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…

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 our parts were delivered on time, that terminal was up and running Monday morning, to the amazement of all but our build crew.

We also shuttled vast quantities of people, equipment, aircraft parts and beer between Reno and the playa to keep those engines turning.

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 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.

In 2007, we registered as an official theme camp, and we continued our camp(y) theme: for The Green Man, we became The Brewing Man. We brought over 100 gallons of outstanding homebrew in three 500-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.

A view of the city from above.

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, tons of beer, and the occasional 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…

Albino! and A Cavallo did an outstanding job, as did every dancer on the rig and on the ground!

2007’s big bang was the oil derrick at Crude Awakening. 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!

In 2008, our theme was The Beermerican Dream, from sea to shining sea. True to our beginnings, we served over 125 gallons of craft homebrew and occasional sightings of green beverages. But that was only part of the insanity.

One of our biggest camp efforts was The Crystal Cavern, a 40’ dome-bar-lounge filled with giant fluorescent crystals and incredibly comfortable pillows. We built and shipped a truckload of crystals—some over 18 feet in length— to the playa to create a tribute to the Naica crystal caverns. We had no idea how successful this space was to become—it operated as a chill space and, much to our surprise, a hotel.

Saturday, in the midst of the great dust storms, we hosted a Cave Man Dinner in the Cavern. Huge amounts of food and eight fresh apple pies disappeared in minutes.

Café Kona got its own 20’ dome and served a record amount of 100% fresh Kona coffee, chai, and tea.

We went over the top on vehicles. We launched our 22,000 pound (empty) Emerson aircraft loader, The Super Beer Garden. This transport, fitted with over 700 feet of EL-wire and lighting, a large sound system, and our traditional 500-pound beer service unit, could lift over 50 people 15 feet into the air.

She was used to, yet again, cater the CT-13 afterparty serving plenty of beer and, of course, Skip & Go Nakeds.

She wasn’t bad as a Burn viewing platform either, unless you were standing behind her...

The Super Beer Garden was joined by the Beer Garden Express, a comfortable street cruiser with yet another 500-pound beer service unit and lots of foliage.

The F-15 also returned this year, transformed after a lot of work into the flagship of the Black Rock Air Force. It is the fastest beer transport on the playa!

With the help of our resident artist Illustrator, we made some very cool SWAG to hand out.

The fun didn’t end on the playa. In 2008, we were invited to set up a mini-Cavern at the San Francisco Decompression party.

We also brought a mini-version of Café Kona as well at the Black Rock Air Force F-15, both being big crowd pleasers.

From SF Decom, we headed to Reno Decom. But we had one more event before the season was through. PartyRadar and Rooster asked Above The Limit to participate in the Burning Man Holiday Party @ BMHQ in San Francisco!!!

With silkscreens from Arun, a gifted artist from Portland, and with some of the smaller crystals, we helped decorate Burning Man HQ appropriately.

Eight of us were present to set up two bars—one for general service, and one dedicated to flaming drinks. The results were awesome, and the party was fun for everyone (leastwise the parts people can remember).