Alvord desert?

[sofadriver]

Could there be LSR events at Alvord?
I've read that it's largely privately owned (?).
Would the surface provide decent traction and stand up to a large event? 
Would it need to be groomed? 
How long does it stay dry?
How far to the nearest town with full facilities?
How good/bad is the road?  Access looks similar to Lake Gairdner in Oz.

It looks so promising but the really fast teams don't seem too interested. 

[gnomenator]

Hey Mike, you read my mind, I'm down Eugene way so Alvord is in the 'backyard' I just watched a show called The List with Jessi Combs where she ran 442 mph at Alvord and I believe she is there this week to try to take the 'record' of 512+ mph set there by Kitty O'Neal in '76, so it is certainly do-able! My offroad buddies said they go there a lot and just run as fast as they want. It's managed by BLM (Bureau of Logging & mining) but google Alvord and search around, I found the blm page that said the only time you need a permit/fee is for a competetive event, but that sounds like a T&T would be cool. It is 12 mi long & 7 mi wide! We are going to do an 'exploritory' roadtrip over Xmas vacation and check it out in person. I believe the reason it hasn't caught on is services are non-existent so you need to bring everything in &out. I'll post our finding after the trip. Can you imagine, an LSR area that close to home???/AWESOME!~!~

[Stainless1]

If I read Ed's instructions correctly it's about 130 miles to civilization... but maybe only 25 to a one pump gas station.

[salt27]

If I read Ed's instructions correctly it's about 130 miles to civilization... but maybe only 25 to a one pump gas station.

That's about right, take fuel and food.

[Freud]

From what I remember You sure aren't going to run your Bonneville rubber.

There are small rocks in the surface. Ed has aluminum tire/wheel combination

and small rocks won't hurt them. if Alvord was so sweet there would have been

more record runs there.

FREUD

[gnomenator]

That's why we'll be making a exploratory trip, to see just what the conditions are like in person. I realize that it isn't  Bonneville, but for me, I won't be trying for 400+mph , just a little test time on different mods that we do . We can run more 'street-friendly' high speed rubber and see what happens. That ,I suppose, is the BEST test , 'cause as we know, everyone's opinion /experience differs. I think the reason it hasn't 'caught on' big time is the absolute remoteness of the place. Hard to put on an event with no local support!Time will tell I guess!

[salt27]

Ed has a rock picking crew, there were a few very small stones left on the course but not that many.

I wouldn't hesitate to run on it.

  Don

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I've been reading these notes with interest - since I didn't go out there to watch as the NAE team made some tests.  I wasn't positive how much internet connectivity there'd be - and from what I've read, cellphones only worked in one area -- way at the south end.  Yet Ed has told me that they use them successfully out there.  I wonder if my Verizon system would work where there's racing. And from that I wonder -- would a lack of phone service (among other stuff) be a show stopper?  It'd be difficult to call out to the rest of the world to order emergency parts, for instance.  Any comments from those that have been there recently?

[salt27]

Jon,
     My phone is AT@T, probably the worst for that area.
The only service I had was near the South end.

The little Hot Springs RV park had WIFI but I don't think it reached very far.

Ed had some kind of tower/communication setup they were using.

As for Verizon service, I don't know, maybe someone else does?

  Don

[gnomenator]

Good morning all, as I said, I'll be out there over Xmas vacation and I have Verizon, so I'll post the info when we get back. I looked at the area map and it looks like it IS rather far from any decent services , but what the heck, roughin' it for a chance to run a few passes sounds pretty good to me. Again,it doesn't look like it would support a major venue, but rainfall is practically non-existant, so other than being HOT in summer and COLD in winter, weather shouldn't be a factor. I'm constantly 'picking' other peoples brain who have knowledge about the area, but so far it has only been my offroad buddies and we all know they LIKE beatin' themselves to death

[salt27]

I think the Boise airport may be the closest larger airport at 200+ miles away (40+ miles of gravel).

Then the Redmond, Oregon airport at around 270 miles away (20+ miles of gravel).

At any rate this place is somewhat remote.

Some said they were staying at the "Ranch", I don't know anything about it.

We stayed at the Hot Springs RV park in a tent.

Others camped on the lake bed.

[mergatroyd]

Wasn't there some discussion about this earlier in the month?   

[salt27]

Wasn't there some discussion about this earlier in the month?   

I must have missed it, what thread?

[mergatroyd]

There was recent talk in the "poor salt" thread
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,14015.0.html

and the "future" thread
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,15357.0.html

Which must have led me to the stuff from 2007
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,2983.0.html
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,2659.0.html

and then I stopped obsessing about it and remembered merely that the consensus was Alvord wouldn't support a large event because of something that experienced dirt LSR people know that I don't. 

[salt27]

Yeah, I read that, I thought you meant earlier this month.

Thanks for your research.