Thousands pack Oceano Dunes but rangers report few problems

"You know what they say around here when it's raining?" asked Tony Villareal, supervising ranger of the Oceano Dunes. "At least it's not Bakersfield."

This Memorial Day weekend saw the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreational Area packed with vacationers from all over California. The 5.5-mile stretch of beach was a virtual parking lot Monday afternoon as travelers enjoyed the last few hours of their holiday before heading back home.

The sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach mixed with the roar of ATVs and dune buggies, creating a sound unique to that area: Oceano Dunes is the only California state park where vehicles are allowed on the beach.

According to Villarreal, this Memorial Day weekend was quieter than previous years. Part of the reason, he said, is that crowds are more spread out throughout the year.

"Most people who come now, come on the weekends," said Villarreal. "A few years ago they'd be coming (only) on holidays."

Villarreal also suspects that rising gas prices have kept people from coming to the beach as often as they once did.

"Where people once had their Fourth of July barbecue on the beach, now they're choosing to have them at home," he said. "Plus it's really windy here, and you don't want to eat a tri-tip with sand in it."

Villarreal said that aside from a few injuries, the weekend was mostly incident-free.

"On Saturday we had a gentleman go too fast over a dune and hurt himself. We had a woman with a broken femur and a kid that stepped into a campfire and got second- and third-degree burns," he said.

Villarreal pointed out a figure in the waves engaged in one of the newest fads in beach sports.

"It's called 'kite-surfing'" he said, explaining what the man was doing on a surfboard with a kite harnessed to his chest .

"They're coming here in droves," said Villarreal.

He pointed to the cables that attached the surfer to the kite, flying maybe 30 feet above his head.

"Those are made out of Kevlar," he said. "If you got hit with one of those, it could slice you in half."

Though kite-surfers have so far injured no one else, they've done plenty of damage to themselves.

"I've seen people lose control of their kites and get pulled for hundreds of yards across the beach," he said, including some who have been dragged through fires and broken glass before coming to a stop.

Villarreal drove to the main attraction of the Oceano Dunes, the 1,500 acres of sand dunes available for off-highway vehicle operation.

"This was wall to wall yesterday," he said Monday, adding that one couldn't even see the dunes because of all the people riding.

It was the allure of the off-road vehicle that brought Cora Stark's family in all the way from Bakersfield.

"It's a tradition," she said, explaining that her family had come to the dunes annually for the past five years.

"It's fun and it's a chance to get out of town," she said.

Celebrities also frequent the dunes, Villareal said.

"Brad Pitt comes here with a yellow Hummer," he noted.

For the most part, the celebrity crowd stays quiet, according to Villarreal.

"I've spoken to some of them," he said, not wanting to mention other names. "For the most part they just don't want to stick out."

Though his job may literally be a day at the beach, it's anything from secure. As he patrols the dunes, Villarreal keeps an assault rifle within reach.

"Because of 9/11," he said, "we had to get the AR-15."

Because of the nearby Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the Oceano Dunes were deemed a sensitive area by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

"A long time ago, if we saw a guy in an inflatable raft out there, we'd probably just think it was a fisherman or a scuba diver," he said. "Now we'd probably have to get the harbor patrol to go check it out."

"Our concept of normal life has changed," he added.

Still, Villarreal notes that some things about the dunes will remain timeless.

"You get people who came out here with their grandma and grandpa now bringing their own kids," he said. "It's all about the family here."

Stan Oklobdzija can be reached at 739-2159 or at

soklobdzija@santamariatimes.com

May 31, 2005