We look forward to the second weekend in September like no other. Each year, we pack up, invite friends and strangers, and make our way to the Oceano Sand Dunes for a full dose of sand, surf, sun, and...ahem, '80s thrash metal. This annual camping trip has ballooned from a few buddies getting together to a full-on spectacle, where everyone's invited, some wild rigs show up, and entertainment in the form of raw carnage inevitably occurs. It's OFF-ROAD Magazine's Heavy Metal Weekend!
To some, the happiest place in the world is Disneyland, but for us, there's no better place to celebrate the end of the summer than Oceano (we still like to call the place "Pismo Dunes," its former name). For broke guys like us, it's paradise. It's a bring-your-own-anything fest, and we don't charge a cent; the only cost is the state park's $10-per-night fee ($5 if you're just out for the day). We'll admit, however, that the weekend often has a hidden cost: broken parts that result from gleeful, maniacal thrashing of vehicles as we tear across the open sand. At least we know how to make people point and laugh.
This year, our camp held a full quiver of magazine project vehicles, UTVs, abused-up beaters, high-dollar sand runners, and even a couple of Hummers. At night, many of us gathered around a few bonfires, eating charred hot dogs, enjoying beverages of all types, and listening to old Metallica and Slayer tunes. It was great.
This is the second year we've featured photos of the weekend in the pages of OFF-ROAD, and there's no reason why you (and your rig) shouldn't be featured in next year's coverage. Just show up-no need to rsvp. We'll welcome you, your family, even your dog. Just be prepared to have fun, watch some carnage, and suffer through some loud music! We'll remind you as the date approaches.
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Nick Ammersaal put on a show for amped-up onlookers in his sick prerunner Ranger. Sights
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They call this sandrail "Airwolf," and for good reason...
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Mark Turner once again made it to Heavy Metal Weekend with his Mega-Jeep. The thing's a m
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Tacomas seem to do pretty well in the sand, and this one was no exception.
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Iraq's not the only place to find Hummers in the sand! Don Dahlin and "Mac" McMillan both
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Adam Baker of Bakersfield, California, showed up in his long-travel, coilover Ranger and l
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OFF-ROAD Associate Publisher Jason Bukolt ran our project Tundra hard. During last year's
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One of our very favorite vehicles we encountered during the weekend was a stripped-down, r
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....doorless Subaru wagon with two absolute maniacs in the cockpit. This thing put a lot
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We're always glad to see our friend Chad from Superior Axle & Gear show up in his outrageo
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.....The fully-functional rig features a custom Cadillac grill, spoked beadlock wheels, an
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Hey! It's our old Sport-Trac project. Now driven by our pal Kenny from South Bay Truck,
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This was one of the coolest first-gen Tundras we've come across. Central Coast Prerunners
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Former OFF-ROAD Publisher Jeff Dahlin piloted The Juice, getting tires in the air every ch
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Our pal Dennis Gregory owns Xtreme Unlimited, a full-service 4x4 shop just a few blocks fr
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Blazers made quite a showing at Heavy Metal Weekend. This trick '72 is owned by Ryan Burk
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This '82 Blazer featured a similar engine and drivetrain, and its owner, Kevin, set it up
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It's not every day we get to see dueling Blazers on a sand-drag mission!
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Kevin from KORR UTV Rentals brought out his custom RXR-S that KORR rents out, along with a
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Word about the weekend spread to FullSizeBronco.com. A couple of BroncoSpeeders (Steve an
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When playing in the sand, it's inevitable: someone's going to dig in and bury the tires...
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.....Usually, ultra-low tire pressure can help avoid this (and sometimes rectify it), but
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.....there's no salvation better than a buddy with a tow strap. We had almost as much fun
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....we did watching them get stuck. Did we ever need a pull?....
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.....You bet! There's no shame in requesting a pull when you're at the dunes.
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Here, ex-Publisher Dahlin tries to keep up with Editor Jones' beast of a Blazer. "That's
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Off-Road personality Mac McMillan danced his strange ceremonial waltz around the campfire.