SailAway

So much for the SURPRISE announcement! :blush: This has been a HOT topic for so long. Cost has always been a prohibitive factor, and controlling speed after paving the road was a concern. However, with cost being less prohibitive, the pros do outweigh the cons. Will speed be an issue? Yes... but relatively speaking, a speeder on that road will not shut the road down. A dust problem, on the other hand, could easily shut it down. Unfortunately, the anti-access crazies are using environmental protection agency regulations to shut down riding areas now and finding it's a pretty easy thing to do. Our biggest dust problem at Dumont has always been that access road and no matter how many different substances the BLM tried, a solution just couldn't be found. This semi-pavement is an excellent alternative and came to us at a substantial savings. So now that's TWO improvement projects for Dumont... the entrance road and the river crossing. wooooo hooooo! Vicki

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm being too critical. I know they actually did three interviews... the one they picked, another one moments before that one and the one they did at the end of the cleanup. Of the three, I thought the one at the end would give the audience a better idea of just who and what Friends of Dumont Dunes is. But... I can see that the one they chose gives it a more "festive" feel which probably fits closer to their programming. There's a "blog" too... let me see if I can find that link... Vicki

Okay, the link is up... http://www.atyourleisure.info/episodes.asp...&category=1 Take a look an tell me what you think. Vicki

Yes they did! But others should have been mentioned as well and I'm working on getting that fixed. You know reporters... selective hearing. I just got word that the link to the actual show will be up by tomorrow afternoon. Vicki

The weekly TV show, At Your Leisure (www.atyourleisure.info), was on hand during the cleanup filming the event. The show aired last night and there's a brief write-up on it already. The video of the program itself won't be available for a couple of days. They don't usually provide a link to the video but because Dumont Dunes attracts people from all over, they're going to do it for us. Here's the link to the wrap-up: http://www.atyourleisure.info/episodes.asp...&category=1 Vicki

Congratulations Mike... so very glad you agreed to jump on in. Yep. We talked about you helping with memberships and I forgot to ask you which database software programs you're familiar with! That day was already so filled up with everything, I'm surprised I haven't forgotten more! We'll talk more soon... still getting my feet back under me from the weekend. Vicki

I guess we just need to hope they don't use the California OHMVR program as their example, right? I support registering the vehicles for recovery of stolen vehicles and maybe as a way of tracking off-road vehicle numbers (as proof that we need more open areas). I'm not so sure I support registering the vehicles as a funding method. So, if I was going to write a letter of support (assuming they'd listen to someone from California), I would probably have to amend that letter to suit my needs. I'll have to take a close look at that Bill... be back in a bit... Vicki

This is a hot subject for many people, including me. There are going to be harsh words and dissenting opinions. Getting through all that and still working together on the problem is what's important and that's what we're doing here. I do not advocate new laws where there existing laws to cover the violation, but I do advocate stricter enforcement when the safety and welfare of the duning community is at stake. Let's talk about parental responsibility for a moment... There just so happens to be new legislation passed last year (AB 2755) which allows law enforcement to cite the parents instead of just citing the minors... BUT... None of that does any good without enforcement. And I'm telling you here and now, unless those injuries are greatly reduced, we will ALL lose. We already have the Consumer Product Safety Commission seriously considering outlawing use of ATVs by people under the age of 16 (remember, the CPSC shut down the manufacture of 3-wheelers in the US). Is that where we want this to go? As Sandemon said... if we don't help come up with a solution, we leave it to the imagination of legislators who do not have their hearts in our community. We have an opportunity to shape our future instead of allowing it to be decided for us. We don't want children under 16 banned from side-by-sides or any off-road vehicle. If anyone stands with us on this, now's the time to help come up with a better solution. Vicki

I haven't personally seen these vehicles at Dumont but I've seen similar ones at Glamis. We can certainly ask about this at the next TRT meeting. Please keep in mind when talking about rangers and rigs and law enforcement officers that there are several branches of civil servants at Dumont during the holiday weekends... I'd rather not pass harsh judgment on our Barstow reps without knowing for certain that they weren't San Bernardino Sheriff or US Forest Service trucks or where the money to pay for them came from. I will say this... I haven't ever worried about "squandered" money at the Barstow BLM, but I will guarantee that if that is what's happening, we will clamp down. Vicki

In reading through this it looks like everyone is pretty much on the same page on most of the solutions... Parents need to supervise. Seatbelts should be worn. Helmets? That would appear to be a personal choice in buggies and rhinos. I know Bryan has started wearing his helmet when taking the buggy out for "big boy rides" and I love him for it. When he has me in the car we are just cruising and none of us wear them. We have friends who REALLY dune their rhinos and they wear helmets when they do. We have other friends who have rolled at least once and still they don't wear theirs. All of these decisions have been made by adults. The child bouncing around in the bed of the rhino is not an adult. The little girl riding daddy's rhino who cannot see over the steering wheel is not an adult. The baby on the lap of the adult in the passenger seat as they are flying through the whoops is not an adult. It is the injuries to these non-adults that we need to consider now. If it's a matter of lack of enforcement... what do we want to do about it? Vicki

Yeah, he was just being funny. He was laughing as he told me that when it got over a hundred "I was like 'just throw them in, it's all over anyway!'" and then he logged them in anyway. No bags were missed. Vicki

We need some input with a “multi-passenger vehicle” issue. For a while now we’ve been hearing some grumbling about the safety problems with the side-by-sides. There are even some pro-access leaders calling for greater restrictions because of the increased injuries for children. I have to say, this is an issue that is really a hot one from low to top level. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is already considering a petition that would ban kids under the age of 16 from using an OHV (more in that in another topic) and I have no doubt the rise in side-by-side related injuries will be put on their radar screen very soon. The fact is, unfortunately, there have been more injuries to children. BUT the increase has not come from kids who are using the vehicles properly. Virtually every major incident has involved a child that is riding improperly in the truck bed of the rhino. Just last year a young girl lost her arm in such an accident when the rhino she was riding in, unseated and unbelted, rolled over and trapped her arm. This was a child, a person who, unlike the willing adults who choose an inherently dangerous sport and recognize the possibility of injury, was not capable of making that decision. Her life, her future, her career... all of that will be forever altered because she was out having fun and unaware of the danger. The saddest part is, this was just a sample of one injury... there have been more and more this season and with the increased popularity of the rhinos, unless something is figured out soon, we will see more and more next season. This problem doesn’t just affect the injured children and their families... the ripples reach far and wide, even as far as the law enforcement, who will have a tendency to look at all side-by-sides as dangerous toys just because they’ve pulled too many injured kids from them. The solution would seem to be simple... require the kids to be seated and belted. But there is no such law for the side-by-sides. So now what? That’s why I’m posting this. I know there’s enough brain power (I verified that this weekend) to figure this out. How do we stop this dangerous trend? Vicki

There's no "designated" forum over on GlamisDunes.com for Dumont (yet?) but I wanted those people over there to see what a duning community is capable of so I posted this under General Chat...

I don't use notes when I'm speaking to groups of people because I get so nervous that the paper practically shakes itself out of my hands. But I should have used them on Saturday because without them I forgot something very important. Andy, our dedicated cleanup cook, has an awesome crew and once again they did a terrific job. I heard many comments about how quickly the line moved this year and how good the food was and I most humbly apologize for not expressing our gratitude during the cleanup. ANDY -- our heartfelt thanks for doing what you do, in the heat and the dust and the rush. Please pass on our thanks to your crew! Vicki

That was an amazing thing... I'm still awed by the generosity and my face still turns red when I think of it. Really floored me. Vicki

The letter of the law and the intent of the law gets all mixed up a lot. The intent of the law is to keep passengers safe... two adults riding on a quad meant only for one person can be disastrous in some circumstances. Unfortunately, the letter of the law means everyone gets caught in the net, including small children just learning the feel of riding before trying it for themselves. Vehicles designed for two passengers are not inside that net. Vicki

The registration/t-shirt crew ROCKED!!! With that kind of help my job was a breeze. Thank you, one and all, for making this year's cleanup the best one yet. Vicki

Thank you Pete, for the nice words and thank you everyone for all the wonderful help to make this a record-breaking cleanup! It was a great time, and would not have come off nearly as well without all the excellent help we had. Speaking of help... I need to hear from the ladies who saved my backside by running the registration and t-shirt booth like professionals. We need to get names and addresses of the hands-on volunteers to keep the paperwork in order. Please, all my life-savers, please send me an email or a PM. Vicki

Okay, I found the tickets and counted out 120 so the roll is ready for Saturday. :mc_smiley: Vicki

Pete's right. SU participates in a yearly poker run and it happens to fall on "our" weekend this year. We were going to give new sponsors a chance for this level of participation anyway so it would have worked out dandy if the ones who stepped up hadn't completely backed out. Vicki

Thanks for posting this Pete. Yeah, we sure could use some shade. Last year Suspensions Unlimited brought their beautiful rig with that nice, big canopy and we got spoiled. This year we had a similar setup arranged but the sponsor called last week to say they just won't have the equipment ready, leaving us scrambling for a replacement. Oh well, with or without canopies, the cleanup is going to be a great time! An umbrella hat huh... not a bad idea... no cameras please. Vicki

I don't know about overall attendance, but I can say that the cleanup attendance has been growing every year. I personally believe our estimate of 1000 people for this year will turn out to be low. Vicki

To quote Ynot on more than one occasion... let's stick with the KISS principle and Keep It Simple Silly. When you register for the cleanup let the cleanup volunteer know you're with a group... there will be a clipboard handy for tracking purposes. As you turn in a bag of trash, let whoever is manning the dumpsters know that you're with a particular group (the dumpster volunteer will have an index card for each group). We'll have separate piles for each group and your bag will go in that pile and you'll be given a raffle ticket and a mark will be made on the index card for your group. If we do it right, counting tickets won't be necessary and everyone will be able to enjoy lunch and the raffle. Vicki

I just want to say... We really appreciate the enthusiasm we are seeing for this cleanup, not just here and on other Dumont-related message boards, but in everyone we talk to. The focus of the day is keeping Dumont open... through volunteer cleanup efforts, educating each other, and showing what a strong community we are. It's all about duning and Dumont, so this is not a race where there is one winner. Dumont wins and the duners win and the BLM wins, whether it's 15 or 1500 bags of trash. This will be a GREAT day! Vicki

Ah, so many little details to work out... all part of the fun. Who will hand out the tickets for the group bags? Dunno... will it be a DDR member? Could be. But more likely it will just be another cleanup volunteer, one of many we will have on hand. And only because that's why they'll be there... it's their job, don'tcha know. One thing we will be doing is... as people are registering for the cleanup, getting their raffle tickets, empty bags, etc., we will also have a clipboard where organized groups will be signing up so that when we're in the heat of the moment we can more easily keep things at least a little more organized. Everyone who is working the registration area will be asking people as they sign up "are you hear with a group?" and if they say yes, they'll be directed to sign up. The designated drop off spots for those group bags would most easily be right there at the dumpsters where there will be plenty of volunteers with raffle tickets on hand to help keep the numbers and tickets straight. And right now, as I'm heading to bed... that's about as clear as my mind can handle. :icon_twisted: All other details will have to wait for tomorrow. Good night everyone. Vicki