MOSES LAKE — Across the highway is the Moses Lake access with pristine grass, picnic benches and age-old trees that seem to touch the sky. It’s a parkway with a paved parking lot, passenger cars and fishermen.

But there is a place down the Potato Road on the south side of the freeway where the pavement ends and the west begins. It’s a place where a single dirt road runs out into the volcanic ash, where the dunes seem to run forever, from the sky right down to the water. Where the north side offers grass and trees, the south side offers sand and sage to the same piece of paradise called Moses Lake.

Early Friday afternoon, there were a scattering of people at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes. A couple of RVs parked in the shade of what few trees are available, awnings stretched to extend that shade. There was a camp sent up on the water line, vehicles capable of making it through the sand that guards shore. A couple of guys throwing a football took in the cool water as the dived for errant passes, any excuse to cool down on a hot day in the Columbia Basin.

The Sand Dunes offer about 3,000 acres of rolling hills that track back through the countryside for miles. The bikes and quads came roaring over the top, sending a spray of sand and ash in their wake, like the ski boat out on the water towing skiers. Where the jet boats dodged and weaved in the cove, the inland equivalent out on the dunes blasted its way through the sand.

As the pickup that barreled off into the deep stuff right up to its axles might attest, the proper tires make the Dunes experience so much better. New riders should note that something like a Sand Snake paddle tire for motorcycles or Sedona Cyclones sand tires for ATVs are the way to go. Failure to use a sand tire in deep sand can result in unnecessary wear or damage to your vehicle.

As the afternoon progressed, the steady stream of RVs towing sand and lake toys streamed in through the neighborhood leading to one of the Columbia Basin’s hidden oasis. The weekend was on, and the sand blasters were scrambling for their spot at the oasis. Where some like a 5-star restaurant with waiters and valet parking, the sand blasters will take a barbecue pit and a hard run through the sand any day.

Some had the creature comforts of home with RV camping, soft beds and stereos. Others were good in the back of the truck, some enjoyed a tent with a pillow of sand for their backrest. It was a family environment where the kids ran free through the sand and the adults enjoyed a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the highway just over the hill and the civilization a stone’s throw away.

Life is a beach, and if you can blast through the sand with a little authority, more power to you. For more information on the Moses Lake Sand Dunes go to www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/washington_05789/ride_42fc.