Saturday Nov 8th marked the date of the 1st annual Dumont Dunes Poker Run presented by Friends of Dumont Dunes and DDR! The main objective of the run was to raise awareness of the critical areas at Dumont where the Fringe Toed Lizard lives. Fives checkpoints were places in strategic locations of concern.

Registration started at 9 AM. The first 10-20 minutes seemed as though it was going to be a bust, but then it happened...duners from all over the place started flocking to sign up and register. A huge line was formed. Poker hands were sold for $20 each or 5 for $50. The run began at 10 AM.

The first checkpoint was the registration booth which explained what the run was about and how it worked. Second was the ranger station which was to show the importance of the out of bounds areas in and around Sperry Wash. Third was out to the north end of the dunes along the old railroad berm. This checkpoint was probably the most important area of concern due to it being in the spot where the lizards are most populated. BLM staff explained the importance of being careful in this area and even had pictures and literature on hand for riders. Duners then drew their cards, got their poker run cards punched and on were on their way to the next stop...North Pole.

North Pole was considered the "DDR checkpoint". This is where duners stopped for a water and shade break and heard of the importance of staying out of the Kingston Wilderness area. Trails leading out into the desert out there are not open for OHV travel  should not be ridden on. It is prohibited. To make the checkpoint that much more worth stopping, DDR staff gave out tons of free DDR stickers to those who were there.

Next came the final checkpoint, the south end. This checkpoint had a couple areas of importance. One was to let everyone know of the Salt Creek Hills which is further south of Big Dumont. That area is closed due to archeological preservation reasons. The second reason for this stop was to also let everyone know that the fringe toed lizard can be found in and around the brush near the rocky sand hills in the south end of the dunes. Be extra careful when riding out there and stay away from these areas.

Finally after everyone had a full hand of poker and their cards were complete, they all met back at the main checkpoint/ registration booth to see whose hand was best. The winner had a flush, second also had a flush, and third was a straight. First and third best hands ended up being the same guy! Lucky man at poker he was!

Thanks to Performance Rhino out of Las Vegas, additional bonus raffles were added for some more prizes. There was complete set of Dune Stars mounted on ITP wheels that were given away. Next was a set of Polaris RZR skid plates that were raffled off. Then some lighted whips and many more goodies such as Sandcrazd shirts were given out.

After the poker run, everyone had about an hour to rest up and then meet up out at the south pole for the DDR meet & greet. Most went on a dune run to finish off the day with the sun going down.

Sunday brought in some rain, but it didn't stop some of us from riding. As some were scattering to leave, others were feverishly putting on their riding gear to take advantage of the extremely easy to read dunes and traction created by the Mojave desert's rain. A few hours later the clouds broke apart and the sun busted through making for a very relaxing afternoon and sunset.

Overall the weekend was a great turnout and we really look forward to a 2nd annual Poker Run next year! Much thanks to everyone who came out and supported this event. 371 poker hands were sold and all proceeds went directly to the organization that fights to protect our riding area, Friends of Dumont Dunes. The Dumont community's involvement in events such as the poker run is always tremendous. It really shows how much the duners of Dumont care about their riding area and how much it is a part of their lives. This isn't just a hobby for most, it is a lifestyle!    

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