(Sept 6th, 2009) Started the day of Burn night at the Cape Meares lighthouse, of course this lead to sushi at Portland's Sushi Land where a conveyor belt brings plates by, each a different treat and price.
Wandered the downtown area and ran into an anime fest, future burners?...
Also checked out the Zoobombers new bike rack, Powell Books, site of the Morrison Hotel where I lived for a week (I almost moved to Portland long before it was cool) back in 1979. Things look very changed but vaguely familiar, flashback style! Checked into a nice hotel and started streaming the burn on Ustream, there was a mega dust storm that made me feel kinda gritty and was going to delay the main event, I headed down for a jacuzzi.
It was amazing watching the live cast. I heard some of my favorite people like Tom LaPorte and $teven Ra$pa giving a sort of play by play. The dust storm stopped, and the fire tribes danced, and the man Burned! But is was no joy on a 14" PC screen, absolutely nothing like Burning Man, that is why this is Reverse Burning Man.When he finely fell we went across the street for some late night cheese fries and a slice of pie...
I will be doing the real deal next year, and hopefully every chance after. I didn't realize how much I would miss it, even while on a pleasant vacation, with perfect weather, plush comforts, fantastic scenery....
It just doesn't compare to the greatest event on Earth!
(Sept 4th, 2009) The legendary Paul Oakenfold, played the entire Creamfields set while we hauled ass down the beach. Swerving in and out of the water, the wet sand, the dry sand... it's perfectly legal on some of the remote Oregon beaches, the rental car loved it.
We camped out in the coastal forest. It didn't rain a drop but was moist and cool and smelled like pine trees. There were wild blackberries growing everywhere, sweet, ripe and free for the picking.
How un-Burning Man is it to wake up in a soft clean king size bed? The night and morning had no techno, drums or excited peoples voices. We went for breakfast and had Belgium waffles, hot coffee and fresh fruit. I couldn't resist the bacon and biscuit and redeye gravy (some sort of Oregon delicacy?) All 'gifted' by the hotel. The breakfast patio backs right up to a small lake covered with moss and foliage.
We camped out in the coastal forest. It didn't rain a drop but was moist and cool and smelled like pine trees. There were wild blackberries growing everywhere, sweet, ripe and free for the picking.
We hiked for miles along deserted beaches with rock outcroppings, cliffs, and huge waves pounding the shore. The tidal pools were full of exotic sea creatures, not a yoga camp in sight.
.............
Safety third!
(Sept 1st, 2009) Had a fantastic Croatian beer here in Canada, watched the sunset from a nice beach park here in Vancouver. No art cars or porta potties in sight. 
(Aug 30th, 2009) - Driving into Vancouver I thought I knew slightly what to expect, wrong!
From the immigration official at the boarder, to the hotel on the edge of Chinatown we are strangers in an Asian land (though we've only seen a small part of this huge city). In this part of town every store front sign is in Chinese and every restaurant is sushi, pho, Korean BBQ or Chinese. We went to the most brightly neon lit 24 hour Pho noodle bowl and even that menu was different. When we asked some questions, the waiter spoke virtually no English. We laughed and chose something new. I order the Phnom Penh a bowl of Cambodian egg noodles and at least 2 cuts of meat I'd never seen, or tasted. The whole meal was searing hot but delicious and caused no ill side effects.
The beats in the restaurant were very Burnerisque (in a Chinese way) and cranking loud, and with all the flashing neon and strange languages, it felt far from Vancouver and very close to Hong Kong.
(Aug 29th, 20090 - I opted out of Burning Man this year (though I will miss my friends, the ART, and the most fantastic event on the planet!) Instead I'm touring the Pacific Northwest with Julie and last night we flew into Portland OR
From the immigration official at the boarder, to the hotel on the edge of Chinatown we are strangers in an Asian land (though we've only seen a small part of this huge city). In this part of town every store front sign is in Chinese and every restaurant is sushi, pho, Korean BBQ or Chinese. We went to the most brightly neon lit 24 hour Pho noodle bowl and even that menu was different. When we asked some questions, the waiter spoke virtually no English. We laughed and chose something new. I order the Phnom Penh a bowl of Cambodian egg noodles and at least 2 cuts of meat I'd never seen, or tasted. The whole meal was searing hot but delicious and caused no ill side effects.
The beats in the restaurant were very Burnerisque (in a Chinese way) and cranking loud, and with all the flashing neon and strange languages, it felt far from Vancouver and very close to Hong Kong.
(Aug 29th, 20090 - I opted out of Burning Man this year (though I will miss my friends, the ART, and the most fantastic event on the planet!) Instead I'm touring the Pacific Northwest with Julie and last night we flew into Portland OR
How un-Burning Man is it to wake up in a soft clean king size bed? The night and morning had no techno, drums or excited peoples voices. We went for breakfast and had Belgium waffles, hot coffee and fresh fruit. I couldn't resist the bacon and biscuit and redeye gravy (some sort of Oregon delicacy?) All 'gifted' by the hotel. The breakfast patio backs right up to a small lake covered with moss and foliage.
It's slightly overcast and humid, a very pleasant 68 degrees. We pick up a rental car and head for Vancouver in an hour, I should be in a BC coffee shop by sunset.
1 comments:
Hey B-Rad, this is great! Really appreciating your reverse burning man blog. My reverse burning man is staying in boulder, but embodying the spirit of burning man as much as possible. For example, last night I ate a pot brownie and went to a birthday party, and gifted the birthday girl with a "mara"...special creation made by a friend of my grandmothers many years ago. They are hard to describe...sort of people creatures made from plasticine. Bit my bit, I am giving away or selling all of my possessions so I can go be in nature with a minimum of hassle. The party was overwhelming... but if I hadn't had the spirit of burning man, I would not have gone at all!!! Building community, radical inclusion, gifting spirit and caring for our enviromnent... ok I'm waxing a little preachy, but these things we can do wherever we are...I do miss the shirtcockers though
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