Oregon Dune Survival Guide - Trucks 4x4 @ Off-Road.com
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Oregon Dune Survival Guide
Publish date: Nov 1, 2004
By:  Jarret Gleason
Source: Sandsports at Off-Road.com

Required for riding in the Oregon Dune National Recreation area, including Sand Lake:Safety Flag: Red flags displayed nine feet above ground are required when riding on sand. ORV Permit: In Oregon you can purchase one for $10 (most vendors charge an extra .50). For a list of authorized permit vendors, CLICK HERE.

Operating requirements:
  • Be at least seven (7) years old, and
  • Have a valid driver's license, or
  • Have a special ATV operator permit (this is not the same thing as the operating permits described on this page. The operator permit can only be obtained by successfully completing an ATV safety education course, or
  • Be accompanied by someone 18 years or older who meets one of the above requirements.
  • Riders that are at least 7 but younger than 12 years old must have both an ATV operator permit and be accompanied by someone at least 18 years old that has a license or an ATV operator permit.
Confused? Check with enforcement officials in the area you wish to ride for any special requirements.
  • Mufflers in Oregon must be maintained at 99 decibels. Lower levels are required at Sand Lake (97 dB) and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (93 dB).
Other nice things to have:
  • Paddle tires help, though you wont need them your first time.
  • LOTS of fuel, you will burn lots fuel in the sand, quickly.
  • Good sense of direction, don't get lost!
  • Friends to ride with, preferably who know their way around.
Dune Survival Tip #1: Sand Flag emergency repair kit
$h!t happens. You will most likely break a flagpole. Get a spare, preferably the nice new metal ones. For those 90% of you who use the fiberglass ones, adding a few cheap tools to your backpack or tool kit can make the difference in a bum ride or possible injury (or $237 ticket)You can get these tools at a 99c store (or your dads tool box):
  • Get one of those handy mini hacksaws {pic: odnra_dst_1]
  • Electrical tape
  • A thin screwdriver or narrow punch
  • Two 3/4 inch wrenches, or an equivalent (i.e.; two crescent-type wrenches)
  • OR a quick-change flag mount
When the inevitable happens and you break the pole, remove the stubfrom the mount (the two 3/4" wrenches used here, or no tools for the spiffy quick-change mount..) with the thin screwdriver.
Note: Don't rely on your ATV's stock toolkit - most have no 3/4 wrench and most of the screwdrivers are too thick to use as a punch - like Honda's for example.
Hack the edge off of the pole (with the mini hacksaw) to make a smooth end that slides right back into the mount. Add a little electrical tape to the base of the pole up to about 4" to help absorb whip-lash and make your pole resist stress cracks. (See Tip # 2)
 =====
Dune Survival Tip #2: Protect your Pole Before you hit the sand, add a little electrical tape (or be high tech and use heat-shrink tubing) to the base of your safety flag pole up to about 4", to help absorb whip-lash and make your fiberglass pole resist stress cracks. =====Enjoy the summer and the warm dunes. We will be in Sand Lake on June 25-27. If you happen that way, stop in and say "hi." (We should be easy to find. Look for the woman giving birth in the East Dunes Camp Ground. That would be my wife - I should be nearby.) Happy Trails,
Jarret Gleason
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Source: Sandsports at Off-Road.com, 11/1/2004
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