My idea of paradise? Well, off-roading certainly ranks near the very top of my list. But, I'm going to get really picky here and dream a little; make it absolutely perfect, at least for me.

For starters, it's gotta be the dunes. That's where I got into off-roading, ATVing specifically, and in sand I'm in my element. Which dune area? Well, I'd love to check out the world's tallest dunes (Namibia, Africa), but that would mean a torturously long, not to mention expensive, flight. Being more reasonable about it, it'd be either Glamis or Winchester Bay (Oregon). The Pacific Coast is great and all, but there's nothing like Glamis for inspiring one to take a deep breath, and marvel at an awesome dune expanse stretching to the horizon. During the riding season, it's almost always sunny and quite comfortable.

Now, how to get there? My van would work, but I hate driving down I-5, and Glamis is a ten-hour trek for me. So, let's continue with the dream scenario and fly — for free, of course — into a smaller airport where there's less confusion and delays. Like, for example, Ontario, California.

The drawback of not being able to put my personal ATV on the plane would be greatly outweighed by having someone bring an ATV for me to ride. But, it would have to be a fast and reliable performance quad. Maybe a YFZ450R or Raptor 700R, (the two best-selling sport ATVs, rumor has it). I wouldn't be able to bring my tools or fuel on the plane either, but that's okay because there would be someone at Glamis anxiously awaiting the opportunity to take care of maintenance and setup, and make sure the tank is always topped off. And, there would have to be a couple spare quads on hand, just in case I somehow managed to destroy one.

Now, where to stay? A hotel is always nice after a hard day of riding, but sleeping and eating at the dunes maximizes ride time. The issue of lodging at the dunes would be neatly solved by a slick travel trailer, like one you can get delivered (complimentary for me, of course) to the dunes by Camp 'n Style. The campsite would be in a remote spot and the trip would be during midweek, so me and my pals would have the dunes pretty much to ourselves and, noise and dust would be at a minimum.

To solve the issue of food, a camp chef would be on hand preparing three meals a day. Let's see now, great coffee, sandwich choices, and, for dinner, tender pork loin, ribs ... you get the idea. And, cold beverages available 24 hours a day. Oh yeah, and a roaring camp fire with enough wood on hand to last all night long.

Now, to the core of the vacation, the riding itself, and there'd be lots of it, day and night. And it'd be fast. Which means speeds that would keep a pro-level motocrosser on his toes. And, we'd hit more than just the big bowls and Olds. There'd be plenty of sky shots, jumping into and out of steep slipfaces, little kicker jumps (lean-back-and-gas-it!), tapped-out fifth-gear powerslides, and super-aggressive motocrossing around Palo Verde trees and bushes.

A great leader would be crucial for all this. Someone not only very fast and very consistent, but someone who’d loop back now and then to allow those farther back in the pack to take short cuts and catch up. He'd (she'd?!) incorporate all kinds of interesting variety into the ride. They'd be able to find the big hills. If someone started complaining about rough sand or that his little pinkie was tired ... well, our leader would politely explain to the whiner that the grading equipment will arrive shortly and carve a personal path for them straight back to camp, where they can spend the rest of the trip playing with scorpions. At the end of the ride I'd have broken a sweat, and, at the end of the trip, sore muscles would render me barely able to walk.

Well, that's just about where I am right now as I type this. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not dreaming about all these things, and, thanks to Yamaha, over the last few days I've done exactly the things I've just written about. The guys at Yamaha truly love off-roading and, every winter for the last several years, they organize this dream vacation for select ATV media.

The catch for me? Well, I've gotta give Yamaha some ink, which takes the form of the 2012 Yamaha Sport Quad Test that you read about in the last issue. For my report, I gotta pay attention to the things I like about Yamaha ATVs (many, many things), and the things I don't like (thankfully, very few).

Now, thinking about this dream Glamis trip, I realize that I can actually come pretty darn close to the same thing just on my own, or maybe with the help of a few friends. This trip wouldn't be free, but it wouldn't break the bank, either.

The dream scenario I've painted here for myself may not exactly match your off-road dream scenario, but I'm guessing it's still within your reach, as it is for me. Dreams do come true.