One of the first things that I did this summer once I broke quarantine was a short trip to Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park just outside Boise, Idaho. If you are from Idaho you probably have some idea that these large piles of sand exist, if not then you might be surprised this isn’t a giant pile of potatoes. Either way, this giant pile of sand does exist and it is as weird as you might think. Not only are there three relatively small isolated dunes in the middle of nowhere, but there are also two small bodies of water pushed right up against them. The drive there is flat boring desert that eastern Idaho is known for and after you cross the snake river and start driving the rolling hills of lava rock you stumble upon these dunes. Weird indeed!

Anyways having been here once before I was somehow over the hype and was glad to go along with some people who have never been there before. We brought the classic American meal of hamburgers and beer to enjoy under the Russian Olive trees on the side of the lake. It was also fun not being the only photographer there as the guy who invited me was Jaycob, a well known car photographer in the area, so we had a good time documenting our time there. My favorite part though was the sun was starting to set when we got there and it was only about 80F in the sun and the sand only felt warm to the touch. Being that it was summer here we definitely lucked out.

We stayed till the sun went down hoping to see the dark sky the observatory was built for but as the temperature dropped and the light got low we were swiftly attacked by mosquitos no doubt happy to have an easy meal. After it became apparent that we were outnumbered we retreated to the car and got far away from the biting bugs. (The two apparent smudges on top right hand corner are two of these pesky beasts, they not only bite but ruin the sky of my photos.)