Silver Lake 2

[Nutz4sand]

Silver lake only really uses the vouchers on the Memorial day, 4th of July, And the Labor day weekends. They are a pain in the ass that is true.

Many Duners do not come on the holiday weekends anymore but arrange it with thier friends to come the weekend before or the weekend after. Thus avoiding the issues. Its still crowded but not OMG jammed.

I doubt Silver Lake is closing anytime soon. Its the BIGGEST cash cow the DNR in Michigan have got.

The vouchers is a double system. If you tow with a trailer you need to get a new voucher each day (Parking lot voucher). Then you have to get to the parking lot at 7-8am or 8-9am depending on which time slot you get/got on your voucher. Many get their trailer in the parking lot then go back to the hotel or campsite and sleep or go out for B-fast. Some have rigs that they sleep in right there in the P-lot.

Worst thing about parking lot vouchers is as mentioned above you need a new one each day. There is a LONG line that starts forming first thing in the morning (6:00am) (overnight parkers WILL be towed almost 110% guarnateed) so you need a second vehicle and person to drive it to park in this line to be able to get another P-lot voucher the next day. The line gets longer all day and at 9:00pm that nigth they move it to the voucher area and you get the next days Parking lot voucher. FUN!   

They will allow you to get ONE voucher per person in a car/truck etc but a MAX of four per vehicle are allowed to be handed out on any one day. You NEED four people in a car to get four vouchers.

Gotta do this every day ON THE BUSY WEEKENDS (4th of July etc). Most weekends it just pull up and pull into the parking lot. No big.

If you are Dune ready you get a different voucher (dune ready voucher). The menas you are drivng the vehicle right out onto the sand. Cool thing about this is they will let you get them on Friday and they let you get them for all two or three weekend days (or four if its a long weekend) so you only gotta get in line once for these vouchers at the voucher area. Then again to get in but the second line usually goes quick (usually) to get into the park itself to pay on the dunes. Plus the dune ready vouchers are for different times than the parking lot vouchers.

The parking lot guys get in first (to the parking lot) and from 7 to 9 am its all to let the guys with trailers enter and park and unload. Then after 9am they open the entrance ramp to the dunes and start letting the dune ready guys into the parking lot. They simply drive around the outside of the lot to the entrance ramp and head on in to the sand. A flatbed truck to haul your toys in rules here......

Dune ready vouchers go from 9:00 am to 1:00pm and there are diff ones for each hour in between. When you get in line for these vouchers you try to get the time slot you prefer to get up and get there at.

If you miss either set of vouchers when they run out of what they feel is the last voucher they give out to limit the amount of people in the dune area you get put on a list then they call you as a spot becomes open. Can be quick and can be a long slow wait.

As mentioned above many do sell vouchers but don't get caught doing that! Not sure what would happen (maybe nothing but never know around here)

Often people get multiple vouchers and will GIVE them away if you need one and walk the line and ask. I have seen people get vouchers many times this way. The reason they get multiple vouchers is in case they want to get in early or maybe in case they decide to sleep in. Or maybe they got one for a buddy and he broke his rig or had to leave.

All in all its a PAIN IN THE ASS but as mention only on the holiday weekends. any other time its no biggie.

But it IS the reason I am putting in no less than three applications a week in Wichita, Kansas AND also looking for work in Salt Lake City Utah and up near Idaho falls (to be near St. Anthonies dunes) and Lost Wages (Las Vegas) and Phoenix too. I want to be near dunes that are not so poorly run. Each of those places would have certain dune benefits I would consider to be worth being there.

They also boot you out of these dunes at a certain time each night (usually right after sunset. (The sunset in the dunes out over Lake Michigan IS pretty cool)       

On slower weekends there is less people and the dunes are more for duners.

The holiday weekends it fun to go watch idiots be idiots.

Its a small dune area here at Silver Lake but it IS the ONLY legal dunes to ride on East of the Mississippi I have been told. Neatest thing about it is its like a big racetrack kinda. You have to try it at least once.

But I have been to Glamis a few times and Dumont Dunes too and Well this is more convienient for close by stores they are far far better.

Never been to LS in Oklahoma but would move there based on just what you guys and said about it. Same goes for St Anthonies in Idaho and Salt Lake City would be the best as there are four dune areas in Utah and a short trip to St Anthonies and not a bad one to Dumont or Glamis for a BIG weekend.

Plus no vouchers!

[fabr]

eff that

[dsrace]

it would take a day just to figure out which you were!     I gonna stick with ls for now, far far simpler. nutz just ride down with doug some day.

[Nutz4sand]

I already have over half my stuff loaded on my truck and trailer (16 foot boxt truclk and 30 foot plus box trailer) I am so close to simply moving to Wichita its not funny. I think at this point only a decent job offer in Utah would make me go someplace different.

I KNOW there is a ton more work around Wichita than where I am now. But trying to land a job before I go (for security) there but I am starting to think it would be eaiser to get hired if I was 12 miles away and not 1200.

I am loading my favorite and needed stuff I wish to keep first. Once I run out of room its time to give everything else to Goodwill or sell it.

[fabr]

What's your line of work?

[Nutz4sand]

Used to be in Maint and would like to get back into that. (Worked on the Gatorade line for Quaker oats back in the day.)

Then I got into Chrysler and was a supervisor for 7.5 years in a foundry then a couple years in a machine shop for Chrysler at the engine plant where 4.7's were made.

I tend to fall into supervisory stuff as when I understand whats going on I will take charge of a situation.

But its really more like babysitting big kids and I would not mind just being in maint again!

Heck I can run machines on the floor happily all day too.

[Nutz4sand]

I do not have a lot of big rig time (Used to drive equipment for my construction company way back) but would take a job driving as well if it payed the bills and allowed me to be where I wished.

[fabr]

We have a BIG turnaround starting in about 45 days at Coffeyville Resources refinery. Pay should be good and last about a year-year and a half.If you're really good there's a distinct possibility of being hired full time after the turnaround.The best guys do.

[dsrace]

could always try the kawasaki plant in lincoln ne too.

[Nutz4sand]

http://www.minibuggy.net/forum/minibuggy-net-lounge/15456-protodie-silver-lake-dunes-july-10-15-a.html

For those that can or do go to MBN heres a few pics Protodie posted.

It certainly aint all bad! ESpecially on the not so busy days when the sun has been out and no rain or three to four days then the dunes are smooth and fun.