Up a Sand Dune and Back Down

The Middle of No-Where

Lizman with the Outlook in the Background

The Bruneau Overlook
I Spy a SPR (Suspicious Pile of Rocks)
Rattler Alert Letterbox
The View of the Canyon

The Overlook to the Canyon

Hot Springs Cemetery

Beautiful Headstone from the 1800's

Hey Mom It's Pei Adventure Time!

Snake Charmer Lizman

Where on Earth is He Going?

Raisin Checking Out the View

Lizman Crawling Up To the Top

The View from the Sand Dunes

I Spy A Spider (He Matches the Sand Perfectly)

Leave it to A-Bear and J-Bear to find the middle of no-where and to plant a box there. You may have wondered where the middle of no-where is. Well, I am here to tell you it is in Owyhee County near Bruneau, Idaho. Lizman, The Pei's of Adventure and I drove to rattlesnake country to find their "Rattler Alert" box planted back in 2004. Fortunately when A-Bear picks a spot in the middle of no-where there is always something neat to see or experience.

Bruneau is about an hour from Boise and it was chilly and windy out. We didn't let it dampen our spirits and hit the road around noon after an Eagle Island early morning walk and a stop at Zamzows. Our first stop was the Bruneau Outlook to locate Rattler Alert and true to her word the box was a fast find/drive by. We took in the views of the canyon before venturing on over to the actual sand dunes.

http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/bruneaudunesstatepark.aspx

http://www.visitidaho.org/thingstodo/parks/bruneau-dunes-state-park.aspx

The Bruneau Sand Dune is the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America. It rises to 470 feet high above small lakes in the high desert south of Mountain Home. I have camped there once with the kids and it's neat because there is an observatory with a very powerful telescope that is perfect for celestial viewing late at night. Bruneau is the perfect place to view the heavens because there is very little light pollution to compete with the stars and planets.

The Pei's and I went about 1/2 way up the largest dune but the sand is so deep and their legs are so short that we decided to sit and wait for Lizman to conquer the dune. We also encountered some wild life while we were in Bruneau. Lizman found a Rat Snake (fortunately not a rattler) and a small spider that blended in perfectly with the sand. We also ran into quite a few dogs on the trail too. Who knew there were so many standard poodles in Idaho?

We were beat on the way home but were thrilled to have a find under our belt. We didn't have time to check on any of our boxes today but who knows what tomorrow will bring.