The Arizona-El Paso Joint Regional Decompression, October 3-5

When? Friday, October 3 through Sunday, October 5.

Where? Continuing the tradition at Gateway Ranch 30 miles NE of Flagstaff

Who? Burners and Burner-friendly friends 21 and over. Under 21 allowed with a parent or guardian.

Admission: Contribution of $12 per person covers event expenses and donations to BRAF and the STAR School. Contributions above this amount are appreciated.

Welcome to the 2008 AZ-EL PASO Decompression!

Come join old and new friends at the 7th Annual Gateway Ranch Burner Family Reunion. We never know what mysteries, wonders, and absurdities will unfold, but we know it will be even better if you are there.

What You Need to Know:

This is a Leave No Trace event. Pack it in, pack it out, there's no garbage service at the ranch. Also be advised that without prior special arrangement there is no Water, Power or Shelter for your personal use on this property.
Bring what you need to survive and create.

#1 LNT Rule: Don't drive over the bushes. Drive only on existing roads and cleared spaces.

Gateway Ranch is a remote site. Bring what you need for a weekend camp out and you will do just fine!

Directions to the Gateway Ranch:

On the way you may be thinking "This gives new meaning to the Middle of Nowhere!" but you'll find us.

From the East:
Take I-40 through Winslow, AZ
About 6 miles West of Winslow take Hwy 99 Northwest to Leupp, a small Navajo town.
When Hwy 99 T's at Leupp Road, turn Left (West) Go about 18 miles on Leupp Road (3 miles past the rez line cattleguard), 3/10 mile past Milepost 441 You'll see a group of about 6 mailboxes and a dirt road on your Right. These mailboxes are off the pavement a little and on the other side of a fence, so look carefully. In the dark, you probably won't see mailboxes at all until after you've turned onto the dirt road.

From the mailboxes, follow *Dirt Road Directions* below

From the West or South:
From the I-17 and I-40 junction, go East on I-40 about 9 miles to the Cosnino Rd. exit.
Go North (Left) 2 miles on Cosnino Rd. until it T's at Camp Townsend-Winona Rd.
Turn Right on Camp Townsend-Winona and go 2 miles to Leupp Rd., which comes in only on your Left.
Turn (L) on Leupp Rd. and go about 12 miles, 8/10 mile past Milepost 440.
Look for a group of 7 mailboxes and a dirt road on your Left. These mailboxes are off the pavement a little and on the other side of a fence, so look carefully. In the dark, you probably won't see mailboxes at all until after you've turned onto the dirt road.

From that point, follow *Dirt Road Directions*

*Dirt Road Directions*
Turn in on the dirt road that goes by the mailboxes. A sign and blinky glowy things will be posted at this point. Mailbox numbers are pretty random out here so ignore those.

Follow this dirt road for 7 1/2 miles. Watch out for ditches on both sides of the road.

Important: be sure you stay on the *one and only road in the area that is ever graded* and is wide enough for two large trucks to pass each other.
There are other roads meandering around the area, but if you stay on this graded road it will take you all the way to the Gateway Ranch.

In addition to several event signs, you know you're on the right road when you pass the following landmarks. Distances are measured from the mailboxes.

*1.5 miles: Low stock tank to your right, just after curves and hill
*2.3 miles: Cattle guard
*3.2 miles: Intersection with low stock tank on your left (the Ranch road curves to the Right at this intersection)
*4.7 miles: 55 gallon painted "caution" barrel before S-curve
*5.5 miles: Fork in road where you'll go Left up (and then down) a hill
*6.3 miles: Log cabin on Right. Make sure you take the road to the Left of the cabin, not the one that goes into the cabin area.
*7.5 miles: Turn in at the "Gateway Ranch" sign. You'll know you're here when you see Greeters, fire, friendly people, and unmistakeable signs of Burner activity.

Yay, you made it! There are no other houses for miles. The ranch has 3 buildings with turquoise metal roofs, Navajo Hogan on a hill, 60' geodesic dome over a small amphitheater, etc.

The ways people have gotten lost are when they
1) Don't watch the mileposts and miss the turn-off from the highway
2) Keep going straight at the 3.2 mile intersection and leave the graded road
3) Don't check their odometer on the dirt road and then think they're lost when they really just need to keep going a little further.

Weather:
The Gateway Ranch is at 5300' elevation. When checking weather online, look up Leupp rather than 7000' Flagstaff. Weather link:

Actually, this area's weather is similar to Gerlach- just not quite as extreme and remember it will be cooler in October. Most often in early October it's in the 70's in the daytime and 40's at night. It can be windy and we've had rain at a couple of past Decompressions so be prepared.
There's little dust and no mud since this is a volcanic area with cinders.

Gateway is surrounded by two huge ranches and the nearest human neighbors are miles away. In other words, we've been able to do what we like out here without interference.
Check out these photos from 2002-03-04-05-06-07

Burning Man customs and courtesies apply, of course.

*Participate! You are what makes this event extraordinary. Specific requests for help will go out in September. Creative input, planned or spontaneous, is invited.

*No commercial transactions of any kind. Revel in the spirit of gifting.

*Take care of your own trash and any MOOP you see.

*Take out what you bring in and dispose of it yourself.

*Extra help with clean-up at the end is greatly appreciated.

*Do whatever you really wanna do, don't do what you don't wanna do, and respect others' right to the same.

The Decompression is a chance to reconnect with the Elements.

*Fire: The Toaster will glow warmly all night, or as long as people feed it.
Mr. God's fire sculpture spins in the middle of the amphitheater. Clayton's Fire Trees guard the entry to that area. There will be other fire pits/barrels/sculptures, etc. Personal firepits are not encouraged, but are allowed in already-cleared areas where they don't destroy vegetation. Help with wood chopping and hauling is always appreciated.

*Water: Bring your own drinking and wash water. The ranch has only roof catchment and hauled water.
A wood fired hot tub is on the front deck of the main house. This is especially popular when it gets cold late at night. As with everything else, the hot tub depends on whether people make it happen or not. We need help cleaning the tub before and after the event, and with water hauling using our tank.

*Earth: There's a traditional Navajo Hogan (8-sided log cabin with a ceiling like an upside down bird's nest) on the hill at the end of the road to the South. DJ's have been known to take over the Hogan. There's a woodstove and lantern inside that can be used. Hogan is the site of a notorious Apple Pie gigglefest.

*Sky: there's more of that than anything else at the ranch. The view stretches up to Navajo Mountain in Utah and includes Black Mesa to the North, the Hopi Buttes to the East, and the San Francisco Peaks to the West.
During Decompression weekend the moon will be a few days past New, up in the evening and then disappearing later at night.

Plans and Schedule

Dates: Friday, October 3th - Sunday, October 5th. Early arrival or late departure is possible, just let us know. Arrivals before noon Friday get in without tickets and will be put to work!

Events:
Watch here for planned events-- although usually most of what happens is a surprise.

*Giveaway Boutique hosted by Hot Candy

*LCD Projector system available for photos and video.

*DJ's- send a note to kate@ttn.org

*Live music- send a note to kate@ttn.org

*Fire performances- We love fire! Any organization needed or wanted?

If you're planning something, please let us know so we can look forward to it and put it in the program. Also, events can be posted on a central message board when you get here. Spontaneous creative mayhem is always encouraged, but if we know about something in advance we can look forward to it.

Excursions: Roden Crater still has a 24 hour guard and is closed to the public. They say they're opening in 2011. Please do not try to sneak up there-- in addition to getting an unpleasant reception, it could harm the relationship between the Gateway Ranch residents and the crater folks. Roden Crater is an amazing site and we will work on getting permission to go there again as soon as possible.

Alternative nearby excursions include Grand Falls, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater, the STAR School, small hilltop ruins at Gateway Ranch, and hiking nearby Merriam Crater.

See the image gallery for Grand Falls photos from past years.

Burnin' Shit: Anyone planning to do a large art burn, please let us know so we can prepare a clear spot for it. In advance, we can corral huge piles of dry tumbleweeds into cylinders that burn fast, hot, and loud. Anyone want to incorporate these into your burning art? Just let us know-- otherwise, we'll just make some to torch Friday and Saturday nights.

Please don't camp or park near things that are gonna burn! The winds are most often from the SW, but can shift. I think we learned this lesson in past years.

Kids: All ages are welcome, with the usual guidelines about parents taking responsibility for their kids. There's always been a pack of kids running around at Decompression and they've had good experiences. Do you have suggestions or offerings for kid activities? The main house will have a large room with kid-appropriate videos on Saturday night after the major art burns, but no babysitting services are planned (parents can organize supervision if they want). Children and teens are welcome there, but parents are still responsible for knowing where their children are, making sure they get to bed, and letting them know the house is a LNT zone.

Alternative energy and building materials: All Gateway Ranch electricity comes from solar power and water is collected from the roofs. There's a straw bale building and the Gnome Dome made from "Super Adobe" sandbags. If you have interest in any of these, Hot Danish
(Mark) would be happy to talk to you or show you around.

Phones and Internet: Regular cell phones work out here only sporadically-- you can pretty much count on not having your cellphone service. In case of emergency communications during Decompression, main house has a cell phone with a large rooftop antenna. The ranch number is 928-606-6589.

There's satellite Internet at the straw bale building. *If* the power is on in that building there's a wireless hot spot covering much of the property from the amphitheater to the main house. You'll have much more interesting things to do out here than e-mail, but if anyone has an urgent need, it may be available.

***Things to be Aware of***

Remember Rule #1: Don't drive over the Bushes. Kismet will cry if you do.
Please minimize driving off the roads- there are good parking/camping places that do not require crushing any bushes. Grasses can survive being driven over a little, but when the perennial bushes (mostly yellow flowered rabbit
brush) are destroyed, they take decades to come back. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

The Road: As mentioned elsewhere, the road from our mailbox to the ranch is all dirt. It's graded occasionally, but gets ruts after heavy rains. It can be washboardy in places; the washboard effect is less if you drive 30-40 mph or so in places where you can go this fast safely. Watch out for blind curves and rocks in the road, and go slowly over cattle guards. Like most things in life, pay attention and use common sense and you'll be okay.

Don't drown the fire in the hot tub! There's a wood fired stove submerged right in the tub. If too many people are in the tub (in the past the limit was 8, just watch the water level), or if they are too rowdy (haha, that would never happen in this group), water can slosh right over into the stove and kill the fire. This can also result in ashes floating into the tub water, yuck. We'll be fine as long as someone is paying attention to the water level and if you just soak, don't splash.

Firearms: Decompression is not a firearm friendly event. You may not carry or display a firearm inside this event. If you travel with a firearm we do not want to know about. Leave it safely locked in your car.

Again (and again), please LNT. Pack it in, Pack it out, Leave No Trace, not even little bitty bits of MOOP. That makes it possible for the AZDC to happen happily year after year.

Spiders, Snakes, Scorpions: Snakes try to stay away from humans, especially loud groups, but you may find one where it wasn't expecting to find you. Last year we saw two rattlesnakes when walking up the hill at sunset. We don't hurt them and if possigle catch them with a long stick (broom, shovel, etc), put them in a large can with a tight lid and take them a few miles away. Please call Kismet or Mark or someone who knows how to catch snakes if you find a rattlesnake. We also see the larger bull snakes, which are harmless and are said to eat rattlesnakes.
Scorpions are very rare, we've found only 5 during the past 18 years.
Black widow spiders: look closely before you put any part of your body into a small, dark place that hasn't been used in a while.
Centipedes have not been a problem at Decompressions but can sting if handled. If you find one in your tent area, catch it in a container and take it for a walk before releasing away from people.

Tickets: Suggested donation is $12.00 per person. Additional donations are welcome-- and even tax deductible-- and will go to the STAR School art program. Advance tickets *may* be sold-- watch for announcements. We don't want anyone to miss out because they're short on cash though-- if you're willing to help out with set up and clean up and would like a free admission, contact kate(at)ttn(dot)org.

You must be 21 years old to attend this event if you are not with a parent or legal Guardian.

Ticket funds will pay for:
*Portapotties
*Wood to burn.
*Water for the hot tub
*Propane for fire trees. We want fire!!!
*Repair of the outhouses, amphitheater, hogan and generator.

*Over 10% of total ticket sales will be donated to the Black Rock Arts Foundation. We appreciate BRAF grants that were received by AZBurners, including the STAR amphitheater and Clayton's fire tree sculptures.
We're glad to make donations that will support more community art.

Any money left over after expenses will be donated to the STAR School www.starschool.org, a non- profit 501(c)3 Charter School that serves pre-school through 8th graders in the local Navajo community. Azburner funds have supported the STAR School art program, amphitheater and radio station.

Donations to the STAR School qualify for an Arizona Educational Tax Credit of up to $200 per person. For Arizona tax payers this means you can help the school at no cost to yourself. Donation receipts are available by mail or at the Greeters Station.

Decompression Volunteer Opportunities

Greeters Station, If you are interested in joining the Greeters email list for this event and/or Toast and sign up for one or more shifts, send us a blank email

Is anyone interested in coordinating Earth Guardians at Decompression?
Write to Kizmet

Music: Please let us know ahead of time if you're wanting to DJ. Any more live musicians out there? Do we need to provide a generator and/or amplified speakers w/mixer?

Decoration of the Amphitheater: Feel free to decorate the Dome or other spaces with lights, fabrics, hanging things, pillows, torches, furniture, etc.

Rangers: If anyone is interesting in Rangering at Decompression, please contact Blank. We'll figure everything else out from there! Oh, and don't send a blank email. That only works if you're subscribing to a list, but we need to know who you are before you subscribe, because it's a limited list.

Lamplighters? Anyone bringing lanterns? Robes? Tiki torches around the amphitheater also will need tending.

Road signs: we could use a few more, and volunteers to put them at strategic spots. Nice bright blinky lights with magnets can stick on the screws in the
signs-- they'll need to be checked and turned on each night.

Hot tub preparation: The hot tub needs to be cleaned and we'll have to haul
2 loads of water for it, then someone needs to keep an occasional eye on the fire while it heats up.

Wood cutting. There are at least 10 dead juniper trees at the school and nearby property that could be cut down and hauled to the ranch for burning.
Even harvesting a few small trees would help. Nice, dry, crackly branches.

Clothing and BMan Supplies Giveaway. Bring your stuff to the Boutique and leave with a fresh wardrobe.

Massage table will be available if someone asks Kismet for it and puts it up (and down). Mmmmm.... ahhhhhh..... mmmmm.....

Waffle breakfast- bring goodies to make it special. Sunday morning? Look for further announcements.

Whew! That's it for now.

Happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Kismet

Who requests once again that you remind her to relax and enjoy all of the Burning Love, to drink, dance, hug, kiss, snuggle, and laugh even more.