Today’s Wheel of Adventures has stopped at 2007, so here we go, to a creative adventure in the desert with Bob Gurr.

The Nevada desert in August every year attracts over 50,000 very special folks to a hot dusty barren dry lake bed completely devoid of any amenities – not even weeds will grow there. Why special? They call themselves “Burners”, they’re headed for Burning Man, the crazy art festival bacchanal-like annual gathering. Naturally being a Disney designer I just had to go see this wild thing first hand in 2007. I instantly was transformed into a Burner and returned in both 2010 and 2011. I made a GurrVideo Production of the 2010 event.

Burning Man 2010 by Bob Gurr from Vito Fun on Vimeo.

 

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Since 1986, Burning Man has become an artist’s mecca every year. Search any internet source for a vast fund of history and explanation of just what Burning Man really is. You’ll learn way more than I can tell you in this quick True-Life Adventure tale. But a general overview; 100% of everything one will need must be brought in, and 100% of everything left afterwards must be removed. There are no utilities, no power, and no basic human needs beyond rental porta-potties and ice for purchase.

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There’s nothing commercial to buy or sell, everyone brings gifts to share – it’s a one week commune. Nothing is paved, the ground is powdered dust which blinds everything when winds roar, turns to slippery mud during thunderstorms. It’s hot, cold, calm, and dust storm with little warning. In between, Burning Man is the most magical and serene times I’ve ever experienced. Few conventional humans would ever think of going, but once there, it’s in your heart forever. I won’t even try to explain further. Just view the 2007 photos and enjoy the 2010 video.

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In the end, they burn the man.  😉

Have any of you visited Burning Man? If not, have you thought about it?

Next time on Bob’s True-Life Adventures – we sail the Caribbean on the biggest ship at sea.

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Bob Gurr
Bob Gurr
Bob Gurr is a true Disney legend who was hired on to design the Autopia for Disneyland. Over nearly four decades, Bob would become famous for developing the Monorails, Submarines, Flying Saucers, antique cars and double-decker buses of Main Street, Ford Motor Company's Magic Skyway (at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair), Omnimover ride system, Matterhorn and lots more. It has been said that if it moves, Bob probably played a part. Upon leaving Imagineering in 1981, Bob worked on a number of "leisure-time spectaculars" and "fantastical beasts" for parks and developments all over the world. Most notably, he created King Kong and Conan's Serpent for Universal Studios Hollywood, A UFO for the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and the memorable T-Rex figure featured in Steven Spielberg's motion picture "Jurassic Park." You can find Bob's column, Design: Those Were The Times, right here on MiceChat. Though don't pin Bob down to a schedule, he's busy being "retired."