We were prepared for our days in the desert thanks to my daughters and son-in-law, all of whom had camped at Burningman for years. There were manuals on what to bring, what to wear, what to eat and drink. Teri and I read each article and watched each video with the interest of a student studying for their favorite class. Had we not had our kids’ expertise and skills, as well as their transport of all our camping needs, we could not have done this long distance. A merger camp needs wheels on the ground and they had them.

Brooke is known for her organization and cooking. We had some mighty fine soups, which she is known for, and even filet mignon one night! Many nights we joined food forces with our campmates and had some great quesadillas and breakfast burritos. Energy bars and (my first ever) Ensure were there to fill in the nutrition gaps. The best thing going was Clif Bloks, which provided electrolytes and quick energy.

We picked up our camelbacks in Reno with our tickets, couriered by Brooke and Gage as they drove through on their way to Burningman. They handed it off to my friend, who ran the reunion I was attending the week before. Those camelbacks were on our backs the entire time. The bladders were filled with water/Gatorade and we sipped constantly. Inside the pouches, we carried a headlamp, energy bars, masks, scarf, I.D., goggles, Kleenex, etc. We packed like we would be gone all day when we ventured out on our bikes, unsure of dust storms stranding us somewhere isolated.

My friend had a tough time staying hydrated and when she told me she had had enough to drink, I would tell her to drink more. I am one of those thirsty people who have a drink in my hands at all times, so I never had the problem of hydration. We never felt hungry because it was so hot and had to force ourselves to eat.

We had plenty of dust, but only experienced one white-out while we were out biking. We drank dust, ate dust, showered in dust and slept in the dust. It was tough to keep dust out of our shift-pod and for two OCD cleaners, we never managed to stay ahead of the cleaning game and finally gave up. Our bedding was covered with a shower liner to minimize the dust, but dust seeped into every tent zipper and opening unless we closed it up.

The heat was unbearable inside the tent unless it was nighttime. Gage rigged up an AC unit, but it failed, so he fixed a swamp cooler with a bucket, fan, and wrappings. It was only used a few times, due to the fact we were happier hanging in the shade structure with our campmates than laying in our shift-pod.

My left wrist, still in a brace and bandaged from surgery, ached the entire time. I could not grasp, grip, clench, open, zip or handle a thing with my left hand. Teri was my suitcase lugger, package opener and personal dresser for items unreachable. She was my personal valet and I joked it was why I brought her, but I appreciated all the help I received from my campmates. My three wheeled-bike with a large milk crate attached was a lifesaver. (Borrowed from one of my daughter’s friends and brought in on his camper for me.)

I did apply for a handicap permit for my trip, which allowed me to apply at the DMV (Department of Mutant Vehicles) at Burningman for a handicap flag which was installed on one of the camper’s cars. I was finally good for something on ice runs an art car gas fillings for our friend Jim. Teri and I loved getting in that car with air conditioning! Our job as ice-fetchers was a cool one—we would hug on those bags of ice like they were our best friends, both in the car and on our bike!

We made sure we got plenty of sleep. We never knew what time it was, since all of us had tucked our cellphones away. It was probably better that we did not know the time, but we went to bed when we were tired and slept long and hard. It was cool at night, which made sleeping great, and our single air mattresses were comfy with layers of sheets, quilts, and fuzzy blankets. (Only one night was cold enough for me to sleep in long johns with a fuzzy vest and all three layers of bedding.)

Thanks to our campmates, we were able to merge seamlessly into their camp. They did all the heavy lifting and their trucks brought in all the food, tents, structures, camp stoves, water and carried all of it back out, including the trash. We hopped on a plane and a Burner Bus and settled into a settled settlement with ease and for that, we are and will always be grateful.