Bruneau Canyon Overlook
June 7, 2007.
We are staying at Three
Island Crossing State Park located in the town of Glynn's
Ferry. $4 entry fee plus $21 for RV site with water &
elect. Very nice campground and it is full. Mature trees with good
shade and green grass. If by chance the campground at Three
Island Crossing is full there is a nice commercial campground
at a winery located at the front gate to the State Park. They were
$20 for FHU and they had shade. Point being----they would be a good
alternative and some would like it better than the state park since
is was $1 cheaper and it had FHU.
Our destination today is Bruneau Canyon
Overlook 18-miles south of the small crossroads town of Bruneau.
Large stash of hay on way to Bruneau Canyon
The first 5 or so miles out of Bruneau
was through a well irrigated valley producing of all things -------------
alfalfa, and loads of it as this huge stack of alfalfa hay attests.
From Bruneau set your odometer
on -0- then turn south on Hot Springs Road---there is also a brown
sign pointing toward "Bruneau Canyon
Overlook". About 10-miles down Hot Springs Road it turns
into decently maintained gravel. When the odometer reaches 18-miles
you should see signage for Bruneau Canyon
Overlook where you turn right (west) one mile or so.
We have been driving down a gravel road for over 10-miles when low
and behold we see the canyon overlook. It is hard to believe there
is a canyon out here but here it is. From here one can see the dark
gash in the earth.
Awesome, is the only word that comes close to describing it. Totally
awesome! The Bruneau River has cut this canyon through what looks
to me to be 600' of hard basalt.
Some places are over 1,200' deep but I can't say for certain this
overlook is over the portion of the 1,200' deep part of the chasm.
One can only imagine the cataclysmic events over thousands of years
that created lava
flow this deep.
By looking at the strata it is fairly easy to tell that tremendous
volumes of lava
would spill over this area then none would flow for hundreds of years.
When lava
was not flowing a layer of ordinary sediment would be laid down. Then
lava
would flow again covering the old lava
and the sediments covering it.
In the picture on the left you can easily see the "bacon strips"
clearly showing where the layers of sediment covered one old lava
flow then that in turn was covered by yet another round of molten
lava.
Layer upon layer upon layer of molten lava
is what the Bruneau River has cut through to carve the Bruneau
Canyon. My mind is having trouble even contemplating the events
that created Bruneau Canyon.
How many years of lava
flow are represented in the walls of Bruneau
Canyon? How many years did it take for the Bruneau River to
carve this canyon through the hard basalt?
The section of Bruneau Canyon
visible from the overlook is known as Five Mile Rapids. During the
spring run-off, it is one of the most challenging stretches of white
waer in the nation for rafters and kayakers.
While we can not see them, rhyolite canyons dominate the Bruneau/Jarbidge
landscape. These canyons are noted for nearly contnuous, vertical,
monolithic rock walls that rise directly from the river channel, and
countless majestic rock spires, called hoodoos.
The basalt
flows that stretch out from here were pushed up through large fissures
in the earth's crust. As the flows cooled, they began to shrink and
formed vertical fractures. This process is called columnar
jointing.
Eventually, these colums of rock fractured again horizontally leaving
large blocks. Eventually, the blocks break away and tumble to the
base of the cliffs or into the river channel, constricting the river's
flow and creating narrow, steep-gradient rapids such as those in the
pictures.
The blocks of basalt
that tumble to the base of the cliffs are known as talus
thus creating talus
slopes at the bottom.
This is a close-up of the basalt
wall of Brueneau Canyon in southern
Idaho.
In the picture to the right it is easy to see where layers of sediment
were laid down between successive layers of molten lava.
I included this picture to show at least one thick layer of red sediment
about 1/3 the way down this cliff face.
California quail
Evening around Three
Island Crossing State Park is a good time to spot California
quail. They are out moving around. During this time of year these
birds are paired up. This is one colorful male, his mate is not nearly
as colorful.
California quail
Male California quail walking through Three
Island State Park in the Snake
River Valley of southern Idaho.
Evenings is also a good time to take pictures of the setting sun
highlighting bluffs on the south side of the Snake
River Valley in southern Idaho
east of Brueneau..
This is looking to the southeast across the Snake
River Valley from Three
Island Crossing State Park in the late afternoon. So much
of the geography in southern Idaho
is lava
rock. Surprisingly along the south side of the river is this large
river cut of sedimentary rock.
Until next time remember how good life is.
Mike & Joyce Hendrix
Mike
& Joyce Hendrix who we are
We hope you liked this page. If you do you might be interested in
some of our other Travel Adventures:
Mike & Joyce Hendrix's home
page
Travel Adventures
by Year ** Travel
Adventures by State ** Plants
** Marine-Boats
** Geology ** Exciting
Drives ** Cute Signs
** RV
Subjects ** Miscellaneous
Subjects
We would love to hear from you......just put "info" in
the place of "FAKE" in this address: FAKE@travellogs.us
Until next time remember how good life is.
