Many duners have been anxiously awaiting to hear news that the Dumont cell tower is up and running. Although early reports stated it would be completed in November 2018, that was not the case. Towards the end of the 18/19 season we saw that the service access road was completed, but that was all. Then in March, we saw they were pouring concrete at the top of the hill and that was an exciting and big step towards more progress.
It is now May and we recently received word that the tower has been placed on the hill south of the camp area at the big dunes/ memorial hill area. The tower was installed using a crawler crane. Originally they were going to use a helicopter, but that would have involved additional permits which caused more problems and delays.
High speed coverage for all should be available by Fall of 2019!
Tom Gammon, president and founder of InterConnecting Wireless, advised us a perimeter fence goes in sometime in June. Phone carriers will soon thereafter start installing their equipment for the cell tower to be functional. AT&T is looking to start their full equipment install or deployment in July. This takes 90 to 120 days until phones work or all is fully completed. Verizon should be installing everything this fall and T-Mobile is in the process of working on doing the same. All 4 carriers will provide service as Sprint “roams” on Verizon and T-Mobile does that on AT&T!
September 2019 Update
Latest update: As we already know, the tower is fully constructed and ready for the carriers to install their equipment. Both Verizon and AT&T have signed leases and are deployed right now. The cell tower project manager cannot predict "on air" dates, but he is very optimistic for service to be up and running by Thanksgiving. Let's hope it all gets done earlier than that so we can see it functional for Halloween weekend. Fingers crossed.
Related: Cell Tower Construction Updates, https://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/news/cell-tower-construction-updates-r163/
As another season comes to a close, volunteers joined forces with the BLM to make Dumont a cleaner place. Friends of Dumont Dunes president, Jason Ardenski, recently injured his knee and was unable to put in his usual hard work and amazing efforts. It was looking like the cleanup event might not even happen this year until a few key people stepped in. FoDD Vice president, Heather N Siders, and Jimmy Lynn of Lynn Construction catered lunch for everyone who came out. The Barstow BLM made sure there was a large dumpster as well as trash bags, gloves, and the usual items needed to clean up. 130 volunteers signed up to help clean up the dunes. While the dunes seemed to be a bit cleaner this year, some of the camps and high traffic areas became much less littered with debris and a good haul of trash was brought in. A huge thank you goes out to everyone involved this year.
On March 12th, 2019, President Trump signed a bill that protects OHV users and ensures that Johnson Valley, Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes, and Stoddard Valley OHV areas can not be shut down by a future administration. This is great news for every OHV user of Dumont, especially those younger and future generations.
"The California Desert Protection and Recreation Act is the culmination of over five years of work in Congress by Rep. Cook, as well as over a decade of work by supporters on the ground. This landmark legislation creates the first national system of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation areas and designates or expands six Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Areas in the California desert. These are Johnson Valley, Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes, and Stoddard Valley. " Read More
At the end of every dune season, the Friends of Dumont Dunes and Barstow BLM hosts a cleanup event for Dumont Dunes. It's a tradition that has been going on for 17 years now. If you enjoy the dunes and would like to help us clean up the dunes or camp area of Dumont, come join us on Saturday morning for a few hours. Volunteers will get free entry to Dumont on March 15-17. Lunch will also be served!
When: Saturday March 16th, Check in starts at 8:00 AM
Where: At the Dumont visitor center/ ranger station area
Info from Friends of Dumont Dunes...
*** UPDATE ***
RE: Dumont Dunes Clean-up March, 16th 2019
As some of you already know, I suffered a pretty bad knee injury two weeks ago. I will heal but unfortunately I am unable to walk, let alone drive for the next 4-6 weeks at best.
Unable to put on the clean-up as I have in the past I proposed a few workarounds to the amazing staff at the BLM Barstow Field Office immediately following my injury. I have received word today that the BLM in conjunction with some FoDD board members and some great friends will be teaming up and taking on the role and ensuring that the clean-up will take place in my absence.
The food menu will be changed to a simpler hot dog/chili dog/nachos/chips/water configuration and their will not be a quick draw this year.
I apologize for the inconvenience, however, I would like for you and your family/group to continue to join in the mission of participating in the clean-up, making it a great time and enjoying doing the right thing for the place we all love.
I will make sure that next year's clean-up will be the biggest and best yet to make up for this last minute change.
Thank you for your time and support! I'll see all of you in October at the Trunk or Treat Season Opener!
Jason Ardenski
President
Friends of Dumont Dunes
The Las Vegas Jeep Club will be hosting their 47th annual Jeep Jamboree over President's Day Weekend at Dumont Dunes. The hill climbs will be on Saturday followed by the traditional 300' sand drag event on Sunday.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year. This year it is on the 21st. MLK Weekend is never very busy. It is actually quite peaceful and most look at it as a "duners holiday weekend". It's a chance to escape the crowds and get some quality duning in without the added stress of traffic in the dunes.
UPDATE: The Banshee Wars and Four Stroke Wars have been cancelled due to the government shutdown. There isn't enough BLM staff to oversee the event.
A few things to keep in mind for MLK weekend 2019
Holiday Pass required: MLK Weekend is designated a holiday weekend by the BLM meaning a holiday pass is required. The holiday pass dates for MLK are as follows: Jan 15 thru Jan 21, 2019
Government Shutdown: Please not that if there is still a government shutdown, there will be no staff to clean the restrooms or restocking of TP, so make sure you bring your own. Please remember to always practice "pack it in/ pack it out" and haul your trash out. There will also be no fire or medical staff on site. Use 911 for emergencies.
Another year has passed and it's time to say goodbye to 2018. New Years Eve is on Monday night this year so make it a long weekend and ring in the new year in the sand at Dumont Dunes. Many people choose to spend the weekend out there, however it's not quite as busy as weekends like Halloween, Thanksgiving or President's Day. No matter how busy it is, always stay alert of other duners and never drink and dune. Always wear your safety equipment and come home in one piece.
A couple things to remember for New Years Weekend
holiday passes are required
Don't get caught with fireworks. You will be ticketed and they will be confiscated. If you still do light off fireworks, at least clean up the debris when done.
Keep dogs on leashes. Fireworks often scare them away and they go missing.
New Year's weekend is one of the coldest weekends out there so stock up on firewood and propane.
Government Shutdown: Dumont Dunes will remain open during the government shutdown; however, the restrooms will not be cleaned. Additionally, BLM Law Enforcement Rangers will be working during the shutdown for public safety. There will be no medical or fire personnel on site. Use 911 for emergencies.
New Years at Dumont is a great party and there's no better place to be when the ball drops. Have a fun and safe weekend if you are headed out!
Calling all sandcars! Come join us at Dumont Dunes for our 6th Annual Buggy Roundup. This is a group trip for all the sandrail members of DDR. We'll be camped as a group across from bathroom 10, just off the right side of the entrance road. This trip gives the buggy owners of Dumont a chance to meet each other and run the dunes together for a full weekend without the crowds. So don't be a stranger. Every year we have new people join the camp and end up leaving as friends.
There is no set schedule of events, but Saturday will likely go something like this...
8:00 AM-?: SandCars and Coffee- Pull your car into the center of camp, bring your coffee and let's say good morning and arrange a morning ride.
Saturday Afternoon: The rest of the day will be dune runs, hangout, maybe bust out Ben's scales and weigh a few buggies, more dune runs, probably a group photo, some more dune runs, and it seems every year a couple guys always participate in their own impromptu huckfest when we stop at the jump back behind comp hill.
Saturday night: We'll have carne and pollo asada tacos for everyone in camp, enjoy some campfire and talk some smack. Chad, aka dentboy, may put his projector up for some nightime movies, UFC, or something entertaining. There may even be some games of flipcup!
As you see it's very laid back and we don't put any expectations or schedules on the weekend. Afterall it's the dunes. Let's go have some fun.
Want in? Here's what you need to do.
1) log in and RSVP on the event page by clicking GOING...
2) Post up on the forum topic that your coming.
Add a pic of your car and rig so we know who ya are. (optional)
3) Pull up and park with the group.
You know how that works. "Hey man, cool if I park here?" Let's see what kind up messed up circle we can create this year!
FAQs
I don't have a sandcar. I have a sxs/bike/quad. Can I come anyways? Of course. We love meeting and hanging out with all our friends from DDR. We only ask that everyone respect that this is an annual trip focused on the buggies of Dumont and that you please stay behind the cars on the dune runs. Different machines don't mix well when it comes to high horsepower machines. Also, if and when we do a group buggy pic, it's just for the buggies please.
Do I need to contribute anything for taco night? No. That is something we do to say thanks for coming out. If you have a side dish or something that goes well with tacos, feel free to bring it. It's definitely not necessary though. We usually have a good spread.
I want to go but I don't know anyone. That's perfect. Come out and make some new friends. Introduce yourself. Everyone that comes out each year is super cool.
Do you guys run the dunes on Sunday too? Yes! Although some only make a day trip on Saturday or pack it up and leave first thing Sunday morning, many of us are there until late in the day on Sunday.
How early can I go out? Will there be anyone there on Wed or Thurs? I (Pete) will be out there Thursday night sometime. There may be others going out earlier and grabbing the spot before me. The best way to find out and coordinate that is on the forum topic. Post up and we'll chat about it.
So don't forget to RSVP! We need to know you are coming. Hope to see you all there!
According to a CHP news release, around 1:00 AM on Tuesday morning, two men from Sacramento were traveling up a dune south of Banshee Hill when the vehicle "rapidly approached the top of the sand dune and became airborne. When the Polaris landed on the back side of the sand dune, it began to overturn." The driver, 44 years old, was air-lifted with neck injuries while the passenger, a 40-year-old, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
CHP believes alcohol was involved and the incident is under investigation.
A second RZR accident resulted in another fatality late Wed night/ early Thursday morning...
Can you believe the holidays are almost here? That means Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It is a week-long dune trip for some groups when friends and families gather at the dunes to prepare their annual feasts. This is also the weekend where you can catch the waterpumpers!
What is a waterpumper?
A waterpumper is a water-cooled, V8 powered buggy, typically front engine design and with massive or multiple paddle tires. Back in the 60's and 70's, the only buggies you would see at the dunes were cars that were powered by air-cooled engines, typically Volkswagens and Corvairs. When the Dune Masters formed in 1968, they were putting together V8 powered buggies originally built from cut-down car frames. Back then, water-cooled engines were new to the scene. They soon took on the name, "waterpumpers".
The Dunemasters and Sandpipers Group will be meeting there for their 50th year of Thanksgiving at Dumont Dunes! Most of their group will have families with 3 and 4 generations.
photo courtesy of Dunemasters & Sandpipers
Catch the waterpumpers in action as they compete in their annual hill climbs and drag races.
Schedule
Friday 10 AM at Comp Hill: Hill Climbs
Saturday 10 AM: Drag Races along the backstretch towards North Pole.
The late Milt Clements completing at the Dune Masters’ 1970 Thanksgiving Hill Climbs at Dumont Dunes.
Photo courtesy of Bill LeFever
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