T-Minus 48 hours: A ton of shit is GONE!

Its early Thursday morning and I am starting to get antsy to get going!  I wasn't even sure I was going this year.  But so many things have happened in 2012 that I decided I needed to go.  First of all, it is my "10th anniversary burn"!  My first burn was in 2002 (not counting the fact that I actually went to the 2nd burn at Baker Beach in San Francisco in 1987, but at that point, I didn't even know it was "burning man", we just gathered on the beach, smoked some dope, drank a little, danced around the man as it burned and then went home in the wee hours.)  

No, 2002 was my first REAL burn.  It was post-first-divorce by about 20 months and about 1 week after I met my second (later to be ex-)spouse. There will probably be some asides about my past burns as I proceed to blog.  Please enjoy/endure.  This is not just for you, it is also for me, and one thing I have found is that blogging can be very effective therapy.

The "ton of shit" that is gone is all my heavy stuff.  For the past three years, I have brought my trailer (affectionately named The Groove Tube by Lillith K, my very good friend, and also the master painter of the beautiful trailer I still own - thank you Lillith, for your amazing and hard work) to Burning Man.  I also brought a huge shade structure (20x30 last year, only 20x20 this year, but still big), and as many people know, I am a tool freak so I bring lots of tools and fasteners and stuff too (I have managed to save a few peoples' bacon by having the "right" screw or bolt or tool to do a weird job out in the middle of the playa).

Forrest hitched to beautiful Groove Tube.
Definitely no weight there yet!

Now all of that shit weighs a TON!  My poor 1999 Ranger has to haul two people (and me usually at the higher end of the 200-300 pound range, although now, I am in the lower range, thank goodness!) plus the trailer PLUS all that shit (not to mention water, food, clothing, bikes, etc., etc., etc.).  Its surprising that Forrest (that's the Ranger's name LOL) hasn't pulled up lame yet.  I wish I had a picture of last year's load, the trailer hitch was just a couple of inches above the pavement.  If it had been an airplane, I would have been in HUGE violation of the weight and balance FARs! 

Thanks to the camp I am with this year, Hair of the Dog (better known as HOTD!), Forrest is getting a break!  The HOTD camp truck took up six boxes of my heaviest stuff plus most of my tools, which probably, together, weighed over 500 pounds!  That is a BIG RELIEF on Forrest's springs, shocks and suspension.  Forrest has 191,000 miles on him, and frankly I wasn't sure he would make it over Donner Pass this year with the trailer and a full load.  Now, I don't have to worry!  

I'll keep posting as often as I can.  I hope you enjoy it.  Feel free to comment (its open to the public) and thanks for checking in!

Bleurose/Jon