By Jamie Lawson, Outdoors Editor Dune buggies, quadrunners, scooters and rails. The machines that bring adventure to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area are at high numbers right now, as the peak season for having fun on the sand has hit. With kids out of school, and the weather on the Oregon Coast usually dry in July and August, the activity at the sand dune rental shops has increased.

People line up on the top of a large dune to check out which one to tackle next. Sandrals, quads and motorcycles are the vehicles of choice for running on the dunes. There are many places to rent a sand machine near to the entrances to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area.  World photo by Madeline Steege.

 "This is the peak time," said an employee at Spinreel DuneBuggy Rentals Inc. near Lakeside.
 "(August) is always the busiest month. We normally have everything going out."

 At Spinreel, there are 22 quads (Polaris 250s and Mosquito 50s), 28 Odysseys (a small one-seat dune buggy), sandrails, two seven-passenger dune buggies and a 32-passenger bus.

 At Winchester Bay Dune Buggy Adventures & ATV Rentals, the vehicles of choice are Polaris
 250s, Suzuki 80s, Yamaha 125s -- all four-wheelers that can range up to 40 to 50 m.p.h.,
 although the rental store doesn't recommend fast speeds, said co-owner Linda Hamlett.

 Sand boards have also become popular this summer.

 Both stores are open all year or can arrange reservations in the winter months.

 The increased volume of traffic on the sand dunes in July and August also means more attention to safety.

 "We try to give people information on not only how they work but things to watch for in the
 dunes," she said, adding that big dunes often have sharp dropoffs.

 Sun glare, depth perception and shift in body weight are safety measures to remember when on riding on the dunes.

 The sand dunes in the summer months attract people from all over the world, including families
 from the Czech Republic, Brazil and Canada at the Winchester Bay store so far.

 "It is really interesting," said Hamlett on the variety of sand dune enthusiasts.