New Dune Restrictions.

GGJPGUY

New Member
Mar 31, 2012
10
0
0
Yuma,AZ
Well Back to work after the long week at Gordons Well. I have to say that the new areas that the BLM has marked off as restricted accsess are both confusing and dumb. One thing, they closed off the road to Patton Valley. This 40yd by 1/2 mile long stretch of sand as been open since the original closure. Why close this now? The way they have the stakes place randomly throughout the dunes themselve....OMG!!!!!! You cannot safely ride there. Especially if you have a large group of vehicles duning. We would get a great flow going through the dunes and then "BAM" there are a pile of stakes!!! Some places there were two and three stakes in the same hole pointing in different directions so you couldn't tell what side of the area was actually closed. Some of them were in areas that if you stopped at the stake, you would either get stuck or roll. WTF
All the BLM did was take and totally screw up a great area to ride, and now the areas that are open in Gordon's are either too sketchy to ride in a UTV or Buggy, or are just packed with people that you constantly have to stop to wait for other vehicles to pass.
When I asked the rangers why this area was closed like this, all they could say is " Well it's open from Patton all the way to Glamis now"
I was told that the BLM knows that they have an issue now and are working to resolve it. Have to wait and see.
 

Sandman365

Booze Cruzin'
May 24, 2013
219
63
28
Escondido
Closing the road to Patton Valley makes no sense as it might inadvertently push unsuspecting people into other closed areas. That is, until people that used to go that way get familiar with a route through the dunes. Still dumb not to leave a narrow corridor open thats already a beaten in sand highway to the hill.
 

NIKAL

Well-Known Member
May 13, 2012
970
310
63
My understanding is that it was a trade off to open more land in Glamis. At first everyone was excited to hear about more land reopened in Glamis, but ultimately Gordon's paid the price. Remember nothing is for free when dealing with the BLM and those who are in bed with them. When I called the El Centro BLM office and asked about the closure at Gordon's and why, all I got was to go on the BLM site and to look at the new RAMP map to see all the re-opened land at Glamis. I believe this was just a trade off.

I did have some friends who camped at Gordon's over Thanksgiving. They got stopped in the new closed area. They claimed they did not see any closed off stakes, to which the officer said that not all the markers were up and more needed to be staked, but it as still the responsibility of the riders to know the area. To be nice he only issued 1 ticket to the leader in the group. The officers comment was that he could have given all 5 riders a ticket, but he was trying to cut them some slack. Plus all 5 could split the fine. Real nice of the BLM Officer!!
 

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