I've vaguely heard of the Black Rock Desert before, because I've thought of deserts to visit. I never chose that one, though. Doing another desert trip this year, and looking at that one again. Can you sway me in that direction?
The Black Rock Desert is in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin and has a dry lakebed. It is also where burning man is held.
Right, I thought Burning Man was held there! I knew I was right. So, could you tell me more about Burning Man? What's so interesting about it?
THe Burning Man event is typically described as an experiment in community and art. It is run by adhering to 10 main principles including leaving no trace after they leave.
I see... that does sound a little interesting. Where did it start, or who started it and why? 
The first one was actually held in 1986 on Bakers Beach in San Francisco. And was started as a gathering of friends.
That seems kind of random. Well, back to the Black Rock Desert, what else could you tell me that would draw me there? Anything about the natural life there that seems compelling?
Black Rock Desert
The Black Rock Desert is a semi-arid region "(in the Great Basin shrub steppe eco-region)", of lava beds and playa, or alkali flats, situated in the Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a silt playa north of Reno, Nevada that encompasses more than of land and contains more than of historic trails. It is in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin with a lakebed that is a dry remnant of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan.
Creek Desert and Black Rock Desert are located in the northwest, while other deserts include the Y P Desert, Tule Desert, Forty Mile Desert, Owyhee Desert and the Amargosa Desert. Nevada is located within the Nearctic faunistic realm in a region containing an assemblage of species similar to Northern Africa .
Animals in Nevada include for instance scorpions, mountain lions, snakes, lizards, spiders, wolves, coyotes, foxes, ground squirrels, rabbits, falcons, ravens, desert tortoise, hawks, eagles, bobcats, sheep,