1st off....here we go again but I'll continue to defend the BLM regardless
2nd....welcome to the site :beer_bang:
3rd...The entrance road, over the last few months of this season (in my opinion), has been in "above satisfactory" condition. They laid down some recycled asphalt in the summer of 07 because it was available and actually CHEAPER than the type 2 gravel that had been laid down in the past. Maybe you went down on a weekend that was before they ran the blade down it. Who knows. Either way, that layer of recylced asphalt was a good base layer for the road in the future. I'm sure it wasn't any worse than year's past or even worse...back in the day when you had to almost 4 wheel it to get to Dumont. My point is that you are traveling over a hundred or two (or even more) miles to get to an OFFROAD desination....why do you care that you have to travel down a dirt road that may be a little rough more a measly 3 miles? To actually answer your question of "what are we paying for"...that would be for BLM presence, medical staff, and maintenance like restrooms and road grading on the holiday weekends. The whole BLM spenditure breakdown is actually on the BLM website. I have the link if you would like it. Sorry if I may sound bitter, its just that all these questions have been answered in the past on here. You just have to spend a little more time reading and you''ll get your answers. Oh and the extra fees are not for better facilities or improved road conditions, they were actually increased to make up for lost funding that the BLM isn't getting anymore. So if you break your neck on a dune ride and need medical assitance on a weekend, you might not care you paid an extra 10 or 20 dollars to get in. The BLM is, more than likely, going to have medical staff there for you to get you to get you you safety.