Dunes for Dummies

Ahhhhh the Dunes!  One of our family's favorite places to play.  But somehow, the weekend of adventure we plan on having is quite different than the adventures we actually experience.  Which is probably why it's so much fun.  You never know what unexpected adventure awaits but it's always something interesting.

Here's some Dunes for Dummies basics:

What goes down doesn't always come back up...
We spend a fair amount of time watching certain kids bombing down steep hills in mere seconds only to spend an hour or two trying to get back up the steep narrow trail.  This is a good time to take your helmet off, find a shady spot to sit, and enjoy the poor child's self-inflicted tragedy.

...And sometimes what's down isn't supposed to be up.
Just ask Chloe.  (yes mother, she's fine.)  Some trails make it hard to keep the greasy side down and the shiny side up.

If you crash, your helmet will automatically kiss your forehead better.
Chloe sported this "kiss" streak across her forehead for an hour or so.  She wore it as a badge of honor.

Two tires are better than four.
Boys will always show off.

And just because you're 12, doesn't mean you can't pull a wheelie too.
Just ask Broc.  Not only is he 12, but he's smaller than Connor who's 11 and he can ride a wheelie till he runs out of gas.

Children will find it more amusing to ride on abandoned car parts over riding their expensive quad.
In this case they found a car's hood with ropes already strapped to it.  Looks like they're not the first kids to ignore their good toys.

If your fellow dune rider happens to be a pilot, he will find something to fly.
Even if that means stealing a kid's kite.  In this case, Chloe's.  Danny "claimed" he was only trying to help her but this photo make us all suspicious.

Even the pros get stuck.
This is Brandon Sharp giving the thumbs up pretending he wasn't having trouble, but the second pic shows otherwise. 

When a man has to get off his quad to get unstuck, it's humiliating.  When a woman posts a picture of a man getting off his quad to get unstuck, well, that's just good blogging.  (Sorry Brandon.)

Helping small children across hazards is good form.

Even at the Dunes you may have to wait in line.
This line was stalled because the guy in front ran out of gas.  Someone get the tow strap.

Boys at the Dunes will coordinate their outfits.
This is Mitch's friend Matthew sporting fabulous goggles that match his jersey.  Just don't point out publicly that they're all matchy-matchy or they'll totally deny it.

Boys will always try to look cool in their coordinated outfits while waiting for a ride to resume.

The ride to the beach is always the best.
Connor enjoying an ocean view.

Your invited guests will always be surprised to find out the ride on Sunday requires a white shirt and tie.
It's a shocker for most first-timers.  Not to mention all the other riders on the dunes that see us coming and flee.  They think we're undercover dune cops.  Little do they know we're on our way to church.  We're a dune paradox.

If your trailer advertises itself as a mobile maintenance unit, you're asking for trouble.
This is Danny needing a little roadside assistance for his mobile maintenance unit on the way back home from the dunes.  Unfortunately he was prepared to maintain an aircraft, not a trailer.

It will take six guys to TRY and remove a melted tire.  And two guys to watch.
We girls tried to get them to put the awning down we could sit in our camp chairs and quietly watch the commotion from the shade while we sipped on a soda.  They turned us down.  Bad choice.  That left us with little else to do but spend our time picture taking and mocking. 

And this is the hardest dune issue for many of us...
If Ken Guerra isn't there at the dunes to get you unstuck...sure enough, you'll have a breakdown on the way home, a good two hours down the road, right near his house!  And you'll end up calling him anyway and have him come to rescue you. 
Thanks for the saws-all Ken...and for not shaming us too badly about always needing your help. It's bad Ken Karma if you ask me.  This man lives to humiliate you with a tow rope.

And lastly,
Anything a man defeats, he will proudly display for a trophy photo.

(Just to be perfectly clear, Danny's t-shirt says, "I love my duck."  It's an Oregonian thing not a personal problem.)