Just talked to a friend at St Anthony. Been overcast and cool, a little gloomy on the overall weather, but not real wet. Had some sprinkles and some showers (good for the sand) but no solid dumping rain which makes dune life miserable. So with some warm clothes we have a shot at some decent riding this weekend albeit not too sunny and warm. Weather is supposed to be breaking by Monday, warming and clearing, so we'll be on the tail end of this cool wet system.

Couple extra Shady Ales and we'll be nice and warm. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

Where ya stayin? We'll be at Sand Hells Resort.... Look for a rusty long travel 4 seater, and a clean LT500 with a drag pipe.... Come by and say 'howdy'

 

Hey we'll be at Desert Oasis. Red Duramax and my ol yeller 87 LT will be there, along with B/W Raptor and white YFZ and White-red Blaster. I'll chase you down. Yeah, I know about your "rusty long travel buggy" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Steve

 

Rexburg Weather:

www.weather.com/weather/local/USID0215

Close enough to St Anthony

Tomorrow [5-29] it calls for rain and SNOW Showers!

 

Today
May 28 Rain / Thunder 57°/32° 90 %
Sat
May 29 Rain / Snow Showers 47°/30° 60 %
Sun
May 30 Partly Cloudy / Wind 57°/35° 20 %
Mon
May 31 Partly Cloudy 61°/37° 20 %
Tue
Jun 01 Mostly Sunny 67°/41° 20 %
Wed
Jun 02 Partly Cloudy 73°/45° 20 %
Thu
Jun 03 Partly Cloudy 81°/49° 10 %
Fri
Jun 04 Partly Cloudy 75°/45° 30 %
Sat
Jun 05 Partly Cloudy 77°/51° 10 %
Sun
Jun 06 Partly Cloudy 74°/46° 20 %

 

We were out there last week and the weather sucked. The dunes werent in that good of shape either. Tons of witch eyes and the wind blew all the soft sand off and left hard wet concrete sand on the windy sides. Still worth the trip but wish we would have had warmer weather and dry dunes. Next year we will hit it in mid june most likely.

 

We went from hailstorms and cold as ice to thunderstorms to perfect blue sky and perfect sand, all from Friday to Monday. Rode about 14 hours total, so it wasn't that bad! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

can you give me the best place to camp is

 

The BLM camp ground at Egin lakes is all opened up and very nice. Free but please use the donation box. The Desert Oasis camp now has nice concrete patios for all the full-hookup spots. Sandhills is too far from the big dunes and the guy is an azz.

 

Just Back From a week at St. Anthony....

FYI:
The Oasis Camp is 1.6 Miles to where the road from
The Sand Hills Resort meets up, it is 3.6 miles to the SH's from there.

Gene/Shirley have a reputation of being mean.
In fact, I have heard Gene yell at a camper for a minor infraction.
I have scene him evict a camper for only camping with a rule breaker.
Look, Gene has his rules. He makes you sign his rules when you check in. Quiet time is 10pm sharp. Do not leave camp after 10pm, you will be asked to leave when you get back.

Some local guys that I had met another time up at SA were driving by the SH's in their street truck, on Red Road. They did a 'U' turn to stop and say high when they say my rail sitting out. Gene has known these fellows for 15 years. Gene still balked at letting them drive into HIS property to say hello.
When I am at the SH's resort I do not worry about my stuff laying around, tools, compressor, quads, etc. Gene protects your stuff along with his stuff.
I like Gene lots of duners don't.
He does rub some the wrong way; many of the So Cal duners I know now camps at the Oasis.
The Oasis has done many upgrades, and my wife (Cathy) would like to camp 8 minutes closer to the big dunes through less LAVA. Cement Pads and lots of full hook ups. No trees like the SH's some say "who cares I have an awning".
The Oasis owners are more understanding of rule breakers.
It takes me eight minutes longer (15mph average) to go the two miles further to the dunes from the Sand Hills.
Whatever. To each his own....
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What a great week we had!
Dune son Dan had a new carb on his LT500 and it sipped gas and ran like it was a brand new quad.
My wife's rail ran awesome.

One day at SA...
Duned from SH's to Thunder Mountain. Took a break. Duned over to Middle Bowl and took a break, showed the 'booming sand' thing to Dan. Duned over to the North sand fingers [break]. Then Cathy led over to Dead Horse, then a long break....
Duned from there the far south west dunes [all virgin] with speed bowls [I call the small flatter bowls that have grass at the bottom speed bowls]. Duning from slip face to slip face, Cathy again led for a while, hitting the 'V' outs at the bottom perfectly. Over to Devils Dune we headed. Opened up the food pack and had a sandwich, some chips etc....
Some Washington Sate duners were out at Devils Dune [DD].
They were trying to get up the nerve to try a shot at making it up DD-seriously. "I made it last year on Kevins quad" I thought I heard one say.
Two of them set up at the base to take some video. My wife watches as the stock 400cc could only make it 3/4's of the way. So she jumps into her rail and just blasts up a couple of times roosting all the way to the top and then cranking it sideways at the top and roaring back down. Dan makes a couple of passes up it in second gear, no problem. Cathy then works her rail speed shifting into third 1/2 way up pulling DD in third gear all the way up.
Not to be out done, I flew up the face of DD and stopped 3/4's of the way to the top. Then I shut off the engine, click it into neutral, and coast BACKWARDS, [at 50mph on GPS at bottom] a no brakes, backwards suicide run. Just to make sure they got it on film, I did it again.....
Flying by Choke Cherry Hill and then speed running the big hills on the way back to Egin Lake. Talk to a few duners who had stopped at the north waters edge.
Cruised back down the "Lava highway" to the SH's.
What a typical GREAT Day at the St. Anthony Dunes. 48 miles on the GPS. I hauled extra pre mix for Dan for nothing! 2.5 gallon tank, 48 miles equals about 20 miles per gallon! On a LT500 no less!
Bar-B-Que'd when we got backed, showered, relaxed, sat around by the fire pit till around midnight telling stories that were only a few hours old.
Yes, SA has great days.
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Another morning Dan and I go over to the big Lava Crossings on the sand hwy from the Sand Hills. We cleand out all the loose pieces of lava. Then I says: "Why don't we do some stacking of the pieces to pay hommage to the lava gods" A couple of hours later Dan and I have a Lavahenge/low wall stacked and balanced for your duning pleasure. Feel free to keep the path clean and free of loose lava, and keep the lava stacks up!
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Another day...
We were caught out at 'Middle Bowl' in an Idaho thunderstorm. Drenched to the bone, and looking like the ugly looser of a wet tee shirt contest, I stopped to hide behind a tree (near Egin Lake) from the 45-degree rain. I know, I know, don't take refuse from the storm under a tree, hey, we are just backward Kalifornicationers.

I love the dunes/sand/people of the St. Anthony better that any other ride spot we have visited (including my 'home' spot Glamis).

If you have never experienced the SA Dunes, DO IT! Unless you do not like 300-450' dunes that goes on for MILES! No where, no other dune place, not Dumont, Glamis, Sand Mountain, Lil Sahara, can you keep a speed run of over 50 mph, for as long as you can at SA. They are by far the fastest dunes in North America.

It is really ALL GOOD!


Steve