March 24th - The Dunes Trip

Well I added to my toy chest – a quad (Suzuki Z400 – piped, jetted and runs real fast) a couple of weeks ago. Some of the guys I work with ride and go to the dunes by Yuma, Arizona. So we had planned a trip for this weekend. I had really been looking forward to it because my CPA class had finished up and I really wanted to go have some fun. Penni, to her credit gave her OK for the trip so that even made it better to get the stamp of approval. There was some discussion about men going to the dunes, leaving their brains at home and getting hurt but that wasn't going to happen to me. She still remembers when we "almost" wrecked when we were dating but that has been almost 16 years ago and the key word is "almost". Anyway, I was told that the guys we were going were novice rides so I felt that I wouldn’t be pushed to exceed my abilities.

We headed out on Friday at 5:00 pm for a three or four hour ride. There were six guys (4 on quads, 1 motorcycle and 1 rhino). We had three trucks, I had my quad in the bed of Bret’s truck (Bret decided to same home so it was just me) and the other trucks were pulling trailers. I brought my radar detector just in case. Good thing I did because I think we averaged 95 mph the first two hours of the ride and I was the last one in the caravan. So I was either doing 35 mph or 110 to catch up to the pack. But on the way there we got a flat on the trailer about two hours into the trip. The flat tire was confirmed over the walkee talkee/ GPS unit that we were all given at the beginning of the trip (not sure how the pioneers made it all the way across the plains without constant communication and no GPS). These guys didn’t mess around we had CO2 tanks to run air hoses with impact wrenches and we had every accessory imaginable for the fun lov’in testosterone filled man. As Penni has said a couple of times since I came back that I must have been in heaven, and I was. Back to action - so we jumped out of the trucks like a NASCAR pit crew ready for someone to hit the stop watch and have this tire changed in 13 seconds. Only one problem – no spare time. I know you probably saw that one coming - long story short we got to the dunes at 12:30am.

During the ride everyone was talking about going on a night ride when we got to the dunes. They all were going to camp at the dunes – I had a reservation at the Marriott in Yuma but I needed to see where they were camping and I also was going to leave my quad with them. So at 12:31 everyone is running around putting riding shirts, pants goggles, gloves, chest protectors and basically suit’n up. I look around and think to myself should I change into my riding shorts – then I remember that I am wearing my riding shorts. So I get my helmet and realize that my goggles are tinted - but wait I have clear lens that I can change out. Well after 15 minutes working on that little project someone tosses me a old pair of goggles so that we can go. And off we go into the dark black night. So we are riding and I quickly find out that these guys are really good – not novice. I am doing all that I can to keep up – being dark, my goggles are all scratched and keep fogging up this was more stress that I wanted. But I was holding my own. We have been out for about 90 minutes and at the dunes you ride in these bowls of sand. Mostly you are riding on the side which is at an incline. If you feel yourself losing traction you just turn and ride the bowl down and then find another way out – not a big deal. So I am riding along about in the middle of the pack and I feel myself losing traction so I turn to go down the bowl. This bowl was fairly steep but I turn and start going down, as soon as my headlights illuminate the bottom of the bowl I notice a big bush right in my path – it is about twenty feet wide and since I am going down at a 15% grade there is not much to do. So I brace for the impact. I hit the bush which turns out to be a burm and my quad goes right and I go left. Flying in the air backwards – the first thing to hit is my butt and my lower back then the back of my head hits the sand (hard). I get the wind knocked out of me - as I am lying on the bottom of the bowl looking up in the sky seeing the lights of the other riders circling above me like birds of prey. Everyone cames to check on me and I was mentally checking myself to see how bad the damage was. I knew that my back is messed up and my pride took a huge hit but that I will live once I caught my breath. The ride back to camp it painful – my back is really hurting. As soon as we get back to camp it is decided that it is time for Bratwursts at 2:30am. Which the funny thing about that is I didn't see any bathrooms just sand. So I am not sure it is smart ot play with fire but that was the least of my problem. This is my sign to head to the hotel. It is about a 20 minute ride to Yuma and it was painful. I get the hotel, check in and make it to my room. I walk in the door take off my right shoe and realize that I may never get that shoe back on and head towards the bed. Once I get into bed and it was painful – I realize that I am covered in sand but it is too painful to do anything about it so just lay there in pain in a bed of sand. The next morning I am able to slowly shower and get dressed. My back is still hurting really bad. I drive back to the campsite with the intent on getting my quad and heading home. But when I get there everyone is glad to see me and they are ready to go get breakfast (breakfast burritos – yes!!) from so street side vendors. They talk me into getting into the Rhino and once I get into the rhino - surprise - that my back doesn’t hurt as much. The guy who owns the rhino had really nice seats and they really felt good. I rode over to breakfast and then after the killer burrito I was feeling well enough to go on a ride. I was able to see competition hill and then we continued on the ride. The guy I went with was a really good driver. Rhino’s have a tendency to roll over on there sides. But he was doing great but as the morning grew on he got braver and braver. So we hit a hill - jumped off the backside and hit another hill straight on so we rolled the rhino head first. Which come to find out is really rare for the rhinos to do – but we did it. As I was hanging upside down in the seatbelt harness I said anyone got a camera. I thought that it would like a nice picture – but then someone saw gas leaking out of the tank and that ruined the Kodak moment. After that we went back to camp and sat around for a minute before I headed back to Mesa. It was then that I was debating on how to tell Penni. I was thinking what happens at the dunes stays at the dunes. Another guys said that his wife he does get an hugs if he comes hurt. So he will get home late go upstairs and get his hugs and then confess that he is hurt. I didn’t see that happening. But I had a real dilemma because I was risking never seeing the sweet sands of Yuma but this story was too good to bury. So I took my chances. Penni’s only comment has been that I am not ever taking the girls and she has not asked me how I am feeling or if there is anything that she can do to help.

I guess the good thing about this has been that I am getting a lot of invitations to go to the dunes.