| Our Story So Far... |
 2005 |
 Some of us have been visiting the playa since we were very young. But it wasn't until 2005, when the first members of Above The Limit wandered out to Burning Man, built our first camp, and began participating in earnest. That year, our theme was The Green Fairy Degenerates, possibly arising from some very popular beverages we brought and shared across the playa… |
  2006 |
 In 2006, we were on the playa the entire week before the event started. A year before, we decided to build the first air terminal at Black Rock International Spaceport. After all, who wants to wait for a mile-high flight in the dust? The terminal was first prototyped in balsa wood. Little did we know what we were getting into... |
 We
got to experience the agonies and ecstasies that are all part of
building the City in the Desert. <That's Overkill atop the Tower #2 that gave him his playa name. 
The tornado that started in center camp and the great white out that followed just added to the entertainment experience for all of us, including the multitudes who sought refuge in our camp. 
 Even though not all of our parts were delivered on time, we built that terminal--and got our efforts written up and showcased in Smithsonian's Air & Space Magazine under the story "The World's Weirdest Fly-In." |
 We also shuttled vast quantities of people, equipment, aircraft parts and beer between Reno and the playa to keep those engines turning. < That’s a glass cockpit view of the route from Reno to BRC. Yes, flight computers can be programmed to fly direct to Black Rock International Spaceport. |
 2006
was also our first year of serious brewing. The event theme was
Hope and Fear, so our theme became Hops and Beer. We built our
first EL Wire sign to adorn our first beer storage unit, an
800-pound unit filled with craft homebrew made under the
supervision of Zintli, our resident beer judge and master brew
craftsman.There were only 10 of us, and we had a quiet corner camp. > |
| We also helped out other camps. Playa Q, for which we imported a truckful of fresh produce and provided flightseeing, invited us to their legendary Rock Star Dinner, which at the time was the most amazing and truly over the top culinary feat ever attempted on the playa. (Ask us about it sometime over brews.) |
 2007 |
 In
2007, we registered as an official theme camp, and we continued
our a campy theme: for The Green Man, we became The Brewing Man.
We brought over 100 gallons of outstanding homebrew in three
800-pound beer service units. One of them was installed in our
camp’s new mutant vehicle bar-lounge The Beer Garden I, which
roamed the playa in search of thirsty travelers by day and by
night. |
  Night cruises were sufficiently illuminated from inside and out... |
 We built our first domes—40’ and 20’ domes to support our entertainment
efforts.  The
little dome was easy, the big dome less so. Here it is going up, with moonrise in the background.
|
 We learned a lot about securing many large structures during the big storm, regardless of how good the weather might happen to look. The 20’ long Costco barns would forever become Costco kites in our vocabulary, as several attempted to head over the rainbow to Oz. |
|
We launched Café KONA, serving awesome 100% Kona coffee to those awaking or staggering back around daybreak. Bringing the Aloha spirit to the desert was great fun! |
 Back at Airport, we re-assembled our bolt-construction re-usable air terminal, which finally got its perfect roof, some great interior decorating, and excellent art. We did some serious flightseeing with camp members and friends. |
 And we introduced another new mutant vehicle to the playa: our 26’ F-15 fighter jet. We took delivery three nights before the event started, and it was an around-the-clock effort to get it in shape for its first year on the playa. (Special thanks to Kona for his heroic efforts!) |
 We were deeply honored to be chosen to help cater the afterparty at the end of the legendary CT-12 parade of 10,000 intrepid women bicyclists and their friends. |
 By the time the storm hit 30 minutes into the party, we had served over 35 gallons of Skip & Go Nakeds, beer, and water. After the first half-hour, nobody was keeping track anymore. And as the visibility dropped to about five feet, people kept coming—and we still kept serving… |
 …And the party kept going… A Cavallo did an outstanding job, as did every dancer on the rig and on the ground! |
 2007’s big bang was the derrick. Who would have suspected less than a year later what was to happen to the price of oil? The derrick’s explosive finale was well worth the effort at any price! |
|
2008 |
| In 2008, we welcome new tribes to Above The Limit, as we grow past 70 members from all over the USA (come on—we need some international members!!!). This year, our theme is The Beermerican Dream, from sea to shining sea. True to our beginnings, we’re back with over 125 gallons of craft homebrew and occasional sightings of green beverages. Café KONA has been expanded into a 20’ dome and will also serve chai and tea. |
|
This year we’re adding The Verandah, where Southern hospitality reigns in the form of mint juleps, rocking chairs, Lynchburg lemonades, and other comforts of the Deep South. And to top it all, we’re adding a tribute to Nevada’s mines in the form of The Crystal Cavern, our 40’ dome-bar-lounge featuring giant illuminated crystals inside and out. Check back on this site as we add pictures of the fabrication and preparation of these projects! |