Heads up from the playa: might be dusty

[mikesieben]

This is unacceptable.

Do these people know who I am?

Does anyone?

Help!

[Boijoy]

I think that right now there are alot of big trucks coming and going thru the playa and not sticking to the watered down roadways. This is probably kicking up more dust than usual. Once the event gets started MOST traffic will be on the more established roads. At the very worst they could limit some of the travel of art cars a mutant vehicles. OR we could all just walk in.. :-)
LOVE the residents of Gerlach,, there our neighbors..but it seems every year they have something else to bitch about.
Perhaps next year lets just have the event IN Gerlach... now THAT would be fun !!

[Intubater69]

Relax everyone, I'm bringin' summa this:

LMAO

Hey Capt. got ur tix after all eh?

[Intubater69]

Naw, I'm good. I've got one of those 12V dustbusters that plug into the cigar lighter. I'll be fine.

Does anyone make a gas-powered vacuum? I'm sensing a DIY project....

they explode in the heat. sometimes right off your face. When you buy them.. look for the "non-exploding" label... ba hahahahahaha.

also, don't forget to get the correct right- or left-handed model. I like right-handed metric goggles myself.

There are gas and diesel vacuums, including ride on models suitable for an art car base.

note to self, pack leaf blower bwah hah hah hahhhh

[Alligatorz]

Too bad they can't shovel off the top layer of dust with snow plows and then put tarps over the dust mounds until after the event to keep it from going anywhere.

That would probably fall outside of the scope of the NEPA EIS, I'd imagine though and be a tad unrealistic.

oh well, the playa is the playa and we must take it how we find it.

[vic]

My aunt lives in Reno and she tells me that the dust there is out of control. If they have to close the casinos in Reno, the BLM will not allow the even to open Sunday night.

[somekind]

My aunt lives in Reno and she tells me that the dust there is out of control. If they have to close the casinos in Reno, the BLM will not allow the even to open Sunday night.

The casinos close for dust?

[Captain Goddammit]

And how would they deal with 50,000 people all showing up? Somehow I doubt this.

[capjbadger]

Hell, if it's really that dusty, we won't be able to see to drive out anyway.
We're not going anywhere bub! ;P

Badger

[JezebelinHell]

My aunt lives in Reno and she tells me that the dust there is out of control. If they have to close the casinos in Reno, the BLM will not allow the even to open Sunday night.

Ummm... I live in Reno and there's no noticable change in overall dustiness over the past month. It was super SMOKY here last month, but that was because California was on fire. The casinos here would never dream of shutting down for something silly like dust. I don't even think they'd shut down for the apocalypse. Your aunt is either fucking with your head or she's extremely confused. I'm looking out the window right this second and I see no dust whatsoever. Reno is a two hour drive from BRC. The dust doesn't travel this far.

[Boijoy]

STOP THE PANIC !! I live in Reno & the weather has been beautiful. Next week there is supposed to be a slight cool down but " breezy ".. that translates to .. the playa will be as dusty and windy as usual. ALSO, I ran into two burners in town yesterday who are building our beautiful city. They say the city circle has been watered and will be in pretty good shape. However, the open playa is very powdery. Expect lots of dust,, just like every year. WE WILL BURN THE FRICKIN MAN DOWN !! :-)
wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sputnik]

and as I seem to recall, the majority of the time the dust is blowing away from Gerlach anyway.

[ZaphodBurner]

and as I seem to recall, the majority of the time the dust is blowing away from Gerlach anyway.

Current weather from the airport at Empire Nevada
221553Z AUTO 04016G22KT 10SM CLR 23/02 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP124 T0228001

Wind out of 040 (northeast) at 16 knots gusting to 22, visibility 10sm, sky clear, temperature 23C, dewpoint 02C (it ain't gonna rain)

The wind is -usually- out of the south/southwest, but, looking at the charts, that puts Gerlach almost directly downwind from BRC this morning.


-c

[Harpman]

I love a good White Out!

[Bob]

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... ather.html

[chiefdanfox]

Be prepared for anything on the playa:


...and this was only Hushville...

[phil]

> ...and this was only Hushville...

I remember that. Can't remember which year it was, though.

[MissNev]

Hey! I remember that! My buddy and I rode our bikes right into it...wonder whatever happened to him? GOOD TIMES!

[Firmwood]

Yea sorry, that was me. In my defence i'd spent most of my day at baked bean and cabbage camp. Luckily I didn't follow through.

[phil]

Email from somebody there today:

Weather is excellent. Low winds, perfect temperatures night and day.

Playa surface is shitty, as reported. In fact, it's never been worse since I've been coming!

Hard to drive on, even riding bikes can be bad. Stick to the roads, where vehicles have packed the loose stuff down. Will probably get better as the event wears on.

They did indeed make the city much bigger, and grew the ring around center camp enormously. It bulges into the esplanade significantly.

[phil]

http://gizmodo.com/5040821/the-dirtsurf ... brid-thing
four fifty, though

[Mosin]

We arrived in Reno today and just made it past all the roadblocks/checkpoints (staffed by ex-IDF members and Blackwater regulars) due to the severe dust storm crisis. Gamblers are out on the streets like wildabeasts... it's really sad. Anyhoo, we're going to head out to the playa at dawn, but unfortunately it looks like all of you will have to stay home this year. The theme sucked anyways, right?

[BAS]

So, how's the dust, folks? (Not so much dust here in Madison, WI, even with all the students moving into the dorms... more MOOP than dust. )

[World Power Foundation]

four fifty, though

For that price (?) there should be a seat.

[BitterDan]

The playa sucked this year. It was nearly impossible to ride out on the open playa because the dust was so thick. I ended up leaving my bike at camp most of the week because it was easier to just walk.

[Bob]

Walking?

How pedestrian.

[gyre]

The playa sucked this year. It was nearly impossible to ride out on the open playa because the dust was so thick. I ended up leaving my bike at camp most of the week because it was easier to just walk.

Check out the ice and snow tires I posted.
They work.

[BitterDan]

Will do but I am thinking about making a new MV next year complete with a combustion engine. The Thingamabob didn't make it past the second day this year and it was far too dangerous to ride it on the soft playa.

[Harpman]

This was the worst year for the terrain ever. It was apparently caused by the lack of rain the playa received last winter. Normally the playa will get a few inches of water on the surface in the winter. When it evaporates in time for BM, it creates the hard cracked crusty playa we all know and love. This year there was no rain, and although the virgin playa looked OK, it became clear that it was too delicate, and the crust would break easily and turn into that soft dust that bogged down bicycles.

Next time, I am going to check the weather to find out if the play received enough rain to provide a good surface. I will never attend a BM under similar conditions again, too much down time with the dust storms, and very difficult to travel without an art car.

[chiefdanfox]

Walking?

How pedestrian.

Not everyone has a jetpack, Bob.