SPRING DUNE CAMPING.

When my dear friends, the McNamaras, called me, weeks in advance, and told me they were planning a camping trip to the Bruneau Sand Dunes for mid-March I had two immediate thoughts.  Number One:  March?  You must be crazy!  And Number Two:  I'm going with you!  In addition to the fact that their trip to Bruneau would be the maiden voyage for their new camp trailer, it had also been YEARS since I had camped with Mike and Amber!  Despite my reservation about camping in MARCH, I just wasn't willing to miss out on this trip!  However, as the pre-arranged weekend loomed ever closer, I repeatedly called and asked the same question--Are you S-U-R-E we're still going?  Meanwhile, I prepared.  I had decided, early on, to leave my camper home.  Instead, I scrounged around and found my tent (which I swear has only been pitched a handful of times in the nearly 15 years I have owned it)!  And then I called my Dad to borrow what is now officially my ultimate favorite camping item--his Little Buddy heater!  Before I left Dad hooked the Little Buddy up to my big propane tank so that I would be sure to have hours and hours (and hours) of heat!  Although I have to admit I sorely missed my beloved camper, tenting it this trip turned out to be absolutely awesome!  What an an adventure!

If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Amber's blog about our trip too!

Amber's Blog

  

Since Mike and Amber had arrived HOURS before me, they were, by default, in charge of picking our campsite.  Amber called when I was just outside of Mountain Home to let me know the number of the camp site they had chosen.  We're in #69, she said.  When I finally arrived, I couldn't help but chuckle.  Indeed Mike and Amber were in slot #69.  They were also THE only people in the ENTIRE lower campground!  Good thing she gave me their camp number or I might never have found them!  ")  They admitted they drove around the EMPTY campground several times before making a final decision on their campsite!

  

I had plenty of help setting up camp once I arrived (my late arrival was STRATEGIC you see)!

Miss Anna was particularly fond of my camp decor.  I think she would agree that no tent is complete without a lighted flamingo staked out front!

  

I hung out in my tent for a few minutes, enjoying the view and sunshine, before we headed to the dunes to play!

  

Mike and Isaac headed straight for the top of the dune, snow sled in hand . . .

  

while Amber took pictures and Anna ate sand!

It turns out sledding down the dunes doesn't work so well!

I have since heard rumor that the best way to sled down a sand dune is on a piece of

MASONITE!  You know I'll be dragging a big board to the dunes next time I go!

      

Since the sled idea was a flop, Isaac engaged in my personal favorite dune activity!

By the way, I refrained from rolling this trip given the fact that I KNOW where all that sand ends up and I sincerely DID NOT want to spend an entire weekend with it lodged there!

ISAAC LOVING THE SAND

AMBER AND ISAAC HIKING THE RIDGE

MIKE BURYING ANNA'S LEGS

SHE WAS SO THRILLED!

MIKE AND AMBIE

While the McNamaras played in the sand  . . .

  

I found slight hints of the emerging Sand Lilies . . .

packed home a pocketful of pretty black rocks . . .

and, of course, picked up garbage!

Soon it was time to head back to camp for an amazing spaghetti dinner prepared by Gourmet Amber and served in the luxurious McNamara Dining Room!

  

I believe that the McNamaras discovered that although spaghetti tastes most delicious while out camping, perhaps it isn't the best meal to serve in a new camper!

WHAT ON EARTH COULD BE CAUSING THIS SQUABBLE?

AH, YES.  SPAGHETTI IS ALWAYS BETTER OFF YOUR BROTHER'S PLATE!

  

BUT SOON ALL THE KIDS WERE IN THEIR PROPER PLACES.  ISAAC ON ONE SIDE OF THE TABLE, ANNA ON THE OTHER, AND JACKSON ON CLEAN-UP RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE!

After dinner, during my absolute favorite time of the day, Isaac and I took off on a tiny hike.

I LOVE late evening light!

  

  

A TUMBLEWEED TRAIL!

After a bit of hiking, it became obvious that Isaac had discovered why rolling down the dunes isn't such a great idea!  Since it was pretty clear there was likely a great deal of sand in Little Man's under-roos, we headed back!

But not before stopping to sit in the swings on the porches of the rental cabins!

  

AND THEN NIGHT FELL VERY QUICKLY!

I retired to my tent to fire up the Little Buddy.

The McNamaras attempted to build and sit around a campfire.

They did not succeed.

I snuggled up with the dogs in front of the heater and quickly fell asleep.

The McNamaras turned up their furnace and attempted to fall asleep.

They did not succeed.

I woke the next morning to a very comfortable temperature.

The McNamaras . . . did not!

I don't think any of us would have guessed that the crazy lady in the tent would have been so comfortable!  I will admit that the walls of my tent were covered with ice the next morning but, the actual temperature of the tent was amazingly warm!  Even my dogs--the WEENIE DOGS--were comfy cozy!  In fact, my only complaint about the night was some sort of late night Air Force drill that awakened all of us around 11:30.  I'm not sure how long the jets were flying but I do know they were very loud and very low!  The massive rumblings were rather eerie out there in the dark desert and the jets so low, they rattled the soda can I had in my tent!  I laid there, wide awake, imagining the horror of what it must be like to live in a country of nearly constant war.  And then I became quite convinced I was the reason those jets were flying so long and so low.  You see, I had the foresight to bring along my thermometer.  Stored in the cargo net at the very peak of the tent, the thermometer read around 96 degrees that night.  I'm sure one lone pilot was out on an exercise and just happened to click on his heat-seeking radar.  I can only imagine the glow my 96 degree tent caused on his screen!  And then, he radioed his buddies.  And then they used me and my glowing tent for mock target practice.  I'm sure of it! 

The next morning I marveled at the  dunes in the fresh morning light and walked over the pavilion to read the bulletin board.

  

I read that the observatory would be opening for the season that night!

And then to my horror, I discovered that the park had a . . .

WI-FI CONNECTION?!?

WHAT HAS CAMPING COME TO?!

Sometime after breakfast I stumbled back to my tent for a mid-morning nap.

When I woke, the temperature on the floor of the tent was 98 degrees!  I was sweating profusely and flailed about trying desperately to escape the heat.  When I grabbed the door zipper, my fingers were actually burned!  When I finally managed to roll from the tent, there was the McNamara clan, all bundled up and shivering, flying a kite.  I, in the meantime, was peeling off clothes and flinging open the tent windows.  It was around that time that Mike came and told me they would not be spending another miserable night in the desert!  I agreed to return home early with them--but only on the condition that the record would show

 I WAS NOT THE ONE TO FREEZE OUT! 

After packing up camp, we hiked over to the Big Dune to play in the small window of afternoon warmth!

  

GREAT VIEWS AND GREAT FRIENDS!

THOSE TWO TEENY TINY DOTS?

MIKE AND ISAAC AT THE VERY TOP!

ISAAC FILLING UP HIS UNDER-ROOS AGAIN!

  

THE MCNAMARAS AND THE MIGHTY TENTRESS

  

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

EVEN IF THEY DID FREEZE OUT!

THE NITRO HUT

Before falling asleep in the tent that night, I made this camp sign (a crazy custom of mine) but I never got to hang nor photograph it--due to the fact that the McNamaras froze out!  Several weeks before we went camping, I was having dinner at Mike and Amber's when Isaac looked at me and said, "Aunt Tess, you have huge nitros!"  Although this is seemingly pretty random, I know where Isaac was looking when he mentioned my "nitros."  I have no idea how he decided upon the word nitro to describe this suddenly-interesting-to-him part of the female physic but I have to admit, I kinda like it!  However, it is apparent I should keep my nitros better concealed around Isaac from now on!

Several days after returning home from our trip to the Sand Dunes, I stumbled across this article in the Idaho Statesman.

'Skyquakes' of March put S. Idaho on Edge

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) - The 'skyquakes are back.

Southcentral Idaho residents are once again reporting strange rumbling noises and periodic shaking events that have been absent for a year.

On March 3 people across the region reported a loud boom and rumbling that evening to the Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center.

Geologists say no earthquakes were recorded close enough to the region to cause the event and suggest sonic booms from military aircraft.

But officials at Mountain Home Air Force Base say the closest jet was too far away to be a factor.

For several days during March of 2008 the strange rumblings happened regularly at 11:23 p.m.

So, you be the judge!  Was my tent used as target practice by the military--or were we awakened by something else entirely?  To add to the mystery, a close examination of some of the photos I took over the course of the weekend revealed a few with some very unexplainable images!

IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS PHOTO, A MYSTERIOUS DARK, CIRCULAR IMAGE

A DARK SHAPE IS HOVERING JUST ABOVE THE DUNES!

AND AGAIN ABOVE THE MEADOWLARK IN THE TREE!

RIGHT BEHIND ISAAC!

TO THE LEFT OF MIKE AND ISAAC PLAYING ON THE DUNES!

AND EVEN MORE DISTURBING, THESE FINAL TWO IMAGES PROVE THERE WERE STRANGE CREATURES AMONG US IN THE DESERT THAT WEEKEND!

  

one final note:  it took me FOREVER to get that piece of sand out of my camera!