start to Reno playa-bound Camp Vermeer Ranger HQ I married someone rise and shine crash at Pepe's tower no sleep this night Rangers art cars people pyrotechnics SF-bound
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Burning Man 1998: Saturday Afternoon 'No Sleep This Night'
Saturday afternoon, after the crash at Pepe's Tower, I continued on my way. There's many places for me to go while on my rounds. One regular stop is protecting the Man, who stands amidst piles of extremely flammable haybales.
Another stop is the machine shop, where all sorts of physical things are repaired, from bicycles to engine blocks. It's an impressive place for folks like me, who spend most of their time manipulating bits rather than metal beams.
I swap out my radio battery at Ranger HQ, near center camp, and then spiral outwards to the city perimeter, visiting camps along the way. Here are some snapshots...
The One Tree
Machine Shop
The Bar
Mona's Massage
Tickle Camp
Espresso Bus
The Blinking Man
Zen altar
Clinton Lotion
Twister
Lego Camp
Arabic Camp
Barbie Altar
Camp Soothing
Photo-Op Fun
Saturday afternoon became Saturday evening, then Saturday night. This evening I had lots of energy and worked around the clock, patrolling during the night with Ranger DogBoy, and starting the morning shift at 0400 with Ranger Silent Wolf. As morning broke, he went off duty, and I continued strolling about, watching the skies light, the clouds become bright with direct sunlight. Many minutes later the sun's rays became visible over the mountains, and the playa became heated.
I crossed paths with one of the pyrotechnicians venting propane onto the playa, a visible fog of vapor blasting many feet from the tanks. Made me nervous.
At 0800 I finished up my back-to-back shifts with a bleary breakfast in the commisary. Then I returned to Camp Vermeer to sleep for an hour. That's all I need, and I'm pleasantly up and running. My Sunday had started.
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