Bruneau Dunes State Park has become one of my favorite
stopping places when traveling across Idaho. This year I used their excellent
campground as a place to spend the night on my way to the John Day, Oregon area
on my annual camping trip.
The spectacular dunes are a great place to take pictures
when the sun gets low just before sunset.
People on top of this dune were sliding down the steep shadowed side as
if it were snow.
One of the attractions is the 470 foot high largest single
structured sand dune in North America.
There are a couple of ponds in the park that allow the rare opportunity
to photograph dunes reflected in water, but this actually isn’t as good as it
was several years ago because the beaches have become overgrown with trees and
reeds. Swimmers have kept a few passages
open through the reeds.
The wind does amazing things with the sand. What can cause such abrupt changes in the
ripples? The color of the sand changes
from gray to rust as the sun gets low.
There are a few flowers on the dunes that cast long shadows
in the afternoon light, like this nakedstem sunray.
The day ended with warm sunlight reflected in the lake from
the big dune. If you decide to
photograph these dunes, I suggest putting your camera away until about an hour
before sunset when the color gets richer and the shadows and ripples in the
sand create wonderful patterns.
Please respect my copyright and do not use these photos
without permission. I often donate usage
for charitable purposes, but will charge a small fee for personal or commercial
use.
