Burning Man 2010 – XyloVan’s first drive on the playa

Tuesday began with the lowering of Keyboard 1, information pills which is truly a six-hand job – one roof-monkey to loose the straps and push it off, approved two adults on the ground to catch it and install the support stanchions (and one mischievous camera-girl to record it all. Never entrust videography to a 9-year-old if you want any kind of serious documentation.)

With the crew enjoying the view from the roof, I cruised down 5:30 to cross the Esplanade and head towards The ARTery to get our driving permit and site assignment.

Heady. That’s the only word I can muster for the sensation of ending eight months of building and preparing an elaborate art car by driving the goddamn thing out onto the open playa, where thousands can see and play it …

We parked on the playa opposite the ARTery …

… and filled out a good long questionnaire.

You may recall that we blew our chance at a Department of Mutant Vehicles permit by having the temerity to build an art car that looks like, well, a car. This meant we also blew the deadline for advance registration with the ARTery, which classified us as a “walk-in.

Anyway, before long, we finished up the paperwork and were assigned a spot at 11:30 and 2700′ …

and within half an hour, an ARTery volunteer piloted us out to the spot in a golf cart, and then left us to the solitude of the open playa.

The marker on the ground at Hitgirl’s feet (yes, that’s her playa name) consists of a hot-pink sprig of magenta plastic “grass” nailed through an old Hewlett-Packard printer-driver CD, on which was Sharpied the name of our piece, and our site number, 4812.

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