Monday, April 12, 2004 2:19 PM PDT

Dateline: Buttercup Dunes

Imperial Valley Press

Family tradition: Easter in the desert

Bryan Baldwin, 12, of San Diego gets some air while James Hayes, 11, also of San Diego, follows close behind on his motorcycle on Sunday in the Superstition Mountains in western Imperial County. KEVIN MARTY PHOTO
By HEATHER BREMNER, Staff Writer

No big white Easter Bunny was hopping around the dunes Saturday but dust bunnies were following around the thousands of off-roaders who covered the Glamis hills this weekend.

Easter weekend draws thousands of off-road enthusiasts to the sand hills in eastern Imperial County, as well as the Superstition Mountains area to the west. After Sunday, when the weather usually begins to turn unbearably hot in the area the dunes will stay relatively empty until late fall.

For many families, camping and riding in the dunes is an annual tradition.

Kevin Ethington of Mesa, Ariz., has camped at Glamis on Easter since 1979, "when they had those little Honda two-wheelers."

Today, off-road vehicles are more colorful and intricate and many riders won't settle for any machine that's not entirely custom-made.

Ethington's family still makes the trek every Easter, towing quads and motocross bikes behind freeway vehicles for a fun-filled day.

All his "nieces and nephews come out here and destroy my vehicles" over the weekend, he said.

Now Ethington combines business with pleasure when he visits the dunes.

He and his business partner, Shelly Sanuik, sell goods from their Mesa-based KS Sand, Sport and Flags at Buttercup.

On Saturday, Ethington — his head camouflaged in a flame-covered bandanna — sat under a red tent at the entrance to Buttercup with his wife and some friends, peddling their goods.

They began selling at the spot on Columbus Day and have returned for every major holiday. This weekend will be their last until October because in summer "nobody's out here," said Jill Ethington. "This will be the last big weekend."

Ethington said his business sold lots of whips, flags, glow sticks, lights and banners Friday.

"For some reason yesterday we did really good," he said. "The biggest weekend probably was Thanksgiving weekend and the next was Presidents Day."

Glamis on Easter isn't a new phenomenon to Bill Wyko, either. The Tucson resident, who was napping in the afternoon sun Saturday, has been traveling to the sand-filled hills for the past 25 years.

About 15 to 20 of his friends hook up for the holiday and spend the weekend riding, talking and hanging out around the campfire.

Over the weekend Wyko was testing two of his new custom-made quads, which he recently bought from Racer's Edge in Tucson, a store he said has some of the best off-road vehicles.

One of his new quads, covered in orange and red flames, probably doesn't have an non-custom piece on its entire body.

"So far it's been the fastest on the hill," he said.

For Wyko, riding in the dunes and camping near in the sand is the epitome of relaxation and adventure.

"It's about the most fun you can have with your clothes on," he said.

Wyko said law enforcement has helped in the past couple years and Glamis has really become a safe place for families to congregate.

"I think personally there is nothing a family can do that will bring a family together (better) than this," he said.

Marsha Smithe, one of Wyko's bunch, said she and her family have spent about the past five Easters camping at Buttercup. As she vigorously swept the carpet in front of her trailer while her two daughters sat nearby, Smithe said her family visits the dunes "every time we get a chance."

>> Staff Writer Heather Bremner can be reached at 337-3445 or hbremner@ivpressonline.com

Good to see positive press like this.