Duck Valley Indian Reservation and On To the Town of Bruneau Idaho

Tuesday October 16, 2018 Bruneau Idaho

Headed to Duck Valley

Well let’s see, I think I got a bit ahead of myself at the last post so let’s catch up.

This morning I woke here on the road to Sunflower Flat just south of Mountain City. It was a place they stopped a big fire last summer. I parked right on the edge where they stopped it.

I drove back down the road to Mountain City and continued on to the Duck Valley Indian Reservation which I’m approaching here.

Visiting Joe

My plan was to visit with Joe at his tire shop which is also his home.

I pulled into his driveway to find Joe working on tire stuff in his yard, because that’s what he does.

Joe’s tire shop as I drove n the driveway.

I shot the bull with Joe for about an hour and bummed some drinking water to fill up my bottles than headed for the Tribe’s store but stopped at the Tribe’s computer lab to do my internet stuff on the way.

Here’s the Tribe’s store where I got gas for the van.

Headed to the Town of Bruneau

After gassing I drove abut 40 miles north on highway 51 to this turnoff that goes across the desert to a  little town called Bruneau which I’d never been to before.

I think the road was about another forty miles to Bruneau. On the way I passed by these antelope doing what they usually do when they see people, run like hell.

Most of the road was in pretty good shape and fairly straight.

I saw quite a few antelope, here’s a few more of them. I saw no deer, but that might be because deer season just opened here.

Like I said the road was mostly good until I got near the town of Bruneau and it got a bit washboardy, but not too bad. Here I’m just dropping into the Bruneau town area.

Bruneau library

I drove into Bruneau and checked the library for internet and it was open and good. I checked email and started driving around exploring. I drove down a road that went near the Bruneau River and stopped here in a day use area.

I needed a place to camp but not there, so I drove back out the road to hunt up a camp spot. There are lots of big cattle ranches in this area so lots of cattle around.

I checked a couple other places but the ones didn’t find any of them that I cared to put my boat in as the bodies of water were huge, more for power boats.

Looking for a camp

Of course big ranches mean private land so things were tight in this area as far as public access to stuff so I headed back out a road into the desert to look for a camp.

I stopped at this cemetery to check it out, but it was so large and spread out I figured that’d take about a day so drove on.

Evening drive

I remembered a rock quarry I passed on the way in so I drove back to it and pulled in as the sun was going down. After checking it out, I felt boxed in and decided to look some more so decided to go for an evening drive to look around.

I drove back up the road a bit, but didn’t get far when I saw a side road so tried it. It looked encouraging for a camp spot.

Tonight’s camp

This is where that road led to. An overlook with a view which I like just fine so I parked and am camped for the night.

Here’s my view out the side doors.

Which way to go

Right now I’m trying to decide which way to go from here. Back to the reservation or across the desert through the air forces bombing range to the town of Jarbidge or what. I’m fairly close to Jarbidge so I’m leaning towards that way which I will likely do.

Either way, I’ll go back to Bruneau tomorrow and post this blog before heading out.

Nice day and the night’s weather is improving going above freezing for a spell which is nice. Otherwise the days are sunny and clear.

Next morning in Bruneau

Coming into town.

At the library to post this blog. Nice lady here.

I’ll post this blog and check email and weather then I’m headed to the Jarbidge area through the bombing range called Three Creeks Road.

Not sure where the next post will be from, maybe Jarbidge or back at the reservation.