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So I'm not sure who the the geniuses were that went to the BLM visitor center over Thanksgiving weekend asking about the buggy roundup for info, but they have thrown a big wrench into the plans of this casual and fun group dune trip. BLM has contacted me to fill out a special recreation permit for this "event". It never was even considered an event, but because we advertised for it and people started asking questions it has thrown a red flag like it is big production. So now I must fill out special recreation permit application and hope they tell us we do not require a permit to go have fun in the sand as a group of friends. I am cooperating with BLM and will submit all the necessary paperwork and will keep you all in the loop. You've got no idea how upset I am with this whole situation. I will keep you all in the loop though. So if you are wondering why everything related to this trip got taken down from the site and our Facebook, that's why. We can't advertise for it. Regardless of what happens, I am duning that weekend.

what a bunch of bulls**t. I am hoping to go duning that weekend as well.

FOUND IT! Damn that was one beautiful car! Wish he hadn't needed to sell it!

My new ride is so much freakin fun, that I just never take the time out from driving it to take any photos. I was keeping up with the boys this weekend. It was awesome. I usually hide out in the back of the line, but this time, I had to move up a couple of spots. Mike and I arrived around 9:00 PM on Tuesday night and rolled into camp. Mike's birthday always falls during Thanksgiving weekend, this year it was Friday. So with the way things went on Vendor the last couple of years, We made the decision to call vending off for the weekend, so that he could enjoy his birthday and his son. We greatly apologize to everyone who contacted us, or stopped by our camp to see if we had any parts to save your weekend. We just didn't bring anything with us. We love to be there when you need us and to save your weekend, we know how it feels. Hopefully we'll see more support on President's Weekend. Halloween was great, and we appreciate the support. Anyhow.. on with the weekend report! We hung out as long as we could waiting for some late arrivals, but called it a night around midnight. The dogs woke us bright and early, 6:00 AM on Wednesday morning. Thank you dogs! Cause we were able to get up and make a quick breakfast of cereal. Since I was waiting for a ton of things I forgot, including eggs to make pancakes! Right after breakfast, no one was up or ready, so we were in the dunes by 7:30 AM! Just the two of us. Much easier for me to get the feel of the dunes the first ride out when it's just us. Mike, as always picked a nice fast line and I was holding in right behind him. Made our way from West to East, then took a break at the North Pole. As we made our way back towards camp, we ran into Joe Duner. So we chilled for a minute and then took back off on one of those awesome Joe Duner runs. Up over, around and back, he got me up into some of the taller stuff I usually avoid. Then we made our way back over toward camp. Where we stopped at a wheelie hill. Mike and Joe worked with me on learning how to wheelie the Maverick. I got a little baby two foot lift, man that feels weird. Then it was time for Mike and Joe to take over. As Joe and I are standing there watching Mike wheelie the Maverick, he says "so you seem to be feeling more comfortable in the big stuff, more stable, used to the feel of the transitions. I was going over some stuff I didn't know if you would go or not" Yeah I am definitely getting the feel of it, it's stable and I love it, best purchase I have ever made! I paid for that conversation later, on the next run! The very next ride out, it was myself, Mike, Jess and Daniel with Joe leading again. Another awesome run. Joe's runs are fun and technical. On the return ride from the North Pole, we started cruising up higher on the face dunes on the East side behind comp... I knew what was coming... Joe dropped me right into those big bowls way up at the top of the dunes. Never been up there, tried in the Ace once, was able to get into the first one, but couldn't transition into the second one with it. Made it through them all, but we lost Jess and Daniel, so we headed back out to find them, found them, Daniel had missed a shift, so he dropped back out and headed back to camp. More of our camp started to roll in so we hung out in camp until it was time for a group cocktail run. Thursday was stay in camp and visit, play some corn hole and cook Thanksgiving dinners, while the guys went on several runs. We had so much food for Thanksgiving! Everything was delish! We had turkey's cooked in various ways, infrared, charcoal grill and a couple of electric deep fryers. After dinner, myself and a couple other girls walked around the camp circle for half an hour. Friday was Mike's birthday and we planned to watch the water pumpers do the hill climb and then sped the day cruising the dunes as much as possible. Alternating dune cruises and corn hole games. With special birthday pork sliders and a HUGE cake, as there were 3 birthday's in camp. Saturday, Adam and I had made the plan to go to the Sub Group Meeting at 10:00 AM, so we were itching to go on a morning ride. We got a quick run in with some of our Utah crew that had joined us for the weekend. On the breakfast run the day before, I was behind one of the Utah boys and that dude roosted me on every transition. EFF that! I was getting in front of him for certain! So I hopped in line behind Adam with Mike leading. One of the guys was quite a bit slower, So it wasn't quite the fast sweeping Mike run that we are used to. But it was still fun and we moved at a pretty quick pace. When we took a break, and I over heard one of the Utah boys say, "WHAT?! that's a chick in the Can Am? Holy sh!t, she's good and fast!" I liked that! Then Adam and I looked at our watches and it was time to go to the Sub Group meeting. We arrived a bit early even and chatted with BLM for a bit. I have been to the meetings before, so I knew what to expect, but Adam had some questions. After the meeting it was back to camp for lunch then it was time to do a "Save the Date photo shoot" After that we tried to go on a couple of runs, but it seemed that fate was against us, as two times we had to turn around for vehicular issues. Then it was times for the cocktail run, so off a bunch of us went. It was a bit late, but there were so many people in the dunes, we had to weave and dodge several groups. (man I love me the off weekend dune runs) As we are sitting at the North Pole, White Rhino looks at me and says, is that a sand storm over by comp? OH SH*T! We gotta go! We made it maybe 2 minutes into the drag down the flats when it hit us. We all kept in line, as Paul tried to make his way back to camp. I have no radio, but I could just make out that we were passing comp and headed straight towards Baker. No way to tell anyone, so I stayed in the line, to keep us all together, visibility was about a 5. Paul was able to get us moving back towards the South Pole and back into the camp area. James was then able to take the lead and get us all back, safe and sound and full of sand with his GPS. Mad dash for the hauler. NO Mike. I guessed that he was in Brandon's hauler, since he was working on Brandon's rzr when we left. Sure enough. So mad dash back to our hauler, for left over turkey sammich makings and beers. Mad dash back. We had left over turkey sammiches and watched a move while the wind whipped and howled and tore its claws at the hauler with a vengeance. Some gusts made us brace ourselves for the tip over. It was relentless. Then the rain came in and it was over, just like that. Someone sparked up a fire. The chill was so bad, and our group was fairly big, so Adam staked the wood high to try to keep the warmth going. But there just wasn't enough room for everyone around the fire. We took turns standing near it and soon it was time to call it a night, shower then wind blown sand out of the hair and watch a movie. I nabbed a couple of bowls of Brice's yummy cobbler cooked in the dutch oven's that he got into the ground seconds before the storm hit. Up early again today to make use of that horrendous wind storm and laid down some fresh track on virgin smooth sand. Unheard of on a holiday Sunday! A rarity indeed! But with the dark clouds looming on the eastern horizon, we knew it wouldn't last long! Loaded up, good byes said and hop in the truck just as the next wave of wind and rain storm hit the camp area! It was a fantastic weekend in the sand. We had a couple of mishaps, but nothing too major and we all made it home. We were reminded of why we miss the holiday weekends on vendor row, the camp life and the company. But nothing beats the dunes on an off weekend! The only non-phone photos I took was at the water pumpers hill climb and the helicopter on Friday morning:

saw you on the night time jumps, pretty good air and crazy

thanks Jodi for getting me in the picture. even though it was a small turn out the meeting was kind of intimate and not a big gripe session. these are our dunes people, we need to get a better turn out the next meeting in March

Hope you had radios

Pat, yes Don and Ellen did clean the bathrooms as part of their pay and employment with the BLM. They have not been able to find anyone to do the host position so an outside contract was done. I see nothing wrong with that. Remember Don and Ellen were receiving about $800.00 each per month, living rent free and had their water and fuel supplied to them. They were warned about being BLM employees and accepting gratuities and after three written warnings it still didn't sink in so they were let go. Plain fact, they were an asset to the dunes but if your going to be employed by the federal government than you play by their rules.