Svengoolie

I did the online pass. It said I could get a regular pass from a ranger at Dumont. Not having a good feeling about this.

I'm a road worker here in Nevada (Clark County) I was going to visit that small road shop in Shoeshone to see what the plan was. Now I don't have to! That's some serious road damage. Not enough road crews to fix quickly. We are still repairing road damage in Las Vegas and I don't think we were hit as hard as California was hit.

This is the road damage by the Little Dunes. I think it's CA 127

From Pahrump, I went around 4 road closed barricades. At Shoeshone, the sign says road flooded 8 miles. It wasn't. The only road damage is a washed out section by the little dunes. Pavement damage is @ 9' by 24' which will need a few truck loads of dirt and a pavement patch. There's a thin layer of dirt in a couple places. Our NEW PAVED Dumont road held up a perfect 100%. No damage. The Concrete section where the Amargosa River crossing is held up surprisingly well. The dirt section could use a little clean up and the road past the pay station needs a little dirt work. All is passable right now with slow careful driving.

It was almost too easy. No surprises.

BLM has posted a press release on August 12th: THE BLM AND FHWA BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON DUMONT DUNES ROAD "The contractor for this project, Herback General Engineering, will begin surveying and staking activities on Dumont Dunes Road as early as next week. Construction activities include paving the existing gravel road with asphalt and extending and improving the water crossing at the Amargosa River." The whole press release: https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-and-fhwa-begin-construction-dumont-dunes-road

I work for Clark County and during mid summer paving projects we had to switch to nights. With 350°F asphalt radiating intense heat, a lot of our equipment would overheat during the heat of the day. We had good equipment, it's just more heat than the equipment was designed for. We would overheat too! People would drop! I'm guessing they are waiting for temps to moderate some. I'll check again next month. (Excuse to visit Dumont!)

No road work. I can tell it rained a lot. Mud washed over the road in a lot up places. The wash where some people camp is washed out. Big puddles in the road. The sand was really hard. My Jeep didn't sink in the sand. Mud washed over the entrance enough to bury the speed bumps. People can still drive in okay, it's just a bit rough.

I may take a ride out there tomorrow. When it's paved, I'll feel a little better when I clean the RV after sitting much of the summer. Not expecting it to be paved. Maybe I'll see some stakes or painted ground. Or SOMETHING.

I'll do another update around the 4th of July. Last time I was there mid-July it was over 120* I think once the road is paved, Dumont will become a summer tourist trap. Literally. People from Europe in a rental Hyundai headed to Death Valley will see the sand dunes, the paved road, will take a detour. "honey, this isn't that bed" as they drive across the firm ground. Then, the ground is NO longer firm. That Hyundai sedan will be buried. "Now what?"

Yesterday evening I took a drive. No road work yet. No stakes, no equipment hanging out. There was one small camp with tents and I pulled out a stuck pickup from Utah. They were VERY glad to see me! It was breezy and about 100°. I'll go back for an update next month so check back. For those headed out, the road is a bit rough so if you have your camper, take it easy.

I'm going to take a ride out there, not next weekend (going camping) but the next. I'll take pics and report what I see so check back. The road being paved is fine with me. Easier on the RV and trailer. Less dust in the air filter. Easier on the shocks and steering parts. As expensive as trucks and trailers are, anything we can do to extend the life... Be back in 2 weeks with a road report.

In addition to the washboards, that fine dust gets into our refrigerator and furnace vents. Also the slide mechanisms. Can't be good for those. We can choose to visit Dumont on off-weekends should the crowds go too large. Most of the time, Dumont is pretty empty. Overall, this is a good thing. We can wash our equipment knowing it's not all in vain. However: I think more unknowing people in rental cars that like to explore, will be stuck in the dunes, especially in the summer. They'll see those inviting dunes in the distance and a pretty road leading to them. "Lets go check that out" as they are following Google maps to Vegas in the summer.

I was out on Monday afternoon and the road wasn't bad. And whoever graded this week did a good job with the material they have to work with.