It started at Pismo.
I grew up in Santa Barbara, bought a first-generation Honda 185 ATC, and spent the ’80s at Pismo. Then came the Tecate. I’ve been a duner ever since.
About twenty years ago, State Parks was so short on money it couldn’t even print dune maps. So I built CCWheelers.com: the things a visitor needed to know about the park, plus an interactive map with GPS points I recorded myself. Every mile pole. Every restroom. Photos so you knew what you were looking for.
Park staff used to write my web address on people’s receipts. That meant something to me. I’d built something people could actually use.
Life changed the plan.
My last big venture was owning KMTN TV, Lake Tahoe’s local station on Charter channels 9 and 19. Then I nearly died in a backcountry snow bike accident. It changed my priorities.
I shut everything down, retired, and focused on raising the last four of my seven kids. For the next chapter of my life, that was where I wanted to be.
Then came a paddleboard.
With the kids off at college, I found myself on a paddleboard on the river, figuring out what to do with my own time. I still had CCWheelers. I could sell it, or I could do something with it.
I rebuilt it. Then I did the same for the Oregon Dunes. That grew into Dune Guide USA: a national hub connected to a growing family of local guides.
I think of it as a tree. Each local guide is a branch. Dune Guide USA is the trunk. The branches feed the trunk, and the trunk feeds the branches. You can find a new place here, then head into its local guide for the details that make a trip work.
Built for our trips. Shared with yours.
My wife handles most of our camping plans, so I built the Trip Planner for her. Wife tested, wife approved. Then came the Meal Planner, which she now uses for every trip.
I also created DGUSA Radio, a one-of-a-kind radio network built for the dune community. Its original, location-specific songs give you something to tap your feet to while planning your next trip or enjoying a Dune Adventure.
The idea keeps coming back to the same thing: make the whole trip easier. Find your camp. Plan your days. Feed your crew. Learn something before you go. And leave room for a little fun along the way.
I’m still building, and I want to hear from the people using it. Tell me what works, what doesn’t, and what would make your next trip better.
Michael McKinney
Founder, Dune Guide USA