Last September we made our second annual trip to the Oceano Sand Dunes (formerly known as Pismo Sand Dunes, but we still refer to the area as Pismo) for a weekend of relaxation and fun, on the beach and in the sun. It's the best time of the year at the dunes. Summer has ended, the large crowds of tourists have returned to school and to work, and the weather is still sunny and warm. The couple months right after summer are absolutely the nicest times of the year at Pismo.
During the second weekend in September we invite all our friends (including you next year!) to come on out to the Central Coast. The only entrance fee is at the gate of the sand dunes ($5 per day or $10 for the night), and we think you should shell out the dough and join us at 2009's Heavy Metal Weekend in Pismo.
The past two years have been nothing official, and just really a get-together of enthusiasts, but next fall we're gonna hit up the park for some permits. If we can make it official, we think we could really throw a fun little shindig. We were thinking we could set up a band on the beach, get some food and great barbeque out there for you to munch on, and maybe even get some really cool prizes we can giveaway to anyone who wants to show up.
So stay tuned, as we'll be sure to keep you updated as 2009's Heavy Metal Weekend gets closer.
 Our sales guy, Nick Bennett,...  Our sales guy, Nick Bennett, was looking a little too macho in his green Ramcharger,.... |  .....so we stuck a "Pismo...  .....so we stuck a "Pismo Girl" dune flag on his truck. He loved it. |  |
 It's rare you see a Hummer...  It's rare you see a Hummer in the dirt, but we had not just one but two H1s out with us this weekend. |  Luke "Rockwalker" of Fourtreks...  Luke "Rockwalker" of Fourtreks was rallying his first-gen trail Bronco through the Dunes. It was obvious he'd had some prior experience driving in sand. |  This van was in our camp all...  This van was in our camp all weekend and it was getting flogged harder than some of the trucks we brought. On more than one occasion, we saw the driver fill the entire van with people and head into the sand dunes, not just along the beach. It just goes to show what deflated tires and a little craziness will allow you to do. |
 Mark Turner of Daystar wasn't...  Mark Turner of Daystar wasn't exactly taking it easy on his mega Jeep this weekend. |  We actually did a rollcage...  We actually did a rollcage swap on our RZR right in camp before we took it into the dunes. Our publisher's brother drove the rollcage all the way out from Rigid Industries in Arizona to meet us for the weekend. Thanks, Jon! |  Please, for Gosh sakes, don't...  Please, for Gosh sakes, don't try this at home. |
 |  Sales Guy extraordinare Nick...  Sales Guy extraordinare Nick Bennett passed out a bit too early sitting in a chair next to the fire. We'd seen guys buried in the sand laying down before,.... |  .....but we'd never tried...  .....but we'd never tried a sand pyramid to entomb a sitting sales guy. Man, it was so worth moving all that sand. |
 Our publisher can't even properly...  Our publisher can't even properly pour his apple juice. |  |  When our Tundra broke a CV...  When our Tundra broke a CV shaft and buried itself, Jeff Dahlin (our notorius publisher) decided to hook up a strap to the front prerunner bumper of our Tundra. See why he is notorious? |
 Even the 4 Wheel & Off-Road...  Even the 4 Wheel & Off-Road FJ Cruiser made it out for the weekend for a little fun in the sun. | 
Dang 2WDs.... |  After we saw what Turner was...  After we saw what Turner was doing in his Mega Jeep, we're really not surprised he ended up with wasted airbags and a popped-off tire. |
 Well, we finally found a UTV...  Well, we finally found a UTV more fun in the sand than our little old red RZR: the new silver and grey RZRS. Its faster, has more suspension, and is a ready out-of-the-box little dune racer. What a blast. |  Yeah, we knew that was gonna...  Yeah, we knew that was gonna happen. |  Aww, this is kind of cute,...  Aww, this is kind of cute, isn't it? It had been a long weekend, and the always-alert publisher of 4 Wheel & Off-Road Magazine was all tuckered out. We were pretty impressed by this really: We've never seen anyone pass out standing up before. |
 We're not surprised. If our...  We're not surprised. If our publisher has no shame, why should his little brother? C'mon, this isn't the first time you've seen some dude in his boxers make a morning shower run into the ocean, is it? |  The rest of us showed up with...  The rest of us showed up with dudes and bros for the weekend. Pimp-of-the-party Nick Bennett? He shows up with two chicks (and they even brought their own truck!). Nick, you ruined the sausagefest. |  We saw Nick Clausen's blue...  We saw Nick Clausen's blue Ranger coming into the dunes on the back of a trailer earlier in the weekend, and we knew it was only a matter of time before we caught up to him. He'd strapped some sand paddles to the rear axle and was railing through the dunes. |
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 No one could even believe...  No one could even believe it when Richard Venola of Guns & Ammo magazine showed up in his deuce-and-a-half and started throttling around the dunes..... |  .....We didn't know 2-1/2-tons...  .....We didn't know 2-1/2-tons could move that quickly, especially in the sand. He would scatter groups of ATVs like little gnats as he came over dune walls. |  We caught up with Dave Metz...  We caught up with Dave Metz in his whooped out F-150 that he custom built. Thanks for showing off for us a bit, Dave. Sorry you blew out your bumpstop. |