When we planned this trip, the objective was to travel up the California/Oregon coast, then cross into Idaho. We love sand dunes, so the first place we made reservations, in Idaho, was Bruneau Dunes State Park. As everything closed down, and we found ourselves sheltering in place in Nevada for two months, it never occurred to us that we might still end up in this part of Idaho. Bruneau Dunes is actually still closed to overnight camping, until the end of the month, but open for day use. The Air Force Base Fam Camp, where we found an open campsite, is only 25 miles away. When we realized that Thursday promised to be a rare all day rain, we grabbed our raincoats and headed out to explore this unusual phenomenon. (Dune hiking on rainy days is usually better because the sand is firmer and easier to climb on.) These particular Dunes are the result of the Bonneville Flood (one of the largest floods in the world) that occurred 14,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. The Dunes include a 470’ dune, which towers above the desert floor, and two lakes at their base. Our goal was to hike to the top of the highest dune then around the lakes. It was a challenging, beautiful hike but perhaps the most important aspect of the experience was the justification we felt, about the decisions we’ve made to continue with our trip, despite the variety of obstacles in this socially distant new world.
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