Unexpected Departure

So. After an exciting 'Man Burn' all that is left is to say goodbye to the growing number of departees, pack up and wait for the final ' Temple Burn' Sunday night.

Buh.

The day dawns windy and hot and there are new drifts of dust covering everything. This will make packing a miserable task. Even worse- the western sky looks like a bad purple bruise waiting to turn this dry lake bed into a muddy morrass. Some hasty research reveals the high possibility of heavy rain during my departure in the early morning dark tomorrow.

This is horrible news and it gets worse as I begin to break camp. I do not want to spend up to 10 hours stuck in any one place waiting for the earth to dry out even if there are 30,000 other people stuck in their cars doing the same thing. If we could all enjoy each other during that time that would be one thing but locomotion generally freezes in playa mud. I decide to pack up and go.

Amazingly I am rolling by 9:30 AM. Even more amazing- despite several 15 minute dead stops after I hit the highway I arrive at I-80 with trash dumped, waste water drained and with a newly washed truck and T@B all courtesy of the Pyramid Indian Tribe (for a very reasonable fee) only 5 hours later. This is quickest departure I have ever made from the playa!

A phone call later and I'm on the road to Winnemucca RV park where a swimming pool and shower await. I stop at a now familiar car wash and blast the dust out of the truck bed with water, vacuum the little carpets in the T@B and make quick work of cleaning dust from the T@B interior thanks to the now successful dust managment filter system. (One gold star for me!)

A fine watery extravagaza and I fall asleep listening to the occasional bawing of cattle and roar of the tractor pulls at the Labor Day celebration nearby.

All that is left before heading home (no big northern swing of states this time due to a quicker return to help Beth deal with greater care her Mom now needs) is a stop at the fabulous Laundry Lane. I'll post more if I'm inspired!