Take a ride across the Alvord Desert. uncut and stripped down, just you and the Playa!
The Alvord Desert is around 64 square miles of dry lake bed. our trip across was across the width, I'm afraid the length would take all day to cross. our line was a slight c shape as we got a little off course. the wind was blowing when we returned to camp but the battery was dead in my camera so I didn't get any buggy footage.

http://youtu.be/aBRPVAEt1tI

Here are some photos by Ce Ce Ferrell of our trip to Alvord

https://picasaweb.google.com/111813139826617902871/Alvord?au...

Wow. Talk about a big lake bed.

Susan (npw goddess)

but what about the wind, weather, and the buggying?

weather was nice, we got good wind Friday evening, I put the 4.5 Century up, I went from 0 to 30 mph instantly! Scared the hell out of me . I made several long runs, It seem like miles from camp in no time, by the time I made it back to camp to get a smaller kite it was getting dark so I just sat for a bit and let the adrenaline come down a bit. Saturday we didn’t get much wind but we did get to do a little night buggying by the moonlight. When the wind was down we pulled each other on the buggies using the quad runner. Lots to explore there! Can’t wait to go back! I think Josh got some buggy footage, he had his best run ever that Friday evening and was pretty stoked! we talked with a guy who has been coming to Alvord every year since the 70's and he said the wind blows consistanly in the month of October.

WOW! Let me wipe off my keyboard. What a fantastic riding spot. Never knew there was another place like Ivanpah in the states. All that lake bed and not once did I see a golfer hole. You guys out west sure got it good. Looked it up on Wikipedia since I have never heard of it before and wouldn't you know it, they mentioned that parts of it are habitat for the evil Snowy Plover:evil: Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally posted by Cheddarhead they mentioned that parts of it are habitat for the evil Snowy Plover

The inland Snowy Plover is NOT endangered, ONLY the coastal Snowy Plover. The birds are NOT genetically different. Scientific analysis has shown they are not separate species. EPA says otherwise! It is also why the areas for Plover protection have generally not expanded too much.

Quote:

Originally posted by Cheddarhead Never knew there was another place like Ivanpah in the states. Plover:evil: Thanks for sharing.

Actually there are ton's of dry lakes out west. This just happens to be in Washington.

I wasn't aware of dry lakes before this sport. Now I fly or drive around Cali and they are all I see.

Ivanpah is unique in that it is set asside for wind powered vehicles only. All others are a free for all accept El Mirage . It is pay to play. I understand it can be a zoo.

What's the access road like ,do you need a 4x4 to drive in?Can we camp on the lakebed or close by?My mind is working on a trip this fall after seeing that video.Only 13 hours from Vancouver.

@ Bladerunner, Alvord is actually in S.E. Oregon and I think the biggest reason Ivanpah is protected is because it is so accessible where Alvord is a little more desolate, Burns Oregon is the closest city (2.5 hour drive) Alvord is remote and large enough where traffic is not an issue. You’re correct there are lots of dry lake beds, Alvord is one of the largest, there is one larger just south of Alvord in Nevada where they do the Burning Man event.

hey buggeyed,

I drove my 30 ft motorhome on to the lakebed and camped on the other side 8 miles from any road you can be rest assured I kept a very close eye on the radar, a few inches of rain and I would have been a resident for a while

Quote:

Originally posted by MDK hey buggeyed, I drove my 30 ft motorhome on to the lakebed and camped on the other side 8 miles from any road you can be rest assured I kept a very close eye on the radar, a few inches of rain and I would have been a resident for a while

with a few inches of rain and you would be permanent, like forever.
if the rain starts and you are on the playa, your more than likely not going to get off. Does your wife know you might end up with a 30' house boat?

Quote:

Originally posted by bigkid Quote: Originally posted by MDK hey buggeyed, I drove my 30 ft motorhome on to the lakebed and camped on the other side 8 miles from any road you can be rest assured I kept a very close eye on the radar, a few inches of rain and I would have been a resident for a while with a few inches of rain and you would be permanent, like forever. if the rain starts and you are on the playa, your more than likely not going to get off. Does your wife know you might end up with a 30' house boat?

My wife was more brave than I was she kept calling me paranoid every time I would check the radar. As soon as there was action in the area we vacated without issue (5am Sunday morning). And that was a pretty big storm that came through that day so I was worried about nothing once I had the motorhome up on the road I should have taken the buggy back down to the playa, the wind was kicken! personally I suggest camping near the access road, but it is really cool on the other side, hard to resist

only one word pops into my mind: WOW..!!!
if only i could..

:eekdrull:

Great one more for the bucket list. Wait till I tell Sandy about this one.

I added a link to some photos in the original post

Josh just posted this to the web.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id7ShWuSZro&feature=share

Josh looked to be moving, what speeds did you guys do

I didn't have GPS on my first couple of runs, so I don't know for sure on those. Later runs were about 35mph. Nothing doing all day then a good wind near sundown for about 45 minutes seeems to be the way it goes during summer months there. Big temperature swing. What ever gear isn't on you or the bug when it picks up tends to get left behind.

Josh, that guy that stopped by our camp that has been coming there every year since the 70’s? did he say that the winds come in month of October and blow pretty consistently?

tried to watch josh's yt vid but it says the owner hasn',t made it available for mobile users. wrf? you're killin me smalls!

and its only 8 hours from me!! a bunch of us will have to get together and go on a road trip!!

maybe I shouldn't rub it in.......but its only 5 hours for me.....4.5 hours if I go through Jordan Vally but that has 30 miles of dirt road and the motorhome doesnt like washboard but you have one up on me...you're only a couple hours from the beach its around 10 hours for me

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisH and its only 8 hours from me!! a bunch of us will have to get together and go on a road trip!!

Been trying to talk you and Sand Flea into it you know......

That is the farthest I have seen Josh drive without getting stuck in a long time ! :D

@MDK- that was what he said. Just gotta try it out, I guess. Naturally the shorter the duration of the stay, the odds of ridable weather get smaller.

@BR- Yes, and thanks for noticing!:wow:

it's only about 5000 miles for me...

@ jantie, when you decide to make the trip ship your gear to me and I will take it over for you.

Quote:

Originally posted by MDK @ jantie, when you decide to make the trip ship your gear to me and I will take it over for you.

From the looks of his siggy, all he has to do is show up, I have most of his quiver to demo. I'm a bit closer than he is, but not as close as you are

@MDK:

thanks for the offer.

to ship al my gear and myself isn't very cheap, and i've checked the wheaterconditions
on a yearly average base and it would be a pretty big gamble to just plan a week or more
and go out there.
but the picture's and the movie sure look very tempting

maybe some day....

A trip like that is always going to be a gamble for sure, but never boring. Just have to take things as they come, I suppose.