Can someone please give a lake conditions report? With all the rain we have been getting this year, I can't imagine that Ivanpah is going to be dry before the event.

What would be the plan if Ivanpah is still wet?

Rob

Go to http://www.nalsa.org/events.htm and scroll down page after the event info to see the condition of the dry lake. Six inches water standing had gone away in last two weeks! ( that was fast absorbed and a good mighty sign to the end of March ) :singing:

Hi Rob:

I check everyday for lake conditions. The link that tracktROB posted is a good one. The Land sailors should give a more up todate report soon. Here is a link to a bunch of weather stations in that area that you may find helpful. Hope to see you and loren down there.:singing:

http://www.instaweather.com/klas/default.asp?cid=114&map...

Here's the latest from NALSA as reported on the BlokartUSA Forum: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/blokartusa

Message #1 of 1: Date Posted: 05 Mar 2005 14:27:34 by Mike Moody Reply to this message To all,
Just heard good news from Mark Harris the Treasurer of NALSA. For those of us coming from a long ways off, it looks like the event WILL happen regardless of conditions at Ivanpah. Looks like March 12 is a kind of "drop dead date" for making a decision as to WHERE we will be. (See a copy of MarS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s note to me below)
Mark asked me to ask all those coming to PLEASE preregister. An event of this size requires large amounts of planning and effort by people on the scene. It is only fair we let them know how many of us are coming. There is meal planning and other systems that might be overtaxed if the correct number of participants are not estimated properly. I have 40 email commitments from Blokarters with only 7 preregistered. Lets all do what we can to help out! After all, we wouldn't want to run short on beer or something important like that!
Thanks,
Mike Moody
# 2207
(MarS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s note following)
Michael, I have 7 Blokarts registered and two that only want to race in the Open Mini Yacht Class 1.
It would be nice to get more to pre-register and reind them to specify Perf or Prod and their weight class.
Ivanpah is under water, 3 in or more. It should dry out, but other sites are being looked at that are dry in No. Nevada and SE Oregon. No final decision until March 12.
Las Vegas is supposed to get a little more rain, but if the warm days occur as in next weeS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-s forecast, significant drying should help. Other sites being survey are Garfield Flat near Mina, NV and the Alvord Desert, Oregon where there is a 4 mi x 4 mi section that is perfect and getting bigger each day. That site is 285 mi from Reno, NV.
Mark

The big question: Will it be wet on Ivanpah? The 3/6/05 report:

As of March 6, the event is two weeks away and there is roughly 3" of water on the playa. Based on drying data from earlier this year it looks like it will take longer than that to dry but dry lakes have a reputation for drying quickly when conditions are right. If we have good drying weather there is still a chance that Ivanpah will be sailable. If we are making good progress on drying we may not make a decision about moving the event until the week before the event.

We have found dry playas in the Mina/Luning area off Rt 95 between Tonopah and Hawthorne NV. These playas are a bit smaller than Ivanpah but they look like they will be about the same size as the north end section of Ivanpah we sailed on in 2001. That worked fine, even for the big boats. There are accommodations in Hawthorne which is 25 to 40 miles from the different playas we might end up on. Mina and Luning may have limited accommodations as well. We will have more information in a few days.

The south end of the Alvord is also dry. We presently have two dry potential sailing areas so it is looking likely that we will be able to sail the event.

Given the uncertainty about conditions on Ivanpah we have decided to waive the $20 late entry fee (ie: you can register at the regatta for $60). The entry forms have not been modified to reflect this. If we move to an alternate site we will, upon the request of the pilot, return their entry fee if they are not able to attend at the new site.

If we move we will not have the tent and catered dinners that we had planned for Ivanpah. If we stay on Ivanpah we may still cancel some of those luxuries if conditions warrant doing so.

Thanks to mecdave to pull up the newest NALSA report as we are watching it very closely.:rodent:

Somebody's got to do it. :P

There's still time for it to dry up. Check out this site from El Mirage 2001...


http://home.flash.net/~yves/sbbb2001/elmirage/closed.htm

Buggy- Brethren:
I did the loop drive Saturday.
South on I-15 to check Jean and Roach and Ivanpah.
Across the Nipton Rd. to Searchlight (and the awesome Joshua Tree forest) and north on #95 to see Eldorado.
It had rained (showers) earlier that afternoon, so things were expectedly damp.
Jean still has a bit of standing water in the middle but around the shoreline it was drying nicely.
Roach looked the scariest.
Plenty of standing water covering nearly 80% of the lakebed.

Ivanpah was dry at the entry and about half way down to where we camp.
The access road that is.
The lakebed itself was about 70% covered, but very shallow.
I could see plenty of clumps of brush along the pipeline and the tire pile out by the freeway had water only an inch or so up the first tire.

Last week, before this last "moisture event" Ivanpah was nearly dry.
With temps forecast into the 80's by mid-week, and the breeze that's
been blowing, my guess is the standing water will be gone by the weekend.

Therein lies a problem.
With this lousy winter and everybody getting pretty darn anxious to get out on the playa, the next week or so when things are still soft will test us.
If we go out, we run the very real risk of leaving tracks.
From our vehicles.
And we've made this look pretty fun so others, without much concern or consideration for the desert, are drawn out too.
Let's hope the damage is slight.

I'll do the drive-around a few more times before the event.
Watch how quickly lakebed conditions change.

Safen Up! Buggy On!
the coreylama

These lake use guidelines were posted on the NALSA site and are definately worth repeating:

Notes:
Do not take the dirt road that runs SE along the fence. There is often a wash just past the fence that may be difficult for some vehicles. A little shovel work goes a long way.

Do not stray far from the road when on the lake. It is generally a good idea drive near the road ruts rather than in them. This spreads out the surface loss over a wider area where it can recover more readily . Observe the posted speed limit. When passing cars be mindful of your dust trail.

When approaching camp or driving in camp drive very slowly (walking speed or slower) to avoid making dust in camp.

If the lake is wet do not drive on it. As a minimum you will leave ruts that will take years to fill and there is a good chance you will get stuck. If there are puddles (typically in the ruts of the road) do not drive through them.
If it starts to rain moderately hard you will have very little time (10-15 minutes) before the the lake softens and becomes impassable. (In case you are thinking your V8 powered, 4 wheel drive SUV can get through anything, think again...this is not your usual 'mud bog' mud. The softened surface rolls up on your tires like a snow ball rolled in wet snow. It can pack the wheel wells in a few tens of feet.)

Keep an eye on the weather and, if it is threatening, be ready to move off the playa quickly. You generally do not need to flee at the first sign of rain falling out of a distant cloud. In most cases the rain is brief and the lake will never really get wet or will dry in a few hours BUT if it rains a lot it may flood for days or weeks. Most (but not all) experienced landsailors have a good understanding of when it is time to get off he playa and how to get off if the playa has gotten soft.

The BLM manages the lake. We have permits for events. Please read the permits and associated rules for conduct on the lake.

hey corey,dave
thanks for being our eyes and ears on the cond. of the beds. everybody is keeping one eye glued to thier PC`s for any and all news. keep the faith baby. i for one think the beds will dry out. if not. AJ will be the only one flying npw`s off of handles on the roof :singing:

i was not planning ont he roof but was going to fit my buggy with tires that would ride the rail of the rollercoaster......aj:ticking:

Buggy-Brethren,

First: The Headlines:

IVANPAH BUGGIED ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!

More on this fantastic announcement after this brief word from a potential sponsor: Bushmills Irish Whiskey.
Did you know Bushmills Irish Whiskey, distilled in County Atrim in Ireland, holds the world's oldest license to distill?
Its true. The license dates to 1608.

Now back to our story:
I buggied on Ivanpah yesterday.
Yep. That same lakebed that was underwater on Saturday.
I drove down as far as the brush at Staging Area #2.
That's about 1.5-2 miles from our annual gathering spot.
The north wind had blown the remaining water down to the south end around the evaporation pond where maybe 1/4" of water stands.

The lakebed is approximately 70% dry. Some darker spots along the freeway side, but almost all the standing water is GONE!

The ruts in the access road still hold water, so getting across was difficult.
I buggied in the "parking lot" on the shore side of the access road until I found a mostly dried spot to get across.

There are spots where only a buggy could go.
A car would have broken the crust and gone into the ooze.

Temps are forecast to be in the 80's for the rest of weekend.
There is the potential of a "moisture event" the first of next week, but it is constantly being revized downward.
Anyway, it will be sporadic and isolated.

If temps stay in the 80's by next weekend, we'll have no problems.

The landsailer guys may be sweating bullets right now, but even without their tent, we'll be fine.

I am often wrong... But never in doubt.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

the coreylama

hey corey
yea baby!!!!!! great news. i knew the wind and sun gods
wouldn`t let us down. i can hear the wind on the playa blowing,saying, glenn glenn come play with me. it won`t be long now.

hey corey
did you check jean??? just wondering what that bed looks like. i haven`t been there in a couple of years and i`m thinking of going one or two days while i`m there.

Ode To The Frantic

The weather's the same,
twixt this lake and that
When the hot sun glows
and the wind gawd blows
the playa dries. And that's that.

Just settle down.
Don't make me pull this car over.

It'll all be dry by the time you arrive.
Or it won't.
And there's nothing you can do about it.

You're coming anyway.

Is your sister still coming?
(That might be a record!)
Either on the playa or in the parking lot, we'll show her a good time.
And all the rest of you, too.

I am often wrong, but never in doubt.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

the coreylama

hey corey
the lama has spoken.
your right. i`m coimng no matter what happens.
yes my sister is still coming.:singing:

Conditionsare improving, not yet mid day this saturday and it shows 78* in temp with a light breeze and only 23% humidity
Half hour later shows 84* and 19%
We are on the way.
:singing::singing::singing::singing::singing:

Today Sunday, not yet 11am, Primm temp is 67* with 30% humidity, wind reported variable 9 > 25 = good drying conditions
:singing::singing::singing:

Monday 2am..........56* 24% humidity........gusts 10 > 30
:singing::singing::singing:

Quote:

Originally posted by RMV Today Sunday, not yet 11am, Primm temp is 67* with 30% humidity, wind reported variable 9 > 25 = good drying conditions :singing::singing::singing:

NASCAR is in Vegas today. Blue skys, green grass, and so windy the showgirls were nearly toppling over! :D

Oh My Buggy-Brethren:

We had most of the crew out on Ivanpah on Sunday.
Sweet northeast wind at 12-15 mph.
The lake bed surface is SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!

I've never buggied on a baby's butt, but I bet it's about that smooth!
True, there were spots that felt like someone had put fresh batteries in the vibrator, but they're starting to lay down too.

Roach still looks the worst, as the wind drove all the water back out into the middle of the lake.
But it's less than a quarter inch so it'll all be gone soon.

Jean looks dry. Completely.
But we were so anxious to buggy Ivanpah, I didn't drive all the way down to Jean Dry Lake to step on the surface.

While temps are only forecast to be in the 60's and low 70's this week, there are NO "moisture-events" of any significance on the horizon.

Remember, I'm the guy who said (last year while staring at black clouds coming at us) "I know the weather. That's only verga. It won't rain here. And if it does, it won't last"

I am often wrong, but never in doubt.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

the coreylama

Great to hear the good news about Ivanpah and Jean!
Anyone got a recent report on El Mirage?

Quote:

Originally posted by austinbuggyman Great to hear the good news about Ivanpah and Jean! Anyone got a recent report on El Mirage?

Yup! Unless this moisture above me comes down, we look good! Right now it is very ridable and looking good, althought the lake bed is OFFICIALLY closed.

No motorized vehicles on the lake. We will be posting here where we will meet, but grab some cell phone numbers before you come.

WARNING: for some strange reason, cell phone coverage has been spotty out on Elmers, where i've always had a signal, the last few days i've had none! Don't know what is goiing on.

Meanwhile, the lake continues to dry, i will continue to keep you informed, and let's keep our collective fingers crossed.

aoxomoxoa

Update on cell phone on Elmer's:

It dawns on me that General Atomic, builers of the USAF Predator unmanned recon vehicle, have their maufacruring at the east end of Elmer's at the old airport.
They have facilities capable of communicating with the Predator drones anywhere around the world.
Dean, remember a few years ago, when we were driving off Elmer's one afternoon, and my dash-mounted compass started spinning in circles?
Powerful radio signals out there, buddys.

I'm just saying...

I am often wrong, but never in doubt.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

the coreylama