Things to know about NABX 2011

Another thing to expand on with Deans comment;

One of the most important rules for Ivanpah is "Pack it in - pack it back out!"
That means that you want to exercise a "Leave No Trace" attitude towards everything you do out there.

Please take great care in pocketing all of your cigarette butts, do NOT throw them on the ground. Also take great care with any glass containers, making sure that they do not get broken or left behind.

Any fires need to be in contained fire pits, not on the ground!!! All ashes / coals / briquettes need to be hauled out with the normal trash, not dumped on the ground to litter and blow away. Ivanpah is in the middle of the desert so things are always very dry (except for that one year that it rained and there was mud everywhere...but we won't bring that up). All it would take is one small ember to get out in the scrub and start a major fire and do tremendous amounts of damage. Please watch your cigarette ashes as well as keeping your fires well under control.

The ONLY area you are allowed to drive on is between the road markers and the scrub. You are not allowed to drive on any other areas of the lakebed.

For those that do not know what the scrub is:
The SCRUB is the area where the brush and gravel meet the edge of the lake bed. This includes the GRAVEL area! Please stay off the gravel area and only drive or park on the actual surface of the lake bed. If you do not know what the actual surface looks like - it is in the background of this topic! If you see gravel and loose sand / dirt, that would be the SCRUB area and it is off limits to parking or driving.

Please give everyone the respect and love that kite fliers share with each other. NABX is open to everyone regardless of their kite flying skills. There will be people out there that are very new to buggying and/or kite flying in general. If you are an experienced pilot, try to look out for the beginners and please offer help and assistance whenever possible. Try to make NABX a fun event for everyone, even those that may be intimidated by the event and just learning.

For newbies that are just learning to buggy or even fly, please try to find an area out of the way of other kiters and buggiers to practice and/or learn. Buggytown can be very busy and there will be plenty of kites / buggies / people all over the area. This is not the best area to try and learn how to powerkite or buggy. Move off about 100 yards or so either up or down the lakebed away from everyone else and you will have a much better learning experience. For one you will be away from anyone else giving you much more room to learn the things you need to learn. Also, you will be out of the way of other buggiers who are coming in or going out from buggytown.

Dust devils can be kite killers!!! Please keep an eye on the lake bed to watch out for any dust devils that may be blasting across the playa. Dust devils are mini tornadoes and the wind is swirling about. It is very difficult to fly a kite through one of these as the wind is swirling around at gusts up to 50 mph. Best recommendations - stay away from these at all costs and if you see any coming along, try to give verbal warnings to anyone else around that may not be watching. It is normal for these to blast through buggytown and camp. Kites that are not staked down well or are not secure will be yanked from the ground and thrown.

For personal notes.....
The surface is referred to as riding on sandpaper. When the lake bed floods from time to time, the water flows onto the lake bed surface and then just sits there, slowly seeping into the hard clay surface. As the water seeps into the surface, it compacts the clay into a hard flat surface. As the clay dries out, it shrinks and cracks giving the unique surface in the background image. What is left is ground rocks that poke upwards out of the compacted clay. The reason for this explanation is that sliding over the surface either on a buggy or with your skin will either wear off tire rubber or well....skin! You will probably want to have good protection to keep your skin firmly attached to your body. The tires...well, that is Ivanpah playing! Another thing to note is that if you keep your kite staked down on the playa all day and it slides back and forth as the wind blows, you will be sanding down the trailing edge or leading edge of your kite. Your kite can be destroyed in just a few hours of sliding around on the ground - without you even realizing it. I have seen many pilots walking back to buggytown dragging their kite behind them on the ground. If you want to replace your kites then fine but if not, don't drag them behind you....it will shred them!

If your not going to be heading out right away, it is best to bag your kite. Even if you want to leave your lines staked out, stuff your kite into your bag so that it can not inflate and slide back and forth. When you are ready to fly, just pop it out of the bag and your set.

Ok, enough for right now. Hope this helps everyone out there. Looking forward to another awesome event.

should i pack my kite stakes or will they be to flimsy?
(p.s) those are 1 inch nuts and bolt

Primm is a really big town, so it's easy to get lost. Three hotels and one gas station
Follow south most road just east of the highway. That big beautiful splotch on the map is the lake bed!

http://bit.ly/g2a64V

Note that the speed limit on the dirt road is 30. Please make sure you are at or under 30, the dust is horrible and faster speeds make horrible ruts. Drive slowly and enjoy the view! You've got plenty of time to god fast on the lakebed :singing:

From the NABX FAQ

Quote:

Once you've settled in at your hotel, head out to Ivanpah by following the road in front of the Primm Valley casino southerly past the gas stations, McDonald's, the fashion mall, etc. Eventually you'll come to a small mini market on your right. Proceed a couple of hundred feet past the mini market and you'll see an opening in the curb on your right and a dirt road leading out to the lake bed along the eastern shoreline. Do not drive in the ruts! Instead keep to the shore-side of the old ruts and between the carsonite poles. Continue about 3 miles until you arrive at the base camp. Note: Do not drive onto the lake bed when wet or muddy. If you sink into the mud, you're doomed. Drive with caution as you never know who is going to suddenly buggy across the road. The speed limit for motorized vehicles is 30 mph.

very easy to find Buffalo Bills from the hwy. There are a few small parking lots around the side that some of us park in and there is also the large parking lot at the back. Some of these parking lots are closer access to elevators etc depending on where your room is. Also quieter parking areas - but all lots are safe and patrolled by security.
There are a couple of variety stores to buy beer and some snacks (can be expensive). To get to the lakebed entrance you can go around in front of Primm Valley Resort or follow the road behind - it does a loop around the hotel and outlet mall. Lakebed entrance at the south corner of the loop.
I'll do up a couple of quick maps.

When I arrive I'll be able to post the room number where you can drop off your beer and to pick up your welcome pack which includes a Buffalo Bills note pad with hand drawn map to the tent and complimentary bag of playa dust.

small maps, but you get the idea. They'll open a bit larger.