First attempt at star photography

I'm heading out tomorrow to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, a popular dark sky area to try to get my first shots of the Milky Way.

I know the basics behind night photography, but I want to attempt as many different styles/techniques as possible because I don't know when I'll get another chance at this.

Are there any specific techniques you recommend or are your favorite, that I might not know about? (ie: "Go for circular star trails", or "bring a flashlight for light painting")

I'll have:

* Nikon crop sensor dslr * Rokinon 14mm 2.8 * tripod * flashlight * beers * (hopefully) patient friends

Update: [This](http://imgur.com/ZdfoGj6) is how it turned out!