(NOTE: I know that for many,
spending time in a RV does not constitute camping. However, at my age I
appreciate no longer having to get up from a tent floor after trying to
sleep on an air mattress while it loses air through the night.)
Let me start by saying I understand that the
true purpose of Memorial Day is not so people can have a three-day
weekend. However, the fact that it was a three-day weekend, coupled with
the fact that two of my wife’s brothers were visiting from out-of-town,
made it an opportune time to take the RV out of storage. So that’s what we
did, taking the truck and fifth-wheel about 90-minutes outside of Boise
to Bruneau Dunes State Park.
The good thing about a holiday weekend of any kind
is that it provides an extra day away from work and the demands of daily
life. The bad thing about holiday weekends is that even the nicest
campground can begin to resemble a Wal-Mart parking
lot, packed with dozens of other rigs, all of whom are now your
neighbors (if not your closest friends). If you’re lucky, most of your fellow park residents will be
courteous and not see your site as the perfect shortcut to the
bathrooms, the visitor center, the picnic shelter, the hiking
trail their friends told them about. You get the picture. This past
weekend, we were lucky in that regard, although I suspect our site
location – not close to anywhere campers might be interested in walking
to – had much to do with that success.
 |
| Early evening view - 1st night |
The weather was almost perfect for the last weekend
in May – mid to upper 80s and sunny, though it was a bit breezy at times.
However, the wetter than average spring we had (at least by Idaho
standards) caused my allergies to interfere a bit with
my enjoyment of being out with the RV. On the other hand, dealing with
allergies in a scenic location, albeit it still miserable, is more
enjoyable than dealing with allergies and still having to go into work.
While the park was too crowded for my tastes (to be
expected as the holiday weekend usually marks the start of camping
season here in Idaho), the weekend was enjoyable and relaxing but too
short, as always. My wife may disagree, but I also
think the packing up and hitching up to leave process went as smoothly
as it ever has. (More so than our arrival as I again managed to forget
something we planned to bring. I guess one of our trips isn’t complete unless that
happens.)
Teresa and I also took the Tuesday after Memorial
Day off from work so we could spend an extra day with her brothers before
they began their trip home. Both brothers are into photography, so we
decided a day trip was in order to see if we could
find some location worthy of their cameras. (Plus, after driving the day
before, who wouldn’t want to get back behind the wheel and drive some more?)
After a little thought, we decided to drive to
Leslie Gulch, an area still fresh in our minds (at least in mine) as it
had been mentioned a week or so prior in a local newspaper article as a
worthwhile scenic drive. Leslie Gulch is located
in Eastern Oregon just inside the Idaho border near the south end of the
Owyhee Reservoir, about a two-hour drive (or thereabouts) from Boise.
We ended up in a campground at the end of the dirt road, where we took
pictures, had a snack, and met a couple from
Georgia who seemed to know more about out of the way scenic Idaho
locations than we did, and we have lived in Idaho since 2003!
 |
| Leslie Gulch offers up some interesting rock formations |
If you like out of the way locations with
interesting rock formations, then Leslie Gulch is worth a visit. The
dirt road in from U.S. Highway 95 is fairly well maintained (except,
perhaps, in winter) and can be traveled in a regular passenger
car, although a Jeep or Honda CR-V (or something similar) might make for a
more enjoyable drive. The way in is basically also the way out, so
there is also a second opportunity to capture any pictures missed the
first time around or to retake shots with a little
different lighting.
As I write this, Teresa’s brothers are somewhere
between Boise and Western Wyoming. We enjoyed their visit and hope to
see them again before too much time passes. I also hope they found some
sights worthy of their cameras with which to remember
their visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment