There were 5 of us - myself, Meenakshi, our HP colleagues, Chetana Kapadia and Rowena Ursua (from Philippines) and Chetana's husband, Ashok - our chauffeur, guide and captain!

Bruneau Sand Dunes is a beautiful natural formation of sand over very long periods of time. It has braved all natural hazards. It changes shape due to winds, or vagaries of climate. It's a small collection of short hills through which runs a small lake. The sands are soft, like those in beaches.

We were at our destination around 11 AM. After checking out the Lake which was very shallow, we decided to climb up one of the dunes. It was a short but rather exhaustive treck, as the sand pushed the body down and made it difficult. But the view from the top was worth the effort - green valleys and the lake.

Our first objective was lunch, as all of us were hungry. That over, while Chetana went shopping, Ashok gave us a guided tour of the Base. It was a terrific experience, it being my first visit to any Military Base, much less a US one. We saw a few planes - F-15, KC-135 - some of them parked close to the runway, some on maneuvres. We got a complete picture of a base and the activities which take place there - fuel tanks, base police, the quarters, and the like.

After checking out the shopping complex inside the base, we were back on our return journey.

Bolstered by the success of the previous day's expedition, we set out with renewed vigour to a different place. This time we were in two cars, with Ashok's father joining him, Chetana and Meenakshi in one car, while myself and Rowena came in another.

I got to know much about Philippines from Rowena, though she had settled in US 10 years back. It was nice to learn about the different things in other countries - the culture, people and places. I realised that we had many areas in common - especially in importance attached to family values.

After a longish drive, we were in Stanley around noon. We checked out the Tourist Information Centre and decided to go to a nearby picnic spot for lunch. After stopping twice at wrong places, we were third time lucky - to hit a lovely picnic spot, close to the Lake. There were benches and tables put up for people to sit and lunch. We had brought our lunch and consumed them, while enjoying the scenery.

I should mention here about Idaho and its people, who prefer out-door life during the weekends. There are several camping places all over the State. People own "R Vs" (self-contained vehicles with all facilities - bed, kitchen, bath, etc.) or hire them, and then drive them all over the place. Many of them also own boats, in which they go, on the Payette or other rivers.

I'd seen beach next to a river back in India (Thalakkadu, three hour drive from Bangalore), but that was nothing in comparison to that I found here - it was fantastic - a vast stretch of beach on two sides, separated by the lake. The lake was shallow near the beach and we could wade in. After a ten minute walk by the beach, we reached a spot, where there were boats for rent. It was cloudy and we were told it would rain. But we decided to rent pedal boats nevertheless and went around in them for half an hour. It was exciting as we pedalled in different directions, which was compounded by the mild current of the lake. To our luck, it didn't rain too!

We took a wrong turn and went quite a while, before realising our mistake and retracing our paths. We parked before a Coffee shop and went exploring the place.Sun Valley is a popular ski resort, especially of the rich and famous. It wasn't very crowded, and we walked around the place, stopping at a couple of shops. Chetana was interested in "The Casino", but we realised that it was just the name of a bar (and not a gambling den)!

The crowning point of the day was when we decided to return. We were getting back to our car, when we saw a Howie (a prohibitively expensive brand of jeep) screech to a stop next to our car - and who should get out, but Arnold Schwarshenegger of the "Terminator" fame. Our excitement knew no bounds, especially when we said we could take snaps.

We invited him to share our food, to which he agreed on the condition that he would treat us to coffee. The red chilli chatni of vada pav made even the former Mr.Universe's eyes water! (Vada pav - for the uninitiated is the most popular dish in Maharashtra - people have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in between - it is equivalent to burgers and sandwiches of the world) He said that he'll drop us at Boise in his plane, but we politely declined. However, we rode together till the airport. He kept waving from his plane, and we had to force him to leave.

Now, the above paragraph is entirely fictitious, it being our fantasies - but I thought it was too good to be forgotten! However, I did manage to get his autograph for Rowena and wish him luck for his upcoming movie (in November).

The return journey was uneventful, after all the excitement we had earlier. Ashok joined us in Rowena's car and we had fun, discussing various topics. We were back in Boise by 7.30 PM - after a trip, worth cherishing.