We arrived at Dumont just after 5 am and it was a gorgeous 80 degrees. There were 4 buggies and 4 side x sides that made it out. As we unloaded we noticed a young man walking towards us from the south end of the cam area. He was out there alone sandboarding since 6PM the night before and was stuck in Hyundai Santa Fe. One of the guys lent him a hand and pulled him out with a truck. The wind blew nice and steady all morning and kept things cool. The dunes were super soft and sharp as expected for June. We were the only ones there except for one truck that came in for about an hour with one 4 seat Can Am Maverick. They went off and duned by themselves for about an hour; not something we'd recommend doing alone this time of year. We waited to make sure they made it back ok before we pulled out. We ended up staying there until about 11:30 am but at that hour the wind subsided some and it got hot really quick! It was 110° when we left. Overall it was a great day in the dunes with no mishaps and a great group of duners. We'll probably do another one this summer so stay posted here on DDR.
more photos here, http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20184
It's hot but we don't care. A group of us are heading out and planning on getting to Dumont at sunrise on Sunday 6/14/2015. Experienced duners are welcome to join us. Conditions are always sketchy in the summertime so we always take it easy and roll together in a group. We usually dune for about 4 hours and then pack it up and get out of there before the 100+ temps roll in. If you are interested, we'll be meeting across from bathroom 10 at about 5:20-5:30. The sun comes up rather quickly so we always get to duning right away. Be sure you're ready. Summer is one of the best times to experience Dumont. The sand is never this smooth and steep during the season.
Forum discussion is here so if you are in or have any questions, hit us up.
http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20168&p=251478
The weekend of April 25-26 brought even more wind to Dumont as well as some showers. There were only a few camps out there and the dunes were super smooth. On Saturday a brand new Artic Cat with only 10 hours on it broke a belt in the middle of a bowl and required a tow. He was pulled out thanks to the helping hand of DDR member, dentboy. The wind whipped insanely hard all weekend but the dune gods were nice enough to calm things down and the rain subsided just before sunset on Saturday. It was sketchy weather all weekend but even fair weather at the dunes is still a dune trip and that's better than being at work.
Every spring the weather is all over the place and temperatures fluctuate from hot to cool. This weekend is looking like it may be one of the last cool weekends before the summer heat sets in. The forecast is calling for a high of 76 on Saturday and 80 on Sunday. There will be a little wind however. If you can handle 21-25 mph, the dunes will be baby smooth. A few duners are talking about going out on the forum so chime in if you think you can join in. There are a few things to keep in mind when heading out around this time of year. Due to less traffic and high winds, the dunes are starting to change and form "witches eyes" and steep drop offs. Also, don't forget you are in a very remote part of the desert. If you require assistance or medical attention, the response time is usually 45 minutes to an hour so take extra caution. Always bring plenty of water and never go duning alone. Dune smart!
Happy Easter, everybody! Easter weekend has never been big holiday weekend, however some still make it an official last trip of the season. The warmer weather usually keeps duners from going out this late in the season since it starts getting pretty warm this time of year. The one thing you can count on is virgin, smooth sand though. With less people going out, there's not as many tracks to rut the place up. We heard from some duners who went out and they mentioned it was very nice out there, just a little warm during the middle of the day. There was a good amount of activity on Saturday which means maybe a bunch of day trippers. The season may be coming to a close, but the triple digits haven't hit yet! Time to squeeze in some quick day trips.
photos courtesy of matt94302
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's department, on Thursday March 19th at 8:23 AM a 39 year old man was found deceased along highway 127 near the Little Dunes with upper body trauma. They are treating it as a homicide and is still under investigation.
Below is the info from the Sherrif's department.
The Dumont Dunes Cleanup has always been a rather large event over the years. It has included lunch, a raffle, and many large companies sponsoring the event. Due to the recession a few years ago, Dumont attendance just isn't what it used to be, therefore the interest and groups of duners going out are much smaller these days. Events like the cleanup rely heavily on dedicated duners and the BLM to keep them going every year. A cleanup doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun to most duners, but there's more to it than that. Those who love Dumont want to keep it a place like home and everyone wants a clean home. Most dedicated duners would cringe at the sight of trash left behind and usually stop to pick it up. The cleanup gives the community an opportunity to give back at the end of the season. It's a grassroots, volunteer effort that represents how much we care about our dunes.
This year the crowd was much smaller. There was no raffle, hot dogs or big party atmosphere. Instead there were hard working duners and BLM staff out there picking up any trash they could find. In the end, Dumont became a much cleaner place. GTP Offorad was among the volunteers and they spoke in depth with Katrina, the head of the BLM, about making some changes to make the cleanup an even better turnout, sort of like the old days. Next year they have plans to help sponsor the event and also bump the date up to a cooler weekend where it doesn't interfere with other events such as the Mint 400 in NV. GTP Offroad are some of the most dedicated duners we know and are always looking to give back to the community. We hope that together we can bring the cleanup event back up to what it used to be.
The cleanup was still a great success and we thank the efforts of each and every duner and BLM staff that came out to help.
Forum discussion: http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/index.php?showtopic=20033
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