Arriving at Black Rock we join the scenic pattern for a couple of circuits before landing
City population estimated at just over 40,000
In the beginning, about 19 years ago, it was just an impromptu bonfire party in the desert. It's definitely grown a bit
You can't see it from here but somewhere down there is a parade of 3000 topless women on bicycles with painted nipples
flame throwing robots, a Barbie Doll mutilation theme park, countless nightclubs and just about anything else you could name
But in some ways it just looks like a bunch of motorhomes, tents and half naked dusty people
They do seem to have a convention center though
I estimate there were maybe 50 airplanes parked at Black Rock Airport
There's now a big checkmark next to 'Playa Landing' on our things to do list
Landing on the playa isn't that hard. The runway dimensions are listed as approx 132,000 feet long by 43,000 feet wide
Some people feel compelled to bring all their stuff
We did bring our own 'shade' cause you ain't gonna find any out here if you don't bring it
This is as close to the 'Man' as we got since we didn't have a couple of those $250 tickets
I guess on Sunday night this guy makes for a pretty decent bonfire
You don't need a taildragger to land out here, there were all sorts of aircraft
I've read that the elevation difference between the north and south ends of the big playa (about 30 miles) is less than 4 inches
in other words - it's friggin' F L A T !
Bring your own stakes and tie down wherever you please - just pick a spot
This was some sort of cruising bar with a crow's nest
Alright, mission complete. We're out of this dust bowl and headed for some coldies back at the ranch