An Airhead who recently returned to motorcycling decided to ride to Beemers at the Burning Man without knowing anything about the festival. He figured he would have a couple of beers with the guys and maybe catch a tech session or two.

At the welcome to Black Rock City sign he paid the entry "tax" and motored across the flat dry clay lakebed upon which the festival takes place. After a couple of miles he reached the edge of the series of camps that form the city. He thought it a bit odd when a Mardi Gras type float motored by with a dozen costumed people dancing to Rave Music on the float. He was definitely surprised to have to weave his bike through a line of chanting pedestrians wearing only green, blue, and silver body paint. As he passed a small parade of individuals pounding drums wearing Zulu war paint, he thought this must be the wrong event. Finally, as he arrived at Airheads camp and parked his bike with the other beemers, he exclaimed "What the hell is this?"

Actually, the Burning Man is an art festival, although calling it a freedom festival might be more descriptive. At its peak Black Rock City is the 6th largest in Nevada. You can be, do, say, or not be, whatever you want. The most important rule is that there are no spectators, everyone is expected to participate. In effect, the people who go perform for each other. This may be by building a theme camp - some of which are quite interactive, creating a sculpture, playing in some band, wearing a costume, or like Matt and Susanna Parkhouse, bringing and launching some fireworks. I suspect lots of Airheads think doing anything "creative" is not macho, but the answer to those folks, is to suggest they go out and create something macho. For example someone at an earlier Burning Man put out a line of stuffed animals and figures a mile long in front of a Volcanic cindercone and thus created the worlds first drive-by shooting range. This year the BLM, alarmed at the proliferation of automatic weapons, required no shooting as a condition of the permit. But still disgruntled looking volunteers wearing postal uniforms and carrying guns deliver the paper in Black Rock City. And there was the Radio Controlled Car Demolition Derby including a couple of suicide bomber cars.

So what does Burning Man have to do with motorcycles? Well, Airheads have a good time there, and besides on Thursday night there was a Crypto Apocalyptic, Neo Pagan, Harley Ritual. I don't know what it was like because none of us attended.