VALLEJO, Calif. -- A Bay Area resident returning home from Burning Man Sunday experienced an unusual turn of events in the past week.

"Burning Man was such an experience all around. A mixed bag," said Thien Crisanto, who is heading back to the Bay Area from her first trip to Burning Man.

Her boots are dusty. Dirt blankets her car and her beloved bike with lavender fur trim.

It was a wild ride for Crisanto and others.

They had to deal with Mother Nature's fierce dust storms, the massive crowds, and so much more.

"I ended up going in on Monday. I waited in a 7-hour line to get in. I made it in and then it rained as soon as I got there. My camp flooded," said Crisanto.

Crisanto says the music around the clock and the expansive displays were exceptional.

A former fashion designer, Cris

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