Salt Lake city/Park city Burners?

[FairyGirlUtah]

After living in reno and spending many glorious years on the playa, I am now in Utah! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease tell me that there are BurningMan groups here!
If so, when, where and who do I contact?

[Jp]

I don't cruise the eplaya so much these days so any replies may not be noticed, but try these out for a start:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/utahburn/

www.synorgy.org

welcome to Utah
Jp

[Jordan 10-E]

The link provided before is the correct link to follow. The Utah Burn community is really great actually. You should come out to the Synorgy regional burn the first week of June.

I personally would be happy to chat with you and help introduce you to some people I know. [email protected]

There also is the theme camp/group I help run called Project Euphoria, which is primarily based out of Utah.

[robotland]

Can one of you Utahans tell me how to find Spiral Jetty? I'm driving through from the East, and wanted to actually SEE it instead of a picture in every art history book I've ever opened!

[Jordan 10-E]

Can one of you Utahans tell me how to find Spiral Jetty? I'm driving through from the East, and wanted to actually SEE it instead of a picture in every art history book I've ever opened!

Well that is a good question. Great example of land art. I have never seen it in real life, but have a pretty good idea of where it is and I have read about it many times.

HOWEVER, the problem is that it is now under water so I don't think you can see it anymore. There is an old, abandoned train track that runs straight accross the lake on an earth embankment. There were only like one or two "inlets" that allowed water to pass from one side of the earth embankment to the other. This caused two things to happen: one side was greener compared to the more blue other side (has to do with the sediments in the water) and ironically, the water on one side was actually higher than the other because it had to go over a causeway of sorts through those inlets. That was the situation up through the early 80's (I am confident that Spiral jetty was built in the 70's) when the Utah government decided to remove some of the tracks and dirt to allow more of a free flow between the two sides. As a result the water level rose and flooded over the jetty.

So there it is...

Truth is I'd still like to go find where it used to be, but honestly I don't think it is visible anymore.

[theCryptofishist]

Truth is I'd still like to go find where it used to be, but honestly I don't think it is visible anymore.

I have a really hazy memory about reading something thay said it was visible again due to a drought or something. This was fairly recently too. (ie 2004)


At least we could get some underwater shots into the art history books. . .

[theCryptofishist]

Okay it DID re-emerge as this article notes in passing
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K49B26EB7

paragraph#6 that starts: In "Art and Ruin"

I'll google again outside the news part. . .

[theCryptofishist]

this says it has instructions for how to find instruction to get to the site:
http://www.robertsmithson.com/earthwork ... _jetty.htm

also 21st century photos--so it's been in oxygen recently.

[Jordan 10-E]

I didn't know that it had resurfaced, but we have been in the midst of the drought for the last 4-5 years so it doesn't surprise me.

I looked up the links you guys provided and then some others such as this one that shows a map.

http://www.ugs.state.ut.us/surveynotes/ ... ljetty.htm

Now that I understand where it is on the map I can tell you more about what to expect if you desire to see it. I am very familiar with most of the landscapes and distances that surround the Salt Lake area and many places in Utah. Driving, camping, and study of landscapes are all favorite activities of mine. Anyway, to the point.

If you will read the article on the second link that was provided above you will read about part of the idea when creating these structures was to put them in remote, vast spaces. Spiral Jetty fits this definition. The article also happened to mention an artwork in the same general vicinity of the state called the Sun Tunnels. Most Burners here in Utah would know what that is because the first few years of our regional burn, Synorgy, were held at the Sun Tunnels. Additionally, the group I head up, Project Euphoria, held an event out at the Sun Tunnels last summer.

With that background info I will say this. No matter which direction you come from you must consider that it will be out of the way in your path to Burning Man. The NW region of Utah is very isolated due to the Great Salt Lake. The only thing that was ever really built up that way in the Trans-Continental Railroad. From our history books we all have read about Promontory Point where the two lines met and placed the Golden Spike. Promontory is relatively nearby Spiral Jetty. But again, you must realized it is out of the way. There are no services out there at all.

If you were driving along I-80 Westbound (which if you are coming from the East is what you will be driving across the country) and come into Salt Lake City, you would then turn north and drive about 100 miles to get there. Once there you would either need to go back down to Salt Lake City or cut across out there. Either way you are talking about at LEAST 4-5 hours added to your trip, very possibly more.

So this is my suggestion. I would totally encourage you to see it, but you might as well add an extra day to your trip. You need to consider if it is worth the effort since your journey will already be kinda lengthy. If you have the extra time, by all means do it!

I guess that is all i have to say about it for right now.

[robotland]

Well Heck, why didn't that bastard Smithson have the good sense to build it at one of the rest stops? How did he expect the art critics to judge it?

Seriously, thanks for all the good info...sounds like it's going to involve more doing and going to get there than I realized. We Michiganders just don't have a good, innate perception of exactly what "wide-open spaces" really means!

Someday I really would like to dust off my original dream plan-Burning Man trip plan- Out LOW, come back HIGH (!)....Through the Southwest, past Roswell and Area 51, up to BRC, back by Spiral Jetty, Crazy Horse/Rushmore and Carhenge....

[theCryptofishist]

Someday I really would like to dust off my original dream plan-Burning Man trip plan- Out LOW, come back HIGH (!)....Through the Southwest, past Roswell and Area 51, up to BRC, back by Spiral Jetty, Crazy Horse/Rushmore and Carhenge....

Well, you could add Amarillo Texas and
http://www.libertysoftware.be/cml/cadil ... crmain.htm
to your itinerary. . .

I do tend to think of Ant Farm as one of our forebears, anyway.

[robotland]

It was on my list! I wanted to do a few miles of Route 66 as well....
The last time I drove across Texas, I was moving to Tucson and developed a fuel leak in my old VW Rabbit- I had to resort to duct tape to effect temporary repairs, which gas is a solvent for, so I ended up with a godawful globby mess in the undercarriage and silver fingernails for weeks. By the time I got to Tucson (song cue!) I had lost two signal lights, one headlight and the driver's side window, in addition to the fuel-line clamp problem. And learned that "rabbit" in Tahonaho'otem (butchered spelling) is "jooway"(ditto).

[AntiM]

we went out to the spiral for spring equinox. Got the driving instructions off the internet, someone else provided the link in an earlier post. We live in Ogden, north of Salt Lake; we take I-15 north, get off at Corinne and head for the Golden Spike Monument. There's little signs from there, the driving instructions are actually a little outdated.

The water was low enough to walk the jetty to the end. There was a small group of people when we arrived, and some coming in when we left, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Go earlier in the summer rather than later, the flies and lake stink are baaaaaad mid-summer. Oddly, we passed my brother and his family going in, they were there the same day, almost the same time. We simply didn't recognize the borrowed vehicle or their faces in the dust kicked up on the dirt road.

Here's my page with some pictures. I have trouble copying the url, it doesn't always come up ....

http://home.comcast.net/~maggiemayday

You have to go through five old pictures before you get to the jetty shots. I was thinking of going out there camping pretty soon, there's a couple flat spots. Have to bring a shovel to move all the horse and cow plops though.

Have fun!
AntiM

[theCryptofishist]

And learned that "rabbit" in Tahonaho'otem (butchered spelling) is "jooway"(ditto).

I believe that's Tohono O'odham. (I work with people who work with the tribe, so I looked it up.)

[theCryptofishist]

Here's my page with some pictures. I have trouble copying the url, it doesn't always come up ....

http://home.comcast.net/~maggiemayday

You have to go through five old pictures before you get to the jetty shots. I was thinking of going out there camping pretty soon, there's a couple flat spots. Have to bring a shovel to move all the horse and cow plops though.

Good shots. Some of the ones from further back gave me a much better idea of scale than I've ever had of that work. Amazing how that can change your experience of an artwork. Also enjoyed seeing all that salt crust onto it.
thanks

[theCryptofishist]

Well Heck, why didn't that bastard Smithson have the good sense to build it at one of the rest stops? How did he expect the art critics to judge it?

He knew that the critics were such lazy bastards that they'd give him a pass rather than admit they didn't go and see it. (Someone had to say it.)

[AntiM]

Just reread a bit of the thread and thought I'd throw in some more trivia. There is still an active railroad causeway across the Great Salt Lake which divides it into two parts. The water was supposed to seep back and forth between the rocks in several places, and there are some culverts, but I think they have silted up. The north arm is far saltier than the south arm, more fresh water flows into the southern part of the lake. The saline levels are beginning to affect the brine shrimp population, aka sea monkeys and tropical fish food. My husband has crossed the causeway; when he worked for Armadillo, he had keys to the gates. The rock road beside the rails is a real tire eater. Coincidentally, the causeway comes ashore east of Lucin, which is near the Sun Tunnels. Near, of course, is a relative term in the West Desert.

The jetty was underwater in the 80s not becasue the rail causeway was opened, but because the lake was higher overall. Even I-80 was underwater at one point. Saltair, the old resort, was completely submerged. Huge pumps were built and tested in order to pump excess water into the West Desert. The lake was threatening farms, businesses and the Salt Lake airport on the eastern shore, but I don't think the pumps were ever actually used. The lake receded on its own. With the current drought, water levels are very, very low, and the jetty is visible. The water in the jetty is only a few inches deep at best, and at one curve is little more than very wet mud.

Just a bit of rambling from the memory vault.

[theCryptofishist]

The saline levels are beginning to affect the brine shrimp population, aka sea monkeys and tropical fish food.

Tell us more about the sea monkeys. Apperently they have relatives on the playa. Fairy shrimp too.

[robotland]

A threat to the Sea Monkey supply is a threat to the disillusionment of young people everywhere that dream of fantastic underwater kingdoms. Heck, they don't even TASTE like monkeys!

[theCryptofishist]

Heck, they don't even TASTE like monkeys!

Of course not. They use their legs.

[AntiM]

Interestingly, the Artemia living in Utah' Great Salt Lake and San Francisco Bay are the same species. hmmmmm. Our brine shrimp don't wear funny underwear, do the ones in Cali? (C'mon. potential mormon jabs and pokes here).

http://ut.water.usgs.gov/shrimp/index.html

Scroll to the bottom for information on salinity and lake levels.

anti m

[Ranger Genius]

For those of you in the area or iterested in making the trip, but not on the Synorgy Yahoo Group, Synorgy this year is June 4,5,6. Three days, Two Burns, all for the LOW, LOW price of just TWENTY American Dollars!

Our theme this year is CANDYLAND, and we expect a record turnout. Join us at Seabase for our biggest Utah Regional Burn yet, and see the 28-foot Gingerbread Man effigy, our most ambitious effigy to date. We'll turn him to cinders for your viewing pleasure.

Go to Synorgy(dot)org. for details, or sign up for the Utah Burn Yahoo! Group to get regular updates via Email. There are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get involved. Tickets are going fast so get yours today! Ticket prices will go up as the event nears, and will be more at the gate, so buy yours online today at the Synorgy website. And for the first one hundred callers, we will throw in absolutely free a SECOND burn, Dave23's fabulous Pyramid! Act now, and you'll also get a lifetime supply of shallow flattery absolutely free from yours truly, Ranger Genius.

You might expect to pay as much as FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS for an event like this in stores. Buy your ticket today and you'll save Fourteen Million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty dollars! It's a steal!

[Ranger Genius]

After a "Catastrophic wind event," Construction on the structure which will support the Gingerbread Man's facade began anew this weekend at the Bonneville Seabase. Anti-M has some pictures of the heap of rubble that had to be cleared away before we could even be officially back to square one. The new structure is now securely anchored with steel cables, and totals approximately 28 feet in height! We've taken great care to ensure that this incarnation of the GBM doesn't undergo SMEF (Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure) like the last one. At least, not until we want him to.

Tickets for Synorgy 2004: Candyland (June 4,5,6) are still available at the introductory price of Twenty Dollars for now, but only until the Synorgy planning meeting later this month. Act now to save! Go to http://www.synorgy.org for more details.

[AntiM]

I've taken down a lot of the jetty pictures, added a few from the first effigy skeleton construction, and some of the deconstruction reconstruction. whew!

http://home.comcast.net/~maggiemayday

The Gman will rise again! His erection has been quite the occasion. The entire process has been hard, the workers are feeling stiff ... ah, I know, shut up.

Anti M

[Ranger Genius]

Construction Update:

The [Gingerbread] Man is now in the final stages of construction, with the tower completed, and the facade ready for installation over Memorial Day Weekend. We've already pre-sold as many tickets as were sold altogether last year (half of which were purchased at the gates!) so it looks as though we'll have a regional burn successful beyond our wildest dreams. We don't have a limit on our capacity, so join us if you want! Or even if you don't want! Attendance is compulsory. See http://www.synorgy.org for ticket ordering information!

[theCryptofishist]

AntiM, Genius
Even though I know better, I'm actually having twinges of jelousy for the "Purity of Your Experience" of being a scatterine of rare freaks deep inside mormon territory. Dang, I can be such a romantic adolescent sometimes.

[Ranger Genius]

It's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to die here.

[AntiM]

Synorgy was a blast! Candyland was a grand success, including three burns: the Pyromid on Friday night, the Gingerbread Man on Saturday, and the Temple of Light and Dark at dawn Sunday.

Some of my pictures at:

http://home.comcast.net/~maggiemayday

Of course, this means the shots of the Spiral jetty are down, but I can always send some along to interested parties. Woohoo! Party of One!

Anti M

[AntiM]

An update on the Spiral Jetty now the Great Salt Lake is rising:

After Years of Drought, Salt Lake Rising
By JENNIFER DOBNER, Associated Press Writer

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah - The water in the Great Salt Lake has begun rising again after years of drought, changing the landscape and starting to submerge one of Utah's best-known artifacts: an enormous earth sculpture called the Spiral Jetty.

The six years of drought had allowed the curious to flock to the lakeside to see the 1,500-foot-long, salt-encrusted spiral that Robert Smithson built in 1970 using backhoes to pile up rock and earth.

For decades before the dry spell, the jetty had largely been just out of sight beneath the surface of the salty water.

Thanks to a winter of record snowfall, it's not just the spiral Jetty that is changing.

"Change in lake levels can produce significantly more of a change than you'd expect," says Maunsel Pearce, chairman of the Great Salt Lake Alliance, a consortium of conservation groups with interests in the lake. "You really need to see it to believe it."

Sandbars exposed during the drought are now covered with water. Wetlands that had dried into sheets of cracked mud and thin dry grasses are now soggy marshes sprouting thick vegetation.

Water also is inching back toward Antelope Island, although boat docks there remain beached.

The lake's elevation averages about 4,200 feet above sea level, a level at which water spreads out across about 1,700 square miles, according to data kept since 1875 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

But the drought that began in 1999 dropped the surface by about 6 feet, shrinking the lake to just 950 square miles.

As of Saturday, it had gone back up a bit less than 4 feet, according to a USGS Web site.

Such fluctuations are part of what makes the lake beautiful, says Lynn de Freitas, executive director of Friends of the Great Salt Lake. Each climate pattern changes the lake and people's perception of it, she said.

"I guess my excitement is that the lake has the ability to breathe. Those droughts are part of the natural cycles of the lake," she said.

The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville, which more than 12,000 years ago covered some 20,000 square miles of what is now Idaho, Utah and Nevada.

Although just glimmer of its former self, the Great Salt Lake still is the world's fourth largest "terminal lake," where water flows in but doesn't flow out. Water delivered to the lake by four rivers is lost only through evaporation, which concentrates its mineral content, leaving behind a harsh solution in which only salt-tolerant species of brine shrimp, bacteria and algae can survive.

Mineral companies extract selenium and magnesium from the lake bed. Commercial fishermen harvest brine shrimp. Each of those industries and recreational users were affected by the drought and will be again by the rising water, de Freitas notes.

Rising water in the north arm of the lake will dilute the salty water where the Spiral Jetty sits and stimulate bacterial growth that turns the water pinkish-red, offering a different vision of the sculpture, de Freitas said.

"The drama of the ability to see the jetty, I think now is actually improved," she said. "Now the water and is coming up and lapping at the jetty and even though you're slogging through the water, there's still a vague visible presence. I think people will find it more in keeping with the photographs they've seen."