Northwestern Nevada Transformed Into Another World

Burning Man has begun in the Northwestern Nevada and the desert therein.
From the Reno Gazette Herald: For one week out of the year, a portion of the Black Rock Desert is transformed into a thriving diverse city known as Black Rock City, the home of Burning Man. The massive Festival takes place on the barren remnants of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan, which is now commonly referred to as the playa. Participants hail from all across the globe, creating an environment that is a one of a kind melting pot that brings out the best in most everyone involved. http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=J7&Date=20100901&Category=EVENTS04&ArtNo=9010802&Ref=PH&Profile=1459
Burning Man is like San Francisco on extremely potent steroids.
From the Burning Man's web site: Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind. In this section you will find the peripheral definitions of what the event is as a whole, but to truly understand this event, one must participate. This site serves to try to paint a picture of the Burning Man experience to those who are new to the project, as well as to give those participants looking to keep the fire burning in their daily lives an environment in which to connect to their fellow community members. For a brief yet eloquent overview of the entire event from the time of arrival to the time of exodus, please read "What is Burning Man?", an essay written by participant and one-time web team member, Molly Steenson. Please see archived sections for each year to read more about the art themes, art installations and theme camps for each year.
Here you will find links that will take you on a trip through the past - through the history of Burning Man - from its early days on a small beach in San Francisco through its evolution into the bustling city of some 48,000+ people that the Burning Man event has become today. These people make the journey to the Black Rock Desert for one week out of the year to be part of an experimental community, which challenges its members to express themselves and rely on themselves to a degree that is not normally encountered in one's day-to-day life. The result of this experiment is Black Rock City, home to the Burning Man event.
There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. The event takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa. By the time the event is completed and the volunteers leave, sometimes nearly a month after the event has ended, there will be no trace of the city that was, for a short time, the most populous town in the entire county. Art is an unavoidable part of this experience, and in fact, is such a part of the experience that Larry Harvey, founder of the Burning Man project, gives a theme to each year, to encourage a common bond to help tie each individual's contribution together in a meaningful way. Participants are encouraged to find a way to help make the theme come alive, whether it is through a large-scale art installation, a theme camp, gifts brought to be given to other individuals, costumes, or any other medium that one comes up with.
http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/
This not an event that I would be interested in, but obviously, 48,000+ people enjoy the experience and they bring in a few dollars each. The event sold out in a few hours.
So, hopefully everyone will be safe, drug busts are at the minimum and the 48,000 drop a lot of money into Nevada's economy.