2016!
Despite overnight lows below freezing, duners still went out and celebrated the new year at Dumont. Everyone was bundled up in jackets and beenies but also managed to stay extra warm with some daytime campfires. This time of year also meant it was time for many to bring out their dried out Christmas trees and light em up in the fire. There wasn't much of a crowd, pretty common for this New Years, but the duners that were there took full advantage of the dunes. It became very choppy from the traffic and the dunes were were rarely empty. Buggies and bikes were seen duning all day and weekend. BLM reported no major incidents.
Join the forum discussion, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20516
Community submitted photos here, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?app=gallery&category=22
member submitted photos
Contact:
ATV Safety Institute
Media Relations
(949) 727- 3727, Ext. 3091
All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Training Available
at Dumont Dunes on December 31 and January 1, 2016
January 2, 2016 (if there are enough sign-ups)
Kids 6-17 are FREE
Adults Free with Purchase of Most New ATVs
Dec. 31, Jan 1-2, 2016 two half-day, hands-on ATV RiderCourseSM to learn the proper and safe use of all-terrain vehicles are being offered from 8 am – 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm –4:30 pm near the Dumont Dunes visitor center. The ATV RiderCourse is conducted by certified instructors from the nationally recognized ATV Safety Institute (ASI), which has been conducting these courses for more than 20 years.
Information about class location and availability can be found at www.atvsafety.org (click on “Online Enrollment”) or by calling (800) 887-2887. The ASI ATV RiderCourse is free for purchasers of most new ATVs and it is available to others for a reasonable fee.
Local ASI Instructors, John and Nicole Slapper said, “It’s critical that riders and non-riders alike understand the importance of the safe and responsible use of ATVs. Parental supervision is a key element to a child's safety and children under the age of 16 must be supervised at all times when operating an ATV. Parents literally hold the key to their children’s safety. Every ATV has an ignition key, and when a parent or guardian controls the key, they control the ATV’s use.”
The ATV RiderCourse offers training for youth aged 6-11 where a parent or guardian must be present or participate in the training, as well as training for teens and adults.
The course is conducted completely outdoors and students practice basic safety techniques with hands-on exercises covering starting and stopping, turning – both gradual and quick – negotiating hills, emergency stopping and swerving, and riding over obstacles. Particular emphasis is placed on the safety implications relating to each lesson.
The course also covers protective gear, environmental responsibility and state and local laws. The ATV Safety Institute also offers free interactive online courses for youth, teens and adults on its website in preparation for taking a hands-on ATV RiderCourse or as a refresher after they have taken a course.
The ATV Safety Institute's Golden Rules:
1.
Always wear a helmet and other protective gear.
2.
Never ride on public roads - another vehicle could hit you.
3.
Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
4.
Never carry a passenger on a single-rider vehicle.
5.
Ride an ATV that's right for your age.
6.
Supervise riders younger than 16; ATVs are not toys.
7.
Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.
8.
Take an ATV
RiderCourse
SM
; Call Toll-Free at (800) 887-2887, or go to
www.atvsafety.org.
The All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute
®
(ASI), a not-for-profit division of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
®
(SVIA), was formed in 1988 to implement an expanded national program of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety education and awareness. The ASI’s primary goal is to promote the safe and responsible use of ATVs, thereby reducing crashes and injuries that may result from improper ATV operation by the rider. For safety information or to enroll in the ATV
RiderCourse
SM
nearest you, visit www.atvsafety.org and click on “Online Enrollment” or call (800) 887-2887.
View or download this as a PDF File:
RiderCourse_Site_Awareness_News_Release.pdf
2016 is upon us! Ring in the new year in the sand. New Years weekend is never a big one, but it is a fun one. There is usually enough crowd for a fun party atmosphere, but not so crowded that you can't get some quality duning in. There have been some very strong consistent winds over the last week or two so the dunes should be in prime condition. So get out there and enjoy the dunes and celebrate the new year Dumont style. Go big and have fun. Just be safe and look out for each other while doing so.
Join the New Years conversation here, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20421
Almost 30 buggies made it out this year for our annual Buggy Roundup! The wind blew all weekend but the dunes were empty and we had the place all to ourselves. Some made it a 4 day weekend and some made it for the day on Saturday to get in on the fun. We had a handful of really great group dune rides and plenty of camp antics. Big bonfires, action packed games of flipcup, and a live streaming of UFC kept us all entertained at night. Thanks to everyone who made it out! Check out the pics and stories on the forum, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20475. If you were there, post up your stories and pics from the weekend and tell us how it was for you.
Dumont was noticeably less busy this year compared to Halloween and even Thanksgiving last year. The camp area seemed very empty, however the dunes always seemed to have duners having fun. Many camps still carried on their Thanksgiving Day traditions with a big sit-down turkey dinner and all the fixings. Temperatures were very low all weekend. It got into the 30's at night and the day time temps stayed in the 50's.
Thanksgiving Weekend has been big tradition for the Dunemasters and Sandpipers Club. They always have a HUGE camp between the last finger dune and the dunes. They are the "waterpumpers". For over 30 years, they have hosted their annual hill climbs and drag races at Dumont. Friday was the hill climbs at Comp Hill and Saturday
Friday night seemed to be the night for comp hill. There were 4-5 rows, lights, campfires, and some good buggy races like the old days. Saturday was less than half of Friday night probably because many people had left on Saturday to avoid the CA traffic driving home.
Vendor Row seemed very full of great vendors this year, but word has it their sales suffered greatly due to the lack of visitors. As loyal duners, we always try to stop over there and support the vendors. Even if you brought plenty of food, go grab a BBQ or ice cream and buy a t-shirt. If you like seeing the vendors out there, there is only one way to keep them coming out and that is to help them pay for their fees and gas to make it happen.
As far as accidents, there were some minor ones here and there but we didn't hear of anything major.
Forum discussion from the weekend here, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20447
Thanksgiving PHOTO gallery, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?app=gallery&category=20
On Monday, 11/23/15 at 5:54 PM, a fatal accident occurred on HWY127 about half way between Baker and Dumont Dunes involving an RV and a passenger car. According to preliminary reports when CHP arrived, one injured person and one deceased male had to be cut from the wreckage. No other injuries were reported. The accident is under investigation.
Forum discussion topic: http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20437
We are having our annual Buggy Roundup trip December 11-13th, 2015. If you've got a buggy and want to get together with other buggy people for a weekend of duning, this is the trip for you! We always have big, fun and friendly camp. Everyone is welcome to join us. Oh and if you have an ATC70, you speak our language so bring it! If you are interested, please RSVP on our forum and post up how many people you will be. Post up a pic of your buggy too if you want. Only friendly duners need apply. That is the only rule to get in on this trip. More details and discussion on the forum, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20413
Some pics from past years below...
It's that time of year already...Thanksgiving! Time to start prepping for one of the longest holiday weekends of the season at Dumont. Many duners camp out for the entire week of Thanksgiving while others still make it a 4 day weekend since Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. It's always a fairly crowded weekend, but we wouldn't describe it as a very busy one. Everyone seems to go out and camp more than dune. It's a time to gather friends and family and celebrate the holiday in typical Dumont style. Just because the dunes are out in the middle of nowhere, that doesn't mean they skimp on the cooking and festivities. They get creative. There's everything from deep friers to infrared cookers and some guys do it the old fashion way- buried in the ground dutch oven style.
Even though there's an abundance of turkey dinners and dune naps, there's still plenty of excitement. In addition to the best duning on Earth, the Dune Masters always make their way out to Dumont. What are the Dune Masters? They are the group that hosts the annual hill climbs on Comp Hill with their legendary "waterpumpers". What a waterpumper? Well back in the day everything used to be air-cooled. When these machines were built for steep hill climbing they typically used big V8 engines which were, of course, water-cooled. The Hill Climbs are different than most races though. The guy who takes the most time to reach the top of the hill is the winner. It's a tricky art than only these machines can seem to conquer. Some of them even have two sets of paddles on the rear. It's a tradition that has been going on for over 35 years at Dumont and worth a watch.
It's going to be a great weekend. Join the community discussion: http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20379
Well another Halloween weekend is in the books. This year's attendance was up and the camp was even fuller than last year. Despite the large crowds, there were no major accidents reported other than some non-life threatening injury type accidents. It seems everyone was looking out for one another and that's great!
Friday brought in some nasty winds but eventually died down around 4 pm allowing for everyone to finally get out of camp and go enjoy the sand. The dunes got a little grooming from all the wind too which was good because there was some recent rain over the last week causing some funky sand in some spots. Saturday was some very nice weather other than it being a little warm (mid 80's). The wind stayed away for the rest of the weekend though.
Saturday night was the big night, Halloween! As a group of us sat and watched the sun go down you could see the flow of traffic going from comp to camp. Everyone was wrapping it up and going back to camp for dinner and then of course...trick-or-treating time! The kids were out in full force. Vendor row gave out candy as well as most camps who came prepared. The trick-or-treat mobiles were very impressive this year. Trailers covered in decorations, usually fake body parts and other scary stuff, were pulled into camps to show off their Halloween spirit and bring the kids in. Trick-or-treating is always such a great way for the dune community to have fun together. It's always a very positive and happy vibe.
Comp Hill was pretty full Friday night, but nothing like Saturday. It seems everyone was saving it up for the big night. Duners in costumes, hundreds of lighten whips, the famous McFlurry, decorated buggies...you name it and it was there. Halloween was very alive at Dumont. As technology advances, it's crazy to see the changes that take place at the dunes over the years. Many people are familiar with the quadcopters and drones. Well this year there was a floating Grim Reaper putting the scare on everyone thanks to a very skilled drone operator. He had it attached to the drone and would fly him all over the rows of duners taking everyone by surprise. And of course let's not forget the Flintstones. These friends of ours killed it with their costume setup. Oh and if that wasn't enough, the same group as the drone guy dragged a lighted coffin lit up in LEDs up and down the rows of comp.
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