BRUNEUA DUNES

-Bruneau Dunes State Park, ID

We are now in southwestern Idaho to explore Bruneau Dunes State Park. Home of the largest single structure sand dune in North American. It’s got that going for it, which is nice. Since there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the dunes the surroundings are in mint condition and there’s no “Mad Max” feel like most dune-buggy friendly sand fields. This hike began with a short stroll around the lakes at the base of the great dune. It was a level 7 birdfest in the bushes and trees. I don’t think I have ever seen such a high concentration and variety of fowl. When you go for a walk in the wild it’s always good idea to slow down and take look around otherwise you might miss something. At first glance what we thought to be a bush of grass blowing in the wind turned out to be a gosh dang porcupie! The renegade Bruneau dune stands alone at an impressive 470 feet and it wouldn’t be proper hike if we didn’t climb to the top. If you want to up the stakes of the game on a mild rip find a baby and strap it to your back. Not only is it a great workout, the child gets the kid of views she would have to wait years to get on her own. She may not enjoy it too much now but she’ll thank you for it later. This place definitely has a remote and wild feel there’s not another soul for miles in any direction and in the distance we hear coyotes calling out to their bros. Walking long distances in deep sand can be difficult but it becomes a real challenge when climbing such a steep grade. The last 50 feet was the were at a 45 degree angle, I was really huffing and puffing. Finally we made it to the top and views did not disappoint. Back beyond this dune is the Bruneau river canyon home to a rarely used section of world class whitewater and fly fishing. We made to the top and I was pretty impressed but unfortunately the wife wasn’t too pleased with how extreme the baby was getting so it was time to call it day.

Yellowstone Rip

-Yellowstone National Park, WY

We took a rip over to the world first National Park, Yellowstone. The place is a geographical wonder, the park is sitting atop the world’s largest super volcano that if ever erupted would kill pretty much all life on earth. And the volcano is very much alive, geysers, hot springs, steam vents and mud pots as far as the eye can see. If your into geology this place is a mind blower but if your looking for bears you may want to head north to Glacier National Park where a sighting is all but guaranteed. I’ve stayed in the park twice now and don’t get me wrong it’s lovely but I really wanted to spot a dang bear to no avail. It became a mild obsession touring every corner of the park always searching, any brown stump or rock from a distance was a bear mirage. We did spot a fox, a ton of birds, lots of bison and we did hear a pack of wolves howling in the distance at night.

Just south of Yellowstone is Grand Teton National Park which in my opinion is much more picturesque. The snow capped Teton’s are an aggressive set of peaks shooting straight up into the sky. Here we saw a moose, elk and of course more buffalo.