When we last saw our intrepid crew, they had just finished researching and learning about MOOP.

Today, we follow them as they explore more of the wild (and not so woolly) camps.

(Note that this post is many pictures and fewer words. With all the distracting things happening in the world right now, I’m finding it difficult to find the mental space to form and create. This is my way of getting that process restarted. Thank you all for your continued support.)

Today, their journey starts at Mazu, Goddess of the Empty Sea (Or rather, the skeleton left after the previous evening’s burn):

Then they played our (beep-filled) theme song:

Stay tuned for next time, when we visit Sunlight Poutine, and see our heroes run Mirror Blaze for the last evening of The Burn. Stay tuned!

When we last saw our intrepid adventurers, they had just found an incarnation of balance and harmony, then had that jarringly ripped away from them by an encounter with a MOOP sculpture:

So, a word about moop or MOOP. ‘MOOP’ is the abbreviation for ‘Matter Out Of Place’, the anti-thesis of ‘leave no trace’. It’s been an abbreviation for long enough that it’s become a word ‘moop’. Apparently, this had been a growing issue at Burning Man, finally coming to a head for 2006, when they decided to publicly measure the amount of moop left over after the event and start to name and shame:

Already you can see the difference one year later, in 2007, after just measuring and enforcement:

2009 is better yet again:

As is 2013, our first year at the Burn, this was the ‘norm’ we first saw, and wanted to help improve upon:

2014:

The placement map for 2015 (I have no idea what the spoon was for):

If you look closely, you can see The Hive, at 8:00 and Esplanade!:

And the results from the 2015 after-event cleanup! You can see the continually disturbing red and yellow rings around Esplanade which only a very few groups were able to sweep to green status:

Next time, our plucky adventurers meet the golden rhino, and make the tiniest of fist-bumps. Stay tuned!

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Dark_Tea-Time_of_the_Soul I’ve always enjoyed this particular phrase, but it feels problematic for a number of reasons in the context of the book.

When we last saw our intrepid adventurers, they had just been told by the Oracle to seek out ‘Balance and Harmony’.

Not fully understanding this command, they continued exploring the art gallery where they had found the Oracle. Equally perplexing was the whispered comment “In seeking Balance and Harmony, you shall find meaning inside and outside yourselves.”

Searching through the art gallery, like in many good art galleries, they found myriad artworks neither balanced nor harmonious:

Some where the balance had been shattered:

But eventually, they found their way Clear to find Balance:

And Harmony:

Thus invigorated, their purpose became clear. To add to the complexity and messiness that is human creativity:

The journey within and without is the meaning inside:

So, our adventurers had found the meaning within, and had found a measure of peace. But they couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something larger than them that required their attention.

They saw this piece, and it shook them to the core. The first time they had seen this type of detritus since leaving the default world, they knew what their next mission would be:

Join us next time, when our adventurers discover what it means to Moop!

When we last saw our intrepid heroes, they had just gone fishing!

Flush with success (and the blood rushing to their heads from being upside-down), they continue exploring.

Their first clue for their next quest comes from an unlikely source. A miniature Man informs them: “Your next clue requires you to possess my Visor of Seeing. To acquire this artifact, you must successfully golf me.”

Making her first attempt at golfing the ramp, S shakes her fist as the ramp thwarts her.

S tries again, but will it be enough?:

Perhaps a different angle will reduce the ramp to a more manageable incline?:

Over, around, and through! The man allows S to take her prize, the Visor of Seeing. So far, so good:

S proudly displaying her prize:

The Visor allowed S to see something unusual here. She said it was too disturbing for mortal minds to know…:

…but it directed her towards the giant robot ‘Tobor’, who told her to ‘seek the pincer’:

“Pince, pince. Pince, pince. Pince, pince.” “To find Harmony and Balance, you must seek wheels within wheels within pincers.” “Where would that be?” “Seek next in the pincing wheel of art.”:

Unsure of what the Pincer meant, our heroes sought out the art exhibition at the center of the Black Rock City ‘Wheel’. Upon arrival, they noticed that they could now see an oracle where before there was only a blank painting:

Join us next time, as our intrepid adventurers seek out Balance and Harmony, whatever that might be!

When we last saw our intrepid heroes, they were teaming up with seahorses in order to search out the resting place of the Discofish. Today, we see what happens when they finally find it!

After hours of search, S spots the Discofish:

She hurries to investigate!:

And reaches her goal, the pole lodged in the maw of the Discofish! She then braces herself to perform that most dangerous of tasks:

The climb is tricky:

And success! She now has enough leverage to remove the pole. The Discofish croaks “Thank you.” “You must search out the cat lady, the vehicle with the horsepower, and Prometheus, before you can reach your ultimate goal.”:

So, our intrepid heroes continue on, finding the cat lady around a corner, trapped in an unfinished game of golf:

After freeing her, she tells them to look for the ‘truck with more horsepower than you expect’:

The little horsies sing out the chorus “Seek the Eagle upon the mount, where he feasts day by day…”:

Searching among the liver, our heroes find the final clue! It is at Ballyhoo!:

There, our heroes find their destination, where they will lead unsuspecting participants to their Waterloo!:

When we last saw our intrepid crew, they had just rewarded themselves with Midnight Poutine, after a long night exploring graffiti and dancing on the Discofish!

We follow as S travels away from camp on a secret quest:

She finds a sandhorse friend!:

Swimming together through the sand, they pass by the Rangers, undetected:

Potholes are very important for the sandhorse ecology:

The sandhorses have a wary relationship with the sandwolves:

But because of the urgency of their quest, they are granted passage on the Wolfmobile:

They gather information at the sign depot:

Take some time to meditate and draw together the information they have discovered:

And finally end up at their destination, ‘Full Fractal’!:

The Fractal Beings tell them that they must first pass the Trial Of The Ramp. Only then can they divulge the location of the Discofish!:

Stay tuned for next time, when our intrepid heroes discover the home of the Discofish!

When we last saw our intrepid heroes, they had just finished perusing all the graffiti in the maze-like structure at the base of the Man.

But then they saw something in the distance! The Discofish[1] again!

Quickly, they ran[2] towards it!

Climbing aboard, they were immediately swept up in the joy of being inside the Discofish[3]!:

While being inside the Discofish was fun, dancing outside in its gaping maw was even better!:

Even the eyes of the Discofish danced:

Flush with success, our heroes checked in at the Carnival, saw some creepy flaming clown heads:

Paused to let the Electronik Firebug pass by:

Then went for well-deserved Midnight Poutine[4]!:

[1]The Discofish is not just another art car. Each of the scales are individually addressable, the ‘car’ is totally autonomous, and can navigate and avoid obstacles automatically. Check it out!

[2]Biked.

[3]Discofish loves you!

[4]The best poutine in the world!