In The Dunes Again

Today Mike and I went back out to the dunes, except this time we rented quads (what we would call 4 wheel ATVs in Canada) and went out to do our own dune bashing.

I didn't take the camera with me - if I had, it would have been destroyed.

I think I can sum up my experience with driving any off-road vehicle around big sand dunes as FUN! Of course, when I was the pilot, I came closer to doing myself serious bodily harm than we ever did when Tan and I went dune bashing in the big SUV with a driver who knows what he's doing. I learned a few things about quads and big sand dunes:

1. The quads will tip over if you try and do a power slide / turn going too fast. I know this, because at one point in a wicked burnout, I felt two wheels come up, and as I bailed and sailed through the air my thought was "oh dear - I hope this big quad doesn't land on me!"
2. When you go up a dune, you should know what's on the other side. If you don't, SLOW DOWN. I know this, because early into the ride I went blasting up a dune, hit the top, and then suddenly found myself sailing through the air on a 5 foot drop. As I came down with a large THUD, my focus was rapidly switched to the handlebars which were now a few inches from my teeth. Later, I saw the value of this lesson increase 10-fold as I saw many dunes where the drop would have been more like 10-15 feet.
3. If you try and improvise a ramp out of a small bush, go over it slowly. I know this, because the only thing that saved me from going over the handlebars are my thighs.

Don't let the fact that I'm a meat head scare you off of doing this if you ever get the chance. Easily the highlight of the trip for me. A total blast. You will get sand in your teeth from grinning. Mike and I both did.