National park number one on our grand tour of the West. We are at San Luis Lakes State Park, Colorado, in a little campground that closes tomorrow. There are only a dozen or so campers here. Our campsite is at 7500’ – high desert country. The sun is setting and reflecting off the 14,000’ Colorado peaks all around us. Across seven miles of desert we can see the Great Sand Dunes National Park. An almost full moon has risen over the mountains in the other direction. It was a sunny day at about 70. Now that the sun is setting there is a very cool breeze. It’s supposed to get down into the 30s tonight. Everywhere there is sagebrush, cactus and a bush with little yellow flowers. It smells dusty and herbal, and a little smoky from a nearby campfire. I can hear a flock of geese flying down to the reservoir. It definitely feels like fall. Are you here with me?
It was a good day - sunny when we got up and clear. We drove to Walsenburg, CO and headed west into the mountains. (After waiting for a parade to go by – Yes, the small town parade went down the highway for about 30 minutes). Our first challenge was to be a 9500’ pass – It was a piece of cake. We were on the way down before we realized that we had made it to the top.
The Great Sand Dunes are pretty awesome. However, since the park is at 8100’ we did NOT do a long hike into them, but managed to climb one and sit down. The sand is deep and fine which makes it hard to walk in, but feels good on the feet. In the summer they say it can get to 114 out on the sand so it was great that it was much cooler.
I am happy that I can curl up in a nice warm be tonight – it is very chilly. Tomorrow we have another pass to tackle – 1000’ higher than the last one.
It was a good day - sunny when we got up and clear. We drove to Walsenburg, CO and headed west into the mountains. (After waiting for a parade to go by – Yes, the small town parade went down the highway for about 30 minutes). Our first challenge was to be a 9500’ pass – It was a piece of cake. We were on the way down before we realized that we had made it to the top.
The Great Sand Dunes are pretty awesome. However, since the park is at 8100’ we did NOT do a long hike into them, but managed to climb one and sit down. The sand is deep and fine which makes it hard to walk in, but feels good on the feet. In the summer they say it can get to 114 out on the sand so it was great that it was much cooler.
I am happy that I can curl up in a nice warm be tonight – it is very chilly. Tomorrow we have another pass to tackle – 1000’ higher than the last one.
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