Boise, ID

A few weeks ago we were hanging out with some friends at their house on a Saturday and decided that a walk on the Lake Lowell dam would be nice. We gathered our things, packed up the kids (between us there are 5!), made a quick stop at our house for some different shoes and water, then headed out.

Since none of us had been up to the dam in awhile, we forgot that there is construction occurring there, and when we arrived we couldn’t tell for sure whether or not it was closed to pedestrians. Not wanting to end up someplace we weren’t supposed to be, we opted to drive over to the new entrance into the visitor center area. Fortunately our friends knew where to go because we hadn’t been there yet, but arriving at the corner of Roosevelt and Indiana, the parking area was impossible to miss.

Since it was after 4:00 on a Saturday, the visitor’s center was closed, and therefore, so was the gate to the road leading into it. None of us could figure out why the gate is at the beginning of this road, rather than down near the visitor’s center, but since we had come for a walk, we all piled out and headed down the very nicely paved road.

About a half a mile later, we arrived at the visitor’s center, where we checked out the very handsome “garbage man” who sits vigil outside the front door. Made entirely of trash, which I think has been picked up from the lake and surrounding area, he guards the door and reminds visitors the importance of not littering.

Of course we couldn’t go inside, being that it was closed, so we headed off down the nature trail, a worn spot of dirt through the sagebrush. A little ways down the trail we spotted something that definitely deserved further exploration: a little gazebo-shaped “house” and high log fence. Some of us opened the door and peeked in the house, while the men decided to see what awaited on the other side of the gate. What we discovered was, according to the sign, a bird blind.

Inside the little building, all the way around, were little hinged doors maybe 18-24 inches tall and positioned approximately at eye-level.

Opening these provided a glimpse into the “backyard” where a variety of types of bird feeders and houses hung from tree branches. Three plastic, lidded trash cans held various types of birdseed which could be used to fill the feeders.

I have a feeling that a person really wanting to birdwatch would need a lot more patience and a lot fewer kids than we had. However, our munchkins (and our husbands) had a great time filling up the feeders. We did see, at a distance, what looked like pelicans out on the lake, but not being real bird experts, we questioned that conclusion.

Before we left, we swept up stray birdseed as requested and signed the guestbook. Contributions to the donation box would have to happen another time as none of us were prepared that particular day. We then continued on down the trail. A little farther and we moms, deep in conversation, passed right by but missed the sign that said “area closed,” heading for the lake until my friend’s husband pointed out to us the error of our ways. The downside to that was no wading, but the upside was no wet kids on the hike back.

After the half-mile hike back to the upper parking lot, we ran into two groups of people. One group was friends of our friends, and the other group was people we knew. Apparently we had hit a popular spot! After chatting a few minutes, we all parted ways and headed home to feed our hungry kids. It had been a fun afternoon, and any day that a free, kid-friendly place is discovered is considered a success.