Rain, high winds can't stop Burning Man festival on Nevada desert

BLACK ROCK DESERT - Neither heavy rain nor high winds could prevent more than 25,000 free spirits from gathering Saturday on the Northern Nevada desert for the climax of the 15th annual Burning Man celebration.

Billed as a celebration of art and radical self-expression, the weeklong festival on the Black Rock Desert 120 miles north of Reno was scheduled to end late Saturday with the ceremonial torching of a 52-foot-high wooden effigy of a man for whom the event is named.

Windstorms kicked up huge dust clouds off and on all week on the vast, dry lakebed where the offbeat event is staged. Then, rain pelted the 5-square-mile encampment Friday night.

Washoe County sheriff's Sgt. Clyde Terrell said the adverse weather caused hundreds of participants to pack it in early and leave before Saturday night's climax.

''Between the wind and rain, I think some people are very unhappy. They've had it and are leaving because of the weather,'' he said late Saturday afternoon.

''But people have been leaving and coming at about the same rate today, and the vast majority of participants are still out there. Even after this weather, they're still upbeat.''

No major problems were reported at the festival, but some participants escaped injury when their vehicles hit cows on a highway leading to it, Terrell said.

At least seven participants have been cited for drug-related offenses, but no details were available.

The festival drew artists, spiritualists, old hippies, techies and rave regulars from at least 40 states and 17 countries, said Burning Man spokeswoman Marian Goodell.

The celebration features wilderness camping and an eclectic mix of art and music in what is one of Nevada's five largest cities for the week.

Among countless attractions are a paint wrestling booth, all-night dancing, an X-rated miniature golf course, a 75-foot-long seesaw, funny sculptures and Dr. MegaVolt's lightning-producing show.

Other draws include the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet, the Full Monty Carlo Barter Casino, the Body Hair Barber Shop, and the Black Rock City Wedding Chapel and Midget Dance Floor.

The festival has become a favorite for thousands of high-tech workers from Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

''It's bizarre, creative and people-friendly. It's the highlight of the year for me,'' said Chris Brick, 29, a systems administrator at Bridgespan, Inc. in Mountain View, Calif.

His 24-year-old fiancee, Michelle, another Bridgespan worker, agreed: ''After Burning Man, I can tolerate the soulless, lifeless Silicon Valley culture for another 51 weeks.''

Andre Hamilton, 28, a Web developer from Edmonton, Alberta, said the event is helping him recharge his batteries.

''At night it's like a 10-square-mile nightclub. It's a Disneyland of bizareness and music and creativity,'' he said.

Terrell said Friday night's rain was not bad enough for vehicles to become stuck on the desert.

''It was a fairly heavy rain throughout the night, but not of flood proportions,'' he said. ''Rain can make the mud on the desert real slick and a problem for vehicles.

''But this dried out fast because there were steady winds and good sunlight in the morning, so there was no problem getting people in and out.''