And We Went Home

In the last post, there were really nice pictures of the dunes with the sun out, blue skies, etc. Shortly after that the wind came up. It blew and blew. We stayed inside most of the day and when we went out we had to put rocks in our pockets to keep from blowing away.

On Tuesday morning, we got up and packed. We then drove on through Boise, planning to camp for a couple days on the Salmon River.

It was a beautiful drive and after we left the Boise valley, the wind went away. We stopped at Ridley's Grocery Store in McCall and bought some road food. Apple Fritters are one of the foods we measure a bakery by. We bought two huge apple fritters and found them to be the best we have ever eaten. They were wonderful! Each one weighed in at almost a ton and the cake was mixed with cinnamon and apples so that each bite was marvelous. We drove on and they were gone in two minutes.

The road took us through New Meadows and up over the pass, finally winding down on to the Salmon River. We enjoyed the change of scenery and found a nice camp spot at Slate Creek and got all set up.

When I tried to start the refrigerator it wouldn't fire. We tried everything to get it to work. We changed the propane tanks and used different hoses and connectors. I tried it all.  We were a bit put out, but we decided that it would be best, this close to home, to just move on and get home a couple days early.

We arrived home at about 6:20 PM and Kobi settled right in. We were happy to be in our house and are starting to plan our next outing; once we fix the refrigerator, that is.

Dunes

Sunset over Bruneau Dunes

Our rig rests!

The evening did cloud up and during the middle of the night, the wind picked up.  For about four hours the wind blew so hard that twice during that time we rocked so hard that Linda grabbed my hand. I don’t think I have ever been in the camper in that hard of wind.

A water spout in the middle of nowhere.

By 6:00 AM the wind had died down and we were able to get on the road. The sun pocked out for about an hour and then everything changed. Once again the wind came up, but this time it was blowing directly at us as we ran north through Salt Lake City. Just past Provo the rain started and several times we were driving in fog and rain so thick we had to slow down.

We entered Idaho and the rain stopped but the wind was relentless. We were driving head on into the wind and our fuel consumption showed it. We made the turn to go to Bruneau Dunes State Park and noticed that we had very little diesel left and so we drove into the town of Bruneau and got $50 worth. From there we drove the six miles to the park and settled in. Everyone is hunkered down and the wind is a roaring.

Studying the info on the overlook.

Morning came and the wind had died, Linda went out for her run and I walked Kobi. The dunes are not far from the campground and you can see people plodding up to the top of each sand pile. There are two small lakes at the bottom of the two bigger dunes. Kobi and I walked out on the dock on one of the waterways. Beyond the dunes and the couple of lakes, there isn’t much here to see.

Linda and I took the Jeep and drove to a sportsman access road that led us down near the Snake River. We were looking for a waterfall called Crane Falls, but drove around and never did find the falls. We figured it was possibly a dry falls. So that’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

After that adventure, we drove out along the Bruneau River to an overlook called the Bruneau Canyon Scenic Viewpoint. This overlook is about 800 feet above the river and is a spectacular place to look around.

We got to the ridge top and entered the Saylor Creek Air Force Bombing Range. Yup, we ignored the warning signs. I figured we could avoid anything they dropped down on us. Anyway, why would they want to bomb a lapis blue Jeep?

The viewpoint was about four miles into the range. Below was an amazing view of the river as the water cuts through huge cliffs of lava rock. This is a whitewater river run and as we watched we saw three kayaks disappearing out of site down river. The sign said that the stretch below us was called Five Mile Rapids and it was rated class 5.

We looked up river and noticed a blue cataraft working hard in the rapids. Looking closer we found that there was a guy standing on a rock on river right and then we noticed three people gathering on river left.  A flipped boat came into view below us and the cataraft was trying to catch it. Upriver a kayaker was spotted checking on the four people that were on river right and left.  Then he joined the catarafter on river left. The flipped boat went through the rapids and I watched it float out of sight. We knew that we had three people on river left and they were working their way downstream to get together with the others in their group. The guy on river right was OK, but needed to get across to the rest of the group. We didn’t know how many were in the party (we thought we counted 7), but the ones we saw were all OK from our standpoint. All we could do was get in the Jeep and drive.

Working our way back down from the overlook we noticed a small road on our map that said there was a private takeout for river use. We followed some folks into the spot by the river and when they got out of their truck we asked if they were picking up some boaters. Turns out that they were there to meet the group that we watched lose the raft downriver. We asked how many were in the group and they confirmed that the party numbered seven. We were happy to report that everyone was gathering together upstream, but that they had lost the paddle raft downriver. All were concerned, but they said that the group was very experienced and that they were confident they would make their way downriver. We found out that there was about nine miles of slower water after the rapids, so hopefully they could get everyone together and make their way downriver on the cat and catch the flipped boat.

Linda and I waited around for a while and talked with the folks, but we decided that it was time to get back to camp for lunch and we left. We sure hope everything came out OK for the boaters involved. Like Linda said, it will probably be one of those stories told tonight at a bar that starts “No shit and there I was…”

Lunch was consumed and we rested for a while. Looking west you could see dark clouds building so I suggested that we take a hike over to the dunes and climb to the top of one. Linda was all for that so we hooked Kobi to his long line and we hiked over to the sand piles.

Breneau Dunes.

I had read that the tallest one was over 480 feet tall and Linda said that these were the tallest natural sand dunes in North America. We climbed from one end to the other. A sign in the parking lot said that there was an area where the two sand dunes met that created a vortex crater. No sand is deposited in the vortex area. I stood looking at the vortex in hopes that a pyramid door would beckon, but nothing happened. I guess we have a different sort of vortex here in Idaho than in Sedona.

The weather to the west was looking blacker and more rain-like, so we retired to the camper. Dinner had been in the crock pot all day and we could smell the sesame chicken feast. The dunes provided today, with a little help from Stinky Jeep. 

At the top of the dune.

Walking the ridge.

WATER!

The Road North

Our camp at Jonson Canyon, pre toy haulers.

Driving days mean that we get up early and then spend at least four hours on the road heading to a new spot. Linda lays out her maps and memorizes all the highway numbers for the upcoming day. She approximates driving times and finds us a place to stop for each night. The distance we drive usually depends upon where we have reservations for camping.

Our next reservations are at a campground up in Idaho. That gives us two nights to make our way up to that campground. To do this Linda talked to Daren and Marcy and found that they camped in a BLM area up Johnson Canyon just outside Kanab. It is boondocking at its best with nothing but a dirt parking lot as you site.

We drove through some really spectacular country today. Crossing over Glen Canyon Dam, past Page, Arizona, into Utah, entering the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument; we were never without an interesting view or beautiful panorama.

In comparison, our parking lot camp was very stark, but who can complain at no cost to stay. I hiked up a 4X4 road after we were set up and it gave me the urge to get the Jeep unhooked and take a drive. Wouldn’t you know it, the battery was dead again! Yes, we used our Break Buddy or F#&/%n Buddy as we now call it. So Linda and I started to push the Jeep up to the front of the truck so that we could jump start it.

As we worked to push the rig, a real nice lady came by and offered us a jump start and we happily accepted the offer. Stinky Jeep started right up and we thanked our friend and she drove off. With the Jeep running, I checked the cables and found that the positive side was loose so I spent some time cussing at my tools and finally got it tightened up.

I took a drive up the main Johnson Canyon road to charge the battery and once I figured it was good, I returned to the lot. Since I was right near a 4X4 road I decided to take a drive up over the near hill to see what was out there.

A group of 20 trail cars being remodeled into a B&B.

 Cool idea for road side rentals.

The road was comprised of about a foot of very fine sand. With the Jeep in four-wheel drive, I was able to charge up and over the hill only to find more road with a lot of deep sand. I thought I would find some red rock and roads winding through them, but all I could see for miles and miles was desert with sand-filled 4X4 tracks. I had to really push the Jeep and that was a lot of fun but then I started thinking, “what if I slow down and get stuck?” I shot across a track and found some purchase where I could get turned around and then stepped on the gas and skidded my way back to the hard pack road and on to our camp spot. I guess when you are alone it is best to put the macho crap away, even if it was way a way cool way to drive.

Back at camp, Linda got me a cool drink and we planned our next day’s drive. I fixed dinner and then with the cool night air floating in we cleaned up and went to bed.

Day Two –

Last night at 2:20 AM, three huge toy haulers from Montana, pulled into the BLM lot. Our camper was positioned just past the BLM signage tucked away from the two other camping rigs. There was a huge parking lot empty for all who wanted to camp. The three toy haulers pulled in and made a semi-circle around our camper and then proceeded to unload six ATVs and place then directly in our path. The noise and lights were annoying enough, but imagine our surprise to find that we were blocked and had to back up our truck and Jeep to get out a 6:00 AM this morning. I was a bit pissed and have to admit that I slammed my door whenever possible as I idled our diesel the entire time we loaded and left.

All Linda could say is that those type of inconsiderate actions give ATV operators bad karma. All they needed to do was pull in and go to bed, then set up their personal little ATV village after they woke up at 9:00 AM in the morning. We would have quietly been long gone and the world would be a happier place.

The view from Utah Lake State Park.

After we calmed down, we drove into Kanab and stopped at a grocery store where we continued our quest to find the world’s best grocery store breakfast burrito. The fellow behind the counter handed Linda the two burritos and she asked, “What’s in them?” To which he replied, “Everything you see in the display case, except the biscuits and we put gravy in them.” Sold!  How can you pass up a burrito with an entire display case of breakfast foods in it!

We drove on down the highway eating our breakfast and comparing those burritos to the others we have eaten as we traveled. Yes, they might be the best we have had so far!

Our drive took us on highway 89 up to the Provo area where we got a camp site at Utah Lake State Park. The weather has been very good all day but by evening, it clouded up and looked a bit like rain. Tomorrow we will drive up into Idaho, our potato state!