Reno was our next port of call as it was here that we had to pick up the Winnebago for our road trip to Black Rock City for Burning Man. We spent one night at the cheesy Peppermill Hotel and Casino. The bright lights and the noise gave us all a headache so we headed straight for the bar, where we met Dallis. Quite a character, who had us in stitches and also took a liking to Tanya. Claudia's bag was unfortunately lost but the airline assured us that they could deliver it to Burning Man. All we had to do was find naked Bob, who was dealing with lost luggage at Black Rock City. After we stocked up on all the vitals IE. vodka and green tea, we headed towards the Nevada desert. As Fergus Tanya and Claudia were virgin burners, we had to ring a gong and shout at the top of our voices "I am not a virgin anymore" which was pretty tame compared to what others had to do. Wow, where to begin. Maybe by advising you all to experience Burning Man at least once in your life time, as we assure you that you have never experienced anything quite like it before. Picture it....a week long festival in a city that stretches five miles and crops up in a usually barren desert. The place is massive, with 40,000 people attending this year. All the campsites have a fixed address corresponding to the times of the clock and street names applicable to the theme, which this year was Hope and Fear the Future. Our address was 8:30 and eager. Quite fitting as that is exactly what we were....Eager to have a good time. The atmosphere is very creative and liberating. You could wear what you want or choose not to wear anything at all and express yourself any way you wish. The playa is filled with the most impressive and amazing art installations. It's incredible how much effort people have gone to, to create these awesome works of art. This year there was a particular installation done by a group of Belgians, called the Belgian (nicknamed the Belgian Waffle). The structure was massive and made of planks of wood stapled together. (check out the photos on our website as it's difficult to explain how impressive it was). People were also driving around in funky art cars which doubled up as party venues as well as transportation across the playa.The whole place came alive at night when everything was lit up and looked like a giant playground with loads of clubby venues playing funky tunes. The days were quite a contrast with a much more relaxed vibe. There were plenty of activities to choose from. Eg. the annual Canadian beaver eating contest....and yes, it's exactly what your dirty little minds are thinking. Not all the activities are as out there as this particular one. You could chill out at your camp and socialise with all the lovely and eccentric people that pop by to say hello or have a jamming session at the the Deep End, a great day time club. Our neighbours were fantastic....there was Guy (aka Priscella Queen of the desert) who was always incognito and graced us with different outfits each day, the lads from Vegas with their entire glow stick factory and our friendly nudist, who we named naked Livingstone. Money has no meaning in the desert as everything is generally free and a bartering system prevails. There exists a wonderful sense of freedom where all inhibitions are left behind. Everyone is of the same mindset and the usual bulls*** has no place here. It all culminates on the weekend, when everyone gathers in the middle of the playa to watch the burn of the Man. The vibe is awesome as everyone is out to have a good time. -- On the 3rd of September we went to beautiful Lake Tahoe -- We left the desert, dazed, confused and covered in dust from the playa and headed to Lake Tahoe for Sarah's wedding. (Sarah is a friend of Lincolns and we kind of crashed the party). The reception was held in a lovely garden setting and the food was yummy. It was a welcome change from a weeks worth of pizza and breakfast bars. Our staple food in the desert. The following day was a blast and entailed all 11 of us jumping into the RV on a trip to the supermarket to stock up on goods for a BBQ. Well done Chris, the food was scrummy and almost on par with the braais in Suid Afrika. We spent the evening eating, drinking, playing boardgames (boxers and briefs) and it all ended with a nice session in the hot tub.