Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 03:59:13 -0700
Reply-To: DaBomb <dabomb@TANJABARNES.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: DaBomb <dabomb@TANJABARNES.COM>
Subject: Ron's 10 Tips for Burning Man
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Dear Folks, Volks, Freaks and Geeks,
I'm kicking this down from Ron, the mayor of VW Bus Camp at Burning Man.
Who wants to write up a list "10 Tips for Better Living Through Chemicals"?
Bueller?
BTW, VW Bus Camp's location will be around 7:00 at Literal and Faith (see
the map they give you at the gate). Look for all the VW buses and Vanagons.
Check out their site: http://www.vwbuscamp.com/
I'm freelancing this year, so ask the Volks to tip you off as to where I may
be frolicking. And no, Mike, it's not a freakin' silo. FYI, I'll be
working the ice concession stand on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday from 12 - 3
p.m., so be sure to stop by and get your freak flag from me. It's a car
flag for the ride home.
Oh, and if anybody has an extra folding cup holder, I trade ya a mean
massage for it.
Bueller?
Love & Rockets,
DaBomb
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Ron Tetirick" <digitaladobe@hotmail.com>
To: vwbuscamp@vwbuscamp.com
Subject: [VWBusCamp] Ron's 10 Tips for better Playa Living
Hey Everyone,
I thought I would post these 10 tips I've developed over the years for
better Playa Living. If anyone else has anything they would like to add,
please do so! Thanks - Ron
1. REMEMBER YOUR TICKET! You can forget just about anything and find it on
the playa, except your TICKET! So pack your ticket first, I usually put it
in an envelope and tape it to the top of my glove box. Many people have
arrived on the playa only to remember that their ticket is sitting safely in
their sock drawer at home.
2. DRIVE SAFELY- The road to and from the Playa is a treacherous one, drive
with extreme caution. Remember your bus will be loaded down and more
difficult to stop and maneuver. DO NOT swerve to miss the suicidal bunny
rabbits on HWY 447, you will more than likely miss them by going straight
anyway. Look out for Cows on the road, Cow vs. Bus the cow will win. Last
year a good friend of mine was almost lost her life on the way home from
BRC, the car she was riding in was towing a trailer and another car trying
to pass her vehicle went across the double yellow line and swerved in front
of them to avoid oncoming traffic. Her car slammed on it's brakes and
flipped over several times. My friend's injuries were so severe she spent
the next 6 months in the hospital and is just now recovering. Obey the speed
limits especially in the small towns in the Indian Reservations on 447, the
police are out in force even if you can't see them, and you will get a
ticket.
3. GAS UP ON THE WAY IN- I recommend filling up your tank in Gerlach on the
way in, the lines in Gerlach on the way out of the event are insane.
4. DRY ICE COOLER / REGULAR COOLER - I suggest bringing two coolers, one for
dry ice and one for regular, you can put all the stuff you need to stay
frozen in the dry ice cooler and transfer it to the regular cooler the day
of or the day before you will need it. Go for a bigger more solid piece of
dry ice rather than two smaller pieces. Make sure that all the stuff you put
into the dry ice cooler is frozen.
5. BE SEEN AT NIGHT- Bring glow sticks or the blinky lights so you can be
seen at night. There are a lot of bikes, go karts, art-cars and things that
can run into you at night on the playa. So SEE and be SEEN at night. Make
sure you have a light for your bike, I have seen some nasty bike collisions
on the playa at night. Having a unique light also helps you locate your
bike at night after visiting another camp.
6. TAG YOUR STUFF- You might want to make a label for bike or other items
that you will take out of camp with our theme camp name and address so that
if you loose your stuff (or someone makes off with your bike) there will be
a better chance it will be returned. Labels are easy to make on the computer
or just buy some blank ones and use a sharpie.
7. TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET- Your feet are your friends at Burning Man and you
need to take care of them. Plan on wearing shoes, rather than sandals to
protect your feet at least some of the time. Right before bed I wash my feet
in water with lemon and get them really clean, then I rub them with lotion
and put on CLEAN socks, this keeps my feet from drying out and getting
cracked. No one likes playa foot, it's painful and gross!
8. STAY HYDRATED- I know this one seems obvious, but remember to always take
water with you whenever you leave camp, even if you don't plan on being gone
long. Also remember that your body needs Electrolytes as well as water, so
plan on drinking juice or a sports drink as well to help supplement those.
9. REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE0- This one is sooo important. The easiest thing is
to REDUCE- eliminate all the waste before you get to the playa, throw away
all the excess packaging from your food, film and batteries. Next REUSE-
bring a camelback or nalgene bottle instead of a million disposable water
bottles, finally RECYCLE- create 3 separate trash containers, one for
burnable trash like paper and dry food leftovers, one for aluminum that can
go to recycle camp, and one for trash to take home. This process greatly
reduces the amount of trash we will need to take home with us!
10. YOU ARE HERE- Remember, when you are at Burning Man, wherever you are,
that's where you are supposed to be. There is no way to see and do
everything at the event. Resist the urge to run from one spectacle to
another. Take the time to sit down and become a spectacle for someone else.
Hope these help! I CAN"T WAIT TO SEE YOU, and you and you, well you're an
ass, but you and you!
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