Desert Camping, A Plane Crash, An Indian, and Dynamite

Black Rock Desert — 1960

Loaded pickup on Black Rock Desert — August, 1960 — photo by author

In the fall of 1960, my dad and I took his newly purchased 1947 Indian motorcycle, loaded it in the back of his Studebaker pickup, and headed for Black Rock Desert in northeastern Nevada. You may have heard of Black Rock desert due to the Burning Man celebration held there around Labor Day each year.

Back then, few had heard of Black Rock, and fewer still knew where it was. This was fine with Dad and me. We loved the solitude the desert provided, and we delighted in getting off the beaten path. The fewer people we saw, the better, which was a good thing, because back then, if you saw more than one other vehicle in a day that was a rare occurrence.

The Black butte that gives Black Rock Desert its name — photo by author

So, on August 29, 1960, we found ourselves camped at Double Hot Spring near the black butte that gives Black Rock its name.

Dad relaxing in our camp — Black Rock Desert, 1960 — photo by author

Our camp comprised a couple of lawn chairs; a fold-up, handmade, wooden table; two 5-gallon insulated cans of water (for drinking…