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♦ Lake Havasu was fun thanks to Don and Shirley’s willing-ness to open their home for a fun weekend. Now we are looking forward to the rapidly approaching dune season.

♦ Since this section is titled “What’s New” it seems appropri-ate for this group to mention the all new Polaris RZR 1000 XP. This impressive new side by side was announced this month, and some people have already been lucky enough to sit in one. Read more about it in the article on page 3.

♦ We are planning the first trip of the season for Dumont the weekend of October 11-13.

♦ The second annual Mona Bacon Memorial Spook Poker

Run and Weenie roast will be the weekend of October 25-27. For more information, see page 5.

♦ We had fun attending the August 11 Pomona swap meet and are considering getting spaces for the October 20th event. If you’d be interested in bringing stuff to sell or just coming to shop and hang out, let P.J. know.

Once again we had a great August week-end at the Fords’ home in Lake Havasu. This year nobody brought boats, so the time in the water was all in their beautiful backyard pool, but everybody had a great time. Mike, Lisa, Jim, Nancy, Melissa, Allie, and I all spent the weekend of Au-gust 16-18 at Don and Shirley’s. On Sat-urday they headed out on the water on the casino shuttle, and Mike and Jim each made $50. They returned home in time for lunch, and about 2:00 PM we got there after driving out from Riverside. We got in the pool and enjoyed some af-ternoon swimming in wonderful water

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September 20-22: Sand Sports Super Show

at the Orange County Fair-

grounds in Costa Mesa.

October 11-13: First Dumont trip of the

season. Let’s see if we can get

enough people to commit to

make this trip happen.

October 20: Pomona Swap Meet

October 25-27: Mona Bacon Memorial

Spook Poker Run and Weenie

Roast at Anza. See page 5 for

more details.

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that was about 94 degrees. It wasn’t even the least bit chilly getting in. We swam for a few hours be-fore getting out and drying off be-fore heading to dinner at Golden Corral. After filling ourselves with all kinds of food and then desserts

topped with chocolate from the chocolate waterfall, we made our

way back to Don and Shirley’s and sat out on the back porch watching a lightning storm in the distance. It never rained, but we saw some neat lightning, and even got pictures of some of it with Melissa’s new camera. We also played with the star apps on the iPhones and iPads before going inside for the night. On Sunday we got up and Shirley made a wonderful breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy. Then we headed back out to the pool. Don and Shirley provided lunch meat for

sandwiches, and we sat around and hung out all afternoon. For dinner they headed to the traditional Mexican restaurant, but we headed out before then to get back home before too late. We had a great time and would like to thank Don and Shirley for their hospitality. It is great to get the chance to see people over the summer, and hopefully more people will make it out for the trip next year. -P.J.

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On Monday, July 29th Polaris announced the latest vehicle in their well planned evolution of the RZR line. The latest RZR, named the RZR XP 1000, is powered by a 107 horsepower engine with 999 cubic centimeters of displacement, so it is still classified as an ROHV and requires helmet use in CA. The new RZR has 16 inches of suspension travel in the front and 18 inches in the rear. It continues the trend of growing with each version, as it is eight inches longer than the 900, bringing the wheelbase to 90 inches and overall length to 119 inches. While we are looking at specs, the weight is reported at 1379 lbs, which is more than many sandrails we can recall. Speaking of sandrail comparisons, the new RZR has an all tube chassis, which with the body panels off of looks very much like a buggy. There are an additional pair

of bars support-ing the rear of the roll cage, making it stronger. One difference be-tween it and most sandrails is the door openings, which are still there on the RZR, but it comes stock

with factory installed quarter doors. It also has driver and passenger adjustable seat sliders, LED interior light-ing, and a glove compartment with a place to keep your phone visible. It really does seem like Polaris has paid attention to how RZRs are being used and customized, since they offer more items stock and allow for easy addition of accessories like light bars by providing an accessory electrical panel and wiring through the cage. You can even customize your own RZR using the Polaris website by add-ing accessories like a Lowrance GPS, MTX Audio Pod, custom seat colors, bumpers and rock guards, and

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LED lights. The lighting options go up to a 27 inch dual row LED light bar that adds $2059 to the price. While the price is steep, it shows that Polaris is acknowledging their customers desire to immediately start cus-tomizing their RZRs. No matter what your opinion is of side by sides in general and the changing types of ve-hicles in the dunes, this latest step in their evolution is an interesting off road machine. It really is impressive that you will be able to go to a dealer and buy an off road machine like this. With a starting MSRP of $19,999 not everybody will be able to go down and grab one, but if history proves to be any indi-cation they may be selling out (or selling at premium upcharges), especially on the West coast. It will be interesting to see how other companies respond and what they offer to compete with the latest RZR. It will also be interesting to see who gets one first...

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There was a lot of discussion starting about this time last year about the new law in California (AB 1595) requiring helmets in side by sides. Another part of this law was to prohibit passengers riding in locations which were not factory designed for passengers. The implementation of this part of the law was delayed until July 1, 2013 by AB 1266, and now SB 234 was approved in the Senate which authorizes passengers in ROHVs of model year 2013 and earlier to ride in seat locations not designed and installed by the manufacturer provided that the occupant is fully contained inside the vehi-cle's rollover protection structure. This legalizes riding in older side by sides that had been modified into four seaters by adding a custom cage. It also addresses the requirement that all passengers be able to grasp handholds with their flat on the floor because it could preclude children and persons with disabilities from riding in ROHVs. The new law states that an occupant handhold may be a factory or aftermarket device grasped by the occupant to assist in keeping arms and hands within the ROHV. This means non-stock handholds could be used for smaller occupants. It is worth noting that the law still requires ROHV operators to be at least 16 years old or be directly supervised in the verhicle by a parent, guardian, or other adult authorized by the parent or guardian. Also all passengers in ROHVs must wear safety helmets and properly fastened seatbelts and shoulder belts when the vehi-cle is moving. All of these requirements apply specifically to ROHVs, which AB 1595 defined as: a motor vehicle designed for operation primarily off of the highway and that has a steering wheel, non-straddle seating for the operator and passengers, a maximum speed capability of greater than 30 miles per hour, and an engine displacement equal to or less than 1,000 cubic centimeters. Source: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0201-0250/sb_234_cfa_20130614_121804_asm_comm.html

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The Rooster Coral Pink 2013

By Mike Bacon & Lisa Shea

One of our first rides we tackled the sand stone hills and went looking for dinosaur tracks. Some climbing, ne-gotiating trees and rock, and some hiking brought us to the tracks.

Another ride took us out to the Beehive which as it turns out was less than a mile and a half from the south end of Zion National Park.

We made multiple trips to the box canyon, walking up though the very tight confines. It's amazing to walk through and see where the water has cut this canyon out of solid rock!

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Later in the week Lisa challenged my to drive in to the tighter area of the box canyon. I did my best going in, and coming back out, as she took pictures.

Exploring the mountains above the sand dunes we came across a beautiful carved rock canyon. We're all very glad Walt chose to walk the route first after we saw the 200 foot drop off we would have to negotiate had we continued!

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Trails were always a mix of dirt, sand, and rocks. Sometimes the trail didn't seem to exist until we got through a rock section and found were it continued.

Most rides involved going through the dunes to either leave camp, get back, or both! Some of the dunes were a challenge for our lowly little 800's, and the 900 guys laughed at us, but we eventually made it where we needed to go.

On the way out of Las Vegas on Monday Doug called to say he'd blown a motorhome tire, so we stopped to see if we could help. While Doug and I worked on cleaning up the tire damage, Kris and Lisa worked dili-gently on their knitting (or crocheting)! Once the tire was fixed we went in to Baker and had a couple of tires changed. While we were there we saw this truck come in. It's a prototype 2016 Western Star they were running tests on. I thought the paint job was pretty cool! We had a great time and are already looking forward to going again next year!

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Coral Pink 2013 by Jim Kastle We just got home and can't stop talking about how great the trip was. There were so many great times its hard to recall them all. I know P.J. kept a daily log, so I'll try to list some of my favorites. Nancy and I, Don and Shirley, and Walt and George all arrived in Mesquite on Tuesday, with P.J. and Melissa and Allie, along with Kris and Doug, and Mike and his friend Lisa all arriving Wednesday. We had our traditional Pizza Hut dinner, hosted this year by Doug whose luck far surpassed the rest of us. Thanks again, Doug! Thursday we all had a buffet breakfast at the Virgin River. Then we had an uneventful drive to the dunes. I guess it wasn't totally uneventful, as for the first time ever, we left Mesquite in the rain. We arrived at the dunes, and missed our usual friendly greeting from the Rangers. The long-time second in command ranger has been pro-moted to another park. The volunteer camp hosts were very cold by Coral Pink standards. They warmed up somewhat later in the trip. My favorite part of the trip was the many RZR rides. Mike, Doug, and Walt all led rides, and we covered many trails near Coral Pink. On Monday we loaded the RZR's on the trucks an trailers and took them to trails near Kanab. We rode on a variety terrain, including steep sandstone inclines, narrow trails, and of course, sand. I continue to be amazed at what the RZRs will do. On one ride near Coral Pink we went down a rocky trail with steps nearly a foot high. We ended up in a dry creek bed. Walt went down a very steep two foot drop, and it appeared to the rest of us he was going to roll, but by stepping on the gas, it didn't roll. He then continued by walking down the creek bed and after going down two smaller drops he found the third drop was approximately 300 feet and nearly vertical. It's a good thing he was walking! We then went the other way up the creek bed, and found a dead end. We checked the map, and there was supposed to be a continuation of the trail we had just come down. Most of us couldn't find it, and Walt and I started to climb back up the rocky trail, and it was hard going. Mike and Lisa decided to look harder for the trail, and after three or four passes up and down the creek bed, they found the trail. It was hard to see, and the first part of it was up a steep sandstone slope, with no evidence of a trail. At the top of the sandstone there was a trail. It led us back to the

corral as we planned. If Mike and Lisa hadn't found the trail, we would have taken at least an extra hour, and probably more, to get back. On another ride near Kanab, we descended another rocky trail and ended up at the top of a cliff overlooking the city of Kanab. The view was spectacular, and scary for those of us with a fear of heights. I was worried we might have to climb back up the rocky trail, but Mike led us on the trail and completed the loop without turning around. We had a lot of rain this year, and as a result the temperatures were very mild. Most of us used the air conditioners only a few days. This is the second year in a row with lots of rain and mild temperatures. Three years ago, with Jerry and Linda, who don't like hot weather, we had little or no rain, and near 100 degree temperatures. You just never know.

On one of our earlier rides, we took the five RZR's and P.J.'s sandrail, with the buggy night's cast iron V-8. The engine worked perfectly, and it has lots of power. On the ride P.J. Followed the RZR's and enjoyed watching the parity among them. He said when one of them got stopped the others would scatter all over the place and then regroup. Once on this ride we were making a slow turn in soft sand, and the buggy just sunk. Not to worry, Mike backed up to the buggy and connected his tow strap, and with P.J.'s help, pulled the car out of its self-dug hole. Walt brought his sandrail, largely so that P.J. and I would have a third car in case of trouble. We greatly appreciate that. We ended up going on just two buggy rides be-

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This month we’d like to thank Mike Bacon and Lisa Shea as well as Jim Kastle for contributing articles about Coral Pink. It is really neat to have a 10 page newsletter in September. The calendar is filling up, and that means that the sand season is getting closer. We have a variety of events in October leading up to a first Glamis trip the weekend after Halloween. We can’t wait to see you all there. -PJ, Melissa and of course Allison

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cause there were so many RZR rides. On two rides Don and Shirley offered P.J. Shirley's RZR . On one of them, we rode on a trail to a blind canyon we visited in Shirley's RZR last year. On the second ride using Shirley's RZR, Melissa drove, with Allie riding shotgun in her car seat. Allie had a ball, and the Go Pro video of her was cute. Halfway through the ride, P.J. Took over the driving, and Melissa rode with me. Allie was not happy about the driver change, and the Go Pro video shows it. P.J. radioed that Allie was not happy, so we changed drivers again. It started to rain, so we decided to return to camp, all the way being concerned about Allie. When we got back to camp, Allie's only comment was she asked why we were back at camp, she thought we were going on an adventure. She wasn't at all phased by the rain. We sure appreciate the Fords letting us use their RZR. On Friday night we were all up late, probably after looking at videos or photos. Around 11:00 P.M., I was going to the showers when I saw a quad drive down the highway and stop just outside our camp. Soon I saw what I thought was a flashlight go to the stopped quad. I feared they were going to steal my lightbar, or worse, so I stayed in the shadows and listened. I heard one of them say he was going to ask the ranger for help and he walked towards the ranger residence. About this time, P.J. returned from the shower. Feeling con-fident with his backup, I went over to the fence and asked what was going on. A lady answered that they were on a long ride, and that they had crossed a river several times, and on the final crossing the water had risen and in crossing, the quad's cooling system was damaged, and it would only run a mile or so, and would overheat. She said he had gone to try and get a ride to their truck from the ranger. I figured the ranger was asleep, and I was awake, so I volunteered to take them to their truck. We took Nancy's Subaru the 20 or so miles to their truck. On the way I found Dave was a semi-retired teacher, and Sharon is about to start her first job as a vice-principal. We obviously had things in common. I also found they live in Florida! Dave's brother has 40 acres north of Pan-guitch , and Dave and Sharon spend about a month there each year, and they know a lot about trails in the area. Dave said he'll ride with us next year. Our group talked a lot this trip about going north towards Panguitch and riding from there, so we're hoping Dave can show us the area. Dave and I exchanged e-mail addresses, and I gave him the club's website, so I hope we'll meet again. We left Coral Pink and Mike and Lisa Saturday morning and we all spent Saturday night in Mesquite. We celebrated Melissa's birth-day at the cafe at the CasaBlanca. We met for breakfast Sunday morning at the CasaBlanca Buffet. It remains one of my favorite buffets. After breakfast we said our goodbyes, and everyone but Nancy and I hit the road. For some reason, I thought an extra day

in Mesquite would be fun. Instead, we missed every-one, and just sat around. It was a big letdown after the non-stop activities of the preceding week. We'll leave with everyone next year and continue the camaraderie on the road. As always, this was a great trip. The great group of people make this one of the best weeks of the year. I am already looking forward to next year. I just made the reservations. We'll arrive at Coral Pink on Friday, July 11th and leave on Sunday, July 20. We moved the days from Thursday through Saturday to Friday through Sunday so those who have to take I-15 won't have to fight Sunday traffic, and we should have some time before Coral Pink if we decide to go to Panguitch or other points north. I hope, as always, that we can introduce others to off reading in Utah. Individual site reservations can be made starting March 20, 2014 by calling Utah State Parks at (800) 322-3770. Let's go dunin'.

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