obvious BRC travellers of no good, then that's all that's needed for the harassment to happen. Could happen anywhere, or not, but I for one won't be travelling through Schurz, let alone stopping there to spend my money.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:38 am

Just sayin ... I have driven through that town without any problems at all.

How would it in any way benefit them to just fuck with people? While there might have been "reports" of people being searched with "no probable cause", I would be tempted to take that with a grain of salt. If a cop goes into court and he had no probable cause and the case gets thrown out, that doesn't look good on his record. If he searches someone without probable cause and finds nothing and that person presses charges, he could find himself in jail. It is too big of a risk.

I would want to know more information about the disposition of those arrests.

If you stop and are spending money in their town, the last thing they are going to do is piss off their customers. The notion that they just have a hard on for "burners" doesn't fly with me. I believe there had to have been some other reason.

I am not finding a any reports in a general web search of Schurz police problems with motorists in general.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:47 am

You know what, the more I think about it, just call the police department there tomorrow, or maybe I will just to put this to rest. Tell them you are going to an art show and you were planning to stop there for some fuel and a meal but had heard of some people being harrassed and don't want any problems. Just be right up front and ask them over the phone. Come across as a reasonable person that has a travel plan but is concerned that there might be a problem and see what they have to say. If they don't want you there, that gives them an opportunity to say so. If it is crap, it gives them an opportunity to explain what it is about. In fact, I think I will email them now but I leave for the playa on Saturday so if they don't respond by then, I won't have an answer.

Their phone number is (775) 773-2544

Walker River Tribal Police

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:24 am

I purposely drove to Schurz several weeks ago to purchase some fireworks for, uh, personal consumption. I had no problems whatsoever. Whoever has painted Schurz as a speedtrap/coptrap/burnertrap is pretty much out to lunch as far as I can tell.

Davoid · Post by **Davoid** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:22 am

Besides asking the Schurz police, it would be nice to get the first hand reports from the burners involved, too.

As for why the cops would do it, well, cops are people, too. Some people are saints, some people are dickheads. Some wield power unwisely. I have no idea what kind of place Schurz is, but maybe the cops in question simply would rather not have carloads of "crazies" cruising through their town, and don't care about the crazies' money. Maybe they see all burners- people who look like I described, not necessarily someone in town another time to buy fireworks- as over-priveleged hippie scum. Or not. Hopefully they were simply doing their jobs by stopping some burner motorists they saw as behaving dangerously. Anyway, if everyone's motivations were easily pegged, the world would be a very different place.

No guarantee that the true answers will be found either through talking to the cops OR the burners, alas. Share word if you get word, geekster.

leftbraindp · Post by **leftbraindp** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:57 am

I've always driven the spooky desert route (I haul a little camper with my 6 cyl Jeep and I can't handle the big inclines) and have never had any problem... I plan on taking it again this year as well, but I obey traffic signs... my camper is pretty burner-y and has never garnered too much negative attention... so I guess we will see how it works out this year!

Homiesinheaven · Post by **Homiesinheaven** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:23 pm

BUMP.

any problems with taking the 395 all the way to Reno? any steep inclines or anything to be aware of? i've driven this route on my way to Tahoe a while back and dont remember any big climbs. i do remember it being a whole lot more scenic than the 5.

Homiesinheaven · Post by **Homiesinheaven** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:33 pm

found this thread:

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=14050

i would still love to hear your personal experience.