After arriving at 4:30 AM and a couple hours of sleep , we awoke to a beautiful, sunny day. In looking around there was sand almost all the way around the Sand Hills Resort. It was like a little oasis in the middle of the desert.
Kicking back and relaxing for a bit after the 14 hour drive , we visited and I got to meet some new friends. I ran the Brute across the road and into the closest dunes to set the MUZZYS DigiTune fuel controller as the altitude here is 5,000+ feet.
That task being done, we made the decision to go into Rexburg to check out Bear World, a drive through wildlife park with everything from grizzly bears to albino elk. Most of the animals (bears in particular), are rescues from Yellowstone National Park. The Large variety of wildlife is amazing and some of the bears will gladly walk right along side, or in front of your rig. If you are planning a trip to St. Anthony's , Yellowstone Bear World is a must see. Plan a couple hours, as you can drive through the park as many times as you want. 
After a good nights sleep, it was time to head out on a group ride (we had an international / multi state group Canada, Oregon, California, Utah, and Washington). We all met at the top of the mini dune just outside the Sand Hills Resort dune entrance. The group consisted of 3 RZR XP900's, 2 RZR 800's(1 turbo'd) , 2 - 450 quads, an XP900 /Apex with turbo conversion, A Commander,The BruteForce, And an XP900 turbo.
.jpg)
.jpg)
As we headed out I was in awe of the sheer beauty and contrast in the scenery.
We headed out into the dunes with the RZR XP900/ Apex Turbo leading us in a snaking line over lips, humps, fast flats and great bowls. I couldn't help but think how amazing these dunes were.
As we got further west, and closer to the foothills, the dunes and bowls began to grow in size to some the biggest sharpest dunes and bowls I have ever seen. as we snaked our way, we came through what I would find out later was the middle of the westerly dunes, and began to climb a series of large , what I would best describe as giant sandy steps. As we all came to a stop at the top, I dismounted and walked over and looked down the steep side of what I would consider the biggest freaking sand dune (mountain) I have stood on.
"Welcome to Choke Cherry" one of the guys said."Thanks, this is amazing I stammered",almost dizzy from looking down the hill. The next thought I had was, OK how do I get to the bottom without going straight down? I spotted my exit to the east in the form of a nice trail that wandered down and around until it appeared to get to the bottom. Guess I am not the first with this thought, Thank Goodness. We watched from the top as some of the machines played on the massive slope. |
| Yes those are full sized SXS's at the bottom. |
A few of the guys made runs towards the top, with only the XP/Turbo/Apex conversion and the Turbo RZR making it over the top (a few times). The call came out to mount up head down as the ride was going to continue from the bottom. As side by side after side by side dropped over the edge and out of sight , I realized , This is something I had to do, just to be able to say " yeah I been on Choke". Over the lip and down I went braaaping the throttle to keep the engine braking from kicking in and lightly riding the brakes enough to maintain control. There is very little run out at the bottom of the infamous hill, so maintaining some control on the way down is very important. As everyone gathered at the bottom ,the turbo guys made a couple more runs at, and over, Choke before we headed to off and into a fast trail that nicely covered everything from side hills to bowls to jumps/whoops and flat trail through the grassy sections and carry's over to Devil's Dune to check out a massive bowl. When we arrived at the amazingly large bowl you couldn't help but jump in line and run through with the group, all in line.
I found quickly that on the big beasts if you carry enough speed into the bowl, and don't check up or loose confidence, the G force will actually hold you in your line, to the point of compressing the suspension.
Some of these bowls are really deep, and funnel down to a pile of lava rocks, so you definitely do not want to bail out. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the tops, or lips, on these giant eyes are very sharp and provide a somewhat disturbing feeling as you lip over-twist into the bowl and sometimes out also, if you run a little too high on the edge.
Heading out from there, it was time to head back to camp... The long way, my favorite. We snaked our way west to the edge of the dunes and than southwest, through more incredible bowls, transitions, drops with lips and jumps and rolling almost flats. Rolling up over the top of a larger dune the scene got even more surreal, as there it was, a lake in the desert dunes. What a beautiful back drop right on the south border of the expansive sand is Egin Lake rec. area. They have a small store, and BLM campground, but most important BATHROOMS ! We all pulled in for a rest and for some of us, a much needed bathroom break.
Heading out the Egin Lake dune access road and back into the dunes requires a trip over a section of wide but whooped out trails right along the lake. Peeling off east, we rolled on through the south eat section of dunes and trails. The designated route from Egin Lake back to The Sand Hills Resort is conveniently marked with brown marker poles so as long as you keep the farm land on your right and marker in your sights it is an easy trip. Cruising over the rollers and edging along steep lips, you can't help but appreciate the sheer wonder and beauty of these inland dunes.
Arriving back at Sand Hills, you can access the camping area from 3 different entrances, that drop directly into the campground from the dunes.
Stay tuned for Days 3 & 4
MANY, MANY thanks to Chad and Jennifer for making this trip a reality, and hauling my butt across 2 states, and sharing this AWESOME adventure with me.
Thank You to my sponsors
.jpg){kind=link}