Burning Man is a lot more than just the Man going up in smoke.
The playa close to the town of Gerlach is a temporary museum once a year for dozens of unusual art works scattered about.
Most of them, including the Shape of the Future made of 100 miles of wooden 2-by-4s, followed the Man. This was the 20th year of Burning Man, which started as a beach bonfire for friends in San Francisco before moving to Nevada.
The affair celebrates alternate lifestyles, and those taking part dress in everything from angel costumes to ... well, nothing. Weird vehicles roam the playa as dancers, magicians and pyromaniacs party away.
The event is not cheap; after all, it costs to build a city of 35,000 for a one-week celebration. Tickets started at $280 back in July and before the box office closed were going for nearly $500 - this is not an inexpensive week.
No food is sold, only ice and water along with nonalcoholic coffee-type drinks. Critics bemoan holding the affair on public Bureau of Land Management land, but their voices are drowned out by the thousands who come - singles, couples, families with kids and newspaper people.
- Sam Bauman