Playaphiles

We took advantage of an unexpected day off for Ethel to spend a night in the Black Rock Desert with Riley and Ed. It was new territory for Riley and Ed, and neither Ethel nor I had ever been there outside of Burning Man. She's got an excuse, not being a Nevadan and all, but I'm grasping at straws to justify my unfamiliarity with the place aside from that annual late-summer week.

Anyhow, we camped at Frog Pond, a hot spring that's not very hot and otherwise aptly named for the amphibian presence. They kept noisy throughout the night having their little frog-offs.

Here are a few long exposures from that night:







Wide awake early the next morning, we took the time to explore the frogs and their habitat a little bit more. These ponds are an amazing display of all stages of growth for these guys, with all sizes and numbers of appendages represented.

Here are a few fully-grown froggies:







After breakfast and coffee, we broke camp and headed onto the playa at the normal entrance to Burning Man. After cruising around for a bit and ending up quite a bit north of the furthest extent of the festival, we parked for a picnic and a photo session.


All business


Sweet relief


The arteest has signed his canvas


Big girl sunnies


Bundled


Unbundled


Ed looking rugged


Spring sun


Perfect playa

Traipsing further north, we got above the playa on Soldier Meadows Road where we found this overlook.


Storm cell

The vastness of this landscape is always striking, and even more so without 50,000 of our closest friends wandering about. It's a remote and rugged environment, but nonetheless a true jewel of the Western US.