Foxy Moxy: The Virgin Burner Diaries

Installment # 3 in the series

Wide-eyed and wide awake, Naked Bob and I are the early risers. After some coffee, we head out on foot to explore the city. Early in the week theme camps are still being developed, so it isn't always easy to guess what's to come in some neighborhoods. We do find a photographer who's set up an erotic B&W portrait studio/gallery however, and drawn by his work on display, strike a pose of our own. We're told we can pick up a print next year, if we make his cut for display on the gallery walls.

On the Esplanade, a large green dragon cruises by and we run to hop on, taking in the scenery from his belly while techno music blares from an enormous sound system stashed within. Scott has already told us that the best (and least tiring) way to see the city is by art car. Art cars, also known as Mutant Vehicles, have a special license to drive on the playa, provided by (what else?) The Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV)!

Of course, you have to be game to go wherever the car is going. In our case, it works well. We glide along a number of back streets, and people hard at work on their camps stop when they hear the music approaching and wave. Some rush the dragon to gift us with stickers, a popular give-away item, second only (I'm told) to blinky, flashing-light accessories. We end up with a great impromptu tour via dragon, the end of the line being arrival at it's base camp to deliver bags of ice.

Large art installations are being put together with the use of cranes. We gawk at a stories-tall kneeling woman made of intricately woven, rusted, reclaimed metal being slowly raised into position. We pass the bare structure of the famous Thunderdome, laying in wait for all the battles yet to come. I explain to Bob that soon the dome will be literally covered in people, who crawl upward and perch on it's frame, hoping for the best vantage point to view the nightly parade of combatants, suspended in harnesses and going after one another with oversized foam bats.

We grab Scott and the bikes back at camp and head out to see the Man and the Temple, still being built. I've noticed a certain fashion trend happening today, popular equally among men and ladies. After passing literally hundreds of participants in fluffy, frothy, tulle-skirted glory, I manage to find out that it's "Tu-Tu Tuesday", which is obviously very popular. All things considered, it seems like a fine idea.