Prior to retiring from Union Pacific Railroad I used to take freight trains through Glamis on the run from Los Angeles to Yuma. Saw a lot of crazy ORV activities from trackside perspective.
Glamis, Wow, now that brings back many memories! I've put on many a mile out on the dunes via buggy, 3wheel ATC, 4X4, etc. and spent just about every Thanksgiving, New Years and Easter weekend there from the early 70's to 90's. Back then there were no guvment signs telling us what to do, or not, and it was all free to camp or use, that is until around the 90's. Just like Quartzsite, and for the same reason, high temps, the place is relatively deserted in the summer. Just east of the RR tracks, and on the south side of the highway there used to be a place to grab some water. I think it was spring water, and used for emergencies as in the olden days there used to be a wooden road across the dunes. I expect there were a lot of overheating radiators back then. This would have been about where Russ took the aerial shots before crossing tracks. That RV storage lot near the RR tracks on the north side of the highway was where the old Glamis Store was located, along with a bar and a vendor or two. Many a wet T-shirt exhibition took place there, and there was a dirt air strip running parallel to the highway to handle small planes, plus a drag strip for sand drags. Otherwise, the dunes to the north of the highway were closed to off roading unless you headed way up to the northern end. I never saw it, but somewhere in those northern dunes is the wreckage of a plane that surfaces every now and then thanks to the shifting sand. The Glamis Dunes are also where parts of the original (Jimmy Stewart) version of "Flight of the Phoenix" was filmed, plus other movies have used the area. The gold mine is a heap leaching operation, thus man made mountains are formed. The idea is to create a gently sloped area in the form of a shallow V, cover it with rubber/plastic mats, then "heap" the low grade gold ore on top. A sprinkler system is set up on top of the mountain to spray the ore with a cyanide, or substitute reagent solution, which soaks through the ore and onto the mats where the golden solution is eventually collected at the low point of the V, and off it goes for separation of the gold.
I remember back in the 80's you could take your buggy all the way to the town of Algodones and fill up on tacos and beer then sneak back into the US. Plenty of free camping if you take the road next to the RR tracks heading south a few miles.
Russ, The southern end of the Imperial Dunes (outside of Yuma, Az) has a monument depicting the old wood plank road used in the early 1900s. It was the width of a railroad track. Imagine driving on that today with your Sprinter van.
Man, I sure miss the dune's, it's been about 12 Year's since I was there riding my quad, getting a little old for it now, I'm 67 sure would like to go one more time, I still ride my quad and motorcycle !
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🙋♀️Hello Russ! I thought the 1st drone shot gave the perfect example of what I call a patch work quilt showing the Colorado River's blue, greens, & browns, of the land. Really nice day for seeing dune buggies out. I use to think Ocean, Beach, sand dunes. That was a nice sand dune park. Nice campground for boon docking, with bathrooms. I Really like this adventure. 👍 Have a nice day.
Thanks for showing the dunes. Many years ago we were there when our girls were little. Our girls thought they were neat and liked them. Quite the site.
Come on Russ...Get some paddles on the van and go have some fun! It's amazing how the dunes can change from day-to-day just depending on strong the winds are.
Between 1965 and 2006 we had a group that went to Glamis at least 4-5 times a year. In the early days V8 Jeep’s and VW buggy’s and it slowly turned into what it is now. I haven’t been down there since 2006, I’m hoping Russ or another viewer knows if you can still find sections of the old plank road. If I remember correctly the road was completed sometime around WW1, the last time I visited a section of it was around 1990 and it was slowly being taken over by the sand. Great vid!
When i was a little boy my dad and all his buddy's would go to the dunes every other Christmas and Easter. This was 1968-76 .we would camp at Gordon Wells im thinking. Back in them days everything was homade the camper was a 57GMC with a pull type camper trailer welded on the back of the truck and it wide tires for the sand it had a big Oldsmobile motor and trans it had a gas pump on the back to fill up the jeep. It was pulled behind on a trailer. The jeep was a 62 had a Chevy V8 sand paddles. My dad led the way between 6 to 8 jeeps and buggys would go out to this big hill called patton valley. I can remember the jeep pulling up to the hill the front bumper would hit the hill as he would put slow til the front went up he would sit there looking straight up to the sky rev the motor pop the clutch and floor it shift to 2nd between 8 to 9 thousand RPMs we would be scared to deth. When it was time to leave dad and his buddy's would tie about 6 jeeps together and pull ea camper up out of the sand because out there 4 days the campers would be sitting on the frames . Dads group would always pick up everyone's trash and dump it at the rest area. Then back to Tucson it was awesome watching your video of the ride to see that again for me was very special, thanks.
AWESOME MEMORIES OF GLAMIS. MISS THAT PLACE. SO MUCH $$$$ OUT THERE ON WINTER HOLIDAYS. FROM $100.000 - $150.000 DOLLAR V8 CUSTOM SANDRAILS TO MULTI MILLION DOLLAR CUSTOM RVs & TRAILERS PAINTED TO MATCH.. I SPENT MANY HOLIDAY WEEKS OUT THERE. IVE RODE MY 2 STROKE 500 “ QUADZILLA “ JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE OUT THERE. SO FUN. 😁🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
I started watching a video of u going thru the mountains of West Virginia and now I'm ln the sand dunes. Awesome. I'm from a small town in the northern Panhandle of West Virginia called Wellsburg. I'm crammed between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is about an hour away from where I am right now in Wellsburg.
I stopped at the same lookout but the day we were there the road was covered in sand so we parked at the bottom of the hill. I had to push a lady in a minivan who got stuck in the sand. Being from Minnesota I didn't expect to have flashbacks to snow storms in southern California
Good Job Russ! Keep splicing/adding a map view in the videos once in a while as you travel in the video, so we can follow on a map where u are going, that is super helpful!
Hi Russ ... if you get a chance, stop in at TUMCO to see an old gold mining operation. The place has many gold mines, some vertical shafts, a huge open pit mine and some vertical tunnels you can actually go in. Remnants of the old town too. I boondock there often and still haven't found all the mines. The United Mining Company (TUMCO). Cheers, Steve
Season opener feom October till closing season April 14. But you can go whenever you want. It is an expensive hobby/sport but wouldn't change it. Been doing it since 98', with a family of 6 like me its about $1,000 a month to get out, I go monthly if I can.
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this is why I watch RVerTV a road less traveled you are truly off the beaten path thanks Russ
So many memories from Glamis, rode every inch of that place from 75 to 1980, good ol days...
The Bob Ross of RVing. Love this guy!
too funny thank you
Bob Russ👍
i was about to give a thumbs down to the video but after this comment i related. i fast forwarded 75% of the footage
Prior to retiring from Union Pacific Railroad I used to take freight trains through Glamis on the run from Los Angeles to Yuma. Saw a lot of crazy ORV activities from trackside perspective.
Too cool for school Russ!! Love seeing the offroaders playing in the sand! Loving this trip! 👍😃
i drive the 78 to the 10 to the 95 to Vegas from the eastern san Diego county. it's a great view, not much traffic. lots of trucks, but i love it!
Glamis, Wow, now that brings back many memories! I've put on many a mile out on the dunes via buggy, 3wheel ATC, 4X4, etc. and spent just about every Thanksgiving, New Years and Easter weekend there from the early 70's to 90's. Back then there were no guvment signs telling us what to do, or not, and it was all free to camp or use, that is until around the 90's. Just like Quartzsite, and for the same reason, high temps, the place is relatively deserted in the summer.
Just east of the RR tracks, and on the south side of the highway there used to be a place to grab some water. I think it was spring water, and used for emergencies as in the olden days there used to be a wooden road across the dunes. I expect there were a lot of overheating radiators back then. This would have been about where Russ took the aerial shots before crossing tracks.
That RV storage lot near the RR tracks on the north side of the highway was where the old Glamis Store was located, along with a bar and a vendor or two. Many a wet T-shirt exhibition took place there, and there was a dirt air strip running parallel to the highway to handle small planes, plus a drag strip for sand drags. Otherwise, the dunes to the north of the highway were closed to off roading unless you headed way up to the northern end.
I never saw it, but somewhere in those northern dunes is the wreckage of a plane that surfaces every now and then thanks to the shifting sand. The Glamis Dunes are also where parts of the original (Jimmy Stewart) version of "Flight of the Phoenix" was filmed, plus other movies have used the area.
The gold mine is a heap leaching operation, thus man made mountains are formed. The idea is to create a gently sloped area in the form of a shallow V, cover it with rubber/plastic mats, then "heap" the low grade gold ore on top. A sprinkler system is set up on top of the mountain to spray the ore with a cyanide, or substitute reagent solution, which soaks through the ore and onto the mats where the golden solution is eventually collected at the low point of the V, and off it goes for separation of the gold.
Absolutely beautiful!😎🤗 thanks for sharing! Safe travels Russ!😀👌
Had some great times there, thanks for the revisit!!!
I remember back in the 80's you could take your buggy all the way to the town of Algodones and fill up on tacos and beer then sneak back into the US. Plenty of free camping if you take the road next to the RR tracks heading south a few miles.
yep, back in the day
i did that too as a kid. we would have to push our atv's a short way too.
Russ, The southern end of the Imperial Dunes (outside of Yuma, Az) has a monument depicting the old wood plank road used in the early 1900s. It was the width of a railroad track. Imagine driving on that today with your Sprinter van.
He covered that
Love glamis dune buggy’s 😎 quads big dunes and Gordon’s wells All American canel is also a lot of fun 🛺 thanks for good memories ☀️😎
Man, I sure miss the dune's, it's been about 12 Year's since I was there riding my quad, getting a little old for it now, I'm 67 sure would like to go one more time, I still ride my quad and motorcycle !
We should have an "Old Timers Reunion" at Glamis
How did you like the wind storm a few days ago my camper was rockin and a rolling
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I hope you topped off in Arizona because the price of diesel in California is getting pricey.
Thank you for the great video!
i sure did. thank you
Since I'm getting pretty old to snow ski, this might be right up my alley !! Thanks for the vid Russ !
🙋♀️Hello Russ! I thought the 1st drone shot gave the perfect example of what I call a patch work quilt showing the Colorado River's blue, greens, & browns, of the land. Really nice day for seeing dune buggies out. I use to think Ocean, Beach, sand dunes. That was a nice sand dune park. Nice campground for boon docking, with bathrooms. I Really like this adventure. 👍 Have a nice day.
Fun road trip. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Russ!!! Nice day to see the "DESERT SNOW" Dunes!! Be Safe!!!
Thanks for showing the dunes. Many years ago we were there when our girls were little. Our girls thought they were neat and liked them. Quite the site.
72-75,lots of good memories of my Corvair sandrail,TY Russ
Come on Russ...Get some paddles on the van and go have some fun! It's amazing how the dunes can change from day-to-day just depending on strong the winds are.
haha ok
Wow, what a great trip. I've never been down there and now will add it to my list of places to visit thanks to you Russ!!
I'm glad were back to the road trip. I really enjoyed the view. Thanks. Nizhoniful...
Thanksgiving 1979 I spent 4 days there camping and riding three wheelers.
Thanks. AGain. Russ. For. Another. Ride alone. Take. Care. BE. Safe. From. Oregon
thank you
watching the buggies go across the dunes reminds me of the old war movies with jeeps cutting across the desert.
Love the dunes. Have a safe trip.
Between 1965 and 2006 we had a group that went to Glamis at least 4-5 times a year. In the early days V8 Jeep’s and VW buggy’s and it slowly turned into what it is now. I haven’t been down there since 2006, I’m hoping Russ or another viewer knows if you can still find sections of the old plank road. If I remember correctly the road was completed sometime around WW1, the last time I visited a section of it was around 1990 and it was slowly being taken over by the sand. Great vid!
Excellent Russ!!
To cool for school!!!!!
That looks like so much fun!! I'm jealous. 🤗
Glamis is as much fun as you can possibly have with your clothes on!
Nothing beats a calm drive out in the middle of nowhere, keep on rollin Russ
When i was a little boy my dad and all his buddy's would go to the dunes every other Christmas and Easter. This was 1968-76 .we would camp at Gordon Wells im thinking. Back in them days everything was homade the camper was a 57GMC with a pull type camper trailer welded on the back of the truck and it wide tires for the sand it had a big Oldsmobile motor and trans it had a gas pump on the back to fill up the jeep. It was pulled behind on a trailer. The jeep was a 62 had a Chevy V8 sand paddles. My dad led the way between 6 to 8 jeeps and buggys would go out to this big hill called patton valley. I can remember the jeep pulling up to the hill the front bumper would hit the hill as he would put slow til the front went up he would sit there looking straight up to the sky rev the motor pop the clutch and floor it shift to 2nd between 8 to 9 thousand RPMs we would be scared to deth. When it was time to leave dad and his buddy's would tie about 6 jeeps together and pull ea camper up out of the sand because out there 4 days the campers would be sitting on the frames . Dads group would always pick up everyone's trash and dump it at the rest area. Then back to Tucson it was awesome watching your video of the ride to see that again for me was very special, thanks.
Excellent video Russ! Travel safe 👍
Nice trip russ !!
AWESOME MEMORIES OF GLAMIS. MISS THAT PLACE. SO MUCH $$$$ OUT THERE ON WINTER HOLIDAYS. FROM $100.000 - $150.000 DOLLAR V8 CUSTOM SANDRAILS TO MULTI MILLION DOLLAR CUSTOM RVs & TRAILERS PAINTED TO MATCH.. I SPENT MANY HOLIDAY WEEKS OUT THERE. IVE RODE MY 2 STROKE 500 “ QUADZILLA “ JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE OUT THERE. SO FUN. 😁🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙
I like your videos and your talking about the area. Nice.
A new place for the bucket list, thanks Russ.
Glamis I love that place been there so many times be safe Russ the grandkids says hello travel well lance and family
Thanks for sharing the ride
✌💖🎼🎵🎶
I started watching a video of u going thru the mountains of West Virginia and now I'm ln the sand dunes. Awesome. I'm from a small town in the northern Panhandle of West Virginia called Wellsburg. I'm crammed between Ohio and Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is about an hour away from where I am right now in Wellsburg.
I stopped at the same lookout but the day we were there the road was covered in sand so we parked at the bottom of the hill. I had to push a lady in a minivan who got stuck in the sand. Being from Minnesota I didn't expect to have flashbacks to snow storms in southern California
AZ brother in law used to take their sand rails down there.
Excellent vid. Thanks Russ.
There used to be a bar in the middle of the dunes. Took a buggy to get there
Drove that area two years ago on the way back from the Old Geezer Hotsprings in Holtville. Hot Springs aptly named???
Amazing video sir. Thank you!
Well, that was interesting!
Be happy Russ and travel safe👻👻
Would you run the rusty nugget there
Visited there in the 90s and want to get back some day.
You never disappoint Nice Video !
You are super chill and the scenery is spectacular man, thank you... sub/like
Good Job Russ! Keep splicing/adding a map view in the videos once in a while as you travel in the video, so we can follow on a map where u are going, that is super helpful!
Drove thru that same area about 6 years ago, got stopped twice by border patrol doing checks. Thanks for today’s drive. 👍👍
This really looks like alot of fun..I may consider a Dune Buggy type affair!
👍👍 Thanks
i actually worked on building that road, while working there, I put up a portable swimming pool and partied on weekends
Hi Russ ... if you get a chance, stop in at TUMCO to see an old gold mining operation. The place has many gold mines, some vertical shafts, a huge open pit mine and some vertical tunnels you can actually go in. Remnants of the old town too. I boondock there often and still haven't found all the mines. The United Mining Company (TUMCO). Cheers, Steve
Watch out for those 90 degree corners, they always sneak up on me.
I was a couple weeks behind on this video. Notification is not always in time by RUclips.
Glamis has got way to crazy over the last 4 years. Imo
Sold all my toys. bye bye Glamis.
We use the vortex generators on our trailer. Really calms things down.
Hey! You're a pretty smart fellow.
Sure reminds me when I was big fan of John Brodie, wearing a red track suit and sneaking Gobstoppers in class. Stay safe!
The buttercup dunes in that area was one of the film locations for Stargate with Kirk Russell
wow , you had a nice clear day
Awesome video, thank you 😊
They use front loaders to remove sand from the road in white. Sands Nat monument area as well
You should do a little road trip over to Borrego Springs and show your viewers the metal sculptures in the desert.
Nice thing about the dunes, a couple days and it's al virgin again
Russell, how come you never pull the buggy behind the van?
Season opener feom October till closing season April 14. But you can go whenever you want. It is an expensive hobby/sport but wouldn't change it. Been doing it since 98', with a family of 6 like me its about $1,000 a month to get out, I go monthly if I can.
Thanks again
Would love to see direction indicated throughout the travel.
i love small town USA! Thanks, Russ for getting me out of the house ... lol
the mad max zone
Thank you for the pick me up.
Russ... You should make a trip up to Winchester Bay, Or. for DunFest some year...... Great dunes there also...............
Stay safe Russ.🗽🗽🗽👍👍👍
Do those air tabs help out with gas mileage
Hi from quartzsite
howdy
I didn't know you were from Arizona we need to get together and Rip when we get back to Arizona
They Filmed the movie The Flight of the Phoenix with James Stewart . i think it was in the 40s
Filmed and released 64/65, and yep, was and still is a classic!
Nice road trip
State Highway 78 was rerouted easterly to make more space for the gold mine's waste rock.
I miss Glamis!
Try that place at Thanksgiving. It's wild!
Palo Verde is my favorite place in California.
Sure has changed in 40 years! We use to spend 2 weeks for sure out there with the kids 3 wheeling trying to get up competition hill,!,,
@ 15'05 What's a magnesium fire? Never heard of that. Magnesium logs of some sort?
Use to take old engines blocks for a great campfire out
Ants going over the hill...👏👏🙏🙏
Dusty nugget's paradise!
Hi From Phoenix in Michigan lol
1:51 Did you feel your wallet getting lighter?
neat
I wanna buy Palo Verde. The whole thing. 💰
Looks like the Sahara desert!
3.79 for unleaded buddy here, So Cal