Summer Vacation - KC to Gerlach

Back from travels with Andy. I returned to Burning Man. It had been 5 years, last time being 2019.

I have been going a very long time. Frankly, there’s something a little wrong with you if you’ve been going as long as I have. I thought I was done but it was the 20th annivesary of my camp, Burners Without Borders. So what the hell. I needed a vaction.

I packed like an asshole, threw my dog Andy in the car and we headed west on 70 from Kansas City.

Western Colorado gets scary wide open. We got pelted by golf-ball size hail. All the cars had their flashers on and when we approached an underpass, one would peel off to park and wait it out. No drama heading west but passed some 18 wheelers that had blown over on 70-East.

We took 70 to the end of the line and then jumped on 50 - the lonliest highway in America.

Around sundown, we found Gunnison Bend Reservoir. Camping allowed? Sure.

Day 3 - 50 across NV to 50 Alt to Fallon, Fernley, Wadworth, all the way up to Gerlach. This was Wed. before the event. Stopped in Gerlach. Stuck are head in the BM office and said hi to the new girl. Yammered with some DPW/contractors. But it was hot. Too hot for dogs.

So, off we go to Granite Mountain Resavoir. This is private land. Read the sign that essentially says, don’t be an asshole…open the door. Andy hops out. Off the leash. He can’t believe it. Runs straight to the resavoir and hops in. He’s a great swimmer. And then, out of the water and running around like a maniac. He’s never had that complete freedom and never in such a beautiful space.

A truck rolled in. Some Burners in for one night before hitting the playa. I hailed them down. “Hey, FYI. There’s a friendly crazy dog running around here.” Just then he appears with a huge grin on his face. The guys chuckle. Yeah. Dog people.

So me an doggo, had a our first real camp night. With a fire and everything. He got up in the middle of the night to go bark at something. In the early morning, he slipped out again and I could not find him in the dark with no glasses. Clumps of grass here and there looked like it could be him. Sneak up on the spot to try to leash it, but with the moon light reflecting off the water.. or something… the clump of grass looks like it’s moving. Like exactly how Andy would move if he wasn’t ready to be leashed up. And there were dozens of these dark fuzzy clumps that might be my dog.

Finally I see one about 10 meters away that’s sitting up a little taller. It’s Andy. He’d been watching me in the dark stumbling around looking at him. I get close enough. Yup. It’s really him. With a huge grin. The sun is just coming up. I leash him up and he’s super excited it. Now, he’s already ran around the resavoir, into the reeds, into the woods. But now he’s leashed to me and ready for me to walk him much more slowly and on a path. And he’s sniffing everything with a determination.

After a three day car trip, this is what we needed. But then, it was time for us to say goodbye for a while. He to a nice dog hotel in Reno, and I, back to the Burning Man, for my first experience in D-Lot.