Nervous Virgin

Lucid484 · Post by **Lucid484** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:57 pm

Hello Everybody!

My name is steve and I'm 29,I have 2 beautiful children from my first marraige and am currently happily married again. Ive been wanting to goto burning man since 1997 and now here in 2008 i've finially got the ability to goto the 2009 event! I live in western massachusetts and no one I know wants to go with me =\ ...I'm willing to go alone but for some reason i'm very nervous about the drive (43 Hours and 2700 miles for me). I spent 6 years in teh air force reserve and have trained in xtreme heat environments and ate crap food for weeks on end and LOVE camping. So that part of it doesnt really bother me.

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:31 pm

Welcome Lucid!

I think a 2700 mile road trip will end up costing more than buying a plane ticket to Reno and securing a ride to the burn from there (it's only 110 miles away and many people offer rideshares).

You might consider trying to join a theme camp or one of the solo-burner camps (such as Stag). This will ensure that you don't have to simply "survive" the week but you will be around the same people that will share their amenities with you. Be ready to do a lot of work if you join a theme camp though. By joining a theme camp you are typically expected to contribute some money for camp dues (what that is buying is different with every camp) as well as a contribution of labor during and possibly before and after the event.

One last piece of advice; Don't eat "crap food" out there. Bring stuff to cook that is nutritious and delicious. In 2007 we brought only canned foods and snacks and I was miserably hungry by the time I left the playa. This year (2008), we feasted on Jambalaya, Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, Tri-Tip, Homemade Chicken Mushroom Stew, Eggs and Bacon and limitless snack foods. Needless to say I was much more energized this year than last and I'll never go back to canned food on the playa again.

Lucid484 · Post by **Lucid484** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:39 pm

cool that sounds like some good advice....Yeah for my car it would cost me about $1,000 for gas. My only concern was being able to bring my tent and supplies.I was going to load up with about 14 gallons of drinking water and 2 cases of MRE's (survived weeks on those in the military and they taste great)..So a plane would proboly be cheaper,I honestly have no clue how i'd get all my gear around =\ but I guess I have almost a full year to figure that out.

my work allows me to take up to 2 weeks of paid vacation at a time...And I figured that if I drove 14 hrs a day i could get there in 3 days,enjoy the whole event and spend 3 days driving back. but we all know plans don't always work out.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:41 pm

That is a very intense schedule, you may need some time to chill or to process.

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:48 pm

You should have no problem bringing your tent, sleeping bag and clothes on the plane with you. They might charge you $50 or so but it's worth it. You can probably find some camp that will have accommodations that you can use or be willing to haul some of your gear out for you (just UPS it to them).

The best thing to do is start forging some relationships with burners around your area and find out how they are going to pull it off in 2009. I know there is a regional in Massachusetts though I don't have any details about it. If there is a decompression in your area then you should attend that as well. The more burners you get to know the more you will be able to decide if 1) it's really something you want to do and 2) how you will do it.

Also follow Crypto's advice; You will need time to Chillaxâ„¢ after the burn. You WILL be burnt out and in desperate need of a vacation. I usually spend 2 or 3 days in Reno before heading back but since you are from the East Coast i'd recommend Tahoe (about an hour drive from Reno) for a few days.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:15 am

$50 extra??

Get in touch with the western mass burners.

Lucid484 · Post by **Lucid484** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:02 pm

yeah i can see $50 for an extra bag (tent,sleeping bag) but 8 days of food and water also is the biggie...I contacted the western,MA burners and hopefully will hear from them soon.just found out my work "might" let me take 3 weeks off straight so maybe i can tank a long drive if needed and not push myself beyond my limits....now just how to explain to the wife that i might not see her for a few weeks LOL

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:11 pm

Unless you're totally into the road trip thing, I wouldn't drive that far by yourself. You can easily catch a rideshare to and from the playa from Reno and save yourself the aggravation and money. You can also rent a car (just make sure to reserve it way ahead time) Don't carry your food and water on the plane, buy it in Reno. Seriously, you'll have a much better time if you aren't already burned out from the drive across country. I've done that drive and it's not fun in any way.

Lucid484 · Post by **Lucid484** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:34 pm

yeah im staring to seriously consider that...just a plane trip to reno and rent a car etc. i could cut my travel time and money spent on gas ALOT...I do want to do a coast to coast road trip sometime..but i fear that I might be burnt out after burning man.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:25 pm

FWIW, I think a coast-to-coast road trip is best saved for when you have time to noodle around in places that seem interesting to you. You know, find a small town and hang out at the diner; take a detour for a national park or Wall Drug; stay an extra night in Branson because there are two must see shows.

I love these guys.

mk-ultra · Post by **mk-ultra** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:14 pm

The cool thing is: you've got nearly an entire year to get to know a few burners on here, find a camp for yourself (if you desire one) and absorb a lot of good advice from ePlaya (interspersed with the occasional burnier-than-thou snark for your amusement).

Welcome aboard... and welcome home. I suspect 2009 will be a really amazing year for you.

cphoenix · Post by **cphoenix** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:22 pm

There's an alternative to canned and fresh... Trader Joes sells many different flavors of Indian food in shelf-stable plastic/foil packages. Some of it's a bit spicy, so make sure you like it before you try to live on it for a week, but I loved it. They also sell various precooked rice dishes.

I lived on it last week, and didn't feel deprived or ill-fed. If you're like me and begrudge every minute you're not out walking around, just pack a couple dozen of these things, throw a few in your backpack each morning, and don't waste even a minute cooking.

mars · Post by **mars** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:34 pm

You can buy your food and water in reno after you get there. No need to lug it on a plane. I have a friend who comes every year from Toledo. He rents a car in Reno, gets a hotel room for one day before the event and two days after. Does his shopping on the way from Reno.

Nervous Virgin

Nervous Virgin

Trader Joe's has awesome food!