Sunny and warm with blue skies, traveling around the Oregon Sand Dunes in Florence, what more can you ask for? What a beautiful day! My relatives from Washington really wanted to try out the ATV rentals on the sand dunes. So, we ventured out to the Sand Dunes Frontier, just south of Florence.
Being an Oregon native, they couldn’t believe that I had not been out adventuring on the dunes before. Multitudes of visitors flock to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area each weekend for the thrill of riding in the sand, with four-wheelers or ATVs, dirt bikes in tow or off-road vehicles. The windswept dunes, towering high above the ocean, were usually buzzing with activity. Now, it was my turn to experience ATV riding on the dunes.
As we waited for our turn at the wheel, I felt a bit nervous about being at the controls of this quick moving machine. All I could think about were stories of trips to the emergency room. We listened to the safety instructions, eyeing the caution posters and list of pricey repairs to ATVs. We weren’t going to get anywhere near the water or those sand blinds or “witches eyes”!
As a first-timer to riding an ATV or four-wheeler in the sand, or at all for that matter, I began slowly. With a quick lesson on how to control the machine, we were ready to hit the trail to the dunes. I found the controls as simple as braking with the left hand and throttle with the right. This won’t be too hard.
Our first obstacle was maneuvering the hill down from the rental office to the trail. We moved in a single line behind our guide, slowly down the gravel road. Once on the trail, we moved at a quicker pace, but made sure not to leave anyone behind. We moved through the trees, as the trail turned to sand.
Our guide led us out onto the dunes, pointing out the boundaries of our fun: imaginary lines between tree islands that we were not allowed to pass. The dunes were already alive with four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Our guide gave us the final instructions and then, we were let loose to roam the dunes. We had one hour.
The guys hit the big hills right away. Timidly, my sister and I found the low, flat area between the large sand dunes. It took longer for my adventurous side to show. Being my first time, I had to make sure I could handle the vehicle. We slowly explored the perimeter of our sand playground.
We found out right away that our rental ATVs were too heavy for the loose sand, as our tires spun and we were stuck. My sister and I looked at each other in shock. We were stuck! We dismounted to take a look at how bad it was. Luckily, several other riders on four-wheelers came to our rescue. They lifted our machines out of the loose sand, telling us to stick to the compacted sand and to stop with the ATV pointing downhill. The experienced riders said our machines were too heavy for the loose sand, and would get stuck again. We thanked them for rescuing us, and they were off.
We headed back to the flat area, which was covered with ruts from riders gathering speed for the sand dunes surrounding us. It made for a bumpy ride. We ventured up several small hills, but eyed them with caution, hearing the words from the safety instructions in our mind. We didn’t want to find one of those steep drop offs. We didn’t want to find any loose sand either.
After some time, my sister headed back to our meeting place, up the first hill. I told her I wanted to have another run, and I headed back to the flat area. I found that I enjoyed going fast. I wasn’t a speed demon like some but I definitely pushed the throttle forward as I traveled across the flat areas. I even tried going up a few hills. I curiously ventured up a medium sized hill. I stopped at the crest to take in my surroundings. What a strange place, these sand dunes. The contrast of the golden sand with the bright blue skies was amazing!
As I headed back down the hill I had just navigated, I pushed the throttle button forward. I was “in the zone” and feeling good. Just as I started zooming down the hill, with glee, I noticed the small bump of a hill, perhaps a legendary “witches eye”, sitting just at the bottom of my dune. It was too late. My ATV and I hit the bump, and we were airborne. We sailed through the air together for as long as I could remember.
Then, I hit the sand. I dizzily tried to stand up but my mind was still tumbling. I looked up, and over to my machine, turned over, wheels in the air, still spinning slowly. Crap! I was too dizzy to stand, so I crawled over to the machine and sat. I was alone. No one had seen my circus-act-gone-wrong.
I found myself in one piece. My lower right leg burned and stung. It was red and scraped but not bleeding. I was glad that we had been required to wear large protective helmets. Mine was now full of sand but I was thankful I had it on. I knew that I was very lucky. Someone was watching over me.
Just as my distressed mind ran out of options on what to do, I saw two riders heading towards me. It was my brother-in-law and his son! My saviors! They were able to turn my ATV upright, and after a few attempts, it started up. The only damage we found was the broken flag lying in the sand. I could return that and it would be reattached.
Our time was about up, and we had experienced enough fun for one day. We headed back to the start, but only to be caught in loose sand one more time. Some riders dug us out again, and we tried a different route. We returned our vehicles without incident.
I sit here several days later, still bruised and battered, but healing. I had a funny hobble for the first few days, as my foot and leg were painful. I have no regrets, just a lesson learned – don’t over-do it on your first try. I may not have been doing anything dangerous but my inexperience led me to take a chance I wasn’t ready for.
We decided that trail riding was more of our style. Although we enjoyed the fun of controlling a vehicle through the sand, we didn’t like getting caught in the loose sand. We certainly didn’t like thinking of those dangerous sand blinds and drop offs.
Posts
