Airship Pyrates at Burning Man

[Patrick Hand]

I figure instead of cluttering the Columbia's Revenge thread with typing about Airship Pyrates at Burning Man, I'd start a new thread... Later, if there is enough interest and as it get closer to Burning Man, I'll post this in the events thread...

Last year, I went to Burning Man with the Bomb Bay Tea Co. and had a blast.

But unlike Pyrates that plan what they are going to do for an event a year in advance,... So far, no one is posting anything about what we are going to do this year.... So to get the ball rolling, I'm starting to work on my camp gear for an Airship Pyrate...

So some of this will be "How I made it" posts, and hopefully discussions with others that want to go to Burning Man as a group of Airship Pyrates..... (we would still be with the Bomb Bay Tea Co. but with an Airship Pyratical flavor.....)

Now I have to put the batterys in the camera and take a buncha pictures of what I already have.....

[Hawk the QM]

Although I have nothing to do with this (yet?), I'm interested to see what you've got going on so far.

[Patrick Hand]

Sorry, I was going to continue this post last night, but I got drawing more pages for the Pyrate Comix....

Hopefully, I'll type more tonight,. Basically, Burning Man is a really inhospitable environment, so just to camp there requires very different gear than what you could take to most Pyrate events....

[Patrick Hand]

OK... First off, the environment at Burning Man is HARSH....

110 in the shade during the day, and cold at night.

Windstorms with gust of up to 70 mph...

Humidity at about 0

and the powder fine brown dust that get everywhere...

So why would anyone want to camp in a place like that?

Well because we can...

But for an Airship Pyrate Camp, it's not just being able to camp, it how to do it with a bunch of awesome and style...

The Bomb Bay Tea Co's motto is "Victory through Opulence"

Fortunately, Steampunk/Airship Pyrates are a fantacy about a time that never really existed, so authenticity is replaced with Aesthetics.. How to look good and stay (reasonably) (well semi) comfortable...

Last year I made a tent for Burning Man.. It worked, but it didn't keep the dust out (that's impossible anyway) and it was to hot to take a nap in during the day...

So... I'm going to make some modifications for this year...

I'm going to add some vents to the tent for better air flow... (I can't keep the dust out anyway...)

And I'm going to make a shade structure, to block some of the sunlight from hitting the tent, without blocking the air flow...

[Lady Alyx]

Hi Patrick,

I have heard about Burning Man for a long time. I read their pages and lot's of warnings and do not do this and do not do that, and you can't bring this or that...whew! I have seen how the dust is everywhere. I see people take RV's and van conversions...would that be an option...plus I was so surprised at the price tag...$250.00...wow...for a do it yourself adventure pretty much. It still seems a once in a lifetime (or for some people go again and again) event. People do invent and construct the most fantastic things. I believe a fantastic Pyrate Airship would be wonderous.

Stardust movie comes to mind

Edited February 12, 2009 by Lady Alyx

[Patrick Hand]

have heard about Burning Man for a long time. I read their pages and lot's of warnings and do not do this and do not do that, and you can't bring this or that...whew! I have seen how the dust is everywhere. I see people take RV's and van conversions...would that be an option...plus I was so surprised at the price tag...$250.00...wow...for a do it yourself adventure pretty much. It still seems a once in a lifetime (or for some people go again and again) event. People do invent and construct the most fantastic things.

Most of the DO's and DO NOTS are for safety (and survival) and to prevent MOOP (Mater Out Of Place... garbage.....)

NO LIVE PLANTS.... well they just die in the desert environment, then blow away (more MOOP)..... the same with dogs... ( I did see a few, but you have to wonder about how much their owners really did love them.... IT'S HOT out there and dogs don't do well in that much heat....so it is for the dogs own good)

The problem with RVs and Vans... is that the dust gets everywhere... ... nothing you can do about it.... But Stormfeather had two RVs with her camp... so maybe they do work......

But the Dust still gets everywhere..... you learn to deal with it... and then in a kinda weird way.... enjoy it (later...part a' th' memorys....... (yeah... I survived doing that....))

Yeah... $250- $280, is kinda steep.... But it is worth just paying it... (you can look on their website and see what they do with a lot of that money...) People ask me... "you paid $280 just to camp out in the desert......" well.. yeah... but it was worth every cent.... I can go on and on about it.... but WHY?... grumble about it... peeve and moan... but it still is worth the $280.......

I believe a fantastic Pyrate Airship would be wonderous.

It would be a major pain in the...... lots of things to work out... BUT an Airship Pyrate Camp is doable....

I think it takes 13 people to form a "Theme Camp", About 5 people from last year should be going again.... and I can start a thread in Brass Goggles to find more.... (Halcyon (she set-up our camp last year) says she will help us with everything....)

The Bomb Bay Tea Co. served tea to all of the savages last year... and that worked really great..... I don't wanna take over the BBTC.... but add to it....The guys that do the Neverwashaul.... liked what we did last year, and we may be collecting into a village..... (that's just a larger encampment) but right now I don't know what is happening....

I quess I'm use to Pyrates.... dang.... look at the PiP thread.... we all just got home, and were already planning for what we were going to do next year..... Hey... it lets us know wot to keep our eyes looking for.... (for example....if we wanted to make a jungle... look at all of the fake plants sold at yard sales..... cool $2.00.... buy it now and we can have a cool camp... that sorta thing.......)

<RANT MODE ON>

I'm going kinda crazy..... I keep posting in the BBTC thread.... wot are we doing next year?...... and drat.... nothing....

I like planning.... it doesn't mean that I spend alla my time only thinking about it, but I can keep my eyes peeled for something that will work......(hey... between Airship Pyrates... Pyrate Reenacting and re-doing alla my Buccaneer stuff for PiP next year... I gots plenty of stuff to keep me busy...)

So.... If I can find .... lets just say 6 Airship Pyrates that can go to Burning Man next year..... and 2 local couples (I may or may not be able to talk into going) that wanna go... but we might have to dress them..... But we are getting close....

THEN... I can type in the BBTC thread.... "HEY GET OFFA YER ASSES..... OR WE ARE GOINNA TAKE OVER......." Airship Pyrates....

I really want it to work... I'm not trying to take over the BBTC.... I just want some feed back.... kinda .....NOW.....

<RANT MOD OFF>

Burning Man is the possibility of a fantacy that can come true... something so weird that ... woah is it only in my mind... or can I see it for reals.... that kinda describes Burning Man....

PiP is fun... well more than fun... PiP is THE PYRATE EVENT......But Burning Man is so dang mind twistingly weird in sooo many different ways..... (hey... th' Creame De Banna is starting to catch up with me brain...) But it is something that is fun.....

Halcyon said it best.... "Why would you wanna take acid here...it's a waste of acid....this is better...."

(Disclaimer... not that any of us have ever done such a thing... no not never ever..... and We never inhaled....)

truthies.... drugs have never been a part of my lifestyle.... rum and beer be legal.,.. so that's wot I partake in...and that's wot I play with....(and pleadin' th' 5th on the rest...)

Drug usage does happen at Burning Man... but just the same as wherever you live...... (and the Law is there to enforce it ... if you get outta hand)

[Lady Alyx]

Hi Patrick,

I appreciate the length of your response and your hearty effort for again dealing with the dust. I read a log of blogs from previous folks and all remarked upon the dust, and crazy enough, all remarked upon how much they missed the dust later. I guess it is trully a lifetime experience. I would love to do it, but that would be a lot of planning, and b/f does not seem up to this type of rough adventure. But still it is something I may want to do in the future, with enough planning. I would look into renting a van conversion or RV, due to I would like to at least strip off some dust some time with a quickie shower. It appears they have many mutant cars..I wonder if a mutant pyrate ship car could be rigged?

[Patrick Hand]

This isn't really camping gear, but gifting is a part of Burning Man... So this year, I'm going to make a buncha cotton scarves that I can hand out... Not only do they look so dang dashing, but they will come in handy to cover your face in a dust storm.....I figure that will be appreciated...

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to make the framework for a sun shelter... it has to be transportable, and stable... I think I have most of it figured out.... now to get the stuff and build it....

[Lady Alyx]

hmmmm scarves or pyrate sash's that double as scarves?

[Patrick Hand]

Yeah... that's basically the idea... I figure they would work just as well as bandannas but be much more dashing...... Not sure if I'll paint (stencil) or have something embroidered on them or not yet.....

[Lady Alyx]

A stencil design would be quick and easy. Have you heard of velvet burn-out that technique is kinda cool.

how to page 24

[Patrick Hand]

I didn't have the time to read alla that page... I'll have to go back and read it maybe on Saturday..... I know there is a way to bleach out a design.... so on black scarves, that might work really well..............

[John Maddox Roberts]

From the sound of that dust at Burning Man, those goggles could come in handy for more than just style.

[Patrick Hand]

The only problem last year, is that my goggles had tinted lenses, so I couldn't see very well at night..... The dust and smoke during the Temple Burn got so bad, I had to get up and move....

My new goggles have clear lenses, so that problem is solved.......

I took my two silk scarves that I use for my Pyrate stuff, (just as an afterthought...) Dang, they came in handy worn over my mouth and nose during the dust storms.... That's why I think long cloth scarves will be an appreciated gift..... From what I understand, the dust storms were particularly bad last year... But now I know how to deal with them.....

A friend of mine asked me last week why anyone would pay $280 to camp out in the desert during the hottest part of the year, under such harsh conditions.....

Because we can!

I learned a lot last year, so I will be making some changes to my camping gear...I'm not only doing it because I can, but I'm going to be doing it with style.... as an Airship Pyrate should......

[Guest]

RATS... the deadline for theim Camps is May 31st. and no one has posted if they want to play (in the Bomb Bay Tea Co. group)... So I might be camping by myself...... At least all of Camp will look good, with out any modern nylon tents.... :angry:

I'm going Yard Saling today... looking for more stuff fer camp......

[Ransom]

You mean none of Lorien's group are going? I thought I saw that one lady was camping, but not wanting to get involved with the Tea service, because she just wanted to bum around this year (wish I could remember who she was). I haven't ck'd in with BG in a long while, but didn't they have a BM thread, where those going were posting where they would be on the Playa, etc?

I hope you can link up with someone, but if you can't, I'm sure you'll still have a lot of fun.

[Guest]

Well Lorien's group is doing Dune this year.....a Sandworm and Fremen.....

Mad Maxine an Menmo want to take it easy this year......

Most (well not alla my stuff) for my Airship Pyrate I will be setting up on Sunday at Nor. Cal.... just not all of the fake plants, and cammo netting......

I will be going to the Makers Faire this weekend, and be able to talk to some other people about what and where to camp at Burning Man..... So I may be a bit mellower next week......

[Guest]

ACK...."bout 35 DAYS TILL BURNING MAN........"

Ok.... I'm not really panicking (yet)... The few projects that I still have to finish..... I kinda sorta have time to do.....

I will definably be camping by myself this year.... but hey.... radical self sufficiency.....Cool..... I'm kinda good at that sorta thing.....

The Theme this year is "Evolution".... and I'm trying to think of a silly sign to post outside of my camp....

Something alone the lines of a Theme camp of one....

But I'm not sure how politically incorrect it would be to also post....

"Endangered Species.... Single Heterosexual Anglo-Celt (white) Male.... feed at your own risk....."

I can think of a buncha snide comment that I could make on the sign, but I'm kinda leaning towards the simpler, more subtle approach......

[CaptainSatan]

Burning Man needs an airship with several Gatling guns to repel the bloody shirtcocker infestation!

.

Edited July 28, 2009 by CaptainSatan

[blackjohn]

I had to look that one up, and... whoa. How very odd.

[Ransom]

ACK...."bout 35 DAYS TILL BURNING MAN........"

Ok.... I'm not really panicking (yet)... The few projects that I still have to finish..... I kinda sorta have time to do.....

I will definably be camping by myself this year.... but hey.... radical self sufficiency.....Cool..... I'm kinda good at that sorta thing.....

The Theme this year is "Evolution".... and I'm trying to think of a silly sign to post outside of my camp....

Something alone the lines of a Theme camp of one....

But I'm not sure how politically incorrect it would be to also post....

"Endangered Species.... Single Heterosexual Anglo-Celt (white) Male.... feed at your own risk....."

I can think of a buncha snide comment that I could make on the sign, but I'm kinda leaning towards the simpler, more subtle approach......

Evolution

Genus: Homoreenactus

Sub-genus: Pyraticus

Gender: Male

Description: Hard to identify in the field due to its ability to change sub-genus at will. Can morf from Pyraticus to Clingonus, to Imature Tortugas Nijanaius. Approach with caution, as species is equiped with many defensive devices. If lucky enough to catch one, preserve specimen in rum for best results.

[CaptainSatan]

I had to look that one up, and... whoa. How very odd.

I don't care if a man wants to walk around naked at Burning Man or a regional burn.

But I think shirtcockers should be rounded up and placed into camps.

[gunner Gordon]

Burning Man needs an airship with several Gatling guns to repel the bloody shirtcocker infestation!

.

Let's go! I happen to have several Gatling guns, take yer pick: 1874 model in 45-70 or 1897 model in 3ocal. Carriages or tripods(see Mail Call 1st episode)

[CaptainSatan]

Nothing says steam punk like 45-70 tracer rounds.

[Guest]

Nothing says steam punk like 45-70 tracer rounds.

I was goinna type..... hey, they didn't have tracer rounds back then.... but then I thought.... cool... this is Steampunk.... so maybe they coulda had them.....

29 days......