Aug 26-30, 2024 I was invited back to the Earth Guardians Camp to lead 5 bike tours out to the perimeter fence and give a talk during their lecture series. My working title for the talk, “Setting up bike tours for the environment.” The talk was a blueprint for the Rides with Friends bike touring program now in its 4th year with the Friends of Black Rock High Rock. I had a job to do and it fell within the ethos of Burning Man – there are no spectators.

I toyed with the idea of making a much bigger tour in and out of Burning Man but constraints on either end of my week kept my ride into Burning Man modest. I parked a little further away than last year, on the ridge of Godeys Gap. It is a neat spot, an extension of Granite Point that separates the Smoke Creek Desert from the Black Rock Desert. I took the scenic route to Gerlach. I drove north from Sparks to Pyramid Lake then went north west, past Sutcliff, Warrior Point, the Needles, and to Dry Valley. North from there I crested Sand Pass and drove along the west shore of Smoke Creek Desert. Eventually I popped out on NV 447. I hadn’t seen another vehicle since Pyramid Lake. Just the way I like it.

I used the dirt shoulders as much as I could to stay away from the traffic on Co Rd 34. It works. I appreciated the honks of encouragement from Burners driving in. I used Guru Rd and saw a handful of sage grouse – a first for that location. Then eventually I made it to the Gate Road, and started the trek across the playa to Will Call. This is where Burning Man starts telling me what to do, how to do it, and questioning what I am doing. The best thing to do, go with the flow. They assure me Burning Man has a plan for people biking into Black Rock City. One woman told me she sees several riders on each of her shifts.

Then I am rolling past the greeters and I have arrived. I ride to the Earth Guardians Camp, find my campmates, then head to the Walk-in camping area. The Walk-in area is best described as the area beyond K-street. There is a flagged-off area that allows cars to park at its perimeter, then people mostly are camped next to where they park. Only a few of us were away from the flagged border. I was essentially straight back from the radial street 4:30. I should have had a solar lantern marking my lone tent, it was a bit tricky finding it in the dark.

That Monday I rolled around the camps between 2:30 and 6:00 streets, and Esplanade and K. I went to bed early – boring. But I knew Tuesday would be a big day with my first tour at sunset. I didn’t want to overdo it and put myself in a hole. Easy to do at Burning Man, but I wanted to be sharp for my tours.

I found a camp with “perfectly adequate coffee” on my morning commute to the EG camp. At another camp I had home brewed hard cider and fresh focaccia. You would see lines forming at camps offering this and that, but I only stood in one line, that was for steamed buns. Delicious!

I gave 5 sunrise or sunset tours. I went on two geology tours offered by our camp. They were outstanding reinforcements on what I have read on Nevada geology. My biggest take away, the clays of the playa lakebeds are primarily feldspars. There you have it! My tours had between 1 and 15 participants. I talked about what folks could expect outside of Burning Man. I point out the landmarks, mountain ranges, and features of the National Conservation Area that formed the basis of its federal designation and protection. The number 1 question is, “What lives here?” The biggest response I got was from pointing out the aspen groves in the Granite Range. It is a contrast to the desert that at this point I take for granted.

I gave a talk on setting up bike tours for conservation. I want to share a blue-print for the Rides with Friends program offered by Friends of Black Rock High Rock. In summary, it is about partnerships between like-minded individuals and organizations. And the single outcome is fostering a love for a place that comes through the connection with the land at the speed of the bicycle. My audience was small, not surprising, it is a niche topic. But they were engaged, asked good questions, and hopefully took it back to where they were from. In one case, Reet Singh, of Trip Outside, applied some of my tips to a gravel ride he hosted for a local river conservation group. We later had a Zoom call which became this podcast. His notes from my talk became this blog post.

I attended a few talks at the EG camp as well. One was on petrified (fossilized) wood and the other on hot springs in Nevada. The fossilized wood info enhances any trip in Northern Nevada as it is a common rock type. This researcher was determining the species of trees present from patterns in sliced and polished stone that may be 12 million years old. The hot springer opened my eyes to rather than 20-50 springs I might be familiar with to 200-500 I could “easily” seek out. I already have a short list to visit. He brought up the trip idea for Soaking Man 2025, a tour of a dozen or so hot springs in Black Rock Country.

And then there is the art! The giant art that takes on a life of its own as soon as the sun goes down and welcomes your close personal interaction. There are so many conversations during Burning Man but the common one is which pieces of art are a must see. I still miss more than I see. But there was this shipwreck sea serpent diorama rising out of the playa that was the first piece to really capture me. Then there was the saddled Jackalope, Tall Tails, internally lit, its personality changed with each color.

What is Burning Man? To call it a festival, those are fighting words to the purists. And then it creates a whole discussion of “word policing” and how the Burning Man organization even promotes their “not a festival” like a festival. I love the idea of the impermanent city, and Black Rock City is an example. I enjoy listening to NPR’s Rahul Mehrotra: How Can Impermanent Cities Permanently Change Our World? and recommend a listen. I am often entertaining the idea of “permanent solutions for temporary problems.” Burning Man will be a festival to some and it will be an ongoing social experiment to others.

I really enjoyed hearing from the OG Burners about changes they have seen or want to see. Some topics were reducing carbon footprints. I see it as, the “standard of living” of the typical Burner has gone up and along with it the carbon foot print. The growth of the “super commercial camps”, they look like RV showrooms crossed with exclusive gated communities. Speed limits on personal EV’s, e-bikes, one-wheels, e-scooters, e-skateboards. There is a set of speed limits for all kinds of traffic in Black Rock City. In comparison to walking or riding a refurbished Huffy Cranbrook beach cruiser the fast and effortless electric vehicles pose a safety, dust, and anxiety risk to others. The increase in the number of art pieces that burn – it’s not just the Man and the Temple that burn. But rather than these being rant and bitch sessions they were willing to pen their thoughts to the organization for thoughtful consideration. I also like that everyone is welcome to engage in these conversations. Fantastic!

Burners without Motors I fully understand that bike touring into Burning Man is not practical and borderline crazy to the uninitiated. But every year there are those who do it. As a local boots-on-the-ground bike tourist if there is anything I can do to help you bike in let me know. This year I camped in the walk-in camping area. The big plus was it was quieter than the Earth Guardians Camp. I had all the space I needed! It was less dusty. There was a short commute to the EG camp to meet my tours and socialize with my campmates. If Burners without Motors grows I could see one SAG vehicle support many bike tourists if they are not already part of another camp.

What I rode – This year I rode my Falconer B+. It was equipped with the Aeroe Spider rear rack and bags from Nuke Sunrise Bikebags. The mini-panniers got a lot of compliments and made packing a breeze. Between the universal rack and universal bags I should have loners for just about anyone getting into bikepacking. The Struttfortress harness and accessory bag, silos, tank and gadget bags, and frame bag are all standard kit items getting thousands of Northern Nevada miles.

At one point I was asked how I maintain my bicycle after riding on the playa. The popular notion is, the playa will destroy your bicycle. There are many factors that go into the death of a bicycle in any extreme environment. But I will only address my care and feeding of my bikes. It doesn’t change from one trip to another. I have a bucket of soapy water and a stiff brush. The bike is rinsed, scrubbed, extra scrubbing on the drivetrain, rinsed, dried and lubed. Everyone loves learning from YouTube, I recommend videos from Global Cycling Network. Some are better than others, but a quick search of the channel came up with several options, one should match your attention span. Burners love to play “chemistry set” with their playa clean-up. But I don’t recommend the vinegar washes or lube substitutes. I am a fan of Rock-n-Roll chain lube and the variety of cleaning and lubricating products from Finishline. With the care I give my bikes I have 100% confidence the playa is not destroying them.

Burning Man 2025 – I plan on returning next August. I really enjoy giving my tours about what lies beyond the perimeter fence. I enjoy the rides in and out of Burning Man and talking about the possibility with anyone. Could Burners without Motors turn into a non-camp? If anyone wants to join me, we could find out.