Burning Man writing exercise "Weather"
“Weather” (LJ)
The weather in Black Rock City can be vicious. My first year has terrible weather and playa conditions. Lots of wind and dust storms, and the playa was really difficult to bike on. Like falling off your thick tired mountain bike getting caught in sand traps. It didn't help that the playa was bigger than normal that year. It was hard to get around, to say the least. At one point towards the end of the burn I saw a small twister blow an easy-up several feet in the air and across a few streets, not 20 feet from me. The weather was so bad on the Man burn night the fire conclave was cancelled, and the burn time got pushed back. Temple Burn night saw a huge storm, many people left before it burned. At least Exodus was a breeze that year! Year 2 the city was smaller and the playa easier to bike on. There was still a fair bit of dust storms happening. I do recall making out with a lovely person behind/under the Wedge art piece while waiting for the dust to clear :)
Last year was not a nice weather year. The day I got there (Friday before the gates opened) was pretty nice, but a bit chilly at night. But the next 3 days were COLD! Like, man, why didn't a bring a winter jacket cold. And rainy. There was a fair bit of hiding in the van/tent while the storms hit. Ryan's tower got knocked over, breaking the sign, fortunately no one was hurt. The bad weather also made for some nice cuddle time, which Ryan was a bit annoyed about, doing set up with 2 couples (Jody and I, Kay and Stella). At some point on Monday the gate had to be shut because the roads were too wet to drive on. Bikes got really muddy, and I ended up with more than one pair of “playa platforms” (when the dust turns into mud and cakes into layers at the bottom of your footwear). There was also a double rainbow that day, but we missed it. The rest of the week was generally pretty nice, and the rain had made the playa hard and easier to bike on.
This year had near perfect weather and playa conditions. The playa was was really hard and caked, making biking really easy, which was nice since the city felt so much bigger than the 2 previous years. The days were warm, with very little wind. I barely needed my goggles the entire time. The days were warm to hot, but generally not unbearably so. The first couple nights were so warm I barely needed a coat, though later on in the week the nights did get colder. But really, I don't think we could have asked for better weather.
The weather in Black Rock City can be vicious. My first year has terrible weather and playa conditions. Lots of wind and dust storms, and the playa was really difficult to bike on. Like falling off your thick tired mountain bike getting caught in sand traps. It didn't help that the playa was bigger than normal that year. It was hard to get around, to say the least. At one point towards the end of the burn I saw a small twister blow an easy-up several feet in the air and across a few streets, not 20 feet from me. The weather was so bad on the Man burn night the fire conclave was cancelled, and the burn time got pushed back. Temple Burn night saw a huge storm, many people left before it burned. At least Exodus was a breeze that year! Year 2 the city was smaller and the playa easier to bike on. There was still a fair bit of dust storms happening. I do recall making out with a lovely person behind/under the Wedge art piece while waiting for the dust to clear :)
Last year was not a nice weather year. The day I got there (Friday before the gates opened) was pretty nice, but a bit chilly at night. But the next 3 days were COLD! Like, man, why didn't a bring a winter jacket cold. And rainy. There was a fair bit of hiding in the van/tent while the storms hit. Ryan's tower got knocked over, breaking the sign, fortunately no one was hurt. The bad weather also made for some nice cuddle time, which Ryan was a bit annoyed about, doing set up with 2 couples (Jody and I, Kay and Stella). At some point on Monday the gate had to be shut because the roads were too wet to drive on. Bikes got really muddy, and I ended up with more than one pair of “playa platforms” (when the dust turns into mud and cakes into layers at the bottom of your footwear). There was also a double rainbow that day, but we missed it. The rest of the week was generally pretty nice, and the rain had made the playa hard and easier to bike on.
This year had near perfect weather and playa conditions. The playa was was really hard and caked, making biking really easy, which was nice since the city felt so much bigger than the 2 previous years. The days were warm, with very little wind. I barely needed my goggles the entire time. The days were warm to hot, but generally not unbearably so. The first couple nights were so warm I barely needed a coat, though later on in the week the nights did get colder. But really, I don't think we could have asked for better weather.