Big Issues In small Places

The residents of Gerlach are no stranger to outsiders descending upon their small town for use of the beautiful desert that surrounds them. But, recently there is an intruder of a different caliber knocking on the door. A southern California power company, Sempra Energy, has set its sights on the hills surrounding Gerlach as prime real estate for its brand new, two-stack, coal-burning power plant. If plans move forward, the $2 billion plant would be up and running by 2010. The link below is a recent article on the burning issue from the Reno News & Review and its effect on the community of Gerlach. The article makes some very crucial points.

The article says: "How can Sempra make pollution and hogging water resources look good? For a Fortune 500 firm, it's simple. Wave money at people."

It is predicted that the plant could utilize as much 15,000 gallons of water per minute to run. Not to mention the toxins released into the air which would blow over and into Pyramid Lake and, potentially as far as Lake Tahoe. Also, for the first several years in operation, all of the power produced would be sent down to Southern California. But, the bid to build the coal plant has been flaunted with the promise of thousands of jobs created and millions in property tax revenue. However, the Nevada Clean Energy Coalition is attempting to prove that utilizing renewable sources of energy, such as wind and geothermal, would have just as great of economic benefits as Sempra's plan and in the long run be far less damaging to the earth and the community around it.

So, the debate is on and it is hot. The issue has reached as far as San Francisco, where the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in June to to oppose the coal-power plant in northern Nevada. But as Bruno Selmi, the 80-year old owner of Bruno's and the Shell gas station in Gerlach, was quoted in the Reno News and Review article saying:

"What do San Francisco have to say about Gerlach? It's bullshit. I live here. What do they have to say about where I live?"

He told the reporter a year prior that he felt the power plant would be the beginning of a growth spurt in Gerlach.

I hope that the bid is shot down, but it is very hard to tell which way it will go. Perhaps the immediate economic reward is just too much for them to pass up.

For the full article:
http://www.newsreview.com/issues/reno/2005-07-21/cover.asp

Shortest Commute Ever

At the moment, I have one of the shortest commutes I can ever imagine having, apart from working from home. Door to door, I have to summons the energy for a whole 70 steps, sometime less if I have a spring in my step. 70 steps to work, 25 steps to the closest bar and about 30 steps to the next closest bar. This is all good, until I get grandiose plans in my head of multi-tasking between work and home. For example, I could start cooking lunch and then get some work done across the street. Uggghhh......that is if one remembers this best laid plan. Well, I didn't of course and almost burned the house down. ....literally! The smoke has finally cleared.

Trailblazing

There is a lot to discover around the Black Rock Desert and Gerlach. Hot springs, ghost towns, old mines, gorgeous mountain ranges and random trails that lead to unknown spots are just a few of the hidden local treasures. I've only explored a few parts around here and every time was exhilarated by the experience. The journey I took on Sunday was no different. We drove across the playa to the Black Rock Point and mountain range. Passing some natural hot springs and remnants of an old covered wagon back from the pioneer days, we drove into the range to reach a couple of pristine mini-playas tucked in to the hills. Feeling adventurous, we followed a dirt/rock road into the mountains, which after climbing tiers and tiers of mountains, we ended up right smack on top of the mountain range. The above photo is me tenaciously looking over a 1,000 or so foot sheer drop.



Here is the covered wagon that sits very near to the Black Rock hot springs.





This is the Black Rock range which we ended up on top of. The view from the top was amazing overlooking 30 miles of playa facing Gerlach and the event site.



The playa surface in the hidden mini-playas was so smooth. The cracks were also much larger than the playa surface where the event is held.

44 Days ‘til the Man Burns! 47 days to Cleanup.

Well, the heat wave has ended. So ends nine consecutive days of temperatures with highs ranging from 103 degrees to 108 degrees. July is hands down the hottest month in Gerlach, Nevada, but this streak still set records up here in these parts. Stores in the region couldn’t keep enough parts on their shelves to keep the swamp coolers running. Seasoned Burning Man setup crew began to predict a “naked year” at the event to come due to hot weather like that of years past. But, alas, this evening brings fierce winds, thunder and lightning, and RAIN. And temperatures that may have me searching for my blanket. Of course, all of this on the day that we get our very own swamp cooler running in the house. But, even when the nights were hot and the days even hotter, I wasn’t the one found complaining too much, because in comparison to humid heat, all I can say is bring it on desert, bring it on.

We are completely at the mercy of Mother Nature here. We have reason to fear her power. She has stranded a cigarette-starved cleanup crew in playa mud back in 1998. Several people could not leave the playa and no one could enter after heavy, heavy rains shortly at the end to after the event. On June 25, 2005, rain caused a landslide along the mountain along Highway 34, which subsequently destroyed much of Doobie Lane and flooded out the Miner’s Club Bar on Main Street. For those not familiar, Doobie Lane or Guru Road is an exceptional display of local artistic expression in the form of rock art.

Here is a description from roadsideamerica.com – your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions:

Gerlach, Nevada - Doobie Lane Rock Monuments

Gerlach - Doobie Lane is near Gerlach NV, The Home of the Burning Man Festival (Weirdness in itself). About 2 hours (approx) north of Reno, an hour or so from Pyramid Lake, Doobie Lane is a project of a native of the area (since passed on) who piled up rocks into monuments (for Elvis, Local Vietnam Vets, Inquirer stuff etc). The Inspiration Station is worth the trip alone. [Uncle Sherman, 08/21/1997]

The larger than life Elvis, with his cape of tin cans, survived the slide, but many of the other installations and dedications written on rocks were buried by the slide. Rock art seems to be a massive thing in Nevada. Not only in this little town, but you’ll notice rock formations and messages written in rocks as you drive all along various Nevada highways. To me, Doobie Lane represents the artistic spirit of the local community, which may be testament to the ability of our two communities to co-exist happily.

This is my third year working for DPW (Department of Public Works) and the Man and arriving up to the middle of nowhere far before most burners could ever imagine and getting a taste of real country life. I lived and worked in Nevada for over three months last year, which I think could qualify me as an honorary Gerlachian. One of my favorite parts of living in Gerlach is getting a chance to meet and get to know the natives and locals. Gerlach truly is a town where everyone knows your name or at least your face. Anonymity is futile. If anything else, one cannot help but be fascinated by a town that contains two legal bars, one bar/restaurant, one gas station and one illegal bar. The trend is clear. Bars, bars, bars, and we aren’t even in Ireland.