Woke up this morning, drove back into the Bruneau State Park and immediately started shooting the sand dunes, which of course lead to hiking them as I wanted to see the other side. Funny thing was, from the parking lot they don’t look that big. Fast forward 30 minutes and I’m out of breath as I try to navigate my way up one more ridge that I didn’t see from the bottom. It’s safe to say that 12 plus years behind a computer desk has left me a little out of shape but I figured I’d have no problem with these. I was wrong. It took my awhile to get there but I made it to the top of the highest dune and wandered my way along the ridge, taking shots on both sides. By the time I got back to the truck there was so much sand in my runners that there was no room for my feet. I emptied about 3 cups of sand from them.
After the dunes I made my way East, avoiding I-84 and trying to find some old cars or buildings to shoot. Walla! There some were. The thing was it was definitely active private property but there was no house on it. So I parked on the road and walked in. As I was shooting an old Ford Fairlane and a 50s Caddy an older guy drove up in his truck to fix one of his sprinklers in the adjacent field. He yelled out “Oh I caught you but you’re OK” I walked up and introduced myself and he was fine with me being there and told me that some other photographers had done some shots of the cars, some for a calendar. He fixed his sprinkler repairs and left me there.
After the cars I was traveling and made a stop and noticed one of my tires seemed low, checking it at a gas station sure enough, a slow leak. I had my suspicion when I topped it up a couple days earlier. So I made a stop at a farm supply/tire store in Glenns Ferry to see if they’d have time to fix it. Sure enough they were willing to get to it and when I asked about the cost I was told “eight dollars”. The cheapest I got one of the six previous flats fixed for was $20. Canadian Tire in Oakville on my last trip nailed me with a $56 dollar bill. Eight dollars was an amazing deal.
So with the tire back to normal I did some grid hopping zigzagging along rural farm roads. Didn’t find a whole lot but ended up on Old Highway 30 which lead me to the Malad Gorge and the state park. The state park is on the top rim of the gorge and you can walk along the edge looking down into this deep water carved gorge with a river at the bottom. There is also a lot of springs in the area providing streams that empty themselves in the gorge via narrow waterfalls. Pretty amazing site. As I wandered around in the 91 degree heat I decided to sit next to one of these streams, about 30 feet from the edge of drop-off. I peeled my shoes and socks off and cooled my dogs in the cool moving water for a little while.
Upon leaving the gorge and the park and meandered through some more rural farm roads zigzagging my way into Buhl Idaho. This is where I am as I write this, in their library. A bizarre thing just happened while I’m here. A lady and her husband came in looking for J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” and they were told that they have it but it’s on the banned books list. A list of books not recommended by religious, political and community groups in the area. Also on this list, To Kill a Mockingbird, James and The Giant Peach, Stephen King’s “Cujo”, all the Twilight Books, and many more that made me shake my head as I overheard the conversation. Oh well, to each their own. I don’t live here.
So I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to sleep close by tonight and then tomorrow may be another editing day as I have lots of shots I’m excited about. Until then, Goodnight from the road.
W
