Black Rock City's Nomadic Lighthouse.... there to welcome you Home!
The best journeys lead you home!
The best journeys lead you home!
In 2015 we made our first trip to Burning Man, seeing the art, the lights, hearing the music and meeting the fun and eclectic group that make up the people of Burning Man lights up your creative brain in ways you don't expect. My husband, Bruce, and I were riding across the playa one night, the lights of all the mutant vehicles making a kaleidoscope of color against a black velvet sky and Bruce turned to me and said, "You know what would be really cool; to build a 30-foot tall lighthouse and drive it around the playa". And so our story begins...
In 2017 we decided to make Bruce's vision a reality. We submitted an application to the Burning Man DMV and were surprised and a little nervous when they said "Yes". GAME ON! Bruce hired Welder/Fabricator, Brad Zanzi, to work with him on the build and they got right down to work. Bruce's son, Merle Reuser, located the perfect beacon to light our way, a retired DCB-36 from the Douglas County Airport in Nevada. The beacon sat in a storage yard for years but Bruce had it spinning within hours of getting it home. The light became the inspiration for the project. The crew worked long, hot days, everyday for eleven weeks to finish the build in time for Burning Man.
When Bruce was designing the lighthouse his two biggest concerns were safety and the ability to be radically self-reliant. He chose a hexagon shape for the body of the lighthouse because of it's strength and ease of assembly. The body of the lighthouse is made of perforated aluminum sheeting which is light, has the ability to pass 60% of the wind and can deal with the harsh environment of the playa. The base of the vehicle is a snorklelift which was selected for it's stability. The base weighs 16,000 lbs. and the lighthouse assembly weighs only 2,000 lbs. I think the coolest design feature is the crown of the lighthouse which houses the beacon and can hydraulically elevate itself fourteen feet carrying with it two support panels. Then once all the panels are in place the crown comes down a bit, securing all the panels in place.
Visionary, team leader, designer, master mechanic, chief engineer, safety coordinator and lighthouse keeper.
Welder, fabricator, lighthouse assembly/disassembly, lighthouse maintenance, MV driver and camp handyman.
Lighthouse assembly/disassembly, lighthouse maintenance, MV driver, logistics coordinator and general get-stuff-done man.
Lighthouse clerk, camp-site organizer, fetch and carry crew, records keeper, sandwich maker, Leave No Trace Coordinator, crew mom, finder of lost gloves and magic maker.
Camp liaison, fetch and carry crew, Leave No Trace Moop master, Parts runner and official fun maker.
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