Little Sahara Sand Dunes
 What a blast!!!!!!!!! Both the
motorcycling and other activities went great and everyone had a terrific time. The paper
airplane contest off the top of Sand Mountain (700' high?) didn't go so well (judging
from what I saw of Nicci & Brenda's performance from the motorcycle below). If
you had gone (those of you who didn't), you probably could have won. (entertaining
video here - 5.2 MB)
< Mike's 2001 XR650L devours Sand Mountain. Antone breaks the world cartwheel land speed record. Here he does five and half turns in a row before wiping out. > |
|
 Shaun begins thinking seriously about trading in his bullet bike for an XR. |
 "He flies through the air with the greatest of ease!" It's the landing that sometimes causes trouble. |
 Ripping up a steep hillside, the paddle kicking out sand behind. |
 Flying uphill again...we have lift off! |
We never got
around to paintballing or snowboarding, though there were a dozen sledders and a
telemarker (X-C skier) having a good time. We'll have to go back again and
play more!!!Anatomy of a Crash Landing
Hope you enjoy this. Shaun went to great lengths to deliver a first-hand experience here
by tying his video camera to the helmet.
 1. Choose a nice jump. If you see someone else launch nicely, consider taking
off from the same point. A bit lower down the dune might have a steeper ramp, for example. |
 2. Go off lower down with the steep ramp anyway. Keep the throttle on just
too long, sending the front tire high into the air, rotating slowly higher and higher as
you fly through the air. |
 3. Land rear tire first, sending the front down hard enough to bury itself in
the sand and summersault the bike over forward, taking the rider with it. Look at that
dedicated, optimistic rider! Still has his hand on the throttle, trying to drive. |
 4. Let go of throttle. It's hopeless. Besides, the motorcycle is about to
land on you. |
 5. As predicted, motorcycle now lands on you. |
 6. Motorcycle continues to roll over you, delivering cheap shots along your
knees and shins, along with a quick chiropractic adjustment. |
 7. Motorcycle now rolls away from you. |
 8. Motorcycle stands itself up and you grab the left handlebar to keep it
there. |
 9. Your body now comes to a stop next to the bike, which has shifted itself
into neutral and continues purring like a kitten. Perhaps a tiger or lion kitten. |
 10. Get back on motorcycle and show it who's boss by tearing up a couple more
steep hills and catching a touch more air over one more dune before calling it a day. |
Who says Utah doesn't have a beach?! It just doesn't have an ocean. The dunes felt almost equally relaxing with its wide open spaces, cool breeze (in October at least), and wave runners. Well, dune runners. The way your front tire sometimes fishes around in the sand makes it feel almost more like a wave runner than a motorcycle. (experience the wide-open, relaxing sensation with the video "A Day in the Dunes" by Antone. 5.2 MB)
Getting there: Drive down I-15 to Nephi. Take the 2nd or 3rd exit, the one that goes to the Nebo Loop, but go west instead. Go through town and 13 miles after leaving, turn right (north-west) on the road marked "Sand Dunes >". Cross over highway 6 and then turn left at the sign reading "Little Sahara." Note the sign that says "X days since the last serious accident." The X never seems to rise above 10.
Ya wanna see more great sand dunes photos w/ entertaining commentary? Start here and go through them all: http://thisisdrew.com/photography/roll002/sahara.php4?x=18 You'll be glad you did. BTW, it's from the Little Sahara sand dunes in Oklahoma, not Utah.