[Jeff Higgins]

This very much reminds me of the trajectory that the Sturgis Rally took a couple of decades ago. My first time, in the mid 1980's (can't remember which year, but it was before 1986, when I got married). I rode the same Ironhead Sportster I still own today, wearing a backpack, with sleeping bag and tent strapped on the front and back. Had to carry a gas can to supplement the range of my 2 1/2 gallon "peanut" tank.

Most everyone I met upon arrival looked about like me. Road weary, bedraggled. But we had ridden there from all points of the compass, on motorcycles that took a fair amount of nursing along the way on such a journey. Many were wondering if their "faithful" steed would even get them home. Many had them pretty much completely torn apart in their efforts to ensure they would.

Fast forward to 2005, the last time I rode to Sturgis (I had gone in 2000 and 2003 as well). Ten times the number of people. Motorcycle trailers parked everywhere. Yuppies doing their level best to misbehave for a week before they trailered their "billet barges" back home. It had become some sort of a sad cartoon caricature of itself. Over commercialized, over priced everything. My riding buddy and I stopped on Lazelle Street (the main drag through downtown) on the way in to gas up. We stood there looking down Lazelle, and without saying a word to one another, saddled up and rode the other way. We spent a wonderful week riding through Wyoming and Montana, the week we were going to spend at Sturgis. Haven't even considered going since.

I would imagine that the old timers of Burning Man feel the same way. They had a really cool thing going. Alas, it's time to put a fork in it...